Chapter 57: (48.1) Extra Chapter 5 – Whispers from the Unknown

 Somewhere in a smoke filled traditional wooden room with bookcases all around and gold decorations shrewd about. Sits a smartly dressed man on an ornamental chair, with a dark blue suit, creamy white undercoat, loosely fitting blue pants and oxford shoes, not to mention the center piece blue tie.

 “You failed in your duties, shadow. The progenitor lives.” He declared in a calm tone of voice before standing up, demanding. “Explain yourselves!”

 Various figures present in the shadows twitched. From a shadow around a corner of the brilliantly decorated, candlelit room, three figures walked out, covered with various black fabrics from head to toe. They stopped a meter away from the man, then from the three, one stepped forward and knelt.

 “I have failed in my duties, as detailed, in the 1st act of the shadow contract I offer myself to any punishment, but not before confirming my incompetence.” After saying this, the figure took out a half empty syringe with a brilliant pink liquid and many multicolored particles floating in it. They held the syringe next to their neck and, after breaking their skin, pressed down on the plunger.

 They stood in that position for only a moment before collapsing.

 One of the two figures moved in to pick up the body, and the other knelt down in its place. “We will monitor the body for a week. But right now we don’t suspect a problem with the method. If the target had a countermeasure, it’s our fault for not identifying it. As detailed in the 1st act of the shadow contract, we offer compensation for our failure by offering our full services free of cost for one contract, besides the completion of the first contract, or in case the consequences of failure of the initial contract making such a mission impossible or undesirable, we will return the funds.”

 The man broke his firm frown with a light smile and said. “That is good to hear, but no. I will not ask you to repeat the first contract. The situation around the target has changed dramatically, to where any action on my part would be disadvantageous. Still, it’s surprising that you accept your master’s daughter as a valid target. I wonder, did that syringe really contain what you say? Or are you just trying to fool me? Because right now the contents of that syringe lie inside that man over there, conveniently out of reach.”

 “The specified target does not appear as a protected person in our records.” The figure raced to correct. “That being the case, we will gladly accept any mission that would end with them expiring.” They stood up. “Regarding the suspicion of foul play, we would not be opposed to turning this body over to the honorable gentlemen if it would bury any doubt in our dedication to the terms of our agreement.”

 “Keep your body, for now there’s no need, but know that this is the last time I will accept this kind of failure.” The man got up from his chair to match the figure. “Now, would you kindly exit this room? A cadaver has no place in my study. I will send the details of the second contract as soon as I find a use for it.”

 The dark figures nodded before turning back and exiting the room with a limp body.

 

---

 

 At about the same time, in another upper-class study room.

 “Has the client received the message?” Asked a two meter tall man wearing a dark suit and tie.

 A dark figure prostrated themselves in front of him. “Yes, master.”

 “Good.” He claimed. “I figure the conversation went as we hoped? Rise.”

 The dark figure rose to full height. “Yes, master. Exactly like you planned.”

 “Very well then, continue to stage two. Dismissed.”

 With that, the dark figure gave a nod to their master before once again disappearing into the shadows.

 “I can see you went back on your little promise.” Said a woman who suddenly appeared in the room. She had long violet hair and was tall for a woman. She was wearing a complex black dress.

 The man turned to her with a neutral expression, holding his head up with a closed hand. “Well, have to make it up to her somehow.”

 The woman snickered. “Think that’s all it will take? I knew our daughter was special. If only you hadn’t been so dense, maybe our reputation might still be intact after this month is over. But no, you somehow convinced yourself she was nothing but trouble. Look where that got you.”

 He drew a deep breath in response of her wife’s words, but deep down he knew she was right. Political favor nad been shifting towards the academies, it was “Big Stick” diplomacy turned to the extreme, but a few days from now the world was going to change, a war with the protectorate was coming, it was a chance for the academies to either gain more power, or lose everything they had.

 “You speak like you didn’t have a say in the matter, sweetie.” He replied, eyes turned to the ground.

 This declaration made the purple-haired woman shake with rage. “That wasn’t a fair choice you gave me. Stop. Acting. Otherwise.” She put emphasis on those last three words, her voice getting deeper and a fake smile growing on her face, with some tears emerging behind her dark makeup.

 The husband sighed deeply. He never wanted to see his wife like this, but he had no choice. He stood up and moved closer to the now sobering woman and tried to hug her.

 “NOT NOW LIAM!” she yelled, swatting her husband away with a free hand while wiping her tears with another. Her makeup smudging around the eyes.

 He recoiled at seeing her wife like this. Had she been holding this in the entire time her daughter was gone? He never saw her for someone who would cry like this, and he was at a loss at how to help her. He tried to take a step forward and saw his wife staying still.

 Seeing this, Liam took the incentive, successfully hugging her and reassuring. “It’s going to be okay, Miranda. We’re going to be okay. She’s coming back, don’t worry.”

