[Northern Region - Private Room]
Damian sat alone in the room Brian had arranged for him, his mind processing the events of the past few days.
He hadn’t been back to Tranquil City in weeks and hadn’t seen the transformation Alessio and Mike were implenting.
He also didn’t witness the city’s evolution under Mafia governance.
His focus had been entirely on the Northern Region, helping Brian establish the foundation for their new branch while dealing with his own psychological aftermath from the portal.
From ti to ti, his vision would turn completely bloody, requiring him to calm down.
Beep Beep
His communication device chid with an incoming call.
Marcus Feng’s na appeared on the display and Damian picked up the call.
"Marcus. What is it?"
Marcus’s careful voice erged after so ti.
"I have sothing urgent to report that might concern you."
"Speak."
"Major Ryan Sukov was found dead in his house three days ago."
Damian went completely still, his expression unreadable.
"I see."
Marcus continued quickly, his words coming faster.
"Before he died, he inford the military about everything you did inside the portal. About the Devourer Body Art, about consuming Giant flesh and about all the thods you used.
We didn’t maintain contact with him after that betrayal, but when Brian was recruiting us for the Northern Branch, we inford him about what Ryan had done."
Marcus took another pause with heavy implication.
"And that very sa night, Ryan died..."
Damian’s voice remained completely calm.
"And?"
"Sir, I heard about what happened to Brian’s family recently, about the Shadow Council attack. It’s possible that he’s not ntally stable right now. That he might have done sothing... extre."
"And you suspect he killed Ryan."
It wasn’t a question, just stating the obvious conclusion.
"Yes, sir. I’m worried that–"
"Why do you care?"
Damian’s interruption was cold, cutting through Marcus’s concern like a blade.
Marcus paused as he was clearly caught off-guard.
"Sir?"
"Why. Do. You. Care..."
Each word was pronounced with deliberate emphasis.
"Ryan betrayed and betrayed all of us. He sold information about my thods to the military as soon as he had the opportunity. But you’re worried about his death. Why?"
"Because... because whatever Ryan did, it wasn’t sothing that deserves death. He was following his military duties, reporting everything. His decisions were questionable, but killing him for–"
"And in this world, who gets to decide who deserves to live and who deserves to die?"
Damian’s voice carried an edge that made the question dangerous.
"Is that to be decided by Marcus Feng? Are you the arbiter of justice now? The one who determines appropriate punishnt?"
Silence spread on the other end as sweat started appearing on Marcus’s face.
"I... I didn’t an–"
"There’s sothing you need to understand, Marcus. Sothing very important about what the Mafia actually is."
Damian leaned forward, his voice growing colder and colder.
"The Mafia isn’t a place where morality decides who gets to live or die. We’re not philosophers debating ethics. We’re not judges weighing evidence. We just look after our own. That’s it! That’s the entire foundation."
He let the words sink in before continuing.
"So tell , Marcus. Was Ryan our own?"
A long pause.
"...No, sir."
"Then you can see the situation clearly now. Even if Brian was the one who killed him – and I’m not confirming or denying that – it doesn’t matter. Ryan betrayed us and sold out the person who saved his life to an organization that might use that information against us."
Damian’s voice grew harder.
"Maybe you should start living in the real world rather than an illusory one. The Mafia, no matter what goals we pursue or what good we accomplish, is in its essence a criminal organization. Not a fucking charity! And not a fucking moral authority!"
He stood up, pacing as he spoke.
"We protect our own because we gave our promise and our word ans sothing. We develop our territory so we gain more resources and influence. We follow the rules I set because those rules serve our purposes. That’s it! That’s all there is."
His voice dropped to sothing quiet and absolute.
"If you don’t agree with that reality, then please, by all ans, leave the organization any day you want. Nobody’s forcing you to stay. But don’t call with moral concerns about traitors getting what they deserve."
"Sir, I–"
Damian ended the call without waiting for Marcus to finish.
The device went silent, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Only after the call was cut did Damian realize how frustrated he actually was. How much tension had been building in his chest without him acknowledging it.
’Brian is drowning in vengeance and darkness right now. It’s the only thing keeping him functional after losing his entire family. The only purpose giving him reason to keep breathing.
So it doesn’t matter how many he kills in pursuit of that vengeance. It doesn’t matter what thods he uses or what lines he crosses.’
He ran a hand through his long crimson hair, exhaling slowly.
’I’m only one person. I can’t control everything or monitor everyone. I can’t make moral judgnts about actions I would probably take myself in his position.
And I won’t stop Brian. I have no right to stop him. He’s not just another Mafia mber to . He’s my friend, which is incredibly rare. So I’ll do what actual friends do.
I’ll support him with whatever he needs... No matter what it is.’
Damian sat back down as his decision was made.
Then a voice erged from his communication device.
It wasn’t Aiko’s cheerful tone as usual. It felt sowhat deeper, more mature and carrying weight that made the air feel heavier just from the sound.
"Did I co to et you at the wrong ti?"
Damian paused for only a fraction of a second before responding, his voice controlled despite the surprise.
"...No. You ca at exactly the right ti."
The voice carried sothing that might have been amusent.
"You’ve been waiting months for to reach out. Now that I’m here, will you say sothing aningful? Or do you want to waste my ti?"
"For months you’ve been keeping an eye on . Monitoring everything I do. Every conversation, every action and every decision I make."
Damian’s voice was calm as he stated facts.
"I’m sure you must have heard my conversation with Elizabeth about my secrets as well. About my past life and about the old beggar who manipulated everything."
The voice paused before responding in a voice, softer than before.
"Indeed."
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