“They don't deserve to be killed,” Daye said, stepping forward and shielding White Shadow. The group watched on, carefully studying the three Tianzu, waiting for one of them to make a move. Skye breathed quickly, trying not to tremble. In this moment, Nikolai wasn't around to save him. He was far from immune, staring death in the eye for the second time that night.
“What are you saying, brother?” Hana asked with confusion. “They killed Karatsu. We need to eliminate them at once.”
Daye stared at the trio and remained quiet. He tried to stall them for as long as possible in order to buy valuable time for White Shadow.
“Why are you helping them?” Kai asked. “This group is the largest threat we've faced for some time. Do you not see that?”
“I do not,” Daye responded, showing rare defiance. “They've harmed no one.”
Hana lifted the bottom of her shirt, revealing a circular scar from Sierra's crossbow bolt. “Is that so?”
“The Tianzu attacked first,” he corrected. “Those were Raien's orders. This group is innocent.”
“Watch what you say, Daye,” Hana cautioned. “If you side with our enemy, you too will become an enemy of the Tianzu.”
“He's one of them!” Shin screamed. “Kill him!” The passengers aboard the train turned their attention outside upon hearing the command.
Kai frowned and held his hand up to Shin, keeping order. “Daye,” he said slowly, calmly, “I respect your views on peace. You've always gone out of the way to ensure that the people around you are safe. It's an admirable and honourable quality. But you need to understand this clan has just killed one of our own, and they intend to kill us too.” He looked at Charlie, Delta, Skye, and Sierra, glaring every one of them in the eye. “So, I'm asking you, as a brother, and a fellow member of the Tianzu, to step aside and let us eliminate them.”
“In public?” Daye asked, astonished. “You've all sworn oaths to uphold peace and public order, and yet here you are, ready to kill them in plain sight of countless civilians.”
Kai's face became one of anger. “And you've sworn an oath to Kheree!” he cried. “You've sworn to act in accordance with the laws of our clan.”
Daye kept his gaze fixed on the three warriors before him. “The clan that I started.”
“Kill him!” Shin screamed again, his voice breaking, his young body unable to comprehend the pain it was in.
“This is your final chance, brother,” Kai warned. “Move out of the way. Allow us to end this war. If we don't kill them now, you'll be endangering the lives of everyone in this nation and the Union.”
Daye closed his eyes, the situation unbearable. He didn't move from his position. “I can't allow you to harm them.”
Kai's face fell. He hesitated, not willing to attack his fellow clansman. “I don't understand. Did you not just hear me say that you swore an oath to Kheree? Why is it you wish to defy us like this? We've been through so much together, Daye.”
Daye stood tall. “I've sworn no such oath to Kheree. I've only ever feigned loyalty to this group as a means of preventing needless deaths where possible. The clan you work for—the clan which Kheree stole from me—is not one of peace at all. While you may have your own view on what true peace is, you are in fact instigating war with those you see as rivals. My view is one that involves promoting unity, and not perpetuating a cycle of hatred. Even if you were to eradicate both White Shadow and Black Dawn, it would only be a matter of time before another group surfaces. Your version of peace is nothing more than an endless, pointless war.”
Kai, Hana, and Shin all stared at him, disgusted by his betrayal.
“Then you are an enemy of the Tianzu,” Hana said. She held her arm up and began to absorb his strength, but quickly realised it was to no effect.
“An illusion,” Kai observed, hardly surprised. “You're not really here, are you?”
Daye slowly shook his head and pointed to White Shadow. “And neither are they.”
As though nothing had ever happened, Daye's illusion vanished, along with White Shadow and the train behind them.
Shin's eyes widened as he stared blankly at the vacant platform around him. “Where are they?” he asked. He could only see a handful of commuters waiting for the next train.
“They're gone,” Hana muttered. “They must already be on the train.”
It took Shin a moment to understand. He'd never experienced one of Daye's illusions. It had seemed so real that their four enemies were standing on the platform, petrified with fear. But in actuality, Daye had diverted the attention away from White Shadow while they boarded the train and left. The illusion was a strong one, and had worked perfectly.
“Daye has betrayed us,” Hana continued.
Kai grunted in agreement. “We need to inform Raien of this too.”
Hana shut her eyes, her expression solemn. “So, we've lost two of the Tianzu this evening.”
Shin stomped around the platform. “Raien can wait! They've probably gone to Kitadera to see Hiroaki.”
Kai stood thoughtfully. He knew Shin was most likely correct—White Shadow would be on their way to seek refuge with Hiroaki. And if it were true, it might just mean there's still time to eliminate them.
“What should we do?” Hana asked.
Kai turned his head left and looked at the growing crowd of passengers waiting for the next train.
“I say we go to Kitadera and kill them,” Shin added again.
“We're not going to be able to get into Hiroaki's residence,” Hana said. “We can't attack if they're inside his home.”
Kai stroked his chin, pondering their next move. “If we go to Azuma-jo, would Raien finally order an attack? Or would he simply tell us to wait again?”
