The rest of the day never truly settled after that.
Everything looked normal on the surface.
Classes continued. Lecturers complained about unfinished projects. Students argued over presentation slides and graduation gowns while campus life moved forward like nothing dangerous existed beneath it.
But for Neo, nothing felt normal anymore.
Not after seeing them.
Not after hearing Seraphine's voice so close to his ear.
Not after realizing D'uther's people had entered his space so easily.
By the time he and Aiden entered their lecture hall, Neo's body had already gone back into survival mode without him even noticing.
His eyes checked the room first before anything else.
Doors.Windows.People.
Movement.
Possible blind spots.
Aiden noticed every single thing.
Again.
The problem was Neo did all of it unconsciously now.
Like breathing. Like instinct.
They settled into their seats near the middle of the hall while students slowly filled the room around them noisily.
Aiden dropped into the chair beside him dramatically. "If this lecturer starts talking about final presentations again, I might actually pass away."
Neo barely reacted, his attention drifting toward the back rows instead.
Aiden followed his gaze immediately.
Rhael.
Of course.
The silver-haired menace sat carelessly across the back seat spinning a pen lazily between his fingers while two girls beside him laughed at something he said.
The bastard looked perfectly relaxed.
Like he genuinely belonged there.
And somehow, that made him creepier.
Aiden narrowed his eyes. "I still stand by what I said earlier."
Neo hummed absentmindedly.
"Nobody that attractive is trustworthy."
That finally pulled the tiniest snort out of Neo.
"There's something deeply wrong with you."
"Thank you."
Neo shook his head slightly before his gaze shifted again.
And immediately stiffened, Diabla sat several rows ahead now.
Alone. Elegant posture.
Notebook open.
Listening quietly to the lecturer walking into the hall.
If someone didn't know better, they would think she was just another student.
But Neo knew better now.
The girl didn't observe people casually.
She studied them.
And the worst part?
Every few minutes he caught her glancing back slightly.
Not enough to seem obvious.
Just enough to remind him she knew he was there too.
Aiden leaned closer slightly. "They're spreading out."
Neo nodded once slowly.
"They're mapping."
Aiden's playful mood faded a little at that.
Because he knew Neo was probably right.
People trained the way they were didn't enter environments blindly. They learned routines first. Weaknesses. Timing. Emotional reactions.
The realization sat heavily in both their chests now.
The lecture started soon after.
Unfortunately for Neo, he retained absolutely none of it.
His mind remained elsewhere entirely.
Back at the mansion.
Back to D'uther's voice.
Back to that room filled with unfamiliar faces and calm threats.
The lecturer's voice blurred into meaningless background noise while Neo's fingers tapped unconsciously against his notebook.
Fast.
Restless.
Aiden noticed that too.
"You're spiraling again," he whispered quietly.
Neo exhaled slowly through his nose. "I'm trying not to."
"Well try harder because your leg has been bouncing like it pays rent."
Neo immediately stopped moving.
Aiden sighed internally.
Yeah.
This was bad.
Because Neo only became this hyperaware when he felt trapped mentally.
And Aiden understood the feeling far too well himself.
The lecture dragged on painfully until eventually students were allowed into group discussions for their upcoming final projects.
Immediately noise exploded across the hall.
Chairs moved. People gathered.
Voices overlapped loudly.
Neo rubbed his temples tiredly before standing from his seat. "I need coffee."
"I need graduation."
"You need therapy."
"That too."
Aiden started following him out when suddenly, someone slid smoothly into Neo's seat.
Rhael.
"Damn," he sighed dramatically while stretching his arms out. "You people really do look stressed twenty-four seven."
Neo stared at him flatly.
Aiden however crossed his arms immediately. "Do you enjoy being irritating?"
"Immensely."
Rhael grinned brightly afterward.
Honestly?
The guy was exhausting.
Neo turned slightly. "Move."
"Such hostility." Rhael placed a hand against his chest dramatically. "And here I was trying to build friendships."
"We already have friends."
"Ouch."
Despite the joking tone, Neo noticed something else beneath it now.
Rhael observed reactions constantly.
Every expression. Every pause.
Every shift in breathing.
The realization made Neo more guarded immediately.
Rhael noticed that too.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then suddenly, his smile faded slightly.
Not completely.
Just enough.
"You know," he said casually while spinning the pen between his fingers again, "pa'pa talks about you two a lot."
Neo's stomach tightened instantly.
Aiden's expression cooled immediately too.
