Hugo sat with Niccolo Calitri drinking tea quietly till an old man pulled the curtain aside and peered in.

  “Mr Calitri,” he said. “News from Europe, sir.”

  Niccolo looked up at him. “Come on in, Barney. Look who’s here…”

  As the old man stepped in, his gaze widened and he stopped and stared in silence. Hugo turned and looked at him – a grey ivy cap, black mandarin shirt, and jeans matching his well-kept white hair and goatee.

  A whisper left the man’s lips, “Hugo Baylis…”

  The Zaatsu smiled, stood up, and extended a hand. Barney shook it and kept shaking for a few moments too many. His astonishment turned into pure joy as a huge smile appeared on his face.

  “Always an honour to be in your presence, Master Baylis,” he said, in a near whisper, leaning ahead. “But please, keep sitting.”

  Hugo nodded as he sat back down. “Always good to be here, sir.”

  “You remember Mr Barney White, our informant, right?” Niccolo asked. “He collects information from the European contacts these days.”

  Even here, surrounded by trinkets and bargain hunters, Hugo could sense the weight of hidden networks – dozens of threads running back to this single man. Niccolo Calitri was not just surviving; he was still coordinating the remains of a world long buried.

  As the 60-year-old Barney looked over, the Outsider asked, “So, what about Europe, old timer?”

  The old man’s expression changed quickly as he finally let go of Hugo’s hand. “War, sir.”

  Niccolo leaned ahead. “Did you say war?”

  “Yes they’ve announced it… they’ve declared war!”

  “Who has?”

  Hugo looked at his friend then the informant. “Please tell me it’s not the Eye,” he commented.

  “No sir,” Barney quickly responded, looking at him. “It’s the Cults.”

  “Which ones?” Niccolo asked.

  “All European Cults save for the two on the Eye’s payroll.”

  “And who’ve they declared war on?”

  “That’s the strange part.” Barney looked at Hugo then back at Niccolo. “We’re not sure yet. The announcement came out of the blue just now. They’ve begun to fortify themselves within their settlements and have made it clear that they won’t let anyone enter or leave nor will they entertain the Eye and its associates anymore… at least for now.”

  Hugo and Niccolo looked at each other. Looking back at Barney, the Outsider tried to say something but then stopped, chuckled, and looked away.

  “Anything else you can tell us, Mr White?” the Zaatsu asked.

  “Nothing much else to tell, Master.” Barney shook his head and stood arms akimbo. “I am just as confused as you.”

  Niccolo stood up. “Alright, Hugo. I’m callin’ this in. Got to let everyone know what’s goin’ on…”

  “Call it in?” Hugo shook his head in negation. “Why?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Leave the matter be. Let those with the power take care of it.”

  “But you just told me…” Niccolo jabbed a hand out, palm up, somewhere between outrage and confusion. “Europe, Cults, ridiculous developments… this has Devil’s Hearth written all over it! And that means the Alchemist! No tellin’ what the bastard’ll do with the remnants!”

  “Oh yeah?” Hugo smiled, placed his tea cup down on the table, and stood up. “If he’s about to do something, who tipped off the Cults?”

  Silence fell upon the Outsiders. Hugo clasped his hands behind his back, holding one wrist in the other, and settled into a relaxed stance.

  “I don’t know what he can or cannot do with the remnants,” he said. “But I am sure that with this latest elaborate scheme, they will fish out all the players…”

  Niccolo’s eyes widened as it clicked. He whispered, “They’re tryin’ to get us out in the open…”

  “Not just you.” Hugo looked away momentarily then dropped his head. “There’re a lot of people that might be provoked by this. And they want all the pieces in motion to come out in the open and get exposed…”

  “So, what’s our play here then?”

  The leader of the Zeta Squad looked up at his old friend. “If you ask me, I’d say find the source that sounded the cry havoc siren.”

  “But what if the threat is real?” Barney asked. “What if there’s a real threat for the people of Europe?”

