"Are you messing with me?" Carter asked, his composure beginning to fracture.
"No. Go to Lia's old house," DA replied flatly.
Carter gave a stiff nod, his mind racing. "And where is Ron?"
"Am I omniscient? I don't know everything, Carter."
"Then how did you know there was something hidden in Lia's house?"
DA took a deep breath and stepped toward him. He placed a heavy hand on Carter's shoulder, his gaze piercing. "Carter, my man, you're a smart guy—but sometimes you say things that make me wonder if you're really yourself."
Carter's brow furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Wulkranoth left Lia there when she was a child," DA explained. "He's the type to leave a trail."
"What? Wulkranoth knew Lia when she was a kid?"
DA searched Carter's face, realizing the depth of the man's ignorance. So, you really don't know, he thought.
"Hey! Talk to me!" Carter demanded.
"Lia is Wulkranoth's daughter," DA said, his voice dropping an octave. "And Dream's sister."
The mask of the calm, collected strategist finally shattered. Carter stared at DA, his mouth slightly agape. "Lia is... his daughter?"
He stood frozen as the reality began to sink in. When he finally found his voice again, it was thick with a new kind of dread. "Does her death—and Dream's—have something to do with Wulkranoth?"
DA looked deep into Carter's eyes. There, he saw a flickering desperation he recognized better than anyone—a silent, screaming plea: You are my last hope.
DA nodded slowly.
The light—or whatever spark of hope DA had glimpsed—vanished from Carter's eyes. DA looked away, unable to meet that empty stare.
Carter took a shaky breath, forcing himself to find logic in the chaos. "If Lia and Dream are sisters... how is Lia here, while Dream was with Ron eight hundred years ago?"
"Wulkranoth brought Lia into the future. He abandoned her near that house, where Liam's mother found her and raised her as her own. As for Dream, Wulkranoth left her in the past."
Carter looked at him with newfound suspicion. "And you? Who are you? Where did you even come from?"
DA smirked, a shadow crossing his features. "Be grateful you don't know. I am from somewhere..."
For a second, the air seemed to distort. What did he just say? Carter thought. The words had sounded... wrong, as if the language itself had glitched. He opened his mouth to press further, but DA cut him off.
"I believe there is something else that needs your attention."
Carter forced his composure back into place. He sat back down, refocusing his efforts on tracking the killers, though his hands still trembled slightly. DA stood behind him, a strange, unreadable glint in his eyes. I wonder how he's holding up?
Elsewhere
William's eyes snapped open. His ears were ringing with a dull roar, and a torrential surge of energy vibrated through his veins. To his right, he could hear muffled voices. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. Eirene and Ignes were standing a short distance away; seeing him awake, they began to approach.
This power... I need to test it, William thought, flexing his fingers.
Ignes blinked. For a fleeting second, one of her eyes flared a predatory red before fading back to normal. A menacing smile spread across her face. "The operation was a success," she purred.
Eirene offered a sharp nod of confirmation. William looked down at his own body—his arms and legs were noticeably more muscular, his entire frame "buffed out" by the procedure.
Ignes turned to Eirene. "My work here is finished. You're free to go."
Eirene gestured for William to follow. They walked in silence through the sterile hallways until William finally spoke up. "Fifth Head, will you train with me? I need to master this power."
Eirene didn't look back. She simply shook her head. "I have other matters to attend to." She turned a corner and disappeared.
"I can help you."
The voice echoed in William's mind. He spun around, but the hallway was empty.
"There is a place called the Battleground. Meet me there." William realized the voice wasn't coming from the air, but from within. He closed his eyes and saw a pair of piercing green eyes in the darkness of his mind. He recognized them immediately: Rio, the Second Head.
"Okay," William replied internally. "I'm on my way."
High above the clouds, on a dark, desolate plateau that felt like the roof of the world, Rio stood waiting. The ground beneath his feet was pitch black, contrasting sharply with the white mist below.
Now, what should I do about Finian? Rio mused, a smirk playing on his lips. Should I send him? Or leave him be? Either way, he's never going to find Locki.