The trip to Bletchworth changed everything. The school was the same. The classes were the same. But Eiden, Emily, and Linda were not. Linda was quiet. She was now a terrified girl who saw monsters in every shadow. She didn't bother Eiden. She didn't even bother Emily. She just... survived, her eyes wide, flinching at every loud noise.
But the real change was between Eiden and Emily. They sat in class. The rest of the school saw it as a power couple. Eiden knew it was a lie. He was her "pet." She was his "shield." But now... he knew she could kill. They were two predators, forced to share a cage.
"You're distracted," Emily whispered to him in Sir Nikal's chemistry class. Eiden was staring at the teacher, but he wasn't listening. He was thinking. ...Mav... Cronus... "I'm thinking," Eiden whispered back. "About what?" "About family. About how... complicated... they are." Emily's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?" "It means I'm doing my job," Eiden said, his voice flat. "I'm watching for threats." He was, in his own way, telling the truth.
He was watching the biggest threat he'd found so far: The Cronus family. And his new pack was ready to hunt.
He started with Harry. Eiden found him in the workshop, soldering a new radio wire. "I'm here to collect. That short-wave radio. You listen to codes. Can you... listen to other things?" "Like... what?" "Like the telephone. In Madam Cullin's office. Or the one in the guest suite, where Maverick Cronus stays when he visits." Harry's face went pale. "That's... that's not just listening to codes! That's... spying!" "It's a puzzle, Harry," Eiden said, his voice low and persuasive. "A much harder puzzle. Can you solve it?" Harry was terrified. But he was also... thrilled. "It would be... hard. I'd need to get to the junction box. It's... it's in the basement. It's locked." "Can you get me a key?" "I... I can make one," Harry said. "I'm good with... small mechanisms." "Good," Eiden said. "Do that. And find out when Maverick visits. I need to know everything he says."
Next, Margot. She was easy. She was already terrified of him. He passed her in the hall, "accidentally" brushing her shoulder. He didn't stop. "Lunch," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. "Tell me who Linda talks to on the phone. And I want to know every time Maverick Cronus visits Madam Elizabeth." Margot just nodded, her eyes wide, and hurried away.
Finally, Hazel. She was his partner. She got the truth. He met her in their alcove in the library. She was already there, as if she knew he was coming. "So," she said, not looking up from her book. "How was your 'country trip'?" "How did you know?" "Linda looks like she saw a ghost," Hazel said. "And you and Emily... you're different. You're not 'rivals' anymore. You're... allies. You're a pack. So, what did you find, partner?" Eiden sat. He pulled the small, leather-bound diary from his coat. He didn't show her the half-burnt paper. Not yet. "The spy is dead," Eiden said. "He was murdered. By his own son. Whom... I also had to... stop." Hazel's face was pale, but she didn't flinch. "I see. And the clue?" "The spy who died... he was friends with the first spy. The one who Oliver saw. The one who was shot." "And?" "And he had a report. The last one. It was... damaged. Burnt." "What did it say?" Eiden looked at her. He had to trust her. "It said... '...evergreen. On the grounds. I saw HER. ...Mav... Cronus was with her...'" Hazel's blood ran cold. "Maverick." "He's the weak link," Eiden said. "He's the clue. I need to know why. I need to know what he knows." "And you want me to... what? Just ask him?" "No," Eiden said. "You're the analyst. You said you were bored. I need you to dig. Find me every record this school has on Maverick Cronus. Find me his class schedules from when he was a student. Find me his service record. Find me anything that connects him to a 16-year-old mystery." Hazel's eyes lit up. This was not a puzzle. This was a war. "And Evergreen?" she whispered. "I'll handle that," Eiden said. "You... you get me Maverick." "Fine," Hazel said. "But be careful, Eiden. You're hunting a lion in his own den. And I think... I think you're hunting the wrong lion. Akuma is the king. Maverick... he's just the cub." "Sometimes," Eiden said, "the cub is the one who leads you to the kill."
A day passed. A long, tense day. Eiden was walking with Emily to the cafeteria. It was part of his "duty." She was talking about her father. "...and he's furious I left. He wants to meet you again. Properly. He's... not happy." Eiden just nodded. "He'll be fine." "You don't get it," she said, stopping. "You don't know him. When he's 'not happy'... people get hurt." "I'll be fine," Eiden said, his voice cold.
As they entered the cafeteria, Margot was walking out. She "accidentally" stumbled, bumping right into Eiden. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she squeaked, dropping her books. Eiden bent to help her. "It's fine, Margot." As she handed him a book, she pressed a tiny, folded note into his palm. He closed his fist around it. "Be... be careful!" she stammered, and ran off. Emily was watching him, her eyes sharp. "You're... 'friends' with Margot now?" "She's scared," Eiden said. "I can relate." He walked to their table and sat down. Under the table, he opened the note. M. is here. In Madam E's office. Right NOW.
Eiden's heart hammered. He stood up. "Where are you going?" Emily asked, annoyed. "We just got here." "I... forgot something." He walked out. He didn't run. He met Harry in the hall, who was pretending to fix a loose light fixture. "Eiden," Harry whispered, his hands shaking. "The... the 'puzzle'... it's solved. The 'key' is..." He slipped a small, freshly-cut brass key into Eiden's hand. "It's the standard faculty key. It'll open her office. And... the junction box in the basement. But... Eiden... what are you...?" "You're a lifesaver, Harry," Eiden said. "Now go. You were never here."
