Chương 62: Chapter 61 Edited

Cale The meeting went about how I expected. Stupid and tedious, mostly stupid. Why do bureaucrats insist on being so bureaucratic? Okay, that was dumb, and you get my point. A dark mage high on the Dark Mercenary lists comes to your island and tries to create a mass-casualty event, and you're worried about jurisdiction? Optics? Reporting structure? Maybe I should simply wipe all these idiots out and take over. It feels like I'd be doing the world a service. I sighed. That was a dark one.

Still, that kind of thing was part of why I stayed independent. In the Wastes, after I dealt with the more aggressive elements in my area, I was able to set things up on my own. I couldn't stand the bureaucracy, even in places where might makes right. You ended up fighting a lot, mostly about paperwork. In the Wastes, you fought more with the sword, and it was all the same in the end. Stupid people fighting about stupid things when they should be focusing on the people around them.

Suffice it to say, I was glad to get out of that office without incident. The reputation of the Ghost of the Wastes was bigger than I'd thought. Damn near mythic at this point. People were in awe, cloaked in fear, or just tense. And it wasn't like Captain Aiden didn't help. Good gods, was he a terrible actor. I knew it was going to be tough the moment I walked in. The man winked at me. Actually winked. It was a good thing I had a mask on. Captain, you're not supposed to know me. At least not very well, you idiot.

I played my part as the mysterious mercenary. I didn't break stride or really acknowledge him or the others. I sat and answered their questions the best I could. Honestly, I don't think they got it. Maybe there were people in the room who understood and actually knew what they were doing. The boxes they placed themselves in didn't seem very efficient. I figured I was going to have to find the Priest, his backers, and the moles myself, which was fine by me.

I had a debt to pay, and that debt would be written in blood. I had a promise to keep, and I intended to keep it. We talked for a couple of hours. Let's just say I was glad when it was over. I wasn't surprised they tried to follow me. If anything, I was a little disappointed it took them that long. The moment I stepped out of the administrative building after my conversation with Pila and Aiden, I felt it. The shift in pressure, the subtle tightening of attention. Too many eyes pretending not to look.

Too many people lingering with no real purpose. I just walked until I hit the edge of their comfort zone. Then I ran. It was sort of funny. One minute, the Ghost of the Wastes was walking down the streets of Lumineth, not a care in the world. The thought of it was almost funny. That didn't last long. When I moved, I layered Aura and Kinetica first, clean and efficient, letting my stride lengthen without losing balance.

A much lower amount of Lightning followed for processing, sharpening reaction time, tightening the feedback loop between intent and movement. A breath of fire burned through my channels for the acceleration effect and synergy with the lightning. Finally, Illusia wrapped it all together, softening edges and bending perception just enough to make tracking me harder than it would have been. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I was using a massive amount of magic, after all. Anyone with eyes and a decent Technica sensor array could have followed me. Once satisfied, I took off fast, like a lightning bolt across the sky. They tried to follow. Floating vehicles peeled off into the air. Teams on foot scattered, attempting to bracket. Sensors flared, recalibrated, lost me, found me again. Mainly because I let them. I ducked through narrow streets, vaulted walls, slipped across rooftops.

Sometimes I slowed just enough for them to catch a glimpse — dark cloak, movement, a shadow where something dangerous had been a second ago — then vanished again. It was cat and mouse for nearly two hours. The most fun I can remember having in a long time. I circled Lumineth twice, crossed districts I hadn't visited before, letting my mana stretch, compress, and loop through my meridians, then reform on the fly. I made adjustments to my movement combination, seeing what Elementa water and wind would do.

I found a neat combination of metal and lightning that let me pull as much as push against metal objects, which made turning and moving up walls even easier. All in all, it was fun. Exhausting, in the good way. The kind of exhaustion you only get when you're pushing control, not brute force. People forget that the fastest way to grow stronger isn't theory. It's use. The attempted control of something under pressure — there's nothing quite like it.

By the time I finally ditched the cloak and mask, the agencies tailing me were visibly frustrated. Their formations broke down as their coordination slipped. Eventually, I just walked home like a normal person, light on my feet, heart steady, mana settling into a quiet hum. After I ditched my scrapsteel mask and combat clothes, of course. The idea of the Ghost of the Wastes just walking through a random neighborhood was funny, and probably ill-advised. Though I really did find the thought hilarious.

I got a message from Sarien just before midnight. You back? Everything okay? I confirmed it was all good. I didn't tell her about my late-night game of tag. She replied a moment later. Good. I want to talk later this week. I've got things to handle tonight. Meet me at the club? I agreed, sent a confirmation, and pocketed the device. When I stepped inside the house, I knew immediately I wasn't alone.

Gran was sitting in the front room, hands folded in her lap, posture relaxed and alert in the way only someone who'd lived through too much could manage. I approached slowly.

"Hey, Gran," I said.

"You still up?" She smiled.

"I'm waiting for you, silly boy. Where were you so late?" I hesitated. I hadn't told her where I was going.

"I was, uh… taking care of some things." One eyebrow rose. She didn't look impressed by that explanation.

"And what sort of things would those be?" I considered telling her everything. The Wastes. The Ghost. The things I'd done. The things I couldn't undo. The secrets no one knew and I dared not speak out loud. Instead, I studied her.

"Gran," I said carefully, "do you want me to lie to you?" She didn't answer right away. I went on.

"Because that's what I'm inclined to do. Not because I don't trust you. Because the truth is dangerous." She sighed, reached for the crystal interface on the table, and slid it toward me. The image was paused mid-frame. A man in a skull mask, his dark cloak snapping in the wind. He had a child held safely against his chest and a long matte-black blade resting at his side.

"You know anything about that?" she asked. I didn't answer. She didn't press.

"Cale," she said softly, "I don't need all your secrets, and heaven knows after what you've been through no one should really ask anything of you. But I do need to know one thing. Are your choices going to bring danger to this family?" I met her eyes.

"No," I said.

"I won't let anything happen to us. You have my word." She studied my face a long moment, then smiled.

"Such a sweet boy," she said.

"I'm going to bed. Don't talk to Ellara about tonight. Not yet. She's got enough to worry about just being a normal teenager." I nodded.

"Love you, Gran." She froze. Just for a second. Her breath hitched, her eyes shining in the low light.

"I love you too, Cale," she said quietly.

"I'm glad you're home." She turned and went down the hall, then paused.

"Cale, darling."

"Yeah, Gran?"

"Arcanus men and women don't leave debts unsettled." She turned back and gave me a stern look.

"Do you understand?" I smiled.

"Yes, ma'am." She nodded and disappeared. I stood there a long moment after she was gone, the house settling around me, mana finally still. I made plans, thought of contingencies, considered consequences. I wouldn't let consequences hurt anything I cared about. Not while I still had breath in my body.