Not long after detecting the suspicious access by Ravik, Kaien didn't confront him directly.
Instead, he observed. He tracked. And… he waited.
---
Let the Game Begin
One quiet night, Kaien returned to the records basement with an unusual request:
> "I want to see Ravik's full prior profile. Everything before he joined Aigris."
Koden frowned, typed a few commands. The data appeared – but something felt off. Too clean. Too perfect.
No one from the underground has a spotless record like that.
Kaien sat down across from him, eyes fixed on the screen.
> "You rewrote this file yourself, didn't you?"
> "I just 'made them more presentable.' Doesn't mean I made them up from scratch," Koden replied, smirking, voice slick like engine oil.
> "But you know Ravik didn't come through the front door of the organization, right?"
Koden stayed silent. His fingers kept typing, but his eyes had lost half their warmth.
> "I know… a lot of people didn't come in through the front door. You included."
Kaien leaned back, tightening the trap:
> "But I never had Alpha-level access. Ravik does. And clearly, you were the one who upgraded it for him."
> "That's enough, Kaien. What are you trying to say?"
---
The Bait Is Set
> "I know Ravik isn't the traitor. He's just a pawn," Kaien said coldly. "The real question is: who placed him in the perfect position to 'accidentally' access classified data undetected?"
> "…"
> "You're testing me, aren't you, Koden?"
> "You think I helped Velgas?"
> "No. I think you created Velgas."
The air froze for a beat. Koden's eyes narrowed – just enough for Kaien to know he hit the mark.
> "I think you erased the system scan traces. I think you planted the chip at the raid site and spoofed Ravik's IP as bait. Because you knew everyone trusted the old soldier. A perfect decoy."
Koden stood up, slowly walking to the filing cabinet, as if unaffected.
> "You know, Kaien… In Aigris's history, everyone has betrayed someone. Only the degree and timing differ. Who are you to judge?"
Kaien stood as well, stepping closer.
> "I'm the last one alive from the Velgas incident. And you're the one who never spilled a drop of blood, but always knew how to make others kill for you."
---
The First Strike
Kaien tossed a printout onto the table – a copy of the original system logs, which he'd backed up before giving Koden the USB last time.
> "I kept a copy before you touched the system. I've compared it. The traces were altered – by exactly one person: you."
Koden's face remained calm, but his hand tightened.
> "Then why haven't you reported this to Aigris?"
Kaien drew a small dagger and slammed it into the desk.
> "Because I don't want to kill you under orders. I want you to understand you messed with the wrong brain. I'm not a soldier. I'm the thing Aigris built to deal with people like you."
---
Koden Shows His Hand
Silence. Then Koden laughed – a dry, emotionless chuckle:
> "So, you think you've won?"
> "You think I didn't keep backups?"
> "You think Aigris doesn't already know everything going on here?"
Kaien didn't respond. But his heartbeat slowed. Then Koden bent down, pulled out a black folder marked with the "Omega Access Clearance" symbol.
> "This is a copy of every transaction between Velgas and me. Enough to erase me from existence. But also enough to take Aigris down with me. You sure you want to open it?"
> "…"
> "I didn't betray Aigris, Kaien. I am a part of Aigris. Who do you think helped place our agents in government ranks? Who gave an orphan boy like you a clean record so you could stand here today?"
---
Backstage – A Pawn on the Run
After Kaien left the basement, silence fell. Koden sat still, staring at the old USB and the system logs Kaien left behind.
He sighed. Then chuckled – for the first time, the laugh carried no confidence.
He realized: this time, he lost. If Kaien had stayed a few more minutes or asked one more question, Aigris would've known everything. And then...
> "I can't die over a cheap game like this."
Koden jumped up. Quietly packed everything – encrypted drives, original documents, the Omega clearance keys.
> "If I hand all of this over to the government… I'll get a new identity. Clean. Official. And this time, I won't be a shadow anymore."
He stepped out into the night, blending into the darkness, carrying with him the ambition to rise from Aigris's ashes.
---
The Final Trap
But he didn't know – the moment the escape door opened, a drone silently activated above.
Its red lens recorded his every move. The signal streamed live to the command center – where Kaien was waiting.
Kaien smiled – a smile with no warmth.
> "I knew you'd run. Just like I knew you'd never leave the game without placing a new bet."
> "Only this time… the pieces aren't yours to move anymore."
---
End of Chapter 14 – Mental Warfare
Kaien stood up, holding two files – one real, one fake.
> "This game isn't about hunting the traitor anymore.
It's about finding the one who dares to rewrite the truth."
The shadows remain –
But this time, someone has stepped in to lead them through.