Rhael noticed both reactions and hummed softly.
"There it is."
Neo's jaw tightened. "What do you want?"
Rhael tilted his head slightly.
"Honestly?"
For the first time since meeting him, his expression became serious.
"I wanted to see if you actually remembered us."
Neo frowned slightly.
"What?"
A quiet chuckle left Rhael.
"You'd be surprised how many people break so badly they start forgetting parts of their training."
That sentence hit wrong immediately.
Too wrong.
Because it confirmed something Neo had been trying not to think about.
These people knew exactly what D'uther had done to them as children.
Maybe they had even experienced it themselves.
Aiden's voice lowered slightly. "How long have you all been with him?"
Rhael looked toward him briefly before smiling faintly again.
"Long enough."
Not an answer.
Definitely intentional.
Before either Neo or Aiden could press further, Diabla suddenly approached quietly from nearby.
"Rhael."
He looked up lazily. "Hmm?"
"You're talking too much again."
"I'm bonding."
"You're provoking."
"Same thing."
Diabla ignored him before her eyes shifted toward Neo once more.
"You should be careful."
Neo frowned slightly. "About what?"
Her gaze remained steady.
"About believing this place is safe."
That statement settled heavily between them.
Then, before Neo could respond,
someone else spoke behind them.
"Excuse me."
All four turned slightly.
A girl stood there nervously clutching books against her chest while staring mostly at Neo.
"Oh my God," Aiden whispered under his breath immediately. "Another one."
Neo looked tired already.
The girl swallowed nervously. "Neo… right?"
He nodded once politely.
She smiled shyly afterward. "I just wanted to ask if you maybe wanted to join our graduation dinner next week."
Aiden immediately looked away trying not to laugh.
Neo however looked deeply uncomfortable.
Rhael watched the interaction with open amusement.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Neo rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'll think about it."
The girl brightened instantly. "Really?"
"Probably not," Aiden interrupted helpfully.
Neo elbowed him immediately.
The girl laughed nervously before quickly walking away afterward.
The moment she disappeared, Rhael burst out laughing.
"Oh my God," he wheezed. "You looked terrified."
Neo glared at him.
Aiden pointed dramatically. "Exactly what I keep saying."
Diabla however remained quiet.
Watching. Thinking.
Then finally she spoke softly.
"You still act too human."
The entire atmosphere shifted instantly.
Neo's expression hardened slightly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Seraphine held his gaze calmly.
"It means you still let yourself care about ordinary things."
Aiden frowned immediately. "And that's bad?"
For the first time, something unreadable crossed Diabla's face.
Not mockery. Not judgment, just Something quieter.
"Eventually," she said softly, "people like us lose that ability."
Silence settled briefly after that.
Even Rhael stopped joking.
Because suddenly, for the first time that throughout the whole day
Neo didn't see enemies standing in front of him.
He saw people shaped by the exact same monster that shaped him and Aiden once upon a time.
And somehow, that realization felt worse.The entire atmosphere shifted after Diabla's words.
"You still act too human."
Neo stayed quiet for a while after that, his eyes lowering slightly toward the desk beside him while noise from the lecture hall continued around them. Students laughed nearby, chairs dragged against the floor, people argued over assignments and deadlines, yet somehow the little corner the four of them occupied felt disconnected from all of it.
Like they existed in an entirely different world from everyone else inside the room.
Aiden noticed the subtle change in Neo immediately.
The silence wasn't defensive.
It wasn't fear either.
It felt heavier.
Rhael leaned back lazily against the desk behind him, studying Neo carefully now instead of joking around like before. Even Diabla remained unusually still, her calm eyes fixed quietly on him as though waiting for something.
Then finally, Neo spoke.
"You say that like it's a weakness."
His voice wasn't sharp.
Wasn't angry.
If anything, it sounded tired.
Diabla didn't answer immediately.
Neo slowly lifted his gaze toward her. "Caring about ordinary things doesn't make somebody weak."
Rhael's playful expression faded slightly.
Neo continued quietly, "You know what actually makes people weak?"
The way he said it made all three of them focus properly now.
"Pretending trauma turns you into something stronger."
Silence.
Not awkward silence.
The kind that forces people to listen.
Neo exhaled softly before leaning back into his chair. "People romanticize survival too much." A small humorless laugh left him. "Like if you survive terrible things then suddenly you become untouchable or dangerous or special."
His eyes shifted between them slowly.
"But trauma isn't beautiful."
That hit something immediately.
