CHAPTER 53: THE DELEGATION

In a Dream

A young child, likely no older than two judging by his small frame, was covered in blood from head to toe so much so that his beautiful cyan locks were nearly hidden. In his tiny hand, he held a small knife. Around him lay dozens of mutilated snakes, strewn across a pool of blood.

The child, however, bore no bite marks on his skin. The blood seemed to have soaked into his body, as if he had simply rolled in it by accident.

At the other end of the hallway, a little girl of the same age swam through a sea of scorpions. All of them were lifeless, now sprawled on the ground. Like the boy, she bore no wounds or stings, holding only a small, empty bottle of insecticide.

The two children walked from opposite ends of the corridor. It was long, especially for their frail legs, unable to take big steps.

And so, after nearly an hour, they finally crossed paths, barely a meter between them. Exhausted, they crawled the remaining distance. Once close enough, they high-fived each other and smiled, revealing their tiny teeth.

The little girl with violet hair asked her twin:

"Ble bla blé."

"Pitch pan."

They began talking in gestures and sounds, attempting to share their adventures , too young to speak in any actual language.

While other children their age were just learning to walk, these two were learning to kill.

You must know the world to appreciate the delights of the hell you were born into.

---

Empire of Aurora

Capital: City of the United Nations

Santa Margueritta Hospital

In one of the rooms of this luxurious hospital, a young man lay hospitalized. Various state-of-the-art machines displayed his vitals on screens surrounding the bed.

Unconscious, the man began to twitch slightly, trapped in what looked like a nightmare. Then suddenly, he sat up with a jolt before his eyes had even adjusted to the light. The sharp smell of injections made him pause.

("I’m not in prison...") thought Sirius.

Instinctively, Sirius tried to stretch his body and that’s when he realized it. He could no longer feel his left arm, nor certain parts of his body.

Once his vision cleared, his expression darkened. His left arm had been severed. His right foot was broken and locked in a medical cast, and the rest of his body was wrapