That night, Hugo, Gina, and Camille were discharged after a twenty-hour stay. The others were released the next day. And that evening, the entire Zeta Squad gathered at the Zeta Point…
"Now, can you guys tell me what's this about?" Hugo asked as he sat down cross-legged.
The squad looked around. Neil kept staring into his lap. Ella finally responded. "We just wanted to talk…"
"About?"
Again, no one answered.
Hugo let out half a chuckle saying, "Will someone answer or should we just go to Yannick's place?"
"No," Neil said and leaned back. He looked away and then at Hugo momentarily. Dropping his head once more, he said, "How did he do it?"
"How did who do what?"
"Goddammit, Hugo!" The young Zaatsu punched his own knee, leaned ahead, and looked at his captain. "Vincent! How did he escape? How did he get out of the Ki limiting braces?"
With a smile, Hugo looked at Gina who quickly looked away. "You told 'em, huh?"
"So, you were planning on not telling us at all… nice!" Neil was smiling as well. Wide-eyed, he stared as Hugo kept shaking his head slowly.
After scratching his head for several moments, the captain finally said, "Now, I don't know what version has reached you so… I guess it's better to just tell you everything." He shrugged. "I mean you guys are good enough. You must've figured it out already."
A brisk wind blew across the clearing. It was a chilly night. The entire team had worn jackets or sweaters along with their mufflers and robes. The sky was clear with bright stars accompanying a near full moon. Hugo looked up.
"Replacement Elemental Cloning," he slowly said, then sighed. Shifting his gaze back to the squad, he continued. "The technique creates an elemental clone. His must have been clay… water and earth… most probably. Ki flows within the elements manipulating the natural channels within. Once a body is formed using the element, a part of the soul itself is transferred into it and the body takes the shape of the host."
Hugo chuckled. "I'm not sure about the detailed science of it, but it's a risky procedure – tearing apart a portion of your soul to install into a clone… I don't know any Magicist that could accomplish that without damaging their own life force permanently."
Camille looked around, saying, "Maybe that's what he did…"
"Mm, not likely." The Zaatsu shook his head once. "He sacrificed the rest of his soul. The body you examined was indeed a dead one. His Ki, his soul had already been transferred."
With a smile, he looked at Camille and said, "Thank God I took that mind sciences course at the academy or I wouldn't have figured the trick out."
While everyone looked around confused, Hugo nodded. "This is just a theory though," he said. "Way too complicated… can't say with absolute certainty how he pulled it off…"
"But he had no Ki left," Gina said as she too leaned in. "He was using some form of wizardry to fight the Cultists. At least, that's what I could get before I blacked out."
"Yup. A technique like that uses a sizable amount of Ki. And he didn't have any left…"
Neil shook his head saying, "Elephant in the room, Hugo."
"What do you mean?" asked Gina.
"Don't you see? He was being assisted by the damned wizards themselves! He was always working with them! It makes perfect sense and in fact, it is fucking obvious!"
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Hugo responded, calmly.
"But Master," Gina leaned back, looking at her captain. "Do you have another explanation?"
A warm and steady voice came from behind the tree – "The clearest answer is usually the farthest from the truth."
The words weren't loud, yet the argument thinned at once, as if the voice itself had smoothed the air. Erina stepped out of the shade, once again wearing her ivory dress. She slowly walked up and gracefully sat herself kneeling next to Hugo. It took a few moments, but eventually everyone recognized her.
"What about Faris?" asked Hugo.
She nodded. "The Master Mystic will arrive shortly."
Neil pointed at the Seredum and said, "This doesn't concern you, you know…"
"All I am saying, Master Baylis, is that we felt no ill intentions within the bounty hunter. He was helping you honestly and was just as taken aback by it all as you."
The young Zaatsu snapped, "You don't know jack-shit!"
A vortex-like portal opened behind the squad, and out walked Faris, clad in a black denim jacket and jeans, and hair let down. "Calm down, Neil," he said.
The Mystic walked slowly, still recovering. Although his Ki networks had been repaired inside the Aquarae, he was still weak and was not going to be at full strength for another couple of days.
"How can we calm down, Master?" Gina asked. "That White Bolt was the one stealing remnants, he stole Dark Arts scriptures too, and he murdered our own people. We captured him and trusted him for literally no reason at all! And what did he give us in return? Just a bunch of dead ends!"
"Absolutely!" Neil added. "He gave us a way to find a dead Keeper and found the location where the remnants were fused. We never recovered anything, Hugo! Nothing!"
"He gave us Derek's name," Gina continued nodding at Neil. "He found him and look at where that has gotten us!"
Faris circled the group, then sat between Hugo and Camille and lit a cigarette. "Where?" he said.
Neil leaned ahead saying, "Beg your pardon?"
"You were asking where it got us. Well, where did it get us?"
All parties fell silent. A lone, dry leaf rode the breeze and came and dropped in front of Faris. He picked it up, placed it in his palm, and crushed it. When he opened his hand again, the crushed pieces flew away again with the wind.
"To what end did he do all of it?" he asked, looking at the pieces of that dry leaf. "He got you trapped in a grossly mismatched battle and yet protected you and saved you. He unearthed secrets for you… secrets that the Eye would've taken months to get to… why? Hmm?" He looked at the Zeta Squad. "Anyone? Where are we because of him? Who is he? Why did he do it? Can anyone give me an answer?"
When he got no reply, he smiled and looked at Neil. "Use your head, of course – but never before calming yourself down."
The calmer voices had settled the younger, fiery ones down. However, an unquenched restlessness remained in them. They got up and left with uneasiness in their expressions, postures, and whispers.
Hugo rested his head on the tree trunk while Faris stood up. Looking at the squad leaving, he asked, "Hey Hugo, where're they going?"
"To Yannick's."
"Really?" He looked over. "Do they know who he is?"
With closed eyes, the Zaatsu sighed. "I sure as hell hope not…"
After a pause, Hugo shook his head and added, "What am I gonna do with these kids?"
"Give them time," Erina said. "They're young and restless. They feel betrayed."
Faris scoffed. "I wonder what they'll do when they actually get betrayed."
For a moment, none of them spoke. Hugo leaned against the tree, Faris stood beside him with smoke curling from his cigarette, and Erina sat calm and ivory-clad in the moonlight. Three different authorities. Three different loyalties. And, perhaps, three different reasons for the Regal Palace to worry.
Glancing at the group walking towards the café, he further said, "But I would ask you to be careful, old friend."
Hugo finally opened his eyes and looked at him. Faris too looked over and said, "Our eyes and ears inside are picking up unusual chatter about 'em."
"Such as?"
The Mystic looked away. "For one reason or another, the high-ups have a vested interest in your group…"