  “Ah, Mr White…” Hugo sighed, shook his head, and then turned away. However, he found it hard to say anything. His hands slipped into the pockets of his robe. The Zaatsu had seen many an atrocity being committed over the years. The Eye bringing down anyone that opposed their agendas, the Order silently grabbing hold of the world, the Cults tearing each other apart, and even the non-arcanists waging large-scale wars unnecessarily – he had witnessed it all. With every bit of power to do something about it all, he was forced to sit silently and watch the world tear itself apart.

  “I’ve doubted myself, man,” he said in a hushed voice then dropped his head and closed his eyes. “We’ve lost, you know? The whole world’s lost…”

  From the love of his life pleading in front of him for her father and brother, to the many Outsiders wanting him to wage war against the Parliamentarian attack squads – Hugo was carrying the weight of guilt but also responsibility. He had to carry on the work of the likes of Warren, Mustaqeem, and Vincent. He had to keep the truth alive in the hearts of the few and keep the many from going unchecked. He had to work silently to keep the flames lit within the hearts of the believers and light new ones in the hearts of the young ones. But it was not easy…

  “Maybe I too was deceived and mislead into not saving them.” He opened his eyes. His nose wrinkled as his lip curled in disgust, anger twisting his face. “Ah! I sometimes think it’s all fake. Everyone’s in on the same damn drama – kill the innocent, extort each other, run after power, after wealth, and just consume till there’s nothing left!”

  He slowly turned his head towards the Outsiders, nodding. “It’s a weird fucking world…”

  The duo observed silently for a few moments. Then Niccolo looked away. Barney looked at him then looked back at Hugo and asked, “But we can’t just watch and wait, can we?”

  “You can and you will.” The Zaatsu took a deep breath. “For now, neither the Eye’s leadership nor the Order’s would want to raise any suspicions. They are already in deep waters with Cults who make up the majority of the arcane population. So, they will act according to their duties and fend off the threats. It may still result in casualties, but that’s just the nature of the beast.” He shrugged. “You’ve lost, buddy. You’re no longer the defenders. Don’t ever forget that. You can only be the silent rebels… for now…”

  Frustrated, Niccolo grunted and looked away. But Barney could not contain himself. He moved a step ahead and asked, “Master Baylis, what should we do? Please tell us…”

  Hugo took a deep breath. “Hmm, what should you do…” He looked away. “Find out who leaked the information to the Cults. See if you can find any friendly voices in the Amazon. They may be able to help with it. But do it fast.”

  Niccolo sat back down. “What about the Hearth and the Alchemist?”

  “I will check with the Eye first.” The Zaatsu scratched his neck. “Let’s see what their response is. I’ll act accordingly and make sure I’m there on the front lines to see this matter through. Oh, and do one more thing, Mr White.”

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Hugo looked at him as Barney nodded. “Yes, sir?”

  “Put a word out in your inner-circles immediately and let them know that there are forces out there trying to get them out in the open. Just retreat deeper into the shadows and wait.”

  “Could you give me more details? You guys keep mentioning an Alchemist?”

  Niccolo gave him the details. Then Hugo explained to both of them how the Alchemist had even fused the remnants of the Xoitique Diamond together.

  “My God.” Barney stood with one hand on his forehead and the other on his hip, staring wide-eyed. “So, they have a good part of the stone, a ton of magical artifacts and weapons, and you think they have people inside the Eye as well? Should we not do something about this?”

  “Wait it out,” said Hugo. “Work slowly.”

  “But we don’t have the time here!” Niccolo leaned ahead. “With each passin’ day, Renekom and his men force the Cults into deeper pits of despair to the point now that we fear they will consort with the Order or retaliate alone. Either way, a civil war will be disastrous right now! And the Order itself has been operatin’ unchecked for the past many years! Do you think we have the luxury of time?!”

  “I know, Nic. But the threats you speak of are far stronger than anything you can handle alone.”

  “Oh, come on, Baylis!” He smacked his knee and looked away.

  Hugo put his hand out. “Hear me out,” he said. “There is a whole new batch of up-and-coming Martial Artists who, if guided properly, will tip the balance in your favour.”

