As the chill breeze danced around Xerxes, anyone clueless enough to stand in its midst felt a chilling sensation throughout their bodies. This season was so strangely cold throughout its reign, as the sun was nowhere to be seen, and the high clouds hid the sun's presence from this world's surface. However, this came nowhere close to what these two men felt in their hearts. They walked through this intense weather without speaking. The heavily clothed man in red with his neatly trimmed beard controlled the small portion of ice as he shaped it into a fine wine glass; with a wave of his hand, he meticulously gathered water from the skies as he purified it and placed it inside the glass; after the performance, he handed the glass to the fellow beside him with a smile that hid immense sadness behind his eyes.

"Have a drink, Charlie. Please don't blame yourself for what happened to my son. To be honest, I expected it to happen, but not so soon. Tell me how he died," the man with the chiseled jaw questioned. Being confronted with such a question, the guilt ate Charlie inside out; he adjusted his heavy dark coat as he lifted his head to answer the question.

"Anton, It was this morning when I heard the news, seeing how abrupt his death was. I dug into it and discovered that his plane had been tampered with. I believe that one of his enemies from his legal battle might have been involved, and his trip to Festivus was the perfect opportunity to plan it," Charlie remarked somberly as he firmly held the ice glass and chugged down the water.

The reply was without flaws, but Anton's expression stayed the same. It felt like he wanted a different answer, but it was unclear if it was because he caught Charlie's lie or if he expected something more. However, Charlie wondered what Anton wanted to discuss that warranted the walk. Before he could conjecture, Anton swiftly interjected.

"Kaelin always wanted to be a lawyer, even when we were poor; he believed that if he became one, he could solve the injustice against the poor with words, so when I learned that he had gotten the opportunity to become a lawyer, I was overjoyed. That event marked one of the happiest days in my life," Anton muttered as Charlie listened closely as he continued.

"However, things aren't what they seem; as the days went by, he did his best to support us, but even with us being family, he could not tell us the truth of his job," Anton said as he stared at Charlie straight in his eyes as his feet glided against the snow.

"Wait, are you suggesting your son was in any dangerous or illegal business," Charlie gasped with a confused expression.

"Relax, Charlie, I am done yet. A year later, I barged into his room by accident, and what I saw was unnatural, considering the nature of his job and the time he goes and comes home. Kaelin's muscle mass was too exaggerated, to say the least, and his progress was unheard of within a year."

"Having doubts, I asked to bond with him in the boxing gym nearby. But he was reluctant at first. But I gave him my reasoning that he had been sitting in an office for the longest time and, as such, he needed to move his body; he agreed with me, and such, we had a match, but before I knew it, I got knocked out. "Anton remarked as he laughed at the memory of the event. Charlie, however, was not as fond of the story as Anton because he felt he knew where Anton was going with the story.

"Waking up from the knockout. Kaelin apologized and said it was a lucky shot, but an amateur as I was, there was nothing lucky about that punch; it looked and felt coordinated. Two words. Muscle memory. I finally came to the hypothesis that his job as a lawyer was a disguise for a more dangerous job."

"And that job is what led to his death. What are your thoughts on the hypothesis?"

"So Charlie, once again, I'm asking you, How did my son die."

Seeing how Anton had fitted all the pieces together, Charlie sighed, frustrated about what to do now.

Looking into the man's eyes, he saw a man who wanted to know the truth about his son's death so he could mourn and lay his mind to rest. With the guilt he felt about Kaelin's death and the pain he caused the family, he thought it was fitting that Anton knew the truth. Leon's words rang in his mind as he was about to tell him the truth.

"We as a group are trying to change to make this world a better place, but do not mistake us for heroes, for we have sullied our hands with the blood of murderers and innocents alike. I say this to you as a brother, as I know how much your compassion drives you."

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As these words rang in his mind, he still felt it was the right and necessary thing to do, but before that, he had to confirm something. Charlie rubbed his leather gloves against the ice glass before drinking the last bit of water within it.

"If I told the truth and this information were to leak, it would jeopardize your family's life. Are you still willing to know more?" Charlie made sure to make him understand the danger this knowledge could pose.

"I still would like to know," Anton reaffirmed his decision. Charlie, seeing the man's resolve, closed his eyes.

As he uttered,

"The Final Kingdom"

A snap resounded as the space around them distorted; Anton found himself in an absolute void. This place felt like a mythical place he had read about in a book: Limbo, where all things came to an end. He felt neither cold nor heat; his sight could not understand where he was since there was nothing in the space to process. If he were to describe his current sensation, it would be. Hollow.