Shin crossed his arms and nodded. “Exactly. Which is why we need to go to Kitadera. They killed my master, and they deserve to die.” He pretended to pull a sad face. “If we go to Azuma-jo, we might never find them again. We need to go to Kitadera while we know their location.”
The trio turned to see the lights from the next train approaching from South Nishihama Station. The bystanders began to ready themselves for boarding.
Hana held her partner's hand. “Shin might be right.” She cringed as she said the words, having rarely ever admitted as such. “Perhaps going to Kitadera would be our best move. Karatsu is our brother, and he doesn't deserve to die in vain.”
Kai looked into his wife's eyes and smiled. “I think you're right. Going to Azuma-jo would be a risk. We should instead go to Kitadera and end this once and for all. I wouldn't be able to justify taking no action.”
She returned his smile. “Nor would I.”
The train slowed to a halt, and the commuters began boarding. Shin hobbled across the platform, making his way to the open door.
“Shin, wait,” Kai called. “We can't leave yet. We need to claim Karatsu's body.”
Shin frowned as he boarded the train. “I don't have time for that. Let the police do it.”
Hana scowled at the youth. “Shin, he was your master. It's our duty to offer him an honourable cremation.”
“Hana's right, Shin. Come back here. We'll go to Kitadera tomorrow.”
Shin stood in the doorway, folding his arms across his chest. “Don't lecture me, Alexan. I'll go alone if I have to.”
“That's enough!” Kai hissed, trying to keep his voice low. “You don't stand a chance against them. Get back here at once!”
A childish grin lit up Shin's face. “I'll kill them myself,” he shouted back, causing the surrounding passengers to back away from him. “Meet me in Kitadera when you're done.”
“Get off that train!” Hana shouted. “You're not leaving us. Besides, your foot's still bleeding.”
“I'll be fine,” he called. “I'm a warrior, remember?”
The doors closed. Kai and Hana watched as the train started moving, taking the smiling teenager with it. Seconds later, he had disappeared from view.
“Juvenile,” Hana groaned
. “He was almost killed earlier. What makes him think he can take them on alone?”
“His arrogance. There's no doubt he's powerful, but his arrogance will get him killed.” The last remaining carriage of the train vanished into the night, leaving a quiet platform once again. “He underestimates his enemy. If he isn't cautious, he'll end up with a blade in the back of his head.”
Hana raised an eyebrow. “Harsh words, my love. But true.” She turned and began walking back down the stairs. “Come. We need to return to Karatsu.”
Kai obeyed and followed his wife. “Absolutely. He was an honourable man, and deserves to be farewelled as such.”
The pair had known Karatsu for quite some time. He was a man who always fulfilled his duty, and always did his best in protecting the citizens of the world. Seeing his dismembered body was a horrendous sight for Kai and Hana, one which neither of them would soon forget.
Forty-five
Ren stood outside on the steel balcony, absent-mindedly staring into the distance once again. It was night in Athenia, and the island nation was winding down from another busy day.
She knew Archie was out there somewhere. It had been an exhausting few days for her as she tried to hack her way into the government's system and find him. Without the assistance of the remainder of White Shadow though, the task was far more challenging.
The warehouse was vacant and lonely with just her living there now. She didn't mind being alone; she could handle herself just fine. But ever since she was locked out of her own system a few hours ago, her mind had started to become plagued by paranoia. It was a rare system anomaly to experience, and she hadn't seen it in several years. A seasoned hacker, she knew exactly what she was doing, and knew what to look for when she was the one being hacked. But since evolving into a shengxian, her system had never once been compromised. Until this afternoon.
It's not possible, she thought. She'd been quite adept at using technology her whole life, and her newfound intelligence, which came as a result of her consciousness transcending to a higher plane of awareness, brought her knowledge few people ever possessed. The thought of another finding their way into her network seemed to be absurd.
Unless it was another shengxian.
Skye either didn't believe her, or didn't care. Ren knew he had his hands full with locating the Tianzu, but it infuriated her that he dismissed her so simply. Aside from computer basics and how to work a wrist comm, Skye was relatively useless when it came to technology, which was all the more insulting.
She twirled her carbon pistol in her finger. It was highly unlikely that the authorities would come to the warehouse to arrest her, but the thought did play itself over and over in her mind. She'd helped Nikolai steal hundreds of millions of yuan from Paul Winterton's corporation. Ren had taken extreme care with the matter, and left no trail whatsoever, but always knew in the back of her mind that there may one day be a knock at her door.
She rubbed her eyes with her free hand. I've got to stop this. I'm losing my mind. Perhaps it was nothing more than a combination of stress and fatigue, and also the fact that she was alone. She now had more enemies than she could count, and her only line of defence was sitting in her right hand. Like the others, she wasn't overly fond of the weapon, but the lightweight and accurate handgun brought with it a certain allure.
Her heart skipped a beat. Ren's eyes were surely deceiving her, but for the briefest of seconds she thought she saw movement in the dark woods down below. The eyes of a shengxian were sharp. But not sharp enough, she thought. The movement looked as though it came from an upright corpse. She'd never seen Night's odd creation, but Skye had described it to her accurately.
It's impossible. Night's dead.
She stared down into the darkness, straining her eyes. She could see nothing.