  “Do you think any of the up-and-comers can take on Renekom or Obadiah or Kenji? Do you think any of them could become as accomplished a Mystic as Hedish or Dustin?”

  “You already have a Mystic who can take down Hedish. As for the two Zaatsus, I have a brother who can take them down, if he can control his temper.”

  “Neil?”

  “Yup.”

  “Oh my God! Haven’t seen those two in years! How are they? How’s little Cami?”

  “She’s fast becoming one of the best Spotters of her generation. I have a young promising Mystic on the team as well and that Bernthal kid…” Hugo leaned ahead and pushed himself forward in his chair. “Calitri, give that kid a few years and he’ll be strong enough to rip the best of them in half!”

  After a pause, the Zaatsu smiled. “They’re all hardworking kids, Nic. And then there are others as well all over the academies. Give them time. I am working. Give me time. We will rise again…”

  “Ah.” The Outsider sighed then chuckled. “When Master Ford dropped off the grid, people chose you as a successor, but you chose to continue your role within the Eye instead of joining us full-time. We hated you for it, but then thanked our stars that we had someone inside giving us clues to escape their grip.”

  “And I have apologised many times already for that.”

  “No need. We should be the ones apologising.”

  Hugo smiled and looked down.

  Barney asked, “Then what shall I do, sirs?”

  “You heard Master Baylis,” Niccolo said as he took a deep breath. “Do, as the man said and spread the word!”

  Barney left quickly thereafter. Hugo and Niccolo stood up and exchanged pleasantries.

  As Hugo turned around to leave, Niccolo called, “Hey, Hugo…”

  The Zaatsu stopped, turned back around, and asked, “Yes?”

  “Just be careful out there. There are so many things that are not addin’ up these days and we don’t have the means anymore to make sense of them either. We don’t even have a hundred operatives left. Everyone else is either dead, missin’, or no longer a part of our crew. Whatever you do, just be careful.”

  As Hugo nodded, the Outsider further said, “And also, we have reports of a huge ring of moles inside the Eye. Cults, Eye, Order, everyone has a rodent in there.”

  “Don’t worry, old friend.” Hugo placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I am keeping an eye out.”

  Exchanging smiles the two said their goodbyes and Hugo hastily left to meet up with his siblings.

  “It doesn’t look good,” the senior Zaatsu said as he sat down once again at the Chai-ki-dukan with his siblings. “We’re all caught in a zugzwang and Renekom has dived into this head over heels.”

  Camille and Neil, sitting across the table, had worried looks on their faces. They leaned ahead. “What do you mean?” Neil asked.

  “I just found an old friend who gave me a bit about these wizards collecting charms and artifacts in the black markets. It turns out they’ve been acquiring stuff and planning for a while now. He thinks the Devil’s Hearth has been slowly developing ever since the Ambris Ferrer episode.”

  “Who did you meet?”

  “Perhaps one of the last men who has an actual eye on the world – a coordinator… an Outsider.”

  Neil looked at his sister then back at Hugo. He placed his wrists on the table and moved closer. “An Outsider?” he asked. “What do you mean by old friend, an Outsider?”

  Hugo sighed. He buried his face in his hands, then wiped down slowly, exhaling hard. “Look…” He pushed his chair forward. “Yes. An Outsider.”

  “What?!”

  The young Zaatsu was louder than he should have been. A few heads turned. Hugo did not enjoy it either. He placed his hands on the table and then stared into his step-brother’s eyes.

  “Shut up and just listen to me!” he said, grinding his teeth. “The Outsiders were framed. It’s about time you understood the truth, young man. They were the ones who brought down Ambris Ferrer and the Serpents, they were the ones who kept the Order in check, and they were punished for it all. The Eye and the Parliament are under heavy political influence. Placing the blame on the Outsiders gave them a reason to shut down their political opponents. These people are guided by their own desires and the lust for power and wealth. They framed the Outsiders so that this system could remain as it is. Ambris Ferrer was their fault. Under their eyes he was mentored by people well established at high ranking posts.”

  Neil’s eyes were left wide open as he whispered, “What?” in utter disbelief.

