Shadows clung to the corners of the boardroom, illuminated only by the cold glow of a central obsidian table. Around it sat the Seven Heads of Foster.
Rio, the Second Head, sat motionless in his high-backed chair. His fingers were loosely intertwined, elbows resting on the table as he watched the others through half-closed eyes. The silence was broken by the Seventh Head.
"The vacuum is becoming a liability," a man's voice echoed. "We need to elect new blood. The seats of the Eighth and Ninth are still cold."
"I agree," the Sixth Head added. "The hierarchy is unbalanced."
A woman with striking white hair tucked a stray strand behind her ear, her eyes sharp. "We have candidates far more capable than William or Anthony ever were."
"I concur with the Third Head," another man noted.
"As do I," Eirene said, her voice cutting through the murmurs. "William is a failure, and Anthony has vanished. We cannot wait for ghosts."
The room fell into a heavy silence until a voice rasped from the head of the table. "Is Anthony truly dead?" Ross, the First Head, asked.
Before Eirene could respond, Rio's voice drifted across the table, calm and terrifyingly steady. "Anthony is alive. He is simply... misplaced."
All heads turned toward him. A blonde woman near the end of the table frowned. "Second Head, I don't follow. If he's alive, he's a loose cannon."
"If he breathes, we hunt him," Ross stated.
"There is no need," Rio interrupted, his gaze never wavering. "He will come to us."
A tense twenty seconds passed. Eirene was the only one who dared to break the tension. "Second Head, how can you be so certain?"
"Revenge," Rio said simply. "Pride was always his greatest vice. Now that he has been humiliated by Ron and Rocky, he will crave the power to erase that shame. He knows Foster is the only place that can grant it. He will crawl back."
"And what then, Second Elder?" Eirene asked. "What do we do when he arrives?"
"We grant his wish," Rio said, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "But we make him pay for it. Anthony has spent years cataloging the Envelope of the Scars. We offer him the power he craves in exchange for that data. However... his body is a finite vessel. It won't contain the energy we give him. He will spiral into madness within days. By the time he falls into the hands of our enemies, he won't remember his own name, let alone the secrets of Foster."
"And with that information," Ross added, a dark light in his eyes, "we finally crush Ron."
"Actually," Rio corrected, "there will be no need. Ron will die at Anthony's hands before the madness takes him."
Ross leaned back, satisfied. "It is decided. we proceed with the Second Head's design."
The white-haired woman cleared her throat. "First Head, I must speak. I am not questioning the Second Head's brilliance, but a plan with this many variables requires a contingency. What is our Plan B?"
The table murmured in agreement. Ross looked at Rio. "Do you have a fallback?"
Rio gave a single, slow nod. "If the plan fails or backfires... I will personally step onto the field and eliminate Ron and his associates myself."
The tension in the room dissipated instantly, replaced by a strange, grim relief.
"Very well," Ross said. "You cannot revoke that vow, Rio. Now, candidates for the vacant seats? Eirene?"
"I recommend Draven and Zythera," Eirene said.
The room filled with whispers of approval. "Draven is a tactical genius," one whispered. "Zythera's strength is undisputed."
"Any objections?" Ross asked. "Or shall we—"
"I recommend Ignis," Rio said, his voice cutting through the consensus.
"Ignis? The researcher?" a man asked, skeptical.
"She is the primary reason Foster controls the sectors it does," Rio said. "Her intellect is a weapon we haven't fully drawn."
"Ignis is a logical choice," Eirene supported.
Ross checked his watch. "For now, we proceed with Draven and Zythera. Ignis has critical work in the labs that cannot be interrupted. Meeting adjourned."
Rio vanished from the room the moment the dismissal was uttered.
Moments later, he stood on the rooftop of the Foster spire. The night air was jagged and cold, the wind howling against the glass.
"Wulkranoth is moving," Rio whispered to the wind. "Or perhaps he has already finished."
With a flick of his wrist, several holographic screens shimmered into existence before him, illuminating his face in pale blue light. One showed Kevin asleep; another showed Ron walking home, oblivious; a third showed Future Lia writing feverishly. He scrolled past Rocky training in a time chamber and Locki in a hospital bed, finally pausing on a feed of a police car. Inside, a man sat in the shadows, a red ring glowing ominously on his finger.
Rio swiped again, opening a feed of Jake Jacobs obsessing over a magnifying glass.
"You truly have no idea what you're holding, do you?" Rio sighed. He didn't turn around as he spoke to the shadows behind him. "Isn't that right, Mr. Ezekiel? The 'Calamity' trained by Wulkranoth himself."
A man in a long blue coat stepped into the light, leaning on a cane. A newsboy cap shadowed his face, but his glowing purple eyes pierced the dark.
"Listen closely, Rio," Ezekiel said, his voice like grinding stones. "Do not interfere with our missions."
"And if I do?" Rio asked, finally turning his head slightly.
"Then you die."
Rio let out a soft, dry chuckle. "The ten of you combined couldn't leave a scratch on my coat. Stay out of my business, boy."
Ezekiel lunged, his cane transforming into a gleaming silver blade held at Rio's throat. "Say one more word and I will bring your head to my master."
"You should worry less about my head and more about the mess you've made," Rio said, unfazed by the blade.
"What are you talking about?"
"Infinite Light," Rio said. "The conceptual dimension. It was destroyed recently. You and your nine brothers better get to work before the fallout reaches this world."
Ezekiel's grip tightened, his eyes flashing. He took a sharp breath, his form beginning to flicker. "I will be the one to end you, Rio. Remember that."
Then, he vanished into the wind. Rio turned back to the city lights, his expression unreadable.