Two weeks later, Aiden sat on a throne inside a new palace built by the Scholars of the Archive. Within that palace were the two golden cubes that had been taken from Murphy and Yossan before the tournament began. The palace itself had been prepared for whoever won the contest.
All week, Aiden had been coming there to move in his belongings. Loyal followers and a few servants joined him. One afternoon, while he was reading through documents, a servant came forward and said:
"My lord, someone has come to see you."
"Who is it?"
"It's Klaus. He says he wants to meet you in private."
"Good. Take me to him."
The servant led Aiden to a quiet corner of the palace garden, where Klaus was waiting.
When the two men saw each other, they walked closer, shook hands and exchanged greetings.
Klaus : " Do you like it here?"
Aiden : " Yes, it's beautiful, though I'm still more used to my own palace."
"I see. Well, I came to check on you… and to ask you about something."
Aiden gave a short laugh. "I think I know what you'll ask."
"Really? Then say it."
"You want to know about Yossan—whether he's working with me or not."
"Exactly. How is that going?"
"We've made a list of certain people and we've already filled some of the empty slots with them."
"So, he's cooperating with you then?"
"Not fully. Sometimes he's late, other times he disappears claiming urgent business."
They fell silent for a moment before Klaus added:
"You should be careful, Aiden. Murphy has escaped from prison."
"What?!"
"Yes. He broke out just the day before yesterday. That's why I came to warn you."
"Do you think Yossan had a hand in it?"
"There's a strong chance. But I have no proof."
"Damn it."
"Like I told you before—be careful. Things don't feel right."
"Alright."
Klaus and the Scholars had placed Murphy in prison, awaiting trial for the murder of Lillian Taylor, along with Yossan.
Yossan, however was still being used to help Aiden finish filling the remaining "slots" before they would try him. But Murphy's escape convinced Klaus that something bigger was happening behind the scenes. His suspicions only deepened after speaking with Aiden.
Later, Aiden told Melvin about the matter. Melvin frowned and said:
"Honestly, locking Murphy up while waiting for your work to be done was foolish. He's too strong—of course he would escape no matter how tightly they tried to hold him."
"The Scholars had no other choice. Time is short and Yossan must help me finish filling the empty slots."
"I know. They wanted to try them both together. But now the trial will be delayed and look what happened."
Aiden put his hand to his face and sighed in frustration.
"Just what we needed."
"Leader , shall I double the guards and tighten security in your palace?"
"No. That will only make our enemies suspect that we already know something."
"Perhaps they already suspect…"
"I said no. Instead, I'll give you specific instructions. Follow those."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, Yusako was searching for Klaus. A follower told him Klaus had gone out and would return in the evening. So Yusako waited by the facility gates.
Klaus arrived and saw him standing there
Yusaku : " I was waiting for you."
Klaus : "It's obvious , tell me—has our police found any trace of Murphy?"
" Unfortunately not. But they'll keep searching "
" Then let me ask you for a favor "
" What kind of favor ? "
" A special one. We'll need to speak privately about it "
" Alright "
They went inside the facility. Klaus listened to Yusako's secret request and after Yusako left, Klaus looked around.
Almost a month ago, this place had been alive with important matches. Now it was almost empty. Only a few Scholars of the Archive remained with him, helping manage urgent matters. The place had been meant for Yossan and Murphy's trial—but Murphy's escape ruined the plan.
Klaus now felt trapped in this empty facility, crushed by pressure, yet bound by duty. A servant's voice pulled him from his thoughts
"Sir, the meal you requested is ready."
"I'll eat soon. Thank you."
"It's my pleasure, sir."
She left and a few minutes later, Klaus followed to have his meal before returning to his work.
The next morning, at the old Kaos headquarters , Sonny , Clara and Salvador had breakfast there while exploring the place.
The day before, they had finished cleaning it, throwing out the belongings of those intruders who had occupied it and refilled it with their own supplies.
Sonny said cheerfully:
"Finally, we can sleep in our beloved base again, just like the old days—and even hold a barbecue!"
Salvador laughed. "I remember the last one we held. It was amazing."
Clara added, "Yes, but it'll be even better if everyone else joins us."
"Of course," Sonny agreed.
At the same time, Tristan, Jayden and Merrick were walking together after completing a mission. They had just destroyed an old base belonging to the National Division, who had been causing harm to the Moon Division. These rebels refused Aiden's rule and still supported Yossan.
Jayden shook his head. "Idiots. Their goal is to reach Kenai, isn't it? Then why complain about Aiden? He's been in power less than a month!"
Merrick replied, "Exactly. They're fools—and luckily, few in number."
"Still, their numbers could grow. We must stay alert."
Just then, Merrick's phone rang. It was Sonny.
"Good evening," Merrick answered.
"Merrick, do you and your friends have missions tonight?"
"No. We've already finished."
"Perfect. Then come with your friends. We're having a barbecue at the old base tonight."
"Sounds great."
Merrick told Tristan and Jayden and they immediately agreed. Luna and Yuna , William and Chris were also invited. Everyone brought meat, drinks and sweets. That night, they held the barbecue happily, then slept peacefully in their old rooms.
The next day, everyone returned to their duties. Luna and Yuna began training new recruits in weapon use and energy control. While Yuna was treating a wounded girl, the girl asked timidly
"Excuse me, Miss Yuna… is it true that you and Luna are the heirs of the legendary Tominako Reed?"
Yuna smiled. "Word does spread quickly, doesn't it?"
"So… it's true?"
"Yes. Luna and I inherited Tominako Reed's power. To be honest, we didn't even know it was his power until a very wise man told us."
"Who was that man?"
"Let's just say he was connected to someone who took care of us in our childhood. But keep this a secret."
"You can count on me."
Suddenly, Yuna's phone rang. It was Tia. She stepped aside and answered
"Good evening, Commander."
Tia's voice was urgent
"Yuna, come quickly—you and Luna. Something terrible has happened."
Yuna : "What is it?"
"Aiden has been kidnapped."
"What?!"
Yuna froze in shock. She quickly asked
"When did this happen? Where was he last seen?"
Tia interrupted "Come with Luna to the new palace. We'll explain there. And don't tell anyone you don't fully trust."
"Understood."
Yuna rushed to Luna and told her everything. Luna grabbed Yuna's hand and used instant teleportation several times until they reached the palace.
There, they found Tia along with Milo , Melvin , Jayden , Tristan and Merrick , Tia stepped forward and said to the twins
" I'm sorry for summoning you like this. But you must know. Yesterday, Aiden went to a nearby city to personally collect some of the people on the list—since Yossan had failed to appear once again. But when Aiden arrived, he found no followers waiting. Instead, something unexpected happened. Yossan and Murphy suddenly appeared, with the help of one of their men. They surrounded Aiden, captured him and took him away to an unknown place."
Yuna's face turned pale. "Where did they take him? What do they want?"
"We're not certain. But we suspect it's about the golden cubes—they might want to reclaim them."
"Then why not just steal them instead of kidnapping him?"
Melvin stepped in. "They can't. The cubes now belong officially to Aiden. Only he can grant permission to use them."
Luna frowned. "Permission?"
"Yes. The Scholars removed Yossan and Murphy's access. Only Aiden has control now."
"Damn them."
Tia said firmly, "Our forces are already searching for him."
Yuna asked, "Can we help?"
Melvin : "Yes , Come with me."