Kuro Kane reentered their lives amid a discussion with delegates, from a seaside community.
He bypassed the entrance. He just materialized, casually resting against the strategy room wall as though he had been there the time chewing on an apple, from their orchard. The delegates startled, hands reaching for their weapons.
"Take it easy " Kuro said with a grin. "Merely making a visit. The intrigue, as people mention deepens delightfully."
Cassiathon experienced an unrelated, to his father. "What is it that you seek Kane?"
"To convey a message.. To capitalize on the narrative intrigue your brief… performance with the Queen sparked." He finished his bite of the apple. "First the message: She isn't assembling an army to obliterate your Compact. She's crafting a counter-story. She's developing 'Perfected' variants of your allied settlements—pocket realms, like my gallery tour yet inhabited by flawless smiling replicas of the inhabitants." Next she will present everyone with an option: the risky and unpredictable real world… or a sure calm flawless replica. She will portray you as the antagonist, for making people confront decisions.
The atmosphere turned chill. It was a psychological tactic. It turned hope into a weapon.
". What, about the second part?" Morgan inquired, his hand placed on the handle of his energy pistol.
"The collection " Kuro stated, his gaze fixing on Cassiathon. "I desire a front-row view. I want to act as your… connection to the strange. Your explorer within the gaps, between tales. The Queen manipulates reality. Nyx observes. Your father manages the conclusion. I want to be the one guiding you through the narrative warzone. In return I get to see close the most fascinating story to emerge in a thousand years."
It was yet another proposal, from a self-serving force. Yet Kuro wasn't presenting power. He was providing a amoral skillset they urgently required.
"Why?" Tania inquired, her tone heavy, with distrust.
"Because " Kuro remarked, his grin becoming sincere for a moment "I'm tired of clichéd tales. Heaven against Hell Order against Chaos… monotonous.. A narrative about a living contradiction gathering a group of the flawed to champion the right to imperfection? That's a story, with… depth."
Cassiathon gazed at his council. He noticed the suspicion, the anxiety.. He also recognized the need. They were overwhelmed by this abstract conflict.
"Restricted access " Cassiathon stated. "You answer to Sierra. You have no command power.. You avoid interfering with the minds of my people."
Kuro inclined with style. "A generous proposal. I agree. So shall we start? I understand the Queen's initial 'Perfected Mirror' is expected to be finished to the Sun-Striders' path, in roughly… seventy-two hours. We ought to disrupt her unveiling."
He arrived bearing a warning and immediately involved himself in their conflict. Cassiathon had recently partnered with a story leech to battle a deity of conclusions.
The war for the world had become a war for its soul. And the battleground was the human heart.