Rhael stopped smiling completely now.
Neo continued before anyone could interrupt him. "There's nothing fun about waking up from nightmares and forgetting where you are for the first five seconds because your body still thinks you're trapped somewhere else." His fingers curled lightly against the table unconsciously. "There's nothing cool about learning how to read danger before you even learn how to relax."
Aiden stayed quiet beside him.
Because he knew.
God, he knew.
Neo looked toward Diabla again. "You said people like us eventually stop caring about ordinary things."
His expression softened slightly after that.
"But I think that's the saddest thing I've ever heard."
Something unreadable flickered across Diabla's face.
Small, but Fast, it was almost invisible.
But it was there.
Neo noticed.
"You know what I used to want when I was younger?" Neo asked quietly. "Not power. Not revenge. Not training." His lips twitched slightly. "I just wanted one normal week."
That one sentence settled into the group heavily.
Because none of them laughed.
None of them mocked him.
Because deep down, they understood it too well.
Neo looked down briefly before speaking again, softer this time. "People think surviving something painful means you conquered it." He shook his head slowly. "Most times you're just learning how to carry it without collapsing in public."
Rhael swallowed once quietly.
That sentence landed harder than he expected.
Neo's gaze moved toward him now. "You joke a lot."
Rhael blinked slightly at suddenly being addressed directly.
Neo tilted his head slightly. "That usually means somebody had to grow up too fast."
Rhael stared at him for a few seconds.
Then laughed softly under his breath.
Not his usual dramatic laugh.
This one sounded quieter.
Realer.
"…Damn," he muttered. "You always psychoanalyze strangers like this?"
Aiden immediately answered for him.
"Yes. It's very annoying."
Neo elbowed him lightly without looking away from Rhael. "You don't have to become emotionless just because somebody hurt you."
That one hit all of them this time.
Even Diabla looked away briefly.
Neo noticed the movement too.
And suddenly, something inside him shifted.
Because for the first time since meeting them, he stopped seeing enemies standing in front of him.
He saw people. Damaged people.
People who probably went through the same training rooms, the same punishments, the same manipulation, the same endless pressure to become useful instead of human.
And somehow, that realization hurt.
Aiden finally leaned back into his chair with a quieter expression now. "D'uther trained all of you too, didn't he?"
Nobody answered immediately.
But honestly?
They didn't need to.
The silence itself was answer enough.
Neo rubbed slowly at the back of his neck before sighing softly. "Then you should understand this better than anybody." His eyes met theirs again. "Being hurt doesn't mean you have to keep hurting yourself afterward."
Diabla's fingers tightened slightly around her notebook.
Tiny movement, very easy to miss.
Neo didn't miss it.
"You can still have normal things," he said quietly. "Friends. People you care about. Stupid conversations. Peace. You're allowed to want those things."
Rhael looked away first after hearing that.
Not because he disagreed.
Because he didn't know how to respond.
For a moment nobody spoke again.
The tension from earlier had changed now.
Not gone.
Just… different.
Softer around the edges.
Then finally Rhael sighed dramatically while rubbing his face.
"Well this is uncomfortable."
Aiden snorted instantly.
"There he is."
Rhael pointed toward Neo accusingly. "You weren't supposed to get emotional and self-aware on the first week. That's illegal."
Neo laughed softly for the first time since the conversation started.
A genuine laugh.
Small. But real.
And strangely, that affected Diabla more than anything else had.
Because she realized something terrifying in that moment.
Neo still knew how to heal.
Despite everything.Despite D'uther.
Despite the past. Despite the damage.
He still reached toward softness naturally instead of destruction.
And people like them, people raised the way they were, usually lost that ability years ago.
Diabla lowered her eyes slightly.
"…You sound like somebody trying to save people."
Neo shook his head gently.
"No," he said honestly. "I sound like somebody who knows what it feels like when nobody does."
That one finally broke through completely.
The silence afterward wasn't tense anymore.
It was grieving. Quiet grieving.
The kind shared only between people who understood each other's pain without needing details.
Then suddenly, Aiden clapped his hands once loudly.
"Alright enough emotional growth for one day before I start crying in public and ruin my reputation."
Rhael burst out laughing immediately.
Even Neo smiled again.
And after a few seconds, very small and very brief, diabla smiled too.The conversation eventually died down after that.
Not awkwardly. Not forcefully.
It simply reached a point where nobody knew what else to say without revealing too much of themselves.
