"Leader, break the wall!" Nova shouted, glancing nervously behind himself.
"We are underground! How can I break the wall?" Helios replied, stepping back and glaring at the Black Market Leader.
The guards reached the office and began surrounding Helios and Nova. "Catch them alive; we need to ask them questions," the leader ordered coldly, his guards levelling their guns at the duo.
"Leader, just do what I said!" Nova yelled, his voice trembling with urgency.
"Fine," Helios grunted. He spun around, channelling spiral energy into his leg, and delivered a devastating kick. The wall crumbled instantly, revealing the first light of the rising sun. "Jump!" Helios commanded. He loaded his legs with spiral energy and leapt toward the ground far below, with Nova following close behind.
The guards opened fire, bullets whistling past as Nova and Helios sprinted away into the distance.
"You idiots! You let them go!" the Black Market Leader hissed, his face contorting with rage as he looked down from the top floor. "If they took that document with them, we are all dead."
"How did we get into a building? I thought we were underground," Helios panted, slowing his pace as they reached safety.
"They used a teleportation rune," Nova explained, trying to catch his breath.
"Anyway, now that the mission is over, let's see the document," Helios said, extending his hand expectantly.
"Didn't you read it?" Nova asked with a questioning look as he handed the papers over.
"No, I only saw the part that mentioned a War Alliance," Helios admitted, his eyes scanning the pages. Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock. "I'm moving kingdoms," he whispered, his voice laced with sudden dread.
"What? What did you read?" Nova asked, confused.
"Why don't you take this to the Royal Family? I need to go home and... do a few things," Helios said hurriedly, shoving the document back into Nova's hands.
Helios reached his house and burst through the front door. "This kingdom might be the most unlucky kingdom in history," he muttered to himself, racing up the stairs.
"Hello, Helios," Sara said softly. She was standing in the hallway, holding Luna's hand. Helios stopped in his tracks, staring at the two of them.
"You two are up early," Helios noted, trying to hide his panic.
"Yes, we are! Sara was reading me a story," Luna said with a bright smile. Then she pouted. "But you were being too loud, Brother!"
"Sorry about that, Moon. I brought something for you," Helios said gently. He pulled out the Lilac Gem he had purchased at the auction and placed it in Luna's hand.
"Nothing for me?" Sara asked playfully. Helios let out a nervous laugh.
"Well, Nova and I were being chased... I didn't have enough time to buy something for you," Helios admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Is my brother okay?" Sara asked, her expression shifting to one of worry.
"He's fine. He went to give the Royal Family the war document," Helios replied.
"So, we are going to war?" Sara asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"War? What war?" Luna asked curiously.
"Nothing, Moon. Why don't you go back to your room? Sara will be there in a moment to finish the story," Helios said, patting Luna's head affectionately.
Once Luna was gone, Sara crossed her arms. "So, are you going to tell me about the war?"
"All five kingdoms are going to war," Helios stated grimly.
"You mean they are all fighting each other? That doesn't sound so bad," Sara remarked.
"Wait, I haven't finished explaining. All five kingdoms are going to war, but the other four have formed an alliance. They are going to attack us—only us," Helios clarified. "I think they just thought we were an easy target because we're in the middle."
"Are we switching sides?" Sara asked bluntly.
"Of course! Why fight a war we are going to lose?" Helios said, brushing past her. "I'm going to pack. Pack your bags and Moon's, too."
A sharp knock sounded on the King's door. "Come in," the King said, without looking up from his paperwork. His new assistants stood stiffly beside him.
"Greetings, Your Highness," Nova said, dropping to one knee.
"It's been a long time, 001," the King said, finally looking up.
"I am not one of your hunting dogs anymore. Please, do not call me by that name," Nova replied, his voice thick with frustration.
"Did you get what I told you to get?" the King asked, ignoring Nova's protest.
"Yes," Nova said, handing over the document. The King read it for a few minutes, a dark scowl forming on his face.
"It seems I was right about those dogs," the King muttered angrily.
"Your Highness, may I ask what is in the document?" Nova asked.
"You didn't read it? It seems you are still a loyal hound," the King sneered. "It's nothing important to you. Why don't you give me information about Helios instead, little hound?" the King added, his golden eyes glowing with an eerie light.
"The only information I can give you is that he went home in a hurry," Nova said, gritting his teeth.
"I knew he was going to read it. That's why I sent an old friend to say hi to him—with some company, of course," the King said, signalling for Nova to leave. As Nova turned, the King spoke again. "Wait, I have a question. Why don't you come back to P.O.C.?"
The King stood up and walked toward him with a chilling smile. "You were my favourite agent."
Nova clenched his fists in silent rage.
"You don't want to join them anymore? Is it because you no longer need to take care of your sister?" the King mocked as Nova walked out the door.
"If I may ask, Your Highness, what does P.O.C. mean?" the assistant asked, his voice curious but respectful.
"Project Onyx Cypher. An organization only the Imperial Family knows exists. And if you are not part of the Imperial Family and know of its existence... you must die," the King said, looking at his assistant with a pleasant smile.
"Die?" the assistant whispered, confused. Suddenly, his head was severed by a man in a black robe who seemed to appear out of thin air.
"Yes, die," the King repeated as the assassin disappeared.
Back at his house, Helios was packing his bags in a frantic hurry. "I'm not staying in this kingdom. Maybe I should move the Blackthorn base, too. I can't let my organization be destroyed; that's my main source of income," he muttered.
As he moved, Agrise's diary fell to the floor. "I almost forgot I bought this," Helios said, picking it up. He opened the first page.
Hello. If you can see this, it means we are from the same world. I put runes on this book so it never runs out of pages, and only people with the same energy as me—people from another world—can read and write in it. You must be wondering who I am. My name is Agrise. I invented everything in this world, including medicine, comics, electricity, and other things—except phones. You guys don't need phones. I also gave them war weapons: aircraft, tanks, machine guns, and even bombs. You might wonder why I gave them these weapons. Well, because I felt like it.
Helios slammed the diary shut. "I should hurry up. I don't want to get bombed," he said, grabbing his bags.
He started rushing down the stairs, but the front door swung open.
"It's been a long time, Leader of Blackthorn," Rosalind said coldly, standing there with the Royal Police at her back.