Several seconds passed. She continued watching the woods carefully, but there was no movement. No indication that someone, or something, was watching her.
Nevertheless, the thought had now manifested itself in her paranoid mind, and was very difficult to dismiss.
She took a final glance down below, deciding to dismiss it as fatigue, then turned and retreated inside. In this moment, she felt the effects of being alone. Despite her usual resilience, the company of another person right now would greatly reinforce her mental stability.
She descended the spiral staircase and made her way back into the dull, lifeless prison that was the warehouse.
Ren froze. Something else caught her attention. This time she wasn't seeing things.
The camera at her workstation was turned on. There was no mistaking the bright red light next to it.
Her heart skipped another beat. She was being hacked again.
She didn't move. She stared across the room and down the lens of the camera, wondering who could possibly be watching her, and where they were.
The small light turned off, the camera now disabled. Whoever had launched the digital attack was gone.
She ran across to her desk and looked up at her monitors. She entered several commands, her eyes wide with panic. There were no other signs she'd been infiltrated. It was just by chance that she'd noticed the camera light in the first place.
How long were they watching me?
She held her pistol tight.
Who's doing this? Is it the Tianzu? The Athenian government?
She turned around and studied the room, suddenly feeling anxious. Her mind started to race. She didn't know what to do.
Am I safe here?
Where else would I go?
Panic began to course its way through her veins. She was not paranoid at all. Twice in one day was no coincidence.
Ren was under attack from a silent assassin.
Forty-six
The train stopped at Hikashima Subway Station in eastern Kitadera. Daye led the way and disembarked, with White Shadow following behind. There were very few people in the station at this time of night, and even fewer on the streets above.
“How much further do we have to go?” Charlie asked impatiently, partly still deciding if Daye could actually be trusted, although also having no reason to think otherwise. The maglev rail stopped only at Kitadera Station, meaning the remainder of the journey had to be made via two different subway trains.
“Not far now,” Daye said. “I've travelled here many times.”
“Earlier you mentioned the Tianzu on the mainland,” Skye said. “Tell me about them. How many are there?” He looked down and examined the bottom half of his shirt, which was completely stained with blood. The gunshot wound burned with every step he took.
“There's too much to explain,” Daye said. “We'll tell you everything you need to know once you're safe.”
“How many are there?” Charlie repeated, eager to learn more about his enemy.
Daye turned around. “Two groups.”
Charlie stopped walking, the information hitting him hard. “Wait ... two groups on the mainland? So there are three branches of the Tianzu in total?”
“Not quite. The mainland Tianzu are based in Daixuan and Sujian, but while they're in two different countries, they're still the same branch. The Shizuno Tianzu have always been structured differently, and the relationship between the two branches is becoming increasingly complicated.”
The news was intriguing to Skye. He'd always known there was a Tianzu presence in his home city of Daixuan, as that's where Daye first approached him. Although, the information did little to ease his racing mind; instead, it merely posed more questions than ever. During his upbringing, he had no reason to ever think that such a dangerous enemy was living alongside him.
“The boy,” Delta said. “He's coming this way. I can sense him.”
“I sense him too,” Daye added. “He's been following us since we left Nishihama. He's alone though.” He turned and looked into the weary eyes of White Shadow. “Don't worry; he won't harm you. You'll be safe with us.”
The group continued walking silently through the narrow s
treets. Sierra and Skye both took in the layout and architecture of the beautiful old city. Charlie and Delta were no stranger to the ancient capital, and were merely keen to rest for the evening.
It was late in Kitadera, with most of the residents asleep. Many of the buildings were dark and still, with only a handful still alight. This part of the city comprised mostly of houses and small stalls.
After ten minutes of walking, Daye stopped. The others did the same and stood poised behind him.
“Are we here?” Skye asked.
“I don't sense anyone here,” Delta said. “I can sense the boy, and another presence a little further away.”
Daye pointed to a beautiful home in front of them. “This is the residence of Kai and Hana.”
Charlie and Delta both gasped. They'd been to this area once before, but never for a second suspected that the duo would reside in these parts.
“Should we go inside and wait for them?” Sierra suggested.
“No, out of the question,” Skye dismissed. “We're in no condition to fight.”
Daye resumed walking. “Let's continue. We're close now. I only wished to show you their residence as it's directly on the way.”
The group continued marching into the night, silently passing the occasional civilian. It was only another fifteen or so minutes before they finally arrived at an even quieter and more narrow street, which stopped at the base of a small hill.
At the top was a two-story wooden home that looked as though it was built centuries ago. It had a traditional Shizuno design, and resembled a temple more than a house.
Delta froze when she looked up and saw a man standing outside on the balcony. “He's the one I sensed earlier.”
The man smiled and held a friendly hand up, waving to the newcomers and beckoning them inside.
“Don't be frightened,” Daye said, also smiling. “He means you no harm.”
The group climbed the small incline and filed in through the front door. The inside of the house was immaculately clean, with very minimal furniture.
Skye instantly began to relax. While he was confused and still sceptical, there was an unfamiliar sense of calm that enveloped the room. It felt safe.
Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets) Page 66