Wales, United Kingdom. Eagle faction hideout.
The eyes of the four-winged eagle began to glow.
Valerius looked up at the stone slab. The gem shone brighter, and green light spread throughout the room. Markus, who had been reviewing the latest reports, let the device drop onto the table.
"It's happening again," the entity said.
Valerius stepped closer.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"The Bearer has managed to integrate another part."
Markus and Valerius looked at each other at the same time.
"Are you certain?" Valerius asked.
"I can feel it. His consciousness is more complete, and he's looking for me!"
Valerius rested his hands on the edge of the table. Masumoto's latest information placed Haruki at the facility where they had secured the relic. They had waited a week for him to lead them to it.
"Masumoto is already on his way," he said. "He has the exact location."
"Then contact him. You must hurry and stop the Bearer."
Markus picked up the device again.
And activated the link to the team deployed in Japan.
"We must stop him now, before he gets the others."
"But don't expect him to be the same. You saw what happened in China."
Valerius remembered the condition Iara had been in when they brought her back.
"This time our men know who they're going to face."
"They know who they faced before," the entity replied. "We still don't know what he'll be capable of."
Markus stopped moving his fingers across the screen.
"Can you tell us what they should expect?"
"No. We are all independent and yet one. As long as we remain separated, we cannot know which is which, but when we come into contact, we will become a single entity."
"Then there's no more time to lose," Valerius said.
"That's why I'm telling you to hurry."
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation.
"What is it?" Valerius asked.
An agent asked for permission to enter.
"Come in," he replied.
The agent entered and stopped a few steps from the table.
"Sir, there's news from the infirmary. Iara is awake."
The gem shone brightly again upon hearing that Iara was conscious.
"Good. That puts me more at ease."
Valerius looked back at the eagle.
"Does her recovery allow you to remain here?"
"For the moment, I can still remain on this plane. She formed a bond with me. If she dies, I will fall dormant again."
The agent remained by the door, waiting for instructions.
"Let us know if anything changes," Markus ordered. "I'll go see her as soon as we're finished."
"Yes, sir."
Once the door had closed again, Markus activated the communication link.
The image took a moment to stabilize. Masumoto appeared, seated inside an aircraft. Behind him, several men could be seen securing their equipment.
"We're in transit," he reported. "What's happened?"
Valerius stepped in front of the screen.
"The Bearer has already used the relic."
Masumoto looked worried.
"My contact only confirmed the transport's arrival. He has no access to the containment rooms."
"We know. That information didn't come from him."
Masumoto fell silent.
Valerius glanced toward the gem before answering.
"You must stop him. If he leaves with the relic, we cannot allow him to return to the mansion."
"We still don't know how many men are guarding the facility."
"We're not ordering you to attack blindly," Markus interjected. "Check the access points and the escort. But prepare to intercept them."
"Haruki won't let him leave alone."
"Count on it," Valerius replied.
Masumoto looked toward one of his men and motioned for him to come closer.
"I'll report when we're in position. For now, we'll sever all ties so that if we fail, they won't be able to trace us back to you."
"Listen, Masumoto. Don't underestimate him."
Masumoto's expression changed.
"Understood."
The communication ended.
Markus set the device on the table. On the wall, the eagle's eyes were still glowing.
Japan. En route to Nagano.
Masumoto spent a few seconds staring at the dark screen.
"Is there a change of plans?" asked the man who had approached.
The agent gripped the back of a seat as the aircraft changed direction.
"Are we keeping the same landing point?"
Masumoto opened the map his infiltrator had sent. The facility was surrounded by forest. He enlarged the image, studied the landing platform, then traced the nearby elevations with his finger.
"For now, we'll only move closer to scout the terrain."
And he pointed to a spot.
The agent leaned in to look.
"We won't be able to see the platform from here."
"I know. We'll land here, send a group in on foot, and wait for them to report on the situation."
Masumoto handed him the device so he could relay the instructions to the pilot, who would pass them on to the other aircraft.
They had spent a week waiting. During that time, they had inspected their weapons, checked their equipment, and gone over their instructions. Now that they finally had a destination, the news from Valerius forced them to change part of their strategy.
"Listen," he said. "Haruki is at the facility, and the Bearer is with him. When we arrive, two men will scout the perimeter. The rest will stay with me until we confirm how we can approach."
One of the agents raised his hand.
"First, we need to know what their perimeter is like and tap into their surveillance system. We need to observe the platform without exposing them."
Masumoto sat down again. He had known the Minamoto protocols for years, but Haruki had already proved more cautious than they had thought.
His infiltrator had only managed to obtain the coordinates when the transport was already landing.
He checked the estimated arrival time.
"Can we get there sooner?" he asked the pilot over the communicator.
"We'd have to change our approach."
"No, stay on course."
He switched off the link. Arriving sooner would be pointless if the facility detected them.
Across from him, one of the men was checking his weapon for the second time. Another was inspecting the batteries for the surveillance equipment. Masumoto watched their preparations until the agent assigned to scout the terrain pointed to a spot on the map.
"We can approach from this side," he said, indicating a wooded area.
"Do it. Report as soon as you see the defenses. Don't advance any farther without my order."
"Understood."
The aircraft began to descend.
Masumoto looked out the window. The mountains now filled much of the view. Below, the forest stretched between the slopes, concealing the terrain they were heading toward.
The pilot announced their approach to the landing point.
The men finished securing their weapons. No one sat down again.
Masumoto put the map away and stood beside the hatch.
"Remember that Haruki is the new bearer of the Dragon mark, and the Bearer is with him."
He felt the vibration of the landing beneath his feet.
The hatch began to open, and cold air entered the cabin. The first two agents disembarked, and a small vehicle emerged from one of the other aircraft.
Masumoto gave a signal, and the two men headed into the trees. Then he instructed the others to unload the equipment.
Their wait was over.
Now they had to reach Noah before he left Nagano.