S-2879 • L9 Fluxluna • D05 Ritli
"Fluxluna sustains light in growth. Ritli gives cadence and living contour. The sky refines the tone of the journey. The narrative weaves rhythm and clarity."
The day of our meeting with the Matriarch had finally arrived.
Kiara was visibly tense.
I bit my nails, anxious.
After all, who was the Matriarch?
The android had revealed nothing.
With no answers, my mind surrendered to the worst possibilities.
Since our visit to Nobody's Land, everything I had witnessed afterward had taught me one thing:
there was no predicting what came next.
Kiara's eyes, usually impenetrable, carried a flicker of unrest.
"Take this."
She handed me the Sentinil and examined two weapons on the table.
Fast movements.
She rolled up the sleeves of her coat, revealing hidden blades along her forearms.
I swallowed hard, uneasy with all that preparation.
"What is this?"
I turned the small vial in my hand, curious and suspicious.
"It's an emotion inhibitor.
Better if you show absolutely nothing in there.
I'd rather you use it. You are… different.
If the Matriarch suspects even a little that you are…"
She let the sentence hang.
Her serious tone landed like a warning.
She holstered the weapons at her waist.
"Alright."
I placed a drop under my tongue.
We headed toward the border.
Tentro in the middle.
Vermina to the left.
The pixelated graphic wall glowed in vivid red.
Almost hypnotic.
I touched it with the tips of my fingers and felt a faint tingling sensation.
Before I could get distracted, Kiara nudged my arm.
With steady resolve, we crossed the hologram.
We emerged through a narrow alleyway on the other side.
The scenery changed completely.
A huge knot formed in my throat.
People dragged bodies from the blood-soaked ground into alleys and vans.
Thin. Hollow-eyed. Chained. Half-naked.
The living were thrown into vehicles like discarded goods.
"Please… please… no…"
Moans of pain scraped against my ears.
The dragging of chains echoed through the streets.
Storefronts displayed bodies.
Sexualized androids. Bandaged. Bound. Gagged.
Red holograms flashed.
Advertising promotions.
From the balconies of buildings, pieces of humans hung like grotesque decorations.
Burned flesh.
Rusting metal clung to fabric.
The smell invaded my lungs.
A true horror film scene, lived as routine.
Its inhabitants, in full clarity, were sadists capable of torturing and killing for profaned pleasure alone.
They could do whatever they wanted.
After all, in Netheria, everything was permitted.
My stomach twisted.
My blood pressure dropped with every step.
I tried to let the rage and disgust rise.
Nothing came out.
I wanted to scream.
Cry.
Tear those beings out of that hell.
But my body kept moving while my spirit fractured, simply following Kiara.
My eyes burned.
My heart felt heavy.
We stopped before a structure supported by four imposing jade pillars, so polished they reflected my image perfectly.
Details in gold glittered across them, evoking ancient eras.
Civilizations long extinct.
Today, they existed only in books.
We entered a vast hall, also held up by pillars.
Its walls were a deep dark green, streaked with golden threads.
Antiquities were piled all around:
Paintings, sculptures, statues, vases, and artifacts once thought lost.
Was that the Mona Lisa?
The real one?
Unbelievable.
It had been stolen in 2778.
Never recovered.
No culprits ever identified.
My astonishment was brutally interrupted.
I saw three skeletal men hanging from the walls, handcuffed with their arms raised.
The fragile movement of their ribcages was the only sign they were still alive.
I looked away, nauseated.
Then I faced the center of the hall.
A magnificent throne, adorned with gold and precious stones.
It radiated overwhelming power.
And draped across it, almost bored, sat an unusual figure wrapped in an aura as disturbing as it was fascinating.
Kiara placed a hand on her hip.
"What are you doing here?"
Half-reclined.
Legs crossed over one arm of the throne.
He clicked his tongue, threw his head back, and flashed a sarcastic smile.
His eyes found mine.
Intense. Penetrating.
My chest sank.
It felt as though his presence drained every breath from the room.
The shadows of his aura brushed my skin, suffocating.
His voice wrapped around me like an inescapable riddle.
"I'm always here and there ♪
This is just one more of those places."
He uncrossed his legs and strolled slowly across the hall.
Every step carried a weight that unsettled me.
"Saymon, where's the Matriarch?"
Kiara narrowed her eyes, clearly irritated.
Saymon pulled a deck of cards from his coat.
He began shuffling with elegant precision.
Silver rings gleamed over strange symbols and black numbers tattooed across his fingers.
He looked me up and down.
His expression turned serious.
Then he turned back to Kiara.
"Something unexpected came up.
You know how she is…"
He drew the first card and displayed it between his fingers:
Queen of Pentacles.
"She's the kind who, even from afar, keeps control over everything and everyone around her."
With a graceful flick, he tossed the card to Kiara.
She caught it midair.
The object shimmered with peculiar energy.
Its meaning escaped me, but the room grew denser with tension.
The android pressed her lips together.
Her rigid posture betrayed her discomfort.
"You—"
"The Matriarch said:
'My child, Kiara, needs me.
I can't leave her abandoned.'"
He mimicked a delicate voice.
His smile—charming. Provocative.
"So. Say what you want already."
"You know."
Saymon stepped closer to me.
His eyes shone.
His aura seemed to swallow the room.
"You're interesting, I'll give you that.
Our little Kiara is going very far to protect you.
Or rather…
Well then, what makes you so special?"
He arched a brow, then turned back to Kiara.
"She'll give you the name, because it's meant for you.
But… you'll have to do something for her."
Kiara dragged two fingers from her eyes down to her nose.
"What is it?"
I followed the conversation in complete confusion, trying to fit the pieces together.
Saymon ran his tongue over his canines, almost predatory.
"She's expecting a shipment from South Africa.
It was confiscated at the Port of Alexandria.
Bring it back, and you'll have a name."
The Port of Alexandria? That—
Kiara nodded, though her reluctance was obvious.
He smiled.
"Excellent.
The plane will be waiting in Viracopos.
Here's your hotel reservation.
It'll be an excellent experience for our new…"
He narrowed his eyes and smiled in a chilling way.
"Little mercenary."
I held my breath.
Maia flashed through my mind when he made that expression.
Kiara met his gaze head-on.
Her own presence gave off an equally terrifying aura.
"If anything happens to Akiko—"
Saymon looked down at her.
His confidence unshaken.
"I'm sure you'll protect her.
After all…"
He walked slowly back toward the throne.
"You and Maia have already done missions there.
Though things are more tense now."
"Send the map."
"Already did.
I'll ask the Matriarch to suspend the contract for half a lunation.
After that, the Aurums will be notified."
Kiara's eyes flashed with pure fury.
In one sudden motion, the hidden blade slid from her sleeve.
She pressed it against Saymon's neck.
Firm. Merciless.
"What kind of fucking game is this?"
He didn't even flinch.
He just smiled, amber eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"I'm not playing.
The target was flagged as ultra difficult."
He shrugged casually.
"No mercenary has found her yet.
They're getting impatient.
Usually, an easy target is captured in a day or two.
You should be proud.
You're doing an excellent job with the little blonde."
My whole body went on alert.
What the hell is this?
Kiara released him, still glaring as she slid the blade away.
She turned and began walking toward the exit.
Before crossing the doorway, she said:
"I'll come back, and you'll give me the name.
One way or another."
We left.
"Remember my favor ♪"
Saymon's voice echoed through the hall, but the feeling of danger kept burning in its wake.
Something inside me knew this mission was more than a price for the contractor's name.
It was a veiled sentence.
I just wasn't sure for whom.