"Uriel?! But you're supposed to be dead!!"
The Prince shrugged, smirking. "Guess not. You see, if I have the power to cheat death, what do you think that means? After all, death is supposed to be the ultimate destination for everyone—humans and Fate-users alike. Despite that, I'm alive after suffering a life-ending wound. If I have the power to change Fate, then my power must surpass even that of the Supreme King! However, I have not reached the maximum of my potential. For me to change Fate entirely, I need, not just the throne, but that damned Crown," he said.
The King's breaths steadied. "What do you gain by telling me all this?" he asked.
"Why should I tell you? Especially after hearing about what you did to Marie, my dear little sister."
"That was a misunderstanding!"
Uriel glared. "Was it? Or are you just some pathetic old man who's too afraid to stand up to the bitch of a mother I got?"
To that, the King was silent. There was no denying his inaction. As such, this outcome was unavoidable.
The Prince nodded. "Thought so. Don't worry, old man, there will be a reckoning. A war is coming soon. When the time for battle arrives and we're forced to finally fight, I can only hope that I'm the victor. Until that time comes, goodbye… dear old dad."
After announcing his survival, Uriel turned back to the portal and stepped through. Only when he completely entered did the gateway vanish into non-existence, leaving the King curious and confused. He fell onto his bottom and scratched his blonde head, hearing the Crown hum once the golden hue was finally restored. Despite the spontaneousness of the spat, the King couldn't help but laugh.
'So, both children reappear on the same day. One to fight and the other to rebel. I can't say I'm surprised about the younger ones, but to think the Prince would resurrect entirely… I don't understand.'
Barron walked and sat on his throne after it magically rebuilt itself. Slouching on one arm, he leaned on his fist and continued contemplating.
'I hold the omnipotent power of Fate's Crown. The only ones capable of rivaling me are my daughter, the Amits, and possibly my son. Even so, what is this power he possesses? A technique capable of cheating Death—the ultimate destination for humans and Fate-users alike… it reminds me of him.'
…
Talen threw a bunch of folders onto the living room coffee table back in his apartment.
Anthony lifted one. "What's this?" he asked, resting on the couch.
"Evidence," he said. "I took the liberty of sorting everything we know so we can sort through it easier."
"Handy. Where do we start then?" Alora spoke up.
Talen placed a joint in his mouth and ignited the end with a black light. "Well, there's no point going through these to answer that. At the start of these irregularities, three agents of the Syndicate targeted the Supreme King in an attempt to usurp the Crown and throne. They threw the fight but the battle was used as evaluation information for the mastermind watching from a drone. The same thing happened the following night at my childhood home, where my family and I were attacked by a platoon of Fate-using Syndicate assassins. They were used to evaluate us too. The next morning, my father's attacked by multiple otherworldly creatures that resembled ancient archangels. After that, Alora's assignment was interrupted by the mastermind as he took the Violator she was fighting to an unknown location. Now, today. Just earlier, the Monster God Malum's limb was released into the alleyway beside my apartment, causing his resurgence. That's about all the information we have so far."
"The fact Mr. Amit mentioned they resembled archangels isn't a mistake. If the mastermind is who we think it is then it makes sense, considering Uri's Power," Alora added.
Tony nodded. "Yeah. His was 'Divine Invocation' or something, right?"
Talen scratched his chin and nodded. "Correct. Dad's account mixed with Alora recognizing the scent of his aura confirms it. That being said, we still have no idea what he's planning. For example, why'd it taken him so long to resurge if he was alive all this time? Why did he save that Violator she was in the middle of fighting? And, if we're suspecting Uri for this one, why'd he release one of Malum's limbs so suddenly?"
Anthony facepalmed and groaned. "This is going nowhere… we have more questions than answers."
Illustrious sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. It's undeniable Uriel is the secret Head of the Syndicate and has been puppeteering everything from the start of these abnormalities, but we have no leads as to where he's operating from. This search almost feels fruitless," she said.
Talen interlocked his fingers and pushed both hands into his temples, sighing longly. Just as he was about to lose hope and despair, a familiar scent made his heart skip a beat.
His lid retracted, revealing his left eye's dark emerald gleam. "You're there, aren't you… King Barron?"
"What gave me away?" asked his disembodied voice.
The Supreme King of Barronia magically appeared in the middle of Talen's living room, tall draped in a royal robe. Only briefly did he look at the lawyer, for his interest quickly diverted to the two new faces. They were shocked—seemingly seconds away from invoking their techniques. Ignoring the perplexion they felt, he smiled. The shine in his eyes spoke of familiarity.
"Alora Illustrious. It's nice to see you again after so long. How are you, my dear?"
She smirked. "Frankly, I'm surprised you still remember me. I'm doin' just fine, thanks for asking. I can't say the same for you though," said the Enforcer, noting his bruised cheek.
He chuckled. "That's what I came here to discuss. You see, only thirty minutes ago, I was attacked by my banished daughter: Marie. But that wasn't all. The moment I secured my advantage over her, she retreated and was joined with none other than my son. Uriel. Still alive after the excursion one decade ago. Talen Amit, do you have any idea how this is possible?" asked the King.