This was it. His chance. Maverick was in Madam Elizabeth's office. He was distracted. Eiden ran, his feet silent, to the guest suites. He knew where Maverick stayed. He was an officer. He'd have a room. He found the door. He looked. The key Harry gave him... it wouldn't work. This was a different lock. He was frustrated. He had a key to her office, not his room. He stopped. He thought. He's not in his room. He's in her office. What's in his room? He needed to get in. He looked at the lock. It was... old. Simple. He didn't need a key. He pulled two small, thin metal picks from the sole of his boot. A gift from Charlotte. He knelt by the door. He took a breath. Click......snap. The lock opened. He slipped inside Maverick's empty room.
Eiden slipped inside Maverick's empty room.
He was a Wolf in the lion's den. And he was ready to hunt.
The room was neat. Impersonal. A military bed, perfectly made. A clean desk. A locked footlocker.
Eiden went to the footlocker. The lock was heavy, military-grade. He didn't have time to pick it.
He went to the desk. He jimmied the single drawer. It slid open.
Inside: A bottle of whiskey, a spare military medal, and a small, leather-bound folder.
Eiden opened the folder.
He found it.
It was a ledger. Most of it was boring: Munitions. Transport. Fuel.
But then he saw a huge sum of money being transferred to three different accounts.
And next to it were Dates.
One of the dates... was the day before the goons attacked Emily in the alley. Could it be that Maverick gave that money to the syndicate?
This was it. This was the proof. Maverick wasn't just aware of the Syndicate. He was paying them.
Eiden's blood ran cold. Was Maverick funding the attacks? Was he betraying his own family?
He slipped the ledger back. He had what he needed.
He turned to leave.
He opened the door.
And his heart stopped.
Emily Cronus was standing right there in the hallway, her arms crossed. It was a mask of cold, pale, and utterly betrayed fury. "Lunch," she said, her voice a dead, flat whisper. "You forgot... this."
Eiden's face was a mask. He said nothing.
"I knew it," she said, her voice shaking, not with fear, but with rage. "You didn't 'forget something.' You lied. You lied, and you... you came here. I thought you were a man of your words, Eiden?"
"Emily, I..."
"What were you doing in my brother's room, Eiden?"
"I was following a lead," Eiden said, his voice hard.
"A lead?" she laughed, a short, bitter sound. "Or were you spying? On me? On my family? After I protected you? After I lied to my father for you? After... after Bletchworth?" Eiden said, his voice like ice, "You're a Cronus."
That was the word that did it. He saw something in her break.
"A Cronus," she repeated. "So that's all I am. A target. A 'complication.' You, and your 'mission.' Our deal... our... friendship... it was just a lie, wasn't it? You've been using me from the very first day." "It's not that simple," Eiden said. "Yes, it is!" she snapped. "You're a spy. You're a liar. And I was a fool. I thought... I actually thought you were my friend." "Emily..." "Our deal is off," she said. Her voice was dead. "Stay away from me, Eiden. Stay away from my brother. Stay away from my family. Or I will end you myself" She didn't storm off. She just... walked away. She didn't look back. Eiden stood in the hall. He had the proof he needed. But he had just lost his only ally. And for a reason he couldn't explain... it felt like he'd lost more than that. He turned, his face a hard mask, and walked back to his dorm. He didn't care. The mission came first.
He stormed down the hall. He was angry. Angry at Emily for not understanding. Angry at Maverick for being a traitor. Angry at himself for... what? He shoved the key into his dorm room door, unlocked it, and slammed it open. And he froze. Two figures were sitting on his bed. One was stocky, with arms as thick as trees, and he was happily eating Eiden's last roll of bread. The other was lean, his face a mask of furious judgment, his arms crossed. "Noah," Eiden said, his voice flat. "Eiden!" Noah said, his mouth full. "We missed you! This... this school is huge! And the food is awful!" "Liam," Eiden said, his eyes on the other man. "Eiden," Liam sneered. "What are you doing here?" "Master Durai sent us," Liam said, standing up. "He was... worried." There it was. He was... worried. "He said your mission was... 'compromised,'" Liam continued, his voice full of disgust. "He heard you were in a village. He heard you were fighting. We came to get a report. Or to pull you out."
"I'm fine," Eiden said, throwing his pack on his desk. "I don't need help." "Don't you?" Liam scoffed, walking around Eiden, looking him up and down. "We've been here for an hour, Eiden. We've heard the stories. You're now some 'Princess's Pet.' You're playing house."
Eiden's hands clenched. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know what I see!" Liam snapped. "I see you, running around, playing bodyguard for a girl, while Oliver is still lying in the Den, in a coma! Have you forgotten? Have you forgotten the mission? Or have you just gone soft?"
"Get out," Eiden said, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "We're not leaving without a report," Liam said, standing his ground. "I said..." Eiden turned, his eyes no longer the cold green of a student, but the flat, dead black of the Devil. "GET OUT." Liam and Noah, for the first time, looked afraid. They were seeing the real Eiden. Liam smiles with a reply, "There you go, thought we lost you for a moment."
(That Night. The Roof of the Academy.)
The rain was cold, turning to sleet. A black boot, heavy and tactical, stepped from the chimney stack onto the slick, tiled roof. A tall figure in a black, oilskin long coat stood up, the coat flapping in the wind. He moved in the dark, a shadow against the storm. He pulled a short-barreled shotgun from a holster on his back, checking the shells. He then pulled a photograph from his coat. It was a picture of Emily Cronus. The assassin looked down at the girls' dormitory. "Time to finish this."