The first thing I wanted to know was what led everyone to stop being citizens.
Even if they had different objectives and plans, being a citizen was generally a good thing.
Unfortunately, regarding Maya, my father had no answers to give.
When our family left the Dungeon, she almost instantly disappeared, and he only got news from her again after she ford her resistance.
She could have left to prevent us from contacting her, but even if that wasn’t her only reason, it did succeed.
Father was, like , in the dark when it ca to Maya’s reasoning for forming her group in the first place.
If her objective was to stop the AOTG, or even, as her group claims, to protect those who don’t want to be affected by this civil war, the quickest and most effective way would be to join the governnt, like Father did.
While she might not have made as much of a na for herself, she was more than powerful enough, and with old ties to the AOTG, a valuable asset.
No one would question her joining under his recomndation, either.
Her actions didn’t seem to make much sense, and while outsiders might think she is crazy, we knew better.
She had a reason, and probably an impossible, unreasonable goal with all of this.
One that required her to continue fighting the AOTG while not joining the governnt...
Their goals might not fully align, but without speaking to her first, I would have no way of telling exactly where they differed.
Until then, her goals and reasons would remain one of the biggest unknowns in this ss.
On the brighter side, Mom’s case was easier to understand.
She stopped being a citizen because, according to her, with the ability to make others into citizens, and the freedom to enter the Kingdom at will, if she were to lose, she’d put all of us at risk.
That bothered a little, especially since she never fully explained her plans to Father.
The only thing Father knew was that she challenged Erik directly, lost, and then started working with the AOTG.
I was glad to discover why she had suddenly joined the AOTG, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that Mom was acting strangely.
If I had to guess...
Losing was probably a part of her plan, in so way.
It did get her incredibly close to Erik.
All that she lacked now was a good opportunity to strike, and without its head, the AOTG would collapse.
Knowing her, things were even ssier than they seed.
Not that this was a bad thing, though.
Whenever she beat in the past, it was always by overwhelming with chaos and distractions.
She has a knack for hiding a straight line to victory, or finding one through all the fog that even I couldn’t match.
Even now, I could only hope she knew what she was doing.
Miwen: "Are you worried about her?"
Marcus: "Your mother knows what she’s doing..."
The problem with having arm muscles the size of my head was that he had to wear his heart on his sleeve.
His words were ant to reassure , but his tensed-up muscles betrayed him.
This big oaf worried much more than Mom.
Clearly, the only thing keeping him from showing up at the AOTG and taking matters into his own hands was his faith in her.
Though I guess if he were to go... he wouldn’t be going alone.
After what Erik did to Maya, I wasn’t too happy about letting another family mber close to him.
Carter: "Coffee? Anyone?"
Elizabeth: "...Thank you."
Carter only wanted to help, but sohow, he always found the worst way in every situation.
The last thing anyone needed in this mont was more energy.
Especially the big guy...
Marcus: "Alright. So, what do you say?
Miwen: "...About?"
Marcus: "Joining us. We could use your help with Maya and Maria."
Oh, I see.
With Piper around, I had a feeling he hadn’t called for my power.
Sadly, he was mistaking the battlefield.
Even though Mom might not want to hurt us, she might not have a choice anymore.
But even more than that, when it cos to Maya...
Miwen: "You realize I’ve never beaten Maya, right?"
Marcus: "You don’t need to fight her. Just convince her to join us."
That was...
Sohow even more impossible.
Miwen: "Uh-huh. Question, though. Let’s say we go after Maya, and the AOTG notices our movent. Don’t you think that with two of their biggest obstacles colliding, they’ll take their chance to make their strongest move too?"
I didn’t know Erik.
I couldn’t read him.
But I could tell he wasn’t the type to let chances like this pass him.
After all, in his shoes, I wouldn’t.
And the guy seed worse than .
Piper: "I can handle them."
Miwen: "I don’t think it’s that easy. But fine, let’s say you can take Erik on without wiping the country off the map. That leaves to deal with Maya, and Father to deal with Mom. If she can’t control herself, can you subdue her? Like, forcibly?"
Marcus: "...I’ll do my best."
His best, huh.
Father would never raise his hand against her, and everyone in this room knew that.
So, his best probably ant standing in front of her, taking hit after hit until everything was over.
I’d never doubt his strength and resistance.
But the sa applied to Mom.
This was hardly a plan I’d like to work with.
Miwen: "Well, I can’t imagine myself hurting Maya, either. No matter the circumstance. The sa goes for Mom."