The lecturer returned not long after, forcing students back into place while the hall slowly settled once more into academic noise and unfinished assignments.
Rhael stretched lazily before standing from Neo's desk. "Well," he sighed dramatically, "that was emotionally exhausting."
Aiden rolled his eyes instantly. "You contributed absolutely nothing useful."
"I contributed beauty and charisma."
"You contributed stress."
"Same thing."
Neo shook his head softly while gathering his books. For a brief second his eyes met Diabla's again and this time the tension between them had changed slightly.
Still dangerous. Still careful.
But no longer entirely hostile.
Then eventually everyone separated.
Rhael shoved his hands into his pockets while walking out of the lecture hall beside Diabla, students moving around them loudly as afternoon sunlight spilled through the large university windows.
Neither spoke at first.
Their expressions had completely changed now that Neo and Aiden were no longer around.
The softness was gone.The slight openness too.
What remained was something calmer.
Sharper.
Rhael's smile faded slowly as they continued down the hallway. "He talks too much."
Diabla glanced at him briefly. "And yet you listened."
Rhael scoffed quietly.
"Please." He adjusted one of the rings on his fingers lazily. "I'm not about to start crying because some pretty boy gave a motivational speech."
Seraphine stayed quiet.
Because despite his words, she knew he listened to every single thing Neo said.
Rhael noticed the silence and smirked slightly. "Don't tell me you're affected too."
Diabla's heels clicked softly against the floor as they walked.
"He's different from what pa'pa described."
That answer alone said enough.
Rhael hummed lowly in agreement.
Because yes, Neo was different.
D'uther described him as emotionally unstable. Fragile. Still trapped by his past.
But the boy they just spoke to?
That wasn't weakness.
That was somebody actively fighting against becoming cruel.
And honestly, people like that were much harder to break.
Rhael tilted his head slightly while staring ahead. "He still has softness left in him."
Diabla finally spoke again, voice calm and detached. "That softness will get him killed eventually."
Rhael glanced sideways toward her.
"You really believe that?" "Yes."
No hesitation. No uncertainty.
Just certainty.
And she meant it, Because Diabla had learned something important a very long time ago.
The world D'uther created had no space for softness.
Mercy slowed you down.
Attachment made you vulnerable.
Empathy made hesitation possible.
And hesitation got people buried.
She had watched it happen too many times already.
Rhael suddenly laughed softly under his breath.
"You know," he muttered, "if anybody else heard him talk earlier they'd think pa'pa was some kind of monster."
Diabla's expression remained unreadable.
"He is."
That made Rhael's amusement fade slightly.
Because despite their loyalty, despite everything, none of them were delusional about D'uther.
They knew exactly what he was.
What he did.
What he turned children into.
The difference was that they accepted it.
Rhael leaned lazily against the hallway railing afterward, watching students move across campus below them. "Still," he said quietly, "I don't regret anything."
Diabla looked toward him now.
And for the first time since their journey started, the mask slipped slightly from his expression.
Not enough to make him look weak.
Just honest.
"People always talk about freedom like it magically fixes everything," he murmured. "But pa'pa gave us purpose before he gave us pain."
Diabla stayed silent.
Because that was the truth none of them ever denied.
D'uther didn't just break people.
He rebuilt them too.
Dangerously.Violently. But effectively.
Before him, they had been abandoned things. Disposable things. Children the world would've swallowed whole without blinking twice.
D'uther found them first.
Fed them.
Trained them.
Turned them into weapons.
And somewhere along the line, that became loyalty.
Twisted loyalty perhaps, but loyalty nonetheless.
Diabla's voice lowered slightly. "Neo still thinks survival and healing can exist together."
Rhael smiled faintly.
"Cute idea." "You disagree?"
Rhael looked back toward the crowded campus below. "I think healing is a privilege people like us can't afford."
The answer came too naturally.
Too genuinely.
And that alone revealed how deeply rooted D'uther's influence truly was inside them.
For a moment neither spoke again.
Then footsteps approached quietly from behind.
Another figure appeared beside them.
Silas
Tall. Calm.
Book still tucked beneath his arm like always.
His sharp eyes moved briefly between both of them before he spoke.
"You spent longer with them than expected."
Rhael groaned dramatically. "Neo started emotionally educating us."
Silas blinked once slowly.
"…What?"
Diabla answered calmly. "He believes trauma should not define people."
Silence.
Then unexpectedly, Silas laughed.
Not loudly.
But genuinely amused.
"That's dangerous thinking."
