The room had barely settled from the chaos of Veselov's departure, yet the air was already buzzing with new plans. Master Kenjiro leaned back in his chair, surveying his team with a look that held both satisfaction and ambition. His gaze landed on Maya.
"Maya, Prague is now yours," Kenjiro announced. "It's a clean slate. I trust you'll know what to keep and what to cut."
Maya nodded, eyes sharp as she mentally cataloged what she'd inherited. "I've got it, Master Kenjiro. But I'll need a second in command, someone who knows the ropes here and can help turn this place around." Her gaze drifted over to Jack.
Jack's grin was almost immediate. "I'd be honored, Maya. But…" He paused, looking thoughtful. "Prague's fine and all, but my eye's on Vegas. You know, the real jackpot."
As the room settled into an uneasy calm, Kenjiro turned to Jack, a glint of approval in his eyes. "Ambition suits you, Jack. Vegas can be ours—if we're prepared for it."
Jack nodded, his focus sharp. "I'll be ready. But before that, we have work to do in New York." He shot a glance at Alex. "Taylor, Wright, and Co. is your punishment, Alex, for being so hot-headed. But don't worry—I'll be right there with you." Jack's grin returned, a mix of confidence and mischief. "After all, I need to make sure I set things up before heading to Vegas and laying the groundwork for Kenjiro's empire."
Alex scoffed, but a smirk tugged at his lips. "Just remember, you still owe me from that game at Neptune Bar three years ago."
Jack laughed. "Consider it on my tab, then."
Jin stepped forward, catching Alex's eye. "You still owe me a shogi rematch," he reminded, a hint of amusement in his voice.
In Alex's ear, Kofi's sarcastic tone rang out. "Sounds like you're in deep, Boss. Maybe mastering a board game could be the first step to world domination."
—---
Alex stood by the window of his hotel room, watching the city pulse with life below. The streets thrummed with energy, yet he felt a nagging emptiness inside. It wasn't just the weight of nostalgia—it was the unsettling sensation of being drawn back into a life he thought he'd escaped. Kofi's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Hey, you know what's wild?" Kofi's tone was light, but Alex could sense the gravity lurking beneath it. "You're back at Taylor, Wright and Co. That's the company you worked with in the future, right? Coincidence?"
Alex turned from the window, leaning against the cool glass. "Coincidence? It feels more like some cosmic joke. I should have known it wouldn't be easy to break free. But why am I back here, in the same place?"
Kofi chuckled, a sound that buzzed in Alex's AeroPods. "That's the Law of Causality working. Remember when you won the lotto jackpot and all you got was the exact amount of your savings from the future? That's it—just another reminder of how tangled your timeline is."
Alex slumped onto the edge of his hotel bed, processing Kofi's words. The Law of Causality was starting to sound less like some abstract idea and more like a curse that had been lying in wait, gathering strength as he moved through different timelines.
"So I'm just some cog, getting yanked back whenever I think I'm in control," he muttered, his voice low, almost to himself.
Kofi laughed, the sound vibrating through the AeroPods. "Control? That's rich, kid. You're like a dog on a leash that's finally gotten long enough for you to notice."
Alex glared at the empty room. "But why New York? Why is it calling me back now? I've done nothing that I haven't already done before."
"That's the thing," Kofi said, his voice suddenly serious. "It's not about what you're doing—it's about what you've changed. Every little shift adds weight, until one day, those 'chains' as you call them have enough force to drag you right back to where it all began."
"And you're saying Jack and Claire are just—what? Instruments?" Alex asked, brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of it all.
"More than that. They're agents—the Law of Causality loves to work through familiar faces, routine situations. It's a slow web, but damn, is it thorough. And with each step closer to them, each business deal, each meeting, you're sinking back into the role you thought you'd escaped."
Alex's jaw clenched. He thought he'd finally found a way to beat the system, but here he was, right on the edge of being forced back into his old life. "And you? You don't feel any pull at all?"
Kofi snorted. "I'm not bound by the same little human rules, remember? My 'chains' span entire galaxies, entire sectors of reality. So long as I stick to Earth—past, present, or future—I'm out of reach of this so-called 'Law.'"
"Figures," Alex replied, lying back on the bed, his mind spinning. "So while I'm getting hauled back into the life I tried to leave, you're free to float around without a care?"
"Don't get sentimental, kid. I'm here because you made it interesting. That's the closest thing to a 'law' I answer to."
Alex lay there, lost in thought, the reality settling over him like a weight. If this was his fate, there was no way he'd go down quietly. He'd have to play along—for now. But if there was a way to break free, he'd find it. And maybe, just maybe, he'd take control of this so-called Law of Causality for himself.
Kofi's voice crackled through the AeroPods, interrupting his thoughts. "You're really thinking about pushing back, aren't you?"
Alex stopped, running a hand through his hair. "I have to. I can't let this happen again. I won't be some pawn in this game."
"Careful, kid," Kofi warned, his tone shifting to one of concern. "You start defying the chains, and you might find out just how strong they really are."
"You said it yourself—those chains are just a construct, right? I can change things!" Alex shot back, a mix of defiance and desperation in his voice.
"Sure, you can change things. But remember: the Law of Causality isn't a suggestion; it's a brutal reality. Defy it, and you might just end up worse off than before."
Alex paused, the weight of Kofi's words settling in. "What do you mean?"
Kofi sighed, the sound echoing in Alex's ears. "There are consequences you haven't even begun to fathom. Every action you take has ripples—some can be redirected, but others? They could swallow you whole."
"So what am I supposed to do? Just roll over and accept my fate?" Alex replied, frustration bubbling over.
"No, but think carefully. If you push too hard, you could snap those chains back on you with a vengeance. You're not just fighting against your past; you're battling the very fabric of reality."
Alex stared at the reflection in the window, seeing a man caught between two worlds. "What if I find a way to use it against them? Use their own rules to break free?"
"That's a dangerous game," Kofi cautioned. "Just remember—if you do decide to play it, you better have a solid plan. Otherwise, you might find yourself trapped in a loop you can't escape."
Alex took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the decision looming over him. He had always been a risk-taker, but now the stakes felt impossibly high. "I'll think about it. But I refuse to just sit back and let fate dictate my life."