(Chapter starts)
Kairo stepped out of Sirius's room, his mind spinning with everything he had just learned. His father's death might not have been Eldoria's fault. Someone from Solmaria could've been behind it. He clenched his fists, anger rising in his chest.
As he walked through the streets, deep in thought, a familiar voice called out.
"Kairo! Over here!"
He turned and saw Alya waving, standing next to Luca. Both of them were dressed casually for once, not in their usual battle clothes.
Kairo walked up to them. "What are you two doing here?"
Luca smirked. "The real question is—what were you doing in prison?"
Kairo sighed. "It's a long story."
Alya raised an eyebrow. "We've got time."
Kairo took a deep breath and told them everything—how Sirius sent him to get government files and how he got caught trying to break into Eldoria's system.
Luca crossed her arms. "So basically, you got yourself in trouble for no reason?"
"I had to talk to Sirius," Kairo replied.
Alya sighed. "Well, what's done is done. Anyway, we're here for our team's conference. Don't forget to come in the evening."
Kairo nodded. "I won't."
"Where are the others?" he asked.
"They'll come straight to the meeting," Luca said. "Right now, it's just us."
Alya smiled. "We were about to go shopping. Want to come with us?"
Kairo shook his head. "I've got something else to do. I'll see you both later."
"Alright, but don't be late," Alya teased.
As Kairo waved and walked away, his communicator buzzed. It was a message from Sirius.
[Come to the political discussion meeting in the evening.]
Kairo frowned and typed back quickly.
[I have a meeting with my team at that time.]
Sirius replied right away.
[What's more important? A political meeting with the government or a casual meeting with your team? This is your chance to step into the political world.]
Kairo paused, thinking. He hated politics. But Sirius was right. If he wanted to uncover the truth about his father, he needed to understand the system. After a long moment, he sighed and replied:
[I'll come.]
That evening, just as he was leaving, his communicator buzzed again. Luca was calling.
"Kairo, where are you? The meeting's about to start."
"I can't come. I have something else to attend," he said.
There was a pause. Then Luca asked, "Something else? You mean the government meeting?"
"Yeah."
She was quiet for a second before speaking again. "…Fine. Do what you want." Then she hung up.
Kairo sighed. He didn't have time to feel guilty. He headed to Sirius's mansion, where the meeting was being held.
When he entered, Sirius was already there. "Come on. I'll introduce you."
The room was filled with high-ranking officials sitting around a fancy table. The moment Kairo walked in, all eyes turned to him.
Sirius pointed to him. "This is Kairo, the prince of Solmaria."
One older man with grey hair nodded slightly. "Welcome, Prince Kairo. I'm Darius Vallen, one of Solmaria's political leaders."
Kairo nodded and took a seat. The meeting started soon after.
Darius cleared his throat. "We have many issues to discuss. First—the bombing in the southern district of Solmaria."
Kairo tensed. He had seen the news. The explosion had killed many people.
Darius went on, "The official statement will be that Eldoria is responsible."
Kairo blinked. "Wait… what do you mean 'official statement'? Wasn't it Eldoria?"
Darius looked at him calmly. "No. The attack was done by one of our own."
Kairo's chair scraped loudly as he stood up. "You're saying we bombed our own people?!"
Darius didn't even flinch. "To turn the public against Eldoria. It's necessary for future plans."
Kairo's blood boiled. "You're lying to everyone! People died! Families were broken! And you're using that to start a war?!"
Another officer scoffed. "Prince Kairo, calm down. This is just how things work."
Kairo clenched his fists. "No. This is how you work. You're all corrupt and greedy!"
The officers murmured, clearly not happy. One turned to Sirius.
"Control him, Sirius. He's out of line."
Sirius leaned back in his chair, calm as ever. "He's the prince of Solmaria. He has the right to speak. You can't silence him."
The officer frowned but stayed quiet.
Another official, clearly annoyed, leaned forward. "Prince Kairo, I suggest you sit down before we take action against you."
Kairo glared. "Take action? Against me? Go ahead and try."
The officer smirked. "Time will tell."
Before Kairo could say more, Sirius stood and grabbed his arm. "That's enough. Let's go."
Kairo pulled his arm away. "I'm not done."
Sirius's voice turned cold. "Just leave. There's nothing we can do."
Kairo stared at him. "You're okay with this?!"
Sirius sighed and looked away. "You think you can change the world, Kairo? You can't. No one can. This world doesn't need heroes… it only needs survivors."
(Chapter ends)