Rhael pointed immediately. "See? Finally somebody reasonable."
Silas ignored him completely while looking out across the campus. "People like us survive because we adapted correctly. Neo survived because someone protected his humanity before it disappeared completely."
Diabla's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Lucas."
"Yes."
That single word settled heavily between them.
Because suddenly, everything made more sense.
Neo still knew softness because somebody allowed him to keep it.
Someone gave him space to remain human after D'uther.
Someone rebuilt him differently.
Rhael exhaled slowly through his nose. "That man is becoming more annoying by the day."
But even he couldn't deny it anymore.
Lucas was changing Neo.
And perhaps worse, neo was beginning to change people around him too.
Diabla finally pushed herself off the railing slightly. "None of that changes the mission."
Immediately the atmosphere sharpened again.
Cold. Focused.
Rhael's playful demeanor settled back into place naturally while Silas adjusted his sleeves calmly.
Mission first.
Always.
No matter what emotions existed underneath.
"We observe," Diabla continued quietly. "We learn the Familia's patterns. We report back to pa'pa."
"And if Neo becomes attached to us?" Rhael asked lazily.
Diabla's eyes darkened slightly.
"Then he becomes easier to control."
No hesitation.No sympathy.
Because despite everything Neo said earlier
they were still D'uther's children too.
And unlike Neo, they had already accepted exactly what that meant.
By the time Neo and Aiden were picked up from campus, the atmosphere inside the black vehicle already felt different from the cheerful noise they usually carried after school.
Not tense exactly.Focused.
The moment the doors shut behind them, Aiden immediately dropped his head back dramatically against the seat and groaned.
"Well," he announced to the ceiling of the car, "that was psychologically exhausting."
Neo snorted softly beside him while loosening his tie slightly. "You're the one that kept talking."
"Because somebody had to maintain the group morale."
"You mean annoy everybody."
"Same thing."
The guard driving them remained silent the entire time, eyes fixed ahead while the heavily tinted windows blocked the outside world almost completely.
Neo's relaxed posture slowly shifted after a few moments though.
The smile faded first.
Then the softness.
Then finally, his shoulders straightened completely.
Aiden noticed instantly and pointed accusingly. "See? This right here is terrifying."
Neo looked toward him flatly. "What?"
"That." Aiden gestured wildly at his face. "The switch. One minute you're giving emotional speeches like a traumatized motivational speaker and the next you suddenly look like you calculate tax fraud for fun."
Neo rolled his eyes despite the faint smile threatening his lips.
"I wasn't acting the whole time."
"Oh no, parts of it were definitely real," Aiden admitted immediately. "But the whole fragile mentally collapsing thing?" He pointed dramatically again. "Academy award performance honestly."
That finally made Neo laugh properly.
A real laugh.
Relaxed. Unburdened.
The difference from earlier was almost frightening.
Because the Neo sitting in the car now looked nothing like the boy Diabla and Rhael spent the afternoon carefully analyzing.
This Neo looked alert.
Sharp.Stable.
Still affected emotionally, yes.
But far from broken.
Neo leaned back against the leather seat afterward while rubbing slowly at his jaw. "Did you see their reactions though?"
Aiden immediately grinned. "Especially the girl. Seraphine looked like she wanted to disagree with you and adopt you at the same time."
Neo snorted quietly.
"That wasn't the point."
"I know." Aiden's expression softened slightly now. "You were trying to make them lower their guard emotionally."
Neo nodded once slowly.
"D'uther trained them to believe emotional detachment equals strength. If we challenge that belief directly, they'll either pull away…" He paused briefly. "Or start questioning things internally."
"And questioning people become unpredictable."
Neo looked toward him approvingly. "Exactly."
Aiden stared at him for two whole seconds afterward before sighing dramatically.
"You're actually scary when you do that smart strategic thing."
"You literally grew up with me."
"And somehow I'm still shocked."
The car ride continued quietly after that until eventually the large gates of the estate opened smoothly before them.
The mansion stood tall against the late afternoon sky, guards already moving around the property with increased alertness compared to usual.
Neo noticed immediately.
Security rotation changed.
More men stationed near entrances.
Different surveillance positioning.
Lucas had already started moving pieces around.
The car rolled into the underground garage before stopping completely.
The moment both boys stepped out, they immediately noticed the atmosphere downstairs.
Cold. Efficient.
Dangerously organized.
Several guards moved around carrying dismantled electronics into large metal containers while others scanned devices carefully before smashing them apart without hesitation.