I might not be the most decent man out there, but that’s the bare minimum.
It sucks, but that’s the price we pay as humans.
The people we love are both our strength and our weakness.
Piper: "I can deal with Maria, too, if you want. I doubt she would mind either, since we used to be rivals."
Marcus: "I don’t rember you two fighting, though."
Piper: "Not like that. We shared the sa... Forget it."
She lost him, completely.
And I thought I could be dense sotis.
Carter: "We already went through that. It’s not gonna work. The AOTG’s executives are too powerful for you to handle alone while fighting Erik and Maria. That’s why we needed the siblings, rember?"
So they did want too!
Whoops.
I got a little too excited about that.
But c’mon, these guys were the heroes I watched growing up.
Having them rely on , even if only for keeping the enemy’s secondary forces occupied, was sothing I could never have dread of before.
Miwen: "...Executives? I didn’t know the AOTG had this type of organization."
Carter: "No one knew. They suddenly started making a na for themselves, leading big chunks of their army while providing support for Erik."
Makes sense.
Sothing similar was already happening in the Kingdom, with Mia sharing her responsibilities over the Snow White Wolves with other mbers and assigning them positions to report to her.
Even though Erik has many of them under his contracts, micro-managing thousands was impossible, even for him.
Miwen: "Do you know their Gifts?"
Piper: "Classified. Only mbers of the Alpha Team can know-"
Suddenly, the air grew colder.
Piper’s voice seed more distant with each passing second, and my vision started to fade into black.
It was like sothing was enveloping my head.
I looked up, and there it was.
A black veil, slowly falling over my head.
I should have been quick enough to move away.
My magic was powerful enough to blow away sothing so small.
Yet, I felt stuck.
My magic seed to have no effect, as if the veil wasn’t even there to begin with.
My hearing and my sight were completely gone.
Eternal seconds passed with stuck in the darkness.
Then, specks of light began to pierce through, revealing a completely different room from the one I was in just monts ago.
Two figures appeared before , one stood beside the desk, the other sat in a chair behind it.
Miwen: "...Maya? And uh...?"
Maya: "Chris. I brought her ho to do howork a few tis, rember?"
The na was familiar, but since everything else had changed, I really didn’t rember her.
Besides, it had been years, and we only saw each other a few tis during a sester or two, if I was right about who she was.
Although sothing about her was oddly familiar.
Perhaps the way she looked at ...
Well, no matter.
I doubt they did this to pick up where we left off with a school project.
Miwen: "So you have a teleportation ability, Chris?"
Maya: "No. She can reach and watch anyone through an astral projection. This is just how my Gift reacted to hers. It’s a temporary dinsion that only those I allow in can enter. I think?"
I didn’t like how unsure of herself she was.
When I’m kidnapped, the least I expect is for my kidnappers to know what they are doing.
Maya: "Anyway. Stop trying to cast magic on your own body. You’ll only hurt yourself."
Miwen: "My bad."
Unlike my experience with the First Daughter and that little void trip she took on, I could still feel my body and my mana outside this dinsion.
It was just a little, but I thought I could probably do sothing to free myself.
Before knowing it was Maya’s doing, it seed like a better idea than letting whoever caught do whatever they liked.
Maya: "You’re obedient today... Rare. Maybe I can get you to promise a few things?"
Miwen: "I’m listening."
Maya was an angel.
The purest girl in the world.
Yet, she had a mischievous side, too...
The cutest, gentlest, mischievous side.
I might be the only one who knew that, but when she smiled from corner to corner and licked her lips like that...
She was about to be incredibly unreasonable.
Maya: "I need you to keep my Gift a secret. Even from Dad."
As usual, it started small.
Miwen: "...What about Piper? Does she not know?"
Pip had helped Maya when her Gift appeared.
"Training", from what I’ve been told.
It lasted less than a month, but she helped Maya get a few levels fast, and seeing how fast Maya mastered her Gift, I’m sure it was worthwhile.
Maya: "...She made promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone about my Gift. Her training was just about learning to use and control my power. She never asked a question, just watched and helped.
I should’ve expected.
Piper might not act like it, but I’m sure her biggest regret was making her Gift public.
While she wouldn’t have had as many chances to help, had she kept it a secret, people wouldn’t be as afraid of her.
Seeing how I lied about my Gift and passed a single skill as the whole thing the first chance I got, I couldn’t judge either of them.
