The Interest Of Many
3 days later.
At the Riverlye headquarters, Phesx sat in one of the workshop's back rooms. Behind him was Pheli, who checked his left shoulder. She wiped the yellow cream on his skin before checking the stitches. After removing them from his skin, Pheli patted his shoulder. “It's all fine. You can apply to take missions again with my check. Will you return to action soon?”
“No. I’m taking another 2 days to rest,” Phesx said, when Pheli passed him a document over his shoulder. He grabbed it before buttoning his shirt. He nodded before returning the document, “Thanks. I’ll bring what I promised.”
“Sure. It’s not like you won’t do a thing with that information in those 2 days. Just remember Riverlye doesn’t move into the government. Get caught and you’re lost.” Pheli said, tapping his back before walking around.
“What are the limits of a lagj organization?” Phesx Caolia said, stopping Pheli from leaving. She turned to him and tilted her head leftwards. Crossing her arms, Pheli said, “Anywhere in Lýmoca, practically. Sargonde is its headquarters, so there are many smaller bases around here. The other states aren’t as important, so they don’t have even a third of basses in those than here.”
“Are there no international missions?” Phesx Caolia asked, showing some hope in his eyes. Pheli narrowed her eyes a bit, “That’s best left for hoog orgs. But, lagjs like Riverlye sometimes travel to other countries. One thing, though. You’ll be completely alone there.”
“No bases, no allies. Lagjs orgs are far too unimportant in the secret world. Only hoogs can freely move between countries. It’s different than here. Riverlye might do things against the nation’s well-being, one way or another, but we won’t attack the government. If lagjs orgs were to, the hoogs would respond.”
“In the past, maybe some tried to use this to bait the hoogs in their countries, but they were then picked by neighboring countries’ secret organizations. It was a mess… anyway, it’s nothing that’ll ever be recorded anywhere.” Pheli said, standing before Phesx as he continued sitting in the tall stool.
“Thanks, for the information.” Phesx blinked, understanding a bit more of this secret world. Pheli stood right before him, tilting her head and leaning her shoulders to the right, all lazily. She nodded before reminding him of his part with a glance, then left.
Phesx accommodated his clothes and exercised his left shoulder before sighing in relief. It felt heavy after a few movements, but with the colored medicine, and his body’s specialty like a cockroach, he felt good to move.
Just as Phesx Caolia thought where to go next, with the night falling soon. He received a beep from his pants left pocket. Reading a set of words with his index fingertip, he smiled before heading to the Head’s study. Emer’s gate was closed when he passed by.
… Arriving at the Head’s study, Phesx waited before its closed gate a few seconds with his hands behind his back before it opened. Once he went in, he welcomed the sight of the Head, who sat on his desk, waiting for him.
“This is a small amount, but you still get a share of your actions. Eh,” the Head directly commented without greetings first before passing a blank bank card through the air. These were simply to evade the questions the well-advanced banks’ infrastructures could make after detecting such money movement. They were plain white, a pinky’s thickness, and 10 cm long, with less than half of that as wide. It was easy to grasp.
Phesx took his out and passed it below the Head’s card, pressing a button with ease, signifying the agreement in the transaction. Immediately after, 80,000 credits were deposited in his bank account. He raised his eyebrows.
“It was meant to be 40,000, but I’ve considered your partake in obtaining the information, and the way you did it, too.” The Head expressed after seeing his reaction. Phesx looked up and asked, feeling quite curious nowadays, “Was the information sold?”
“It was. If you have something else, leave.” The Head said before dispatching him off. Phesx pressed his lips a bit before turning around. He felt his left shoulder inspected, but he ignored it.
Phesx Caolia returned to Emer, whose gate was now opened, and he was seated with resting eyes. When Phesx closed in, Emer suddenly moved his right arm without opening his eyes, or even moving the rest of his body. Phesx couldn’t react before his sternum was poked.
