Two hours later..

  The world looked different after killing someone you once trusted. Not louder—not quieter—just emptier, like something fundamental had already begun collapsing. I tightened the dark hood around my head, the same one I left Mount Sinai wearing years ago. I wonder what state Het is in.

  I couldn’t afford recognition—not yet. The streets outside were scattered with beggars, mercenaries, washed-out soldiers, and wandering lunatics. With enough filth in the world wearing cloth to hide their shame or their crimes, my appearance didn’t stand out.

  Kaiguya finally broke the silence. His tone was restrained—not afraid, not judgmental—simply processing. "You've been planning this for a while, huh?"

  I didn’t turn. I only nodded, my eyes watching the blurred landscape through the slotted carriage window.

  "Ever since my parents died."

  A half-truth. Zero’s shadow still lingered over everything, over me. His teachings. His betrayal. His consequences. But that part wasn’t for them—not yet.

  The carriage wheels hit a jagged patch of dirt and stone, jostling us. Even after paying more gold than the vehicle was worth, the ride was barely tolerable. The wood creaked with every lurch, and dust kicked up around the wheels like funeral ash. Jerry—the rider—didn’t stop moving. He didn’t speak with ceremony or doubt, just factual discomfort.

  "These roads are rough." He spat to the side. "It'll take a week to get to where you want."

  I waved lazily, as if time itself was no longer a concern.

  "That's fine. Just make sure nobody knows about us."

  His shadow twitched—subtle acknowledgment.

  "For the amount of gold you gave me, my mouth is sealed."

  Good. Good.

  Money couldn’t buy loyalty, but it could secure silence, and silence was currency in rebellions.

  Kaiguya’s hands tightened together, fingers interlocked in prayer—not habit, but conviction. His aura shifted, no longer chaotic or fatigued, but sharpened—unshakeable. His injuries were already healing.

  His voice carried a tone that dared contradiction.

  "We're not killing Kaiguro."

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  My gaze slid toward him—analytical.

  "Humans are delicate. Kaiguro has killed many for Sun's glory. He was not involved in the coup that ended my parents, but he must atone for his crimes."

  A pause.

  Then I winked. "You'll make him take responsibility, right?"

  Kaiguya’s shoulders lowered as if the weight of his next words had already been decided long ago. "I will reprimand him, and repay the innocents with his wealth. He will listen to me."

  His certainty wasn’t arrogance. It was duty.

  Odina shifted beside us, resting her bow across her knees. Her brows pulled together—not angry, not fearful—simply trying to understand the path she had agreed to walk. "What I still don't get is how you got these beyond to follow you. They're all vastly different."

  I snapped my fingers, drawing their full attention. "I get that. I'll tell you why each transcended will follow me."

  My voice turned monotone. "Zhen was the easiest. Sun handed me that on a platter. I saved him and his people, so he will certainly repay me."

  Memory flickered. Endo, you kind of kickstarted Obsidian's downfall. "Ewan was a bit hard to get on board. When I revealed to him that even if the Grillir survived, Sun would've annihilated them, he towed the line."

  His rage had burned hotter than his grief.

  Barely contained. Barely directed.

  "It was hard keeping him from interfering in the fight against Obsidian, or just trying to kill Leo outright."

  One wrong moment, one emotional impulse, and the entire operation would have collapsed.

  "Zero is the one who started this, so he will die for it."

  For better or for worse.

  "You two are protecting your people, a worthwhile endeavor that brings you to my side."

  Odina’s eyes tightened, acknowledging the truth.

  Kaiguya remained still—breathing evenly.

  "Kaguya is Zero's trusted confidant, and the only one who didn't betray him in the coup."

  The carriage seemed to tilt colder at that name.

  Some wounds weren’t visible.

  Some loyalties weren’t optional.

  "I plan to marry Jane, and we've grown close. I'm very fond of her."

  The words softened slightly. Love was not an obstacle. It was leverage.

  "Borschmack will join, disregarding the fact I killed Toda, for one reason. I'm the only one offering a chance of revenge."

  I exhaled slowly.

  "I was just the arrow in the bow. Leo fired me at Toda."

  Odina let out a long, weary sigh.

  "This is going to be a pain..."

  Her exhaustion wasn’t resistance—it was acceptance. She was too far in.

  Kaiguya reached casually into his travel sack, retrieving an apple. The crunch echoed inside the carriage as he took a bite, then spoke around the taste. "You're really detached from this whole thing. What will stop Sun from hiring the remaining clans to overwhelm you?"

  I smiled—a slow, practiced motion that held no warmth.

  "It was very tiring sending all those letters secretly. I've gotten responses from five of the remaining twelve Major Clans. They will be joining us."

  The apple paused halfway to Kaiguya’s mouth.

  Not fear. Not shock. Recognition. This wasn’t ambition. This was inevitability.

  He took another bite. "Sun will notice their movements and send forces to stop them."

  I leaned back against the rattling carriage wall, arms folded beneath the cloak. "I don't care if they do. That just means those clans did their job a bit differently."

  Odina glanced between us, lips pressed tight, as if absorbing the scale of what she’d tied herself to.

  I finished. "In two weeks, we will begin the training to reveal our potential."

  Outside, the wind howled across the rough plains, as if the land itself knew change was coming.

  The rebellion wasn’t distant now. It wasn’t hypothetical. It was biding its time before.

  Now, the rebellion is here...