Shadows in Motion

A heavy silence settled over the room as the boys exchanged unreadable glances, each one studying the other. No words, no gestures—just pure tension.

Luv, ever the peacekeeper, let out a breath and attempted to lighten the mood. "Well, at least today's conference was less formal than the last one."

The President sank back into his chair, rubbing his temples. "Having two conferences back-to-back is frustrating enough. The Chairman wasn't pleased—he didn't even want to attend."

"Then why did he come?" Luv raised a brow.

"This conference was initiated by Hollow," the President explained. "Naturally, the Chairman and the others took an interest. And judging by how things played out, their instincts weren't wrong."

"The Kaia you mentioned," Oz suddenly cut in, squeezing himself into the conversation. "How did she even find that place? More importantly, why did she go there alone?"

The President leaned back, his expression unreadable. "I don't have all the details, but I did tell Kaia and Yona to investigate Mishi's Inn. The black mana residue Luv detected led us there. They didn't find anything the first time… but then, out of nowhere, Kaia sent a document and pictures—right in the middle of the conference."

"So she went back?" Oz mused, rubbing his chin. "Alone? That sounds like she was hiding something the first time around."

The President's gaze darkened. "There's one more thing I didn't mention to everyone. Zareth and Solomon—those two are the other sons of Theo and Uriel. And they kidnapped Yona for a specific ritual. A ritual that involved sacrificing her to gain the Halcyon's power… or take her place."

Kai scoffed. "That's ridiculous. This is the first time I'm hearing about this."

The President turned to him, his eyes narrowing. "It may sound impossible, but the Luminara Clan has worshipped the Halcyon for centuries. If anyone could have discovered a way to steal her power, it'd be them. That said, Luminara is one of the few Halcyons who doesn't rely on human mana or overworld mana. That puts her among the Ashen Heralds—the ones who don't feed on external mana at all. Still… every Halcyon is different. If a transfer of authority were possible, it would be with her."

Kai's expression remained unreadable. "I saw her this morning. The scent of a Halcyon was stronger than anything I've sensed in years," he muttered. "She looked… disturbed."

A slow, knowing smirk crept across Luv's face. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He pointed at Kai, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Hiding behind that rude, stoic face of yours, pretending you're not happy about another Halcyon being in Apostle."

Kai didn't even blink. "And if I am?" he asked flatly.

"Then at least show it on your face! Who do you think decorated this room and set up the stage?" Luv spread his arms dramatically. "It's time to celebrate!"

The President raised a brow. "Weren't those decorations for my celebration?"

"They were. But you rejected my idea. So now? They're for my idol, Kai." Luv pressed a hand to his cheek, grinning. "C'mon, do it for me. I'll even throw cash at you."

"You're broke," Kai deadpanned. "And I don't dance."

Luv clutched his chest like he'd been stabbed. "Ouch. You didn't have to remind me I'm broke."

"Something isn't sitting right." Oz suddenly interrupted, his brows furrowing. "Kaia—she managed to overcome that other form of mana. And if she was the one who saved Yona from the ritual… then the brothers must have escaped. But—" He hesitated, his voice turning sharper. "Is it possible that someone's been guiding her from the shadows without us knowing?"

The President frowned. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Think about it." Oz crossed his arms. "Fighting two high-level sorcerers? Those brothers should be as strong as Kyros. If Yona couldn't defeat them, how did Kaia? Unless… it was all part of a bigger plan."

"But why now?" Luv chimed in, his expression serious. "Why would Kaia take action right after her sister's death? If it was a plan, why not wait? The only explanation is that Yona's kidnapping was completely unexpected. They never had time to form a plan—someone else orchestrated this."

"And you think you know who?" The President narrowed his eyes.

"Hollow," Luv concluded. "The conference, the timing, the incident—everything lines up. Wasn't it Hollow who set the date of the meeting?"

The President exhaled sharply. "It was. And let's not forget—Onis City was wiped out yesterday. Did Hollow predict the explosions too?"

"Thalia Verelith's death… it wasn't random. It was planned," Oz muttered. "But why go through the trouble of orchestrating the death of a normal human? And the people who knew about it—Meryt and Hollow—did nothing to stop it." He clenched his jaw. "Meryt's almost impossible to reach. The whales keep blocking my attempts. But I'll ask the Captain to try. Maybe she can get something out of her."

"We need to investigate this thoroughly." The President straightened, his tone firm. "I'll assign the case to the info unit—"

Before he could finish, the heavy doors creaked open. Kiki peeked in hesitantly before squeezing through the gap, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"Mr. President…." Her voice cracked as she rushed toward him, burying herself in his arms.

The President stiffened. "Kiki? What's wrong?"

"Hic… Sir Kiaan… he—" She hiccupped between words before explaining everything—Kiaan's disappearance, his mother's involvement in Onis City's destruction, and his final meeting with Kaia before vanishing.

Silence. The four of them exchanged bewildered glances, their thoughts racing in sync.

Luv let out a long, exasperated sigh, rubbing his temples. "This is turning into a headache. Are all these events connected somehow?"

"There's something else," Kiki murmured, still trembling. "Kaia… she quit the Apostle."

The room fell into dead silence.

The President pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a hollow laugh. "What a pain in my ass… What the hell is even happening anymore?"

Without warning, Oz stood up, grabbing his coat. "I'm leaving."

The President snapped his head toward him. "Leaving? Now? In the middle of this chaos?"

But Oz was already bolting toward the door like he was escaping a zombie apocalypse.

Kai pushed back his chair, standing up as well. "I'll interrogate Kaia myself," he declared. "Since both units are currently inactive, the Halcyon unit will handle this."

"The Halcyon unit doesn't have the brains for this," Luv muttered, stretching lazily as he stood. "I'm coming too."

"Damn it." The President rubbed his forehead, finally turning to Kiki. "Are you done sobbing?"

"Y-Yes… hic…"

"Good. Then clean this up."

Kiki blinked. Her gaze flicked to the pink decorations around the room. "Me?"

Realization dawned on her, and her tears dried up instantly as a new horror set in—cleaning. Alone.

"No!" She dropped to her knees, bowing dramatically. "I beg for mercy, President!"

The President barely glanced at her. "I was kidding." He turned, his face still expressionless. "Call someone to clean it up."

And with that, he left, leaving Kiki collapsed on the floor in sheer relief. 

After the President left, Kiki quickly pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

The call connected, and she spoke in a hushed voice. "Hello? Uh… first phase of our plan is done. How are things on your end?"

On the other end, a figure sat at the base of a worn stone staircase, their frame slightly broader than Kaia's usual build. A crimson cloak, embroidered with regal patterns, draped over their shoulders, partially hiding their messy, dusky hair.

In the distance, figures clad in similar cloaks moved across a vast open field, practicing with staffs and spellbooks. The energy in the air crackled with magic.

A low, masculine voice responded through the phone. "I've made it inside. Don't worry—you'll get your credit."

A bright smile spread across Kiki's face.

"But," the voice continued, smooth yet edged with warning, "if anything goes wrong, all the blame falls on you."

The smile vanished. Kiki huffed. "Fine, fine. Just don't forget our promise."

Before she could say anything else, the call cut off.

"Kiaan.....stay strong."