The sensation felt prickly, but it was just a finger, but he was forced yet to step back a few times. He looked at Emer, blinking as he exclaimed, “What was that?”
“Evade me,” Emer rolled his eyes, opening them at the same time. After giving the young boy a glance, he looked at the wall and closed them again, ignoring Phesx. Phesx blinked profusely before Emer ‘struck’ again. This time, he backtracked, but his sternum was hit again, and on the same spot.
Knowing this was the old man’s way to beat and teach him, Phesx dropped his carefulness.
Whenever Phesx saw Emer’s arm move, he moved. But no matter how fast he was or the angles he took, Phesx was still poked by Emer’s finger. He realized it wasn’t Emer predicting his movements, but simply following his body wherever it went.
Emer was simply faster than him! Speed. Something Phesx once felt proud to have, but now doubted he had as an advantage. Although he did overpower those other assassins in his first mission because of his speed, and who knew if they were new, or other mid-personnel of a lagj secret organization. Still, Phesx felt he wasn’t that fast anymore.
Little by little, a few hours passed. Phesx did his best to avoid the old man’s attacks, but he kept striking the same spot on his sternum time and again, already leaving an obvious bruise that’d terrify any kid.
At last, when the time came, Phesx left, with Emer not offering him a word. He simply bid the old man farewell with a nod before exiting the base. Then, hopping onto his Myertha, the young boy rode towards the southeast. This time, he would directly head home after entering the city from the north.
Phesx rode for more than an hour and 20 minutes before gradually reducing his speed. He carried on into a dark alley from buildings with stairs leaving downstairs, to entrances below the ground level.
Then, he walked towards a night entertainment zone, somewhat well known in the north of the city, before finding a fat, 1-floor only square-shaped building a few streets from a large plaza.
Phesx wore a simple jacket with a hoodie hanging from the back as he headed to the entrance. There were no cameras checking the entrance, and the bouncers all wore capes and long-sleeved shirts. Who would have such measly security in a city?
“Stop.” One of the bouncers tapped his right chest, pushing the young boy a step back. Phesx looked at them, startled at being stopped. “W- what is it?”
“Pfft. You’re too young. And who the fuck are you? Piss off, kid.” The bouncer voiced. Phesx looked left and right before stating the obvious, “There’s no line anywhere. Why can’t I enter? I just want to go in.”
“I said, go!” The bouncer repeated, with the other bouncer crossing his arms and lifting his chin towards Phesx. The young boy took a package from his jacket pockets and showed it to them, but the bouncers only exchanged a glance, still not letting him in.
“Agh, Hector told me you would accept me here. I’m just new in this,” Phesx showed a teenager’s face. The bouncers seemed a bit more relaxed. They exchanged a glance before the one who stopped Phesx nodded at him now.
“Thanks guys, I won’t forget you!” Phesx said before entering, wearing a victorious smirk. He pushed them away before walking forth like a champ.
The ‘club’ had a long hallway at the entrance, which one of the bouncers looked back at Phesx's back as he walked into it while the other kept staring into the empty sides of the sidewalk. Just in case another random appeared. Once the young boy disappeared around the corner, that bouncer no longer stared.
Tap- rustle, rustle- thud, thud.
Just as the bouncer turned his head, merely a few seconds later, he heard a sound from behind. Phesx tapped the ground with his left foot, rotating his body to the left, backwards. His right sole exploded towards the other bouncer’s nape, while his right arm coiled around the bouncer who heard him and turned around a bit.
Phesx didn’t hesitate, as he pushed the other bouncer into the corner of the entrance, hitting his head, but perfectly unconscious still. He pulled and locked the bouncer’s neck in his right arm, using all his strength until he felt the bones inside breaking, crushing under the precise angle and position, just enough to quickly neutralize an enemy.
Phesx fell to the ground on his left side. The other bouncer felt a bit of his forehead bleed, while he didn’t know his partner had just died. He leaned on the wall, a bit dizzy. Phesx tumbled him, kicking his left heel. The bouncer hit the back of his head again, this time against the hard ground. Phesx spun rightwards, bringing his left knee to the bouncer’s glabella.
