[ Inside The Royal Chariot ]
As soon as the doors of the Royal Chariot closed, Sophia pounced on Chronos and planted a kiss on his cheeks.
She proudly exclaimed,
"That was amazing! You got rid of the Yamamotos and established a partnership with the Kingdom of Onogoro all in one fell swoop!"
"My dear brother, you have no idea how lonely I've felt all these years… Though I love Big Sister Athena to death, let's face it, she's quite a meathead,"
Sophia chuckled as she pinched one of Chronos's cheeks,
"Now tell me baby brother… what have you got planned next?"
Chronos replied with a smile,
" Well, I'm certain Princess Omikami will keep her word. That means that I've suddenly come into some wealth. As I've said, I will set up Prince Media Group and Prince Philanthropy,"
"Prince Media Group will ensure that the Astralian Royal Family has a significant degree of influence in the media space. It will help us control the narrative and maintain our image while also opening up new revenue streams."
"And as for Prince Philanthropy, I plan to use it to not only help those in need but develop a loyal army of subordinates…"
"Orphans who have the affinity to become cultivators will be trained intensively as assassins and covert intelligence personnel while those who aren't will be educated specifically for the purposes of helping out with the future businesses."
Sophia settled back into the luxurious seat beside Chronos and took a moment to think before replying,
"The media companies that fell victim to the Yamamoto Group's takeover filed a joint request to the Astral Merchants Association's Head of Media, Nyx Erinyes, for aid and thus our intervention. If you've decided to pursue this route, it's best that you have a meeting with them."
"I can set it up, a word of warning, these are a group of shrewd business veterans, there will be some push back!"
"As for the orphanages, I will have my assistant draft up a plan. I kind of understand what you're planning to do but it's a huge project. Maybe speak with Athena for trainers you can trust."
Chronos let out a grateful smile and said,
"That's not all, I will need a team to manage the Yamamoto Group's chain of brothels and pubs. That's an important part of setting up an intelligence network…"
Sophia's eyes widened and she chided,
" Don't you think you're biting off way more than you can chew?"
"Lucky my genius big sister is the Head of the Astral Merchants' Association…"
Chronos retorted with a wink only to realize that Sophia's white eyes were now glowing beneath her furrowed eyebrows.
Suddenly, a screeching sound pierced the air, and their vehicle violently jerked to the side as another hovercraft rammed into them from the opposite direction.
*BOOOOOMM!!*
The impact sent Chronos and Sophia careening into each other, their bodies slamming against the car's interior with bone-jarring force.
As the car spun out of control, the world outside became a blur of colors.
Dust and debris filled the air, and the smell of smoke mixed with the metallic scent of blood.
As the royal chariot crashed into the roadway beneath them, they quickly realized that this was no ordinary accident - it was an enemy attack.
Chronos groaned as he struggled to keep his eyes open, the crash had left him in a drowsy state that made it difficult for him to concentrate.
He felt disoriented and struggled to make sense of the situation, the world around him seemed to be moving in slow motion.
A brief moment of panic set in as he remembered the crash.
Quickly scanning his surroundings, he noticed that Sophia had already burst out of the Hover Vehicle, or what was left of it, and was standing in front of a group of cloaked beings.
The cloaked figures stood menacingly, their faces obscured by hoods.
Chronos forced himself to sit up, wincing as blood trickled down his forehead.
Chronos's heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he tried to process the sudden attack.
He could feel his body shaking with pain and confusion as he struggled to get his bearings.
Chronos then caught a glimpse of his usually angelic amiable sister levitating mid-air in imperious fashion in front of the Royal Chariot.
Her body crackled with a regal white aura as her pristine white hair flailed behind her like menacing tentacles.
The royal vanguard had already fallen into line, they stood in a battle position behind her, their weapons gleaming under the afternoon sunlight, ready to pounce on command.
Chronos's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation as he crawled out of the opening Sophia had burst out of.
The first thing he noticed was that the gazes of the ten cloaked ambushers instantly fell upon him.
It was at this moment that Chronos realized that he was the target.
Before he could react, the leader of ambushers let out a wave of familiar purple energy that froze everything in its path, dying the air in the vicinity an oppressive deep purple.
Chronos gasped for breath as the wave of purple energy crashed over him. He felt as if he was being suffocated by an invisible force, the air thick and heavy around him.
Sophia's roar was a distant echo in his ears as he struggled to stay conscious.
He could see her thrashing against the purple domain, her muscles bulging as she fought to break free.
But the best she could do amidst this area of stasis was to turn toward her little brother…
A guilt-ridden tear trickled down her cheeks.
But then, the screech shattered the air like a thousand glass shards, causing Chronos to clutch his ears in agony.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
The vanguards fell one by one, collapsing to the ground like rag dolls.
Chronos tried to fight the effects of the energy, but his body was weak and his mind was clouded.
The world around him began to fade away, his vision blurring until he could barely see.
But the last thing he saw before he blacked out was the leader of the ambushers teleporting behind the berzerked Sophia in a flash of purple, then striking her with a single blow to the back of her neck.
======================
[ Astral Year 372 5th of January ]
This was the day that shook the entire Tertius. All across the 5 great allied nations, Astral, Onogoro, Yoruba, Kailash and Daddiri, a chain of kidnappings occurred.
The concerted and simultaneous abduction of children up to the age of 10 numbered in the hundreds.
Initially dismissed as random occurrences, the abductions soon revealed a more sinister motive.
Panic rippled through the populace as parents frantically searched for their missing children, schools and colleges became hotbeds of worry, and authorities struggled to keep up with the ever-growing number of missing persons.
No demographic or geographic area was immune to the kidnappings.
Talented young kids from all walks of life were disappearing at an alarming rate, leaving their loved ones and communities reeling in shock and disbelief.
Rumors of a shadowy, cloaked organization being behind the abductions spread like wildfire, causing widespread panic as families barricaded themselves in their homes, fearful that their child would be the next victim.
The day of the mass kidnappings would go down in history as a dark chapter in Tertius's collective memory, a time of fear and uncertainty that would leave a lasting impact on its people.