Regulus, ever the master of atmosphere even from behind a wall of metal, cleared his throat over the comms with the tone of a man who knew exactly how to break a silence without shattering it. “Young man,” he said, his voice smoothing into something both amused and sincere, “I believe it's my turn to ask you something. And since this little game’s coming to a close, I suggest you brace yourself.”

  There was a small wave of rustling fabric as everyone turned toward Ivan. Mia looked over at her brother with soft encouragement, while Aria leaned in slightly, clearly hoping for something chaotic. Even Elsie raised her brows with interest, tapping a finger against her chin in thought. But it was Kaiser’s reaction that caught Elsie’s eye. A subtle shift, a loosening of the jaw, a faint exhale. He was relieved the focus had passed from him. And that, more than any words he had spoken, told her something worth remembering.

  “I’ve heard a report,” Regulus continued smoothly, a teasing edge woven into his words like thread through silk. “From Milos own words, my knights described you as standing still, unblinking, while Milo and Kaiser tore through the Right Fist like wolves in a meat hall. They said not even a twitch crossed your face. That kind of steel is rare in someone your age, so rare that even Milo noticed.”

  Ivan, caught somewhere between pride and panic, let out a small, forced laugh. “W-well, that was just… adrenaline,” he said quickly, waving a hand. “You know, heat of the moment stuff. I didn’t even really register what was happening until it was all over.”

  Mia narrowed her eyes and reached up, subtly dragging a finger across her throat, a silent gesture begging him not to lie. She mouthed his name once. But it was too late. Ivan’s eyes flared green. His voice faltered for a second. Then the color drained from his usual energy, like light being pulled from a flame, and his words came out quiet, almost dull.

  “I didn’t flinch,” he said, “Because I’ve seen worse.”

  That silenced the room faster than any explosion could. Even Regulus said nothing.

  “When our parents lost everything gambling,” Ivan began, his voice slower now, as if weighed down by each word, “They said we weren’t allowed back in the house unless we brought in a gold coin a day. I was eleven. Mia was nine. We slept on stone floors and ate whatever we could scavenge. I started doing quests. Little ones at first. I kept taking riskier jobs until someone finally tried to rob me… So I killed him, not just because I was stronger, but because I had no other choice.”

  His fists were clenched now, knuckles white, resting on his knees.

  “I thought that’d be the end of it, but it kept happening. Thieves. Drunks. Monsters. They kept coming, and we kept surviving. I flinch at stupid things now—loud noises, barking dogs—but not death. Not anymore.”

  The words echoed, lingered, and didn’t dare fade. Not yet.

  Mia didn’t move to stop him. She simply placed a hand on his, a silent tether between them that had been forged in alleyways and bloodied coinpouches. Aria’s usual mischief had vanished from her face, replaced by a kind of quiet reverence. Elsie said nothing either—no wide grin, no flippant remark. Just a thoughtful silence.

  And Kaiser… Kaiser stared at the boy with new weight in his gaze. Not pity, not sadness, but something colder. Perhaps respect, or perhaps deduction.

  Ivan blinked and sat up straighter, the glow in his eyes fading as if the moment had passed through him. He cleared his throat, suddenly remembering they were all watching him. “But, you know,” he added with a shrug and a shaky smile, “Guess it worked out. I got to meet some truly badass people because of it.”

  There was a pause. Then, very softly, Regulus said, “Yeah, kid. It could be a lot worse.”

  Kaiser’s voice cut through Reguluses, sharp and composed like the glint of a drawn blade. He leaned forward ever so slightly, his eyes narrowing just enough to signal that this was no offhand musing. “Ivan,” he said, low and deliberate, “Why do you believe your life matters more than those you’ve killed?”

  There was a beat of stunned silence. Mia snapped upright, throwing her arms slightly forward as if physically swatting the question away. “Hey! That’s not fair!” she protested, her voice tight with emotion. “Ivan already got asked once, he doesn’t have to answer again!”

  But Kaiser didn’t even turn toward her. His gaze remained locked on Ivan as if he was a statue. And slowly, even Mia’s fire flickered down to a cautious simmer, her lips pressing together as she glanced sideways at her brother. The rest of the room followed suit, tension thickening like fog, every breath shared and shallow. Ivan didn’t respond at first. His eyes lingered on the floor, then slowly lifted to meet Kaiser’s with a steadiness that felt earned, not inherited.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “I don’t,” Ivan said, his voice unusually level, lacking its usual nervous tilt. “I don’t think my life is more important than anyone else’s. Everyone’s life matters the same. That’s what I believed when I was younger. And even now, I still want to believe that’s true.”

  He paused, drawing in a breath through his nose like it was painful to carry on. “But once someone decides they want to hurt people who’ve done nothing to them—when they try to take a life that’s just trying to survive… they forfeit their own. If someone pulls a knife on a girl just because she’s alone and looks weak, if someone robs a kid of everything just because he can—then no, I don’t think they deserve the same chance I do.”

  Elsie stood up halfway, her chair scraping loudly against the floor as her expression contorted with dismay. “Ivan’s insane,” she snapped, her tone rising like a spark to dry paper. “Murder is never the answer! Ivan shouldn’t get to decide who deserves to live and who doesn’t!”

  Ivan’s eyes lowered for a moment, then lifted again, and this time there was no hesitation—just a blunt, tired kind of resolve that made him sound older than he was. “That’s what I thought too,” he said quietly. “Until I didn’t have a choice.”

  He swallowed hard, gaze flicking briefly to Mia, then back toward Elsie. “Until we had to sleep under stairways and run from drunks who thought two kids were easy targets. Until I had to pretend I was tougher than I was, just so nobody tried anything. Until someone did, and I had to stop him. With just a rock in my hands.”

  Elsie shifted in her seat, but Ivan kept going.

  “I didn’t want to. I still think about it. But if I hadn’t… he would’ve hurt her, or maybe worse...” He blinked slowly, his expression unreadable. “So no, I don’t think that guy’s life mattered more than mine. Or Mia’s. I think people who try to take someone else’s life without a reason... they make their choice. And I made mine.”

  He paused, then added with a bitter, tired breath, “You talk like that because you didn’t have to live like we did. You didn’t have to figure out what you’re willing to do just to keep someone safe.”

  Elsie’s shoulders slowly settled, and she sat back down without another word. No one spoke. Even Regulus, who always had something ready, said nothing this time.

  Mia shot Kaiser a look so sharp it could have drawn blood, her eyes flashing with the rare edge of someone who wasn’t often challenged. “You already asked your question,” she said, her voice clipped, cold in a way that didn’t suit her usual calm. “You don’t get another just because you feel like it.”

  Kaiser didn’t flinch. He simply looked at her with that steady, grounded weight behind his gaze, the kind that made people feel like their souls were being held to the flame. “I want to know more about Ivan, since I will be the one training him soon” he said calmly.

  Ivan placed a hand gently on Mia’s arm, a quiet signal, but she didn’t stop. Her expression tightened as she opened her mouth again—only to be cut off by Kaiser, who was already moving past her protests.

  “And we have no proof your power works the way you claim,” he said, his tone still calm, but sharpened now with a cold, analytical edge. “Especially not on yourself, for that we can only take your word. So I’d say one bonus question for the twins is fair, wouldn’t you? And I chose to ask the one who I know can’t lie.”

  Mia bristled, her mouth opening again, her cheeks blooming red. “My ability works on me too,” she said, almost too quickly.

  Kaiser tilted his head, a dry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t lie,” he said simply.

  “I’m not,” she snapped back.

  “You told Selvira,” Kaiser began, slowly, deliberately, “That you were looking for Aria because you believed she was dangerous. That was the reason you gave.”

  Mia froze. Her posture stiffened, her spine went straight, and the breath caught hard in her throat. She looked like a rabbit caught mid-step in a trap that had just snapped shut.

  “I thought she was.” Mia said after a second, her voice much smaller now, fragile around the edges.

  Kaiser’s voice stayed low, but unchanging. “You knew of Aria for, what, a few hours? And in that time, she was just a girl. Talking. Laughing. Scared. At worst, confused. There was no sign of madness, no sudden outbursts, no behavior that could justify that level of suspicion. So tell me, Mia—why would you think that? Unless, of course… it was a lie.”

  Mia sank slowly into her seat, her shoulders folding inward, her hands tightening around the fabric of her coat like she was trying to anchor herself in it. She opened her mouth once, then closed it. The silence hung thick in the room like a fog before she finally breathed out, “I was hoping to keep that a secret for a bit longer…”

  Regulus’ voice came over the comms a moment later, half-curious and half-impressed. “Huh. I didn’t even catch that.” he admitted, the tone of a man who had just realized the chessboard had more pieces than he thought.

  Everyone else was quiet, processing what was happening, glancing between Mia and Kaiser. And yet, Elsie, who had been unusually still for most of the exchange, looked at Kaiser not with suspicion, not with fear, but with something else entirely, something he couldn’t exactly pinpoint. She smiled and gave a small, quiet nod. It was barely a motion, but Kaiser caught it in the corner of his eye and, without returning it or asking what it meant.

  “Secrets are okay,” Elsie said, voice somehow lighter than it had any right to be. “So long as they don’t bite anyone on the butt later.” And then, just like that, she kicked her feet against the edge of her seat, swinging them like a child waiting for candy.

  Then, Regulus cleared his throat again over the comms, this time more playful than before. “Whew,” he said, with a theatrical puff of breath. “All right, crew, I’d say that’s a solid end to the game. How about we all agree to not ask any more questions for now?”

  Aria leaned over, nudging Kaiser with her elbow and muttering something under her breath about wanting to play a different game with him. Ivan gave Mia a tired smile, and Elsie began humming something that didn’t have a tune, while she continued tapping her heels against the floor while looking at Kaiser.

  Every victory counts! Whenever any of these milestones is reached, I’ll drop a Bonus Chapter as a reward! Hit them all, and you get even more!

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