Crrpwwsshhh… Phesx cringed at the feeling of someone’s head being penetrated by his knee, clothed and wetted. The bouncer moved his hands a bit before they went stiff and to the ground.
“I know it’s not nice. It was fast, at least.” Phesx spoke to the dead before grabbing their bodies and pulling them with him into the club. He placed a few bags around the bouncer’s destroyed head. Some blood and brain matter was left behind, but wearing gloves, Phesx grabbed as many fragments of skull and hair before letting the blood behind.
It wasn’t executed as good as Phesx wanted it to be, but he had to stop any possible alarms. Phesx checked the hallway after the entrance before bringing the dead bouncers to a storage room after another few hallways. Phesx moved around as if he knew the place well.
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Phesx Caolia only had to check for any movement nearby before proceeding.
***
East of the Knight Assembly Association. A nation built after the fall of one of the oldest nations in the world.
In the governmental pavilion of the East Sovereign Noble. A black man with short, obscure, gray hair, black eyes, and of a regular height sat on a yellow porcelain chair with a tall backrest.
Before him was a young man walking towards him, entering the lengthy pavilion with his chin slightly lowered. He has porcelain white skin and is tall. His features are delicate, but his hair and eyes are a great replicate of the man sitting on the yellow porcelain chair.
Standing before the man, the young man lowered his head and respectfully greeted him, “Father, what can I do?”
“A small matter has presented itself from overseas. You’ll come with me to the small assembly and meet with your peers. Do you understand your role?” The black man said, his narrower eyes than those in the west or to the north, looked at his son sternly.
The young man nodded, lifting his chin to say, “Of course, father. It’s been a while since I saw my noble sisters, and my fiancée. I will look forward to this. I’ve also seen some of that… situation.”
“Mn, good. You can talk about it with your noble kin later. Prepare, we’re leaving in a bit.” The father nodded, said in a good mood, and dispatched his son. As the son left, the father remained in his chair, wondering about that which only he knew.
***
Zyckevele. In the capital, situated northwest of their massive territory. Where the Zyck Nation once originated from, now expanded throughout Twilight.
In the presidential parliament, the president of Zyckevele had long finished a meeting with his cabinet, exiting the meeting room half an hour after they did. As he walked into the central command in the middle of the parliament, he was heading to his residence, when a figure caught his attention from the corners of his eyes.
The president is a man with grayish white skin and brown eyes. His balding, very thin gray hair gave him a rougher aspect, although the charm of a handsome middle-aged man was still there. Just in his 80s.
His stern resting face changed as he turned around, exclaiming at the young lady checking the conference table, with screens showing several images on its surface. The surface was black glass, with digital features to drag and expand or shrink images, videos, information, etc.
“Lemyonova?”
The young lady rapidly turned her head before relaxing to see it was her father. She’s just like him. Grayish white skin, pretty light and glazed brown eyes, Long, brown hair with a usual ponytail. Yet, the ordinariness of her clothing and hairstyle didn’t take away her well-known, immeasurable beauty.
“Oh, it’s just you, papa.” Lemyonova smiled thinly before looking at the conference table again. The president felt helpless. Sighing from his nostrils, he walked to her, checking the contents of the videos and images.
“Well, at least you’re not trying to look into one of my employee’s records.” The president kissed his daughter’s right cheek, making her scrunch her face up a bit. She looked at him, wronged, “That was only 1 time! And I was little.”
“You convinced Semyon to bring you to my office, where he left you to do heavens know what else I didn’t notice back then.” The president complained to his daughter. Lemyonova smirked before facing him again, “Is there any more news from Paved Road?”
“There are none. They should still be working. Why, little honey?” The president replied, pulling his daughter’s ear a bit, without hurting. After cutely growling at him, she nudged her nose towards the screen below.