 Miranda lightly turned her face, now stained with smudged makeup, to her husband. “And what makes you believe that?” She asked in a weak but still stern tone of voice.

 Liam looked away, unable to answer that specific question.

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 Right at that moment, a shadow walked into the room and announced. “Master, an important letter regarding your daughter has arrived.”

 He turned around swiftly, but his wife also heard what the shadow had said, and as a result moved quickly to grab that letter.

 Written letters were a formality only used by the city council for vital messages, meaning whatever was written in it was something of critical importance.

 Miranda got the letter first, swiping it from the shadow’s hands faster than her husband. She broke the holographic seal and speed read the whole thing in less than 5 seconds, not that it was a long letter.

 “What does it say?” Her husband asked sternly.

 She simply passed him the letter with no additional comment, letting its contents do the talking.

 Her husband also didn’t take long to read it, and, with a poker face, moved to a finely decorated wood liquor cabin. Taking out a short, wide bottle with an amber liquid.

 “It’s one thing after another… How are we supposed to save her now?” Her wife demanded in a shaky voice.

 Liam poured the amber liquid into a wide glass, holding it out to his wife before responding. “No, this is a good thing. Now she has a reason to come to us.”

 Miranda baled her free hand tightly and asked rhetorically. “You want to add treachery to our list of offences, Liam?”

 He tilted his head and returned. “No… They asked for Yuumi Matsunaga, not Yumi Katayama…”

 His wife furrowed her brow, returning a frown. “The DCID will still match. The council will write it off as a custodial mistake and insist the message still calls our daughter.” She took a sip of brandy and continued. “Seriously, how did the NWDA’s director not assign her to an academy defense position?”

 Liam shook his head and explained. “He almost certainly did. Light Haswell may be many things, but ignorant isn’t one of them. With the council comprising so many officials from the other academies which are jealous of the NWDA, the most likely chain of events is that they conveniently ‘missed’ that little detail.”

 Miranda snickered at her husband’s explanation. “They are jealous of the NWDA, so they try to send our daughter to die? How does that make any sense?”

 This comment made Liam close his eyes and draw a deep breath. “Love, you’ve been in this world for too long to not understand that the council’s ego is larger that their combined brains. They’d burn this city down all over again just to settle a minor offense.” He stops, grabbing another glass full of brandy. “It’s what happens when you give power to individuals who aren’t used to it.”

 Scoffing at the political tomfoolery, Miranda declared. “Criminals, the lot of them! Why write laws if you’re just going to ignore them?! They say they took over the council to free the city from us, but all they did was take our arms and declare themselves kings!”

 Liam laughed at his wife’s words. He knew them to be true, but you’d never catch him say that out loud in public, in private however... “You’re right, like always, sweety, but don’t worry, I know a way to outmaneuver the council.”

 Miranda’s eyes brighten at this revelation. “How so? Short of changing her DCID, they’ll stand firm.”

 Liam’s face scrunched up into a mischievous grin. “We’ll just need a simple DNA test.” He revealed, putting his glass down before explaining. “Siblings can’t to serve in the same company. This means that if her family ties change, they’ll have to redo the entire draft process. That’ll give us enough time to interfere with the process using our contacts at the military administration office.”

 Turning her look down to the floor, Miranda pondered her husband’s words. “Interesting… But there’s a requirement for this plan of yours to work, one which you are conveniently glancing over.” She argued, after looking at Liam.

 “Getting her to accept to be my daughter again?” Liam guessed.

 Miranda shook her head. “No, that’s the simple part. There’s something before that.” She plainly stated, moving closer to her husband before explaining. “You need to accept she is your daughter Liam, otherwise she’ll see right through you.” She turned around and continued, ignoring her husband’s deep frown. “And mark my words, being a child of mine, I wouldn’t doubt for a second she’d rather die in a trench than live having a fake father.”

 With this, she walked into the shadows, disappearing as if she was just a specter and leaving her husband to think over what she had just said.

 Liam sat down in the same armchair he’d been before his wife walked in and held his head up with his right hand. He had something to think about. Did he really love that girl who never listened to him? That was a dumb question. Of course he did, but the question of if it was worth the effort and sacrifice required to bring her back remained.

 This was when he remembered his wife’s reaction and the answer was there, clear as day.

 “Shadow 26SFZ present yourself.” He called for the only person who could reach out to his daughter.

 Not even ten seconds after his call, a single shadow materialized in front of him, kneeling.

 “Yes, my master.” the shadow replied.

 Liam grabbed both the letter from the council and his writing implements. Making up a brief letter on the spot on a sheet of dark paper. He rolled up both his letter and the council's and said. “Take these letters to controller 26AA, you are permitted read the contents of both of them to complete your mission, your objective should be obvious.”

 The shadow swiftly grabbed both letters and responded. "Yes my master." Before disappearing into the darkness once again.

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