The Advent was a political lobby machine in Fadeno that started two years ago.

It was located on the top floor of a home in the historical district that a member had donated when their group began. To the outside world, The Advent was a boring place filled with rich Nobli and Kuraga who chose some issue of the week to keep themselves busy. To those who had been part of The Advent, back when it was called The Adventure Club, they knew it was where real change happened.

Max had arrived around 8 PM at the same place they always did.

The old house was white and grey and looked out of place in the historical district where Utili bots and hovercars passed through the sky, and service androids kept the streets clean. Max opened the front iron gate and went to the backyard, taking the back entrance to the house. He walked up the ancient, creaking staircase, excitement in his chest, because the higher he went, the more people he could hear, and friendly voices.

When he got to the top, everyone in the hallway turned to look, paused, and then cheered. Glasses were raised, hugs were given and Max was the most important man of the evening. Eric gave him a giant hug and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"You did it! You fucking did it," Eric shouted. "The ŝtupetaro is gone!"

"No, WE DID IT," Max shouted. "And we're not done!"

More cheers went throughout the top floor and everyone wanted to talk to Max. A circle formed around him, and he basked in the attention of his years of hard work coming to fruition.

"How did you do it," Eric asked. "Tell us your secret to controlling The Emporer."

"It isn't something hard to figure out. All you need to do is make him think it was his idea," Max said.

They all nodded, many of them were used to making powerful men think they worked harder than they did. Many of them were interns for bankers, parliament representatives, and even Dukes or Barons. They spent many nights offering their opinions of the common folk, hoping that it would change policy whenever parliament convened.

It was working.

"I would sometimes suggest news articles that would mention reform of the lower classes to his wife," Max said. "Rich women who are bored like to help people but don't know how to go about it, so like any good person, I led her to the right path."

They all chimed in and thought of many other things they could do to influence their benefactors. They never considered using their wives as an in, but Max had no scruples.

To him, the ends justified the means.

"I bought books that told fairy tales that the Mezzi and Undesirebles tell their children and gave it to his son. I never question anything the Emporer does, not even around the other knights, and when he is insecure and questions my loyalty, I make him believe he's stronger than me."

Max lifted the sleeve of his fine suit and flashed his antique gold and silver watch.

"The Emporer gave this as a gift to me on my second year of service. If getting him to end ŝtupetaro and getting a watch is what I can do after two years, what can I do next year?"

They all mocked the Emporer, from his accent to his regalia, face, and hair. There was no end to the things they could fault with him, even things he could not control. While Eric was comparing the Emporer's penis to an ugly mushroom, Tiffany found Max and pulled him away. She took Max to the balcony, away from the heat and smells of food and people.

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She wore a glittering silver dress and red lipstick, and put her hair up in a styled bun. Her earrings were made of rare jewels her most recent lover had gotten her, and Max was starting to feel jealous that she was in another man's bed at night.

Tiffany leaned on the stone railing, lit her cigarette, and could finally relax, outside and alone with him and Max copied her. He put his hand on hers and she pulled away.

"It's been two years, stop," she said.

"Just a bit of hand-holding," Max replied. "Nothing more. "

She shook her head and no and smiled.

"You've become very charismatic ever since you were knighted," Tiffany said. "You're dangerous."

"So you're afraid to hold my hand because you know it won't be very long until it's more than that?"

"I never said that. You're doing it again."

Max chuckled while she nitpicked over him. She asked him if he had been eating if he made any new friends, and if he met anyone new. She didn't care that they hadn't been together for two years, they still loved each other, but now in a different way.

"I'll eat breakfast tomorrow if you stop smoking," Max said.

"No," she said, without even considering it.

"Not even for me?"

"Give an inch and you take a mile."

Max decided to step an inch closer to her, and she giggled, then took a step away.

"Tiffany, I want your advice," he said. "I don't know what to do next."

"What to do next? Whatever you want!"

"No...I mean....I started this group to end the ŝtupetaro, the cruelty, and now it's over. I'm afraid about what's next."

"Max, just because the ŝtupetaro ended doesn't mean there isn't work left to do. It doesn't become law until the Emporer signs it. People won't go along with change because he signed a piece of paper, either. Someone will need to enforce the end of ŝtupetaro."

"Yeah...yeah we still have work...we can do this," Max agreed.

Tiffany clicked her long, manicured red nails against the railing and looked at Max with apprehension. She opened and closed her mouth slightly, trying to find the right words, without scaring him off.

"How did you really do it," she asked. "How'd you convince Emporer Valeborn?"

"Like I said earlier, I just made him think it was his idea," Max insisted.

"Right. Okay."

"Why don't you believe me?"

"I just think it's weird that around the same time you left me, you started working for him," she replied. "We both know how the both of us climbed the ladder so quickly, and it wasn't through hard work alone."

Max wanted to pretend that what they did never happened, but Tiffany kept bringing it up, and he was tired of her not going along with it. Why drudge up the past when they had a bright future to look forward to?

"Does it matter how we do it? On our backs or knees, working in factories or offices, one way or another, we end up serving them. At least we got to choose how."

She shrugged and nodded in agreement, and took another long drag, worried about how jaded he was becoming.

"You're right...I was only curious...I heard a rumor is all."

"A rumor from who?"

"The maids. They talk and talk so much, it's a miracle their mouths don't fall off."

"That reminds me. You leave before me, thirty minutes apart," Max said.

"I know, I know," she said. "I don't know why you even bother, no one in that stupid castle cares what I get up to."

"Appearances matter Tiffany. There is no such thing as being too careful, especially right now. We need to know who leaked the plan to end the ŝtupetaro."

"Wait. You didn't let that out on purpose," she asked. "That terrorist attack wasn't planned by you?"

"No!"

Max stood straight from the railing and was ready to go back home. Everyone had nothing but weird thoughts about what he was up to, and it was stranger than his actual plots, much to his disdain.

"Why would I have him killed making him a martyr? Why kill him before the end of ŝtupetaro becomes law," Max asked.

"That...makes sense..."

"If anything I should be around him more often. There will be more plots against his life from now on."

"So someone here told about the plan to end ŝtupetaro, and they planned to get the Emporer killed? Who could it be?"

Max paced the balcony trying to guess, but it was impossible. Everyone in the room hated him. Any person could have told a radical group about his plan, or even worse, someone in the group could have planned the attack themselves.

"No idea," Max said. "Everyone hates him."

"Not anymore. Now it's only the Weavers. Equality for all except us, huh?"

"Don't worry. I know what to do next. We can stop the Ekstermado."