“The incident a few days ago gave rise to lagjs activity just an hour after it happened. The entire secret world knew about it before the news anchors in every country did. After the truth of the ‘fruit of nature’ whereabouts, it subsided, but only a little. In these days, it not only continued to increase. It already rose higher than it did back then.”
“Thanks to this, we can now see some hidden bits we were after for the past decade, somewhat.” Lemyonova spoke in a lazy, low tone. The president nodded, looking at the records his daughter showed him, which he already read. But then, he jolted his neck in realization.
“What do you mean?”
“Hm.” Lemyonova looked at him, blinked, and pointed at some records. “These detail the strange events happening in our western shores and borders, and these the southern borders. They both report signs of unusual amounts of supplies and movement of small vessels. While the others inform us of more movement from our immediate neighbors.”
“Meanwhile, our southwestern shores have been ‘visited’ more times by some paramilitary groups we’ve been ignoring,” Lemyonova was clear and concise in giving that hint. As the president blinked profusely, she continued. Pointing to another group of records.
“But these, they are from PR’s reports since the start of the 23rd. The new route of the EPA Commonwealth, fully patronized by our dear sister nation ANS, between Preutorias and the Estuardios’s Luto Skerries became plenty active. These are also correlated to the brand-new heat trade between Marcoplix and Vevuesta’s norther shores and Fresna and Orcesta’s southern ones.”
“Additionally,” Lemyonova stopped to take a breath into her body, sharply gasping. “Orxa and Pexa start showing mutual understanding, with the latter helped by the former to cross without having to show themselves 24/7 for weeks surrounding our borders, passing through our waters… See what I see?”
“The EPA Commonwealth would never betray us. They might be a bit far from Zyckevele, or Twilight, but they don’t clean ANS’s boots.” The president commented. His daughter responded with, “Of course they would never stupidly betray Twilight, much less Zyckevele. But they won’t see what they don’t dare to take a look around for.”
“…” The president pressed his lips together, feeling the pressure. Lemyonova sighed quietly. Then, her little head gained a new idea. Her eyes shone as she looked up before telling her father, “You should bring me into those meetings.”
“That sounds like a good idea. But you won’t get inside by being a civilian alone. I have enough with being charged with nepotism again, and with proof this time.” The president nodded once before lightly shaking his head a few times.
Lemyonova pouted, as much as an adult could without looking like a kid. And then, the president smiled and said, “As my External Affairs Secretary next year, you’d have all the rights to attend a meeting like this, especially like this.”
“Gasp!” Lemyonova looked at his father, who already wore a fatherly grin. She frowned, though. “You wouldn’t let me do this if you didn’t plan it beforehand. Are you… going for another term? Will… will they let you?”
“I was planning more to secure a vacation, a small one at the minimum.” The president appeared helpless. “Right. I was also planning to pave your road. It would have helped you, I believe. Moreover, with this finding, will they want me gone? I’m not letting you do it alone, neither.”
“I won’t let you alone in times of need neither, father.” Lemyonova looked at her father, vowing as their little meeting came to an end. She nodded at him with the stern, cold expression her father always rests with. Looking at his grown young woman, genius daughter, the president proudly smirked.
***
Knight Assembly Association. Central pavilion, where the 4 leaders of the Knight Assembly Association meet, and have met.
In a wide table, enough for a couple of dozen to sit around, 4 figures sat with their entourage sitting beside them in smaller chairs. Furthermore, the younger generation of those 4 figures sat further to the sides. One of them was the white porcelain young man from the east.
Naturally, one of the 4 leading figures accompanied by their entourages was the black man, the young man’s father.
The 4 leading figures were already in discussion, mentioning the words Lýmoca, lagjs, movement, and join constantly. One of them was the East Sovereign Noble, Kurosaki Hamane. He brought his son, Young Noble Kurosaki Yasashi.