If anything, I was thankful to Piper.
The only way to make Maya tell bold lies is to make her promise, and her regret, for better or worse, beca a cautionary tale for .
Sothing so instinctive, I never realized it was in part thanks to her influence.
I had more to thank her than I thought.
Miwen: "Sure. But in exchange, I want sothing from you too."
Maya: "...What is it?"
Miwen: "Disband the Aegis. Hide in the Kingdom, or sowhere else. Or join our unit. Stay where I can see you. Please. I don’t want you to get hurt again."
I’m not sure whether I was being selfish or selfless.
I knew it was too much to ask, and that she had her own reason.
But even though I knew it was no use, I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.
Maya: "Sorry, that’s not happening. In fact, I’ll be putting myself into more danger soon enough."
Miwen: "Then... Let help you. I’ll join the Aegis and-"
Father had Pip. And Alex. And Jas.
He was going to be fine without .
I wanted to convince myself of that.
Because... The person who mattered the most to was Maya.
It would suck to leave him by himself, but...
She was my priority.
Always.
Maya: "I can’t. You will get in the way of my goals."
Miwen: "C’mon. You can count on for anything, you know that. I’ll do my best to help-"
Maya: "I’m counting on you. But... There are two ways I get what I want. First, you don’t involve yourself with this. Second, you oppose ."
Even though I was incorporeal, hearing those two options hurt like hell.
Neither allowed to be by her side.
Neither seed good.
Miwen: "...What does victory look like to you, Maya?"
Maya: "Victory is when we can smile together, Miwen."
That brought imnse relief.
Even though I couldn’t understand, I at least knew she hadn’t changed.
Whatever it was that she wanted, it was for the best.
Maya: "Do you trust ?"
Miwen: "You have no idea how much."
Maya: "You’re making blush... But I trust you, too. You’re the only one to whom I told my Gift effects, after all. I know this might be hard to believe, but... Most of my reasons this ti are for you."
It wasn’t hard to believe at all.
Unlike , Maya didn’t act selfishly.
The more intent she was, the more her reasons involved soone else.
So, seeing as she had yet to make her unreasonable demand, I could only imagine she was doing this for soone she cared imnsely about.
Maya: "Miwen, you and Dad don’t stand a chance. You’re both far too human. And while that’s great..."
Against soone like Erik, it’s a weakness.
Huh?
Maybe that’s why she wants to stay away?
To confuse-
Maya: "I... I’ll be there when you need . Like you were when I needed you. But until then... We can’t win, so... If we et, it’ll be as enemies. Don’t expect to hold back, and I won’t expect you to hold back either, alright? No hard feelings."
Miwen: "You are about to do sothing extra, aren’t you?"
Maya: "I’ll take over a prefecture. It’s the end of the mutual aid relationship between the Aegis and the governnt. I’ll officially declare war a few hours after."
Oh.
Extra extra then.
Haah... I should’ve imagined.
This ss was far too grandiose.
Only she could cut directly into its heart.
Miwen: "Well... I guess it’s the sa as always, huh? Do what you think is right, Maya. I’ll handle the bad stuff for you. You can tell what it was all about later."
Maya: "Thank you, Miwen. I love you! Take care!"
Miwen: "Love you too, Sis."
With that, and a quick goodbye from Chris, the veil started to lift from my head.
My vision blurred again, but instead of fading to darkness, it kept unblurring until I could see the living room of the penthouse.
The first thing I noticed was Piper and Claire, both being held down by my father and Licia, as they struggled to prevent the two maniacs from blowing my head off.
The veil that once covered fell to the ground, and while no one wanted to touch it, from what I could tell, it had beco a simple piece of cloth.
Nothing special about it whatsoever.
Miwen: "Alright... I imagine you have a proposal for , Dad?"
Marcus: "I do, actually. Good pay, and if we succeed, you even get an official pardon for killing those guys. Best of all, you get to hang out with your old man."
So they already discovered that, huh.
Well, Father might’ve spilled the beans, actually.
But that didn’t matter.
Soon, I’d get the AOTG to solve the problems they created.
All of them.
Miwen: "Neat. Then, about those executives who might be a problem for Piper... I was thinking we could get them out of the way, so... Tell more."
I guess I officially joined the governnt.
Even if temporarily.
Though whether that was the correct decision or not, I’d only know further down the road.
Until then, I was left with Maya’s ominous words and the feeling that I was still missing a piece of this puzzle.
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