Phones.
Hard drives.
Communication systems.
Even vehicles.
Neo watched quietly as one of the guards poured gasoline over Maggie's previous car before another lit it ablaze without blinking.
The fire reflected sharply across the underground walls.
Aiden whistled softly. "Damn. Dramatic."
"Necessary," a voice answered calmly from nearby.
Lucas.
Both boys turned immediately.
He stood several feet away near one of the long tables, sleeves rolled slightly upward while gloves covered his hands. Beside him rested multiple dismantled tracking devices and surveillance bugs carefully arranged in rows.
Kellan stood nearby speaking quietly with Matteo while Elijah monitored camera feeds from several screens at once.
The entire Familia looked active.
Prepared.
Lucas' eyes moved over both Neo and Aiden carefully the moment they approached.
Checking. Assessing.
Neo noticed it immediately.
"We're fine," he said before Lucas could ask.
Lucas hummed once softly.
"You're late."
Aiden gasped dramatically. "Wow. We survived psychological warfare and this is the welcome we get?"
"You're still late."
"That's actually insane."
Kellan snorted quietly from nearby.
Neo stepped closer toward the table while removing his gloves slowly. "We saw two of them."
That got everyone's attention immediately.
Lucas' expression remained calm though.
"Which ones?"
"Rhael and Seraphine," Neo answered. "At campus."
Elijah cursed quietly under his breath.
Matteo straightened immediately. "Already?"
"They approached us openly," Aiden added while leaning lazily against the table. "No direct threats. Mostly observation and psychological testing."
Lucas looked toward Neo afterward.
"And?"
Neo understood the question immediately.
How much did they learn?
He shrugged slightly. "Enough to stay interested. Not enough to understand the entire picture."
Lucas studied him carefully for another second before nodding once.
Good.
Aiden however suddenly burst into laughter again.
Kellan frowned slightly. "What's funny?"
Aiden pointed directly at Neo with zero shame.
"This psychopath emotionally manipulated them."
Neo looked offended instantly. "I did not."
"You literally gave them trauma therapy during lunch break."
Elijah blinked once slowly. "What?"
Aiden immediately launched into dramatic storytelling mode. "No because listen this man sat there talking about emotional healing and softness and humanity while looking like a divorced poet under sunlight."
Neo buried his face briefly into one hand.
Matteo burst out laughing immediately.
Even Kellan looked amused now.
Lucas however stayed quiet.
Watching Neo carefully.
Aiden kept going shamelessly. "And the worst part? They actually listened. Like genuinely listened. I almost started healing too."
Neo pointed toward him flatly. "You're never speaking again."
"No seriously," Aiden continued while wiping fake tears from his eyes. "Neo deserves an acting career because if I didn't already know him personally, I would've believed every ounce of that emotionally fragile performance."
Lucas finally spoke then.
"It wasn't entirely a performance."
The room quieted slightly after that.
Neo's fingers paused briefly against the table.
Lucas' gaze stayed on him.
"Using truth inside manipulation is what makes it believable."
Aiden's smile faded slightly afterward.
Because yes.
That part was true.
Neo had meant those words earlier.
Every single one.
That was what made the act dangerous.
Lucas slowly removed his gloves afterward before tossing them aside casually.
"Still," he said calmly, "good work."
Neo blinked slightly.
Praise from Lucas always felt strangely rare despite how often he earned it.
Aiden immediately clutched his chest dramatically. "And what about me?"
"You talked too much."
"That's discrimination."
Kellan finally laughed properly this time.
The tension in the room loosened slightly afterward while guards continued destroying devices nearby.
Neo watched the flames from Maggie's burned vehicle carefully before speaking again.
"So what now?"
Lucas' expression shifted instantly.
Back to business.
"Now," he said calmly, "we make the Familia look dangerous enough that D'uther starts questioning whether approaching us this directly was actually a smart decision."
Something cold settled behind his eyes then.
The same terrifying calmness Neo had started recognizing lately.
Lucas looked at Ethan "call cealan we have to discuss something" this definitely cut everyone off guard but Ethan acted cool and brushed it quick "okay I will" he said quickly leaving them before any further questions we're thrown at him.
Lucas turned toward the screens nearby displaying different surveillance footage from around the city.
"He wanted psychological warfare." Lucas' voice remained smooth and steady. "Fine."
A very faint smile appeared afterward.
"We'll give him a war so exhausting that he won't know which side is manipulating the other anymore."