The Central East Sovereign Noble, Kato Kyoki. A light, brown man with sharp, wise eyes of the same color. With thin, short brown hair, and of a regular height, as it’s typical in Dawn. He brought his daughter, Young Miss Kato Kanulta.
The Central West Sovereign Noble, ‘Feathered’ Lu Shenhua. A most beautiful woman with moon white skin, fox, large pitch-black eyes. Hair of the same color, long, and slightly held at the corners of her forehead. She was very tall.
Her husband sat beside her, Mo Lijie. While they brought their daughter, Lu Ningjing, a beauty only second to her mother, and equal to Yu Fanlan.
And then, there was the West Sovereign Noble, ‘Dragon’ Yu Yutian. A man with light cinnamon skin. Eagle-ish, brown-honeyed eyes. He had short, smooth, black coal hair. He was tall, and acclaimed as the ‘most powerful' individual in the nation. He brought his daughter, Yu Fanlan.
In the area where the noble sons and daughters were seated, with a few cousins of each in between, making idle chatter and conversing, Kurosaki Yasashi sat with his head hanging low.
“Yasashi, what do you think?” A soft voice, very comfortable to hear, spoke a little louder than the rest, all polite and in good nature. Yasashi lifted his head before turning to his right, where his sweet-looking, blushing fiancée with moon white skin shied her eyes away with his gaze.
“From what I’ve seen…” Kurosaki Yasashi slightly lowered his eyebrows. The others near him quieted down, growing interested to hear him. His fiancée returned her eyes to him, shining as she felt worried and wanted to hear him out. Yasashi said with trouble in his eyes.
“Some things might have started.”
“Started to what?” The same voice from before spoke out. Yasashi shook his head a little. His behavior gave the notion of falling into sadness. He lightly echoed out, “No, just ‘started’…”
***
Lýmoca, state of Sargonde. Southeast. In the north of one of the cities.
“…” Phesx Caolia walked out of a white gate which opened from the center to the sides, sliding into the walls to let him into an open area where loud music and people mingled. Some danced, some flirted, others threw their day and night away to life.
The people dancing in some square-shaped dance floors were slow, but fast and deprived of sex in others. Those flirting did so mostly in the slow dance floors, while the rest were either too desperate elsewhere or relaxing in a corner.
Those riddled in either sadness or not caring about the world, wanting to show how perfect their life was mingled just as perfectly as the others, if not more. In their own personal manner, but they did.
Phesx Caolia walked to a bar, one of many, and the one that had the least lavishness and was the smallest. He sat on a stool, waiting for the bartender to come to him. Like this, several minutes went by, with Phesx’s head lowered as he put on a mask that covered his eyes and nose. It was pale crimson, and it had white colored, elliptic eyes.
“What can I do for you?” The bartender finished cleaning and checking everything twice before bothering with him. Phesx seemed hesitant to look at him directly before saying, “Do you have flora liquor?”
The bartender cocked his head to the side. Such a niche thing wasn’t referring to the typical wine, but a crude, ‘super natural’ herbal wine type that anyone could make, and it would taste bad, but it would do the body ‘wonders’.
“Acquired taste? Don’t tell me you’re from Preut?” The bartender asked. He didn’t need to shout, but his words gave Phesx a reason to want to leave. The bartender smirked when he saw this and gestured to his mask before proposing, “Don’t want to be seen? That’s your thing, I guess. But hey, if you can prove me you’re from that hell— drinks on the house!”
Phesx Caolia pondered for a few seconds as some other girls, notably pretty and with accentuated curves, walked to the bar for a break, and a drink or a pair of them. Then, he decided. He stood up and lifted his shirt, showing his right side before further lowering his pants from the same angle, showing long, healing scars and dents, and his muscles.
It wasn’t a lot, but it seemed like a lot in his young body. A couple of gals walked over and groped, sending actual shivers up his body as their soft hands confirmed how real the scars were, and how natural his muscles were.
“Sit and wait,” the bartender nodded before turning around to get to work. Meanwhile, Phesx got himself some company.
…