The east wing was quiet.
Kin walked through the corridor alone, his bare feet cold against the marble floor. Alistair had offered him shoes, but he had refused. He wanted to feel the ground beneath him. He wanted to be ready to move.
The room where they had secured Mira was at the end of the hall. A heavy wooden door, reinforced with iron bands. Two servants stood outside, their faces blank, their hands clasped in front of them.
"She is awake," one of them said. "She has been asking for water."
Kin nodded. "Open it."
The door swung inward.
Mira sat on a narrow bed in the corner of the room. Her hands were still bound, but someone had loosened the fabric so her fingers wouldn't go numb. She looked up when Kin entered, and her face went pale.
"You," she whispered.
"Me." Kin closed the door behind him. The room was small, bare except for the bed and a wooden chair. No windows. No escape. "We need to talk."
"I didn't—I don't—"
"Save it." He pulled the chair to the center of the room and sat down. Not close to her. Not far. Just enough space to make her feel like she could breathe. "You're going to tell me who paid you to frame Tendai. And you're going to tell me why."
Mira's lip trembled. "I don't know his name."
"Then tell me what you do know."
She looked at the floor. Her shoulders shook. She was young—maybe twenty, maybe younger. The kind of girl who had made a terrible choice for reasons Kin could probably guess.
"I needed money," she said. "My mother is sick. The treatments are expensive. A man approached me at the market. He said he would pay me if I accused a student at the university of assault. He said the student would be someone specific. Tendai. He gave me a photo. He gave me details about his schedule, his dorm room, the classes he took."
"Who was he?"
"I don't know." She looked up, her eyes wet. "He wore a mask. A black mask. He had gloves. He never touched anything. He just gave me an envelope of cash and a phone. He said someone would contact me with further instructions."
"And someone did?"
"A woman. She called me two days later. She told me which boys to approach—the ones who would believe me, the ones who would act. She said to make a scene. She said to make sure Lina came."
Kin's jaw tightened. "Lina was the target."
"I didn't know that at first." Mira's voice cracked. "I thought it was just about Tendai. But the woman kept asking about Lina. Where she lived. What car she drove. Whether she had a boyfriend. I didn't understand why until today."
"Who was the woman?"
"I don't know her name. She never told me. But she had an accent. Not from here. And I overheard something once in the background of the call—something about a secret commission ."
Kin's blood ran cold.
The Quiet Commission. They had been behind this. Not random thugs. Not a simple frame job. They had used Mira to draw Lina out. To see who would come to protect her. To see if Kin would show up.
And he had.
"You're going to tell me everything," Kin said. "Every word she said. Every detail you remember. Starting with the accent."
Mira nodded. She opened her mouth to speak.
The System interrupted.
[Alert: Priority Mission Update.]
[Time to next mission: 47 hours. Previous estimate has been revised.]
[Target: Warlord Amadou Diallo. Location: Giniya, West Africa. Speech scheduled in 46 hours at the national stadium. Intelligence indicates the speech will incite ethnic violence. Estimated deaths: 1,700 within 72 hours of the speech.]
[Mission: Decapitation. Time limit: 44 hours from arrival.]
[Transport: Private jet available at villa airfield. Fifth-generation fighter escort prepped for rapid deployment.]
[Team: Three additional assets will rendezvous at drop point. Details upon arrival.]
Kin froze.
Now?
[Now.]
I'm still healing. My ribs. My shoulder. The wounds from the university.
[Irrelevant. The mission is time-sensitive. The warlord's speech cannot be delayed.]
I'm not ready.
[You are ready enough. The System does not pay you to fuck your landlady and flex your money. Lives are on the line. It is work time.]
Kin's hands curled into fists. That's not—
[Your bag is packed. Clothing, weapons, credentials. A car is waiting outside. You will be flown to the drop point. From there, you will rendezvous with the team.]
Wait. Team? Kin frowned. Why do I need a team?
[Because this mission is more dangerous than anything you have faced. The warlord is guarded by an international secret service. Former special forces operatives. Trained specifically to handle threats like you. A one-man army would be suicide, even with your elevated abilities.]
Kin stood up. The chair scraped against the floor. Mira flinched.
"I have to go," he said.
"Wait—"
"Someone will come in with water. Don't try anything. The servants here are faster than they look."
He walked out.
***
Alistair was waiting in the corridor.
"Your bag is ready, Master Kin. The car is at the front entrance."
