While the traitorous faction of the Brotherhood was embroiled in chaos at the upper levels, the Preservationists faction had also undergone so changes.
Although those changes could never hold a candle to the upheaval brought about by Adam's shenanigans.
After several hours of fruitless brainstorming, Lebu finally gave up and left the Brotherhood's headquarters.
He had gone over Kenny's last words again and again, trying to squeeze aning out of every sentence, every word, every pause, every half-finished thought the boy had shared with him before disappearing.
But there was nothing concrete to grasp onto, no clear lead, no direction he could pursue on his own. Whatever tail Kenny had been following, whatever secrets he had uncovered, it had already been buried along with his disappearance.
By the ti Lebu stepped onto the streets of River Ward, the sky was starting to lighten.
Dawn was close.
The streets were already filled with people. rchants were setting up stalls, young Magi were rushing to the academies for their early lessons, and the carriages were rolling past.
The City of Everlasting Warmth, Springdale, was waking up, unaware that anything was wrong.
Lebu walked through the streets like a ghost. His eyes were unfocused, his shoulders sagged, and the noise around him barely registered.
Deep down, he already knew the truth…
They had probably killed Kenny by now.
And that knowledge weighed like a mountain in his heart. Guilt clung to his being with every step he took.
He had been the one to find Kenny in the jungles of the Sea of Green. He had been the one to bring him to the Twilight Brotherhood. And he had been the one to convince him that this organization could protect him, guide him, give him a future.
And in the end…
He hadn't been able to save him. The thought made his heart tighten. He kept walking, barely aware of where his feet were carrying him, until he finally reached ho. He stopped in front of the door for a long mont, then quietly went inside.
Lebu ca across his wife first, who had already woken up and begun doing the house chores. When she saw the distraught look on his face, she couldn't help but drop her work and rush to him.
She silently embraced him, then looked him in the eye and asked, "What happened? Are you… are you okay?"
Lebu forced a smile and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Of course."
He then walked past her and climbed the stairs to the second floor. His wife watched him leave, her hands clutching in helplessness.
Lebu arrived before his children's room. He silently opened the door and saw that they were sleeping. One was a five-year-old boy, while the other had just turned twenty-one.
Sa age as Kenny, he thought to himself, his lips quivering.
He quietly shut the door, then entered the main bedroom. As soon as he sat at the edge of his bed, he was unable to control it anymore. He broke down, burying his face in his hands as he silently sobbed.
Lebu had never shown it on the surface. To the organization, he was calm, composed, and maybe even distant. A veteran Agent who treated recruits like assets and subordinates, never like family.
But the truth was very different.
He cared deeply about every single person he had brought up and trained under him. Every orphan, every runaway, every broken kid he had pulled out of the gutters, slums, jungles, and battlefields and given a place inside the Brotherhood.
They weren't just operatives to him, they were his responsibility. They were his children in everything but na.
And Kenny…
He had been one of his best.
The thought of the boy dying alone, terrified, and in excruciating pain tore sothing open inside Lebu's chest. He clenched his fists against his face as his sobs grew heavier.
"…I'm sorry," he whispered into the empty room.
"I'm so sorry."
He sat on the edge of the bed for several long minutes. Eventually, the tears slowed. Then they stopped. He inhaled deeply, his expression slowly hardening.
When he raised his head, the calm and composed Agent of the Brotherhood was back. He rose to his feet, rolled his shoulders, and began preparing for the day ahead.
Out of pure habit, he opened his storage artifact and let its contents spill out onto the table before him. There were coins, vials, scrolls, spare daggers, a short sword, throwing needles, dried herbs, and other magical ingredients.
He began sorting everything out with efficiency, checking what he still had, what he might need to replenish, and which weapons he needed to swap out.
And then…
He froze.
His gaze landed on a dark outer robe.
It was Kenny's outer robe.
The dusk-skinned youth had given it to him earlier, back when they had arrived at the headquarters.
Lebu stared at it in a daze, the emotions he had just now suppressed beginning to rise up again. He inhaled deeply, pushing the churning emotions back where they ca from.
He stepped closer and picked up the outer robe. His lips couldn't help but curl into a sad smile as he murmured, "I'll keep this in your mory, my boy…"
As he lifted the robe to fold it and put it away, his fingers brushed against sothing inside one of the inner pockets.
He froze once again. He couldn't help but frown as he reached in and felt a thin, folded object inside the pocket.
Slowly, he pulled it out.
It was a letter.
Lebu's frown deepened as he stared down at it. A strange, uneasy feeling rose in his heart, and he found his fingers trembling.
What's this doing here? He thought in a daze.
Did… did Kenny write it?
The boy had never ntioned leaving anything behind.
And yet, there it was.
Lebu stared at the letter for a long mont before finally breaking the seal. His fingers felt heavier than they should have as he unfolded the paper. The mont his gaze landed on the writing, his breath caught in his throat.
It was Kenny's handwriting. It was exactly the sa as the reports and notes he used to turn in after missions.
Lebu's heart began to pound.
Slowly, he sat back down on the edge of his bed.
Then he began to read.
"Dear Magus Potts,
"If you're reading this, then I'm probably dead…"
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