The letter sat on Kairo's desk for the rest of the day.
Neither of us threw it away.
Neither of us spoke about it much.
But it remained there.
A silent reminder.
A declaration.
A challenge.
Six words.
That was all it took.
You have already lost, nephew.
The confidence behind those words bothered me more than the threat itself.
People didn't make claims like that unless they believed them.
And Cassian clearly believed them.
The question was—
why?
I sat on one of the sofas in Kairo's office, staring at another stack of reports.
Most of them made very little sense to me.
Economic routes.
Territorial movements.
Supply logistics.
Political agreements.
The kind of information that made my head hurt after ten minutes.
Across the room, Kairo remained focused.
Calm.
Steady.
Almost too calm.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.
"You're thinking."
"Yes."
"Something specific."
"Yes."
I closed the report.
"Share."
A brief pause.
Then Kairo looked up.
"The convoy wasn't the target."
That immediately got my attention.
"What?"
"The attack was intentional."
I stared.
"...Obviously."
"No."
His gaze sharpened.
"The convoy was meant to survive."
The room went quiet.
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Kairo leaned back slightly.
"The attackers destroyed less than twenty percent of the cargo."
I blinked.
"Okay."
"They allowed witnesses to escape."
"...Okay."
"They left evidence identifying themselves."
Understanding began to form.
Slowly.
Uncomfortably.
"Oh."
"Yes."
The convoy wasn't supposed to disappear.
The attack wasn't about resources.
It wasn't about damage.
It was about sending a message.
A warning.
A demonstration.
Someone wanted Kairo to know exactly who was responsible.
Which somehow felt worse.
Much worse.
"They're escalating."
"Yes."
"And they want you to know."
"Yes."
I rubbed my forehead.
This entire situation felt like a chess game where one player had suddenly flipped the board over.
Silence settled between us.
Then another knock sounded.
This one controlled.
Measured.
Professional.
"Enter."
The door opened.
A woman stepped inside.
Tall.
Elegant.
Sharp-eyed.
The moment she entered, the atmosphere changed.
Authority followed her like a shadow.
I immediately recognized two things.
First—
she was dangerous.
Second—
she was family.
The resemblance wasn't obvious.
But it was there.
In the eyes.
In the posture.
In the calm confidence.
"Kairo."
"Selene."
The woman nodded.
Then her gaze shifted toward me.
Evaluating.
Observing.
Not hostile.
Just thorough.
I straightened instinctively.
After a few moments, she looked back at Kairo.
"So this is him."
I immediately disliked where this conversation was heading.
Kairo remained calm.
"Yes."
The woman hummed thoughtfully.
Then, to my surprise—
she smiled.
A genuine smile.
"Good."
I blinked.
That wasn't what I expected.
At all.
The woman crossed the room and sat down.
Graceful.
Confident.
Entirely comfortable.
Like she owned the space.
Which, considering the family, she probably partially did.
"Kairo's sister?" I guessed.
Her smile widened.
"Fortunately."
"Fortunately?"
"Kairo as an older brother would be exhausting."
I immediately pointed at her.
"See? You understand."
For the first time all day, amusement appeared in someone's eyes.
Progress.
Kairo looked entirely unimpressed.
As expected.
Selene leaned back.
"I heard about the convoy."
The lightness disappeared instantly.
Business.
Right.
The reason she was actually here.
"The council is panicking," she continued.
"I know."
"They think Cassian has already secured additional support."
"I know."
I frowned.
"How much support?"
The room became quiet.
Selene's expression darkened.
"Too much."
That wasn't reassuring.
Not even slightly.
I looked between them.
"Can someone please explain things using numbers?"
Selene glanced at Kairo.
Then answered.
"Approximately one-third of the council is leaning toward neutrality."
My stomach dropped.
That sounded bad.
Very bad.
"And neutrality means?"
"They won't support Kairo."
"Ah."
There it was.
The real problem.
Cassian didn't need everyone on his side.
He just needed enough people to stop helping Kairo.
The realization settled heavily in my chest.
This wasn't about winning support anymore.
It was about isolating him.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Systematically.
Selene seemed to notice my expression.
"You're worried."
"Shouldn't I be?"
A pause.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Fair."
At least she was honest.
That was refreshing.
The conversation continued for nearly an hour.
Strategy.
Reports.
Political movements.
Names I didn't recognize.
Places I'd never visited.
But eventually, one detail stood out.
One detail that bothered me.
"Kairo."
"Yes."
I looked at him.
"Why hasn't Cassian attacked directly?"
Silence.
Selene's expression changed immediately.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Enough to tell me I had stumbled onto something important.
"Kairo."
Another pause.
Then he answered.
"Because he can't."
I frowned.
"Can't?"
"No."
"Why?"
The room became very still.
Then Selene spoke.
"Because despite everything, he still isn't stronger."
Understanding hit me.
Not completely.
But enough.
Cassian was causing problems.
Creating instability.
Gathering support.
Applying pressure.
But he still wasn't ready.
Not yet.
Which meant—
everything happening now was preparation.
The attack.
The politics.
The threats.
All of it was leading toward something larger.
Something final.
And suddenly, that realization frightened me.
Because if this was only preparation...
what would the real conflict look like?
The silence stretched.
Then a loud alarm echoed through the estate.
Every person in the room froze.
My heart immediately dropped.
The sound repeated.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Urgent.
Sharp.
Wrong.
Selene was already standing.
Kairo's expression became unreadable.
Dangerously unreadable.
A guard burst into the office.
Pale.
Breathing hard.
Terrified.
"Kairo!"
The guard's voice shook.
"What happened?" Kairo demanded.
The guard swallowed.
Then delivered the words that changed everything.
"The eastern communications tower has fallen."
Silence.
Complete silence.
I looked at Selene.
For the first time since meeting her—
she looked shocked.
Not concerned.
Not worried.
Shocked.
My stomach twisted.
Because if someone like Selene was shocked...
then this wasn't a minor setback.
This was serious.
Very serious.
The guard continued.
"We lost contact with three territories."
The room felt suddenly smaller.
Colder.
More dangerous.
Then the guard spoke the final sentence.
And the world shifted.
"We believe there was a traitor inside the network."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Because everyone understood exactly what that meant.
Cassian wasn't just attacking from the outside anymore.
Somehow—
he was already inside.
And the war had finally begun.