I adjusted her posture with a firm grip on her chin, forcing her to face the smoldering ruins of the building behind us. The flames reflected in her eyes, dancing with a mix of fear and defiance. "Emma told me your name was Lilith," I began, my voice low and steady, though anger simmered beneath the surface. "You left Sun to create the Fist of God. We had a great relationship... until you decided to do this. Were you forced to?"

Her gaze faltered, slipping away to the side, her lips pressing into a thin line. "No," she admitted, her voice almost a whisper. "it was of my own volition. I was paid."

The words struck me like a blow, and my temper flared. "Paid?!" I yelled, my voice echoing amidst the rubble. "For mere coin, you try and assassinate two Flames?!"

She straightened slightly, summoning a shred of defiance, though her eyes betrayed her unease. "It was a lot of money! It wasn't like the person who hired us was some random slouch."

I wrestled with my fury. Whoever this person was, they wielded enough power or influence to tempt the leader of a Major Clan. I needed to find out who. Releasing her chin, I turned my attention to her boytoy, sprawled helplessly on the ground nearby. His battered form twitched as my shadow loomed over him.

I kept my tone measured but cold as I addressed her again, "Who was it?"

She hesitated, chewing on her lip as if weighing her options. Finally, she spoke, her voice tinged with desperation. "Swear by the sun you won't kill me after I tell you."

Swear by the sun? The phrase caught me off guard. I shot a glance at one of my soldiers restraining her, my brow furrowing. "What's she mean by that?"

He responded immediately, his tone matter-of-fact. "When you swear by the sun, you have to uphold whatever you said you'd do. If you don't, your punishment is immediate execution, sir."

Clever. She was exploiting my ignorance, attempting to corner me into an oath. My jaw tightened as I considered my options. Then, while letting killing intent leak, I placed my boot on the boytoy's back, pressing him into the dirt. "Ok, sure." I said, the words laced with menace. "We can arrest you. I swear by the sun not to kill you after you tell me." I let my words hang in the air for a moment, watching her reaction carefully before adding, "Swear by the sun you're telling me the truth as well."

Her lips moved in sync with my oath, her voice carrying a solemn weight. "I swear by the sun that it was Endo Nukujima."

The name meant nothing to me, and frustration bubbled to the surface. My boot ground down on the boytoy’s back, forcing a pained gasp from his lips. "You act like I know who that is!" I snapped.

Lilith’s face twisted in concern, her eyes darting toward the broken man beneath me. "Endo is one of the strongest members of Obsidian!" she blurted, her voice trembling slightly. "He's known for his loyalty. He wouldn't have done anything without Toda—" She froze mid-sentence, her mouth clamping shut as if she'd said too much. Her hesitation was damning.

I pressed, "Toda?"

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She reluctantly clarified, her tone hushed. "Toda's the leader of Obsidian. Anyways, he wouldn't have done anything without his approval..."

My patience was wearing thin, and I shifted my gaze to the nearest soldier. "Do you know of Endo?" I asked, my voice sharp.

He nodded solemnly. "He's the fifth ranked in Obsidian, sir. He oversees the Nephrite Fort in Trivoko. If what she says is true—"

I cut him off with a swift swipe of my hand. "Don't say another word!" The weight of the revelation churned in my mind, a storm of possibilities taking shape.

Glancing slightly to the left back to Lilith, I issued my orders. "Restrain her with handcuffs and take her to a holding cell. The guards I met at the gate aren’t under her payroll, right?"

Another soldier stepped forward, shaking his head. "No, sir. While the Fist of God is the ruling clan, the noble family of Fraerex is responsible for maintaining order. They wouldn't go against the Fist of God for most things, but with Sun's influence and their crime, they'll comply with our commands."

A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. I snapped my fingers decisively. "Good! Take her there!" Lilith offered no resistance, her shoulders slumping as she surrendered to her fate. She didn’t even spare me a glance as she was led away, her silence almost unsettling.

I then turned my full attention to her boytoy, seizing him by the scruff of his tattered suit. His body was limp, a pathetic sight as I hauled him upright. "For you, though..." With a surge of anger, I hurled him into the nearest brick wall. The sickening crunch of impact echoed through the space as his body crumpled to the ground, broken. My breath came in heavy bursts, my thoughts racing. I’m sure he’s dead. Caleb fought five guys who could go toe-to-toe with that? And he was poisoned too... I shook my head in disbelief. Good God, he’s a monster.

The tension in my chest eased slightly as I turned to the soldiers. "Let’s go to the hospital." I said, my voice low but resolute. It’s time to wish that monster well.

Two hours later..

The doctors administered a cocktail of specialized drugs to Caleb, designed to accelerate his recovery without the risk of addiction. These treatments worked miracles on his broken body, but they came with one significant drawback—crippling fatigue. Caleb wouldn’t be able to fight for a long time. Even so, his body was already mending itself at a remarkable pace. Shattered bones were knitting together, torn muscles regrowing with almost unnatural speed. His breathing was shallow but steady, his chest rising and falling in rhythm with the machines monitoring his condition.

Suddenly, his eyelids fluttered, and he shot awake, his body trembling as if jolted from a nightmare. I instinctively raised my hand to calm him. "It's okay... Caleb. We won."

He grimaced, his hand going to his arm as he groaned, "Argh... I feel terrible."

I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. "You're alive. They're not."

He didn’t dwell on himself, his mind immediately shifting to the situation. "What happened?"

I leaned forward, my voice measured. "The Five Fingers are dead. Many of our soldiers and officers are dead. Lilith is in our custody."

Caleb let out a long sigh, a mix of relief and exhaustion. "Emma found you, didn't she? I was hoping she would."

A small smile tugged at my lips. "She did." I then frowned, "But so did Obsidian. Obsidian hired Lilith to assassinate you and me."

His reaction was instantaneous, his voice a thunderous roar. "What?!"

I clenched my fist, my nails biting into my palm as I steadied myself. "It was Endo. I've been doing my research on him. Lilith showed us three thousand gold that she supposedly was paid with, and she swore by the sun."

Caleb clicked his tongue in frustration, his face twisting with concern. "She knows what swearing by the sun means. This is such bad news."

His determination flared despite his weakened state. He struggled to rise, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. I placed a firm hand on his chest and pushed him back down. "Don’t. You need to recover." For a moment, he glared at me. Then he relented, his body sinking back into the mattress.

His voice dropped, heavy with dread. "You don't get how bad this is. This isn't something we can sweep under the rug. Too many are dead! We need to head to Grand Sasebella now."

My heart sank as he said, "This is war."