Kin nodded. "Lina?"
"Asleep. I checked on her myself."
"Good." Kin paused. "Don't tell her where I went. Don't tell her anything."
Alistair's expression was unreadable. "She will ask."
"Then lie. Tell her I had to meet with the acquaintance who owns this villa. Tell her I'll be back in three days."
"And if she does not believe me?"
"She won't. But she'll have to accept it." Kin walked past him, then stopped. "The girl. Mira. Keep her secured. She knows things about the Quiet Commission. I want her safe until I get back."
"She will be protected, Master Kin."
"And Tendai—"
"He is resting. His injuries are not life-threatening. He will recover."
Kin nodded. He didn't look back.
***
The night air was cold.
Kin walked out the front doors and found the car waiting—a black sedan with tinted windows. No driver. The keys were in the ignition.
He climbed in.
The car drove itself. Or the System drove it. He couldn't tell anymore.
The road wound away from the villa, through the trees, back toward the city. But instead of taking the main highway, the car turned onto a service road that led to a private airfield hidden behind a grove of ancient oaks.
A jet waited on the tarmac.
It was sleek. Dark. Unmarked. The kind of plane that belonged to people who did not exist on paper.
Two fighters sat beside it. Fifth-generation. Stealth. Armed.
Kin stopped at the bottom of the jet's stairs.
System.
[Yes.]
Where am I going?
[Giniya. West Africa. A nation on the brink. The warlord Amadou Diallo has been building power for a decade. He controls three provinces. He funds militias. He is scheduled to give a speech at the national stadium in two days. The speech is a call to arms—a call for his followers to rise up and cleanse the country of a minority ethnic group.]
Cleanse.
[Massacre. Genocide. Call it what you want. The outcome is the same.]
Kin climbed the stairs.
The interior of the jet was luxurious. Leather seats. Wood paneling. A small bar. A bed in the back.
He ignored all of it and sat in the nearest seat.
The engines hummed. The jet began to move.
As it lifted off, Kin looked out the window. The villa shrank beneath him, a patch of light in a sea of darkness. He thought of Lina, asleep in her bed, unaware.
I'm sorry, he thought. I'll be back.
The jet climbed higher. The fighters fell into formation on either wing.
And Kin closed his eyes.
***
Lina woke to the sound of thunder.
No. Not thunder. An explosion. A boom that shook the windows and rattled the chandelier.
She sat up in bed, her heart pounding. "Kin?"
No answer.
She threw off the covers and ran to the window. The sky was dark, but there was a faint glow on the horizon—exhaust trails, catching the moonlight.
"Kin!" she shouted. "Kin, where are you?"
She ran into the hallway. The marble was cold under her bare feet. She called his name again. And again.
Alistair appeared at the end of the hall.
"Madam. Please. Calm yourself."
"Where is Kin? What was that noise? Are we under attack?"
Alistair's face was calm. Perfectly calm. "Master Kin has been summoned by his acquaintances. He had to leave immediately."
"Summoned? Summoned where?"
"I do not know the details, madam. Only that it was urgent."
Lina stared at him. "He left? Without telling me?"
"He did not wish to wake you."
"He left without saying goodbye?" Her voice cracked. "That's not—he wouldn't—"
"Master Kin is a man of many obligations." Alistair stepped closer, his voice gentle but firm. "He asked me to tell you that he will return as soon as he is able. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay here. Your cousin is resting. The girl is secured. Everything is under control."
"Under control?" Lina laughed—bitter, sharp. "A jet just broke the sound barrier outside my window. Kin is gone. And you're telling me everything is under control?"
"Madam—"
"I want to call him. Give me a phone."
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. Master Kin's acquaintances value their privacy. They do not allow outside communication."
Lina's eyes narrowed. "What acquaintances? Who are these people?"
Alistair smiled. It was a polite smile. A well-practiced smile. "Master Kin has many connections, madam. Some are best not discussed. Now, please—would you like some tea? I believe Tendai is awake. Perhaps you would like to check on him?"
Lina wanted to argue. She wanted to demand answers. But Alistair's calm, unwavering presence was like a wall. She could push, but she would not move it.
"Fine," she said. "Take me to Tendai."
Alistair bowed. "Of course. Follow me."
As they walked, Lina's mind raced. Kin had left. Without telling her. Without a word. After everything they had been through. After the university. After the shower. After the night they had shared.
He's hiding something, she thought. Something big.
And she was going to find out what.