  “Yes.” Hugo nodded slowly. “He was mentored by Orianthi Webb… of all people. She was a Cultist from the time of the Cult Wars and infiltrated the ranks of the Eye. She became part of the political unrest within the institution and used it to her advantage. Ambris himself belonged to a Cult which was wiped out by the Eye in the early ‘70s. She leveraged this to make him go rogue and attack the Eye.”

  Camille had heard all this before, in far more painful detail, on a quiet evening at home. The words still hurt, but the shock had passed. For Neil, this was fresh.

  She leaned in. “But the Outsiders were demolished,” she said, in a whisper. “How can they still be active?”

  “There’s not much left of them.” Hugo nodded at her then looked down. “After Warren, I was chosen to lead them, but I was among the few people, including Faris, who saw that the Eye hadn’t fallen to the other side; it hadn’t gone evil. It was just being run by a bunch of impudent imbeciles serving their own desires! So, we decided to remain intact with them in whatever way we could and find a way to lead the people back into the light. From the thousands we once boasted, less than a hundred operatives remain accounted for.”

  Neil shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell us this before? It doesn’t make any sense!”

  Hugo looked back up. “You are a hot head, she is too kind-hearted. Had you guys known you would have tried to tell others, and that would have gotten you killed. I didn’t want that. And I’m telling you now because of our current predicament.”

  “What current predicament?”

  “The Devil’s Hearth. The Outsiders think they’ve been operating for years now, preparing and gathering weapons and power. And from what I’ve gathered till now, they have one clear agenda and one unclear one…”

  “What agendas?” asked Camille.

  “They want all of us to come out in the open and reveal ourselves. But there’s more…” He waited, looked away, and then sighed. “But I can’t lay a finger on it yet…”

  “What do you mean, bro?”

  “Ah…” Hugo shook his head. “All you have to know is that this thing is about to blow up. And when it does, you need to be careful. Our spiritual establishment has more politics in it than you could ever imagine.” Leaning back, he added, “Don’t trust anyone… that’s the only wise policy. Now let’s get out of here.”

  The trio then got up to leave. But before they could move further, Hugo stopped. “Hang on a minute,” he said. “Were you guys able to find anything?”

  “Not really.” Neil shook his head. “I looked everywhere and even asked some people around, but I couldn’t find any Argus Spencer.”

  “I met that Samir Haddad,” Camille said, nodding.

  Hugo looked at her and quickly asked, “What did he say?”

  “He said, ‘They are where the dead lay alive’…”

  Elsewhere in Athens, the Seear and his group had run another dead end. The Ki signature they were looking for was nowhere to be found. Mystics of the group – Dustin Flores, Amara Becker, Jessy Cardoso, and Rafael Reid – used powerful time bending spells to confirm that the Ki signature was indeed there till an hour before they got to the city, but it was no longer there. And there was simply no way of tracking it anymore.

  “That damned trickster!” Obadiah was frustrated, just as everyone else was. He kicked the dirt and turned away.

  “Perhaps they were right,” Michael said. “Perhaps you can’t find him the same way twice.” He looked at the Seear. “We should devise a new strategy, Renekom.”

  Obadiah turned around and looked at the senior man. “But do we have the time for that, Master? It took us more than a year to find him before.” After a pause, he added, “We should try to predict his next target. That’s how Hugo was able to get him the last time.”

  “Do you have one in mind?” Renekom asked.

  The Primarch grunted and shook his head. “Maybe he went into the Amazon…”

  Silence fell upon the Martial Artists. They looked around anxiously then gazed at the Seear and his senior Zaatsu.

  Renekom sighed. “There’s no way to tell, Obadiah… no way to tell at all.”

  Michael looked at Amara. She was staring wide-eyed at her Seeker’s Scroll. “What is it, Amara?” he asked.

  She looked up. “A message.”

  “From?”

  “Ravens…”

  “The European Cult?”

  “Yes.”

  Renekom stepped closer. “What does it say?”

  She swallowed. “Cults in Europe are preparing for war…”