He felt his sense of self slipping before he gave in to the void. His state and sense of being were stabilized.

"Sorry, Anton, but speaking of this information outside is too risky. This is the only place I can ensure that the information I am about to tell you will be safe," Charlie remarked. Then, he explained everything that transpired and what group he belonged to. After hearing everything, Anton felt overwhelmed with his son's involvement. Charlie still felt one thing wasn't right about all this.

"Why did you not stop your son if you felt what he was involved in was dangerous?" Charlie inquired Anton about this, and he felt a slight happiness within the mental connection.

"He was happy, and from the look of things, he believed in the cause you and your leader strived for. The best I can do as a father is to support him."

"Knowing he died fighting for what he believed in has made me come to terms with his death."

"I have one selfish request: make sure he dies," Anton remarked as the guilt and sorrow he felt seemed to wash away from his heart. Charlie then liberated his realm and brought them both back to reality.

In the real world...

Anton and Charlie found themselves at the bus station, with Anton finally walking home to support his family through these dark times. When he left the station, Charlie saw a neatly folded note in the lower pocket of his dark leather jacket.

In the note, it said

"Thank you for everything. May Avakos guide thy path."

A smile erupted on his face; the little joy he felt at the moment was—

Bzz Bzz Bz

Immediately, the sound of his integram interrupted his sentimental moment; he felt like knocking some sense into the person who called to read the room before they called him.

Upon viewing the caller, his eyebrows and lips tensed, and his forehead creased. He answered the call; the secretary told him the leaders would meet in the Darkroom in 30 minutes. After being made aware, he swiftly returned to his hideout to prepare for the meeting. During this moment, several other heads of the syndicate's inner circle wore their formal attire and made their preparation to observe

Twenty minutes later, in another city...

The well-lit street was bustling with people from every angle of the city, cheering and smiling. The cold wintery sensation could not dull the gambling dens and casinos of the glorious town of indulgence. The passion and emotions built in this city flared up as the festival of Ikros was close. Happiness was a currency in this city, and those who lacked it were not to be found on such a joyous occasion.

This was the vibrant city of festivals: Festivus.

Across the Terre Haute district, Leon entered a small reddish cottage that looked out of place. As he went inside, he found his humble abode. He viewed it with nostalgia before quickly making his way to the basement. He opened a secret latch under the wooden boards. A screen scanned his eyes, and he uttered with his palm pressed against the screen.

"Libertas et Dominatio duo latera ejusdem monetae; et tamen qui unam acquirit, alteram habebit in suo iure."

The latch opened, showing a futuristic base-lit blue neon light with a sleek, mystical black table and chair in the center. He laid his palm on the table, which caused the slow formation of an azure circular ring on the table, which initiated his connection to the Cybernet. He entered a syndicate server, Darkroom, upon which the hologram projection of heads of the inner circle appeared.

"Good evening, Supreme Leader," remarked five dark silhouettes as they bowed with reverence. Leon waved his hand; immediately, they all arose.

"It has been three years since the syndicate was founded, and each of us pledged to support the goal of overthrowing the government and making this accursed world a better place, but we needed to build a firm foundation. To create such a world, we require influence. These two we have achieved."

"The final puzzle piece was the perfect time to start our conquest, and today, our first target has given us the opportunity and a reason to take action."

"Our overall goal is to become the most notorious crime organization in the world, to gain enough power and influence to challenge the current world order."

"Our first objective and cornerstone towards this goal is the destruction of The Blood Hounds," Leon triumphantly uttered as each of the heads of the inner circle bowed again in response to Leon's speech. The pressure emanating from these five presences was similar to that of a crime head.

"I, Charles Zenator, Second-in-Command of The Syndicate, will make sure your will comes to fruition," uttered a silhouette as he arose.

"I, Benedita Aishwarya, Head of Finance of The Syndicate, will make sure your will comes to fruition," uttered the second as she arose.

"I, Shadow Jabez, Head of Enforcement of The Syndicate, will make sure your will comes to fruition," uttered the third as he arose.

"I, Alice Kioshi, Head of Intelligence of The Syndicate, will make sure your will comes to fruition," she signaled with hand signs as she arose.

"I, Victor Ignatious, Head of Operations of The Syndicate, will make sure your will comes to fruition," he uttered as he rose.

These individuals represented the very pillars of The Syndicate, and these men reaffirmed their firm support for the pledge they had made to Leon. He nodded to acknowledge their efforts throughout, as unbeknownst to the world, this would mark the age of dominion.

"Let us start with the plan on how we would infiltrate and attack the blood hounds," Leon said as they discussed which method was more convenient for ending their reign.