"Not in the slightest, no. All four of us saw the severity of his wounds personally. There's no way he could've survived those injuries. You should know that… better than anyone," he said.
Anthony leaned forward. "Isn't it possible to heal life-ending injuries with a healing technique? Fate-restoration, if used instantly, could return someone from the brink of death. That's kinda Arronsburgs' specialty…"
"Marie Barron…" Alora looked back at the King. "Adding that to the Violator Uri supposedly took yesterday, that makes two. Is it too much of a stretch to suggest he's forming some sort of alliance with Violators?"
Talen interjected. "NO!"
Everyone looked at him with widened eyes. Teeth clenched and eyes shaky, he stared at the floor, currently recalling that fateful day… that final conversation. Those words, far more important than anything else, transcended the realm of time to exist in this future.
'I don't like monsters. That's the truth I chose.'
"There's absolutely no way in hell Uriel decided to ally himself with despicable Violators. Not willingly, anyway."
The King's brow raised. "And what makes you so sure, Talen Amit? Is there something you're still not telling us—?"
"Mind your own business, gramps. Don't get upset cuz Tal over 'ere knew more about your son than you," Tony interrupted.
"Excuse me? And what is that supposed to mean?"
"That you should mind your own business and trust what he says. Sure, you could easily have us persecuted for defying you but we're probably the only ones capable of properly investigating this so you can't lose us right now… can you?" Alora asked, smirking widely.
From beside the Enforcer, a sweat drop slowly fell down the side of Anthony's face. 'Scary…' he thought, sensing the menacing presence around her.
"Cut it out, Lora. Infighting doesn't solve anything. Despite everything, I suppose he could be using them, aside from Marie. If he has a technique capable of cheating death then he could also have a power capable of stripping others of their own and making them his. It's possible he just wants to steal their powers for himself and seeks to use them as a distraction when the proper time arrives." Talen glanced up at the King beside him. "He DID say a time, right?"
Barron nodded. "He didn't specify but he referenced a war," he said.
"That's not a time…" Alora uttered.
Talen put a hand on his cheek and hummed, eyes closed. "No, it's better. It looks like Uriel is assembling an army of Violators to start this war. Either it'll take him a long time to gather more allies to his cause or he's planning something else—something we're not seeing. However, the fact remains that we'll be waiting a while before this war ignites. Speaking logically, it's most likely this war will begin on the Dawn of December 25th. Furthermore, if we manage to allocate his whereabouts before this date, the war doesn't arrive and we thwart his plans. But—" he sighed. "—that's just wishful thinking."
Despite the danger of the situation plaguing them, Alora and Anthony couldn't contain their prideful smiles as they listened to their friend's logical ramblings.
The King grinned, staring at Talen. "I see you haven't lost your wisdom. I'd wager you've grown smarter with your old age. As expected of the prodigal son of the prestigious Amit family."
"You speak as if I was blessed with intellect," retorted the lawyer.
"It'd be hard to think otherwise, wouldn't it?"
"If you were stupid, yes. But you can't generalize intelligence. While the fact remains I am the esteemed prodigal son of my family and inherited their legendary technique, I don't lump myself with them. Dad and Gramps, likely think of these things as blessings. I'm not like them." Talen removed his glasses. "To me, these are indisputably… curses."
Night reigning over Kismet's capital; Anthony spoke the very question on everyone's minds.
"So, what do we do now..?"
…
In his study, Uriel leaned back with his long hair styled into a ponytail resting over his shoulder.
"Now that we've accomplished most of our preparation, we need more allies. Currently, the number of amok Violators compared to the imprisoned ones is finite. So, not only will we attempt to release a large number of prisoners to fight alongside us when the promised time arrives. We'll also be searching for someone important."
Marie tilted her head. "Someone important? Another Violator?" she asked.
"Yes…" Uri sighed. "Honestly, I'm a bit reluctant to do this, but we have no other choice. Remember when I first summoned you and the others and I mentioned something about stealing the Unconquerable technique from Eros Amit?"
The boxer nodded, arms crossed. "Quite vividly. I remember thinking, 'he's making this shit up as he goes.' At least you got a contingency, though. Anyway, who is this Violator who has the power to steal Fate?"
He stood from his chair and walked to the window. With the moonlight illuminating his face, Uriel remembered… that man.
"The man known as the worst of all Fate-users: Apollo Moloch. A Displacement tormenting our modern world."
Trivia: Displacements are powerful beings from other worlds. They leak into Barronia through unknown means, so nobody knows how to combat them. Most times they manifest, they do not know how to use Fate. However, Royal scientists and distant descendants of the Amit family once theorized that these abnormal manifestations are tied to a universal fissure that mirrors a gateway to other realms far beyond the scope of the Crown. Realms of darkness, realms of violence, realms of light, realms of peace. Though it is all conjecture, nothing is disproving this assumption either. There is one certain thing, though. This world holds far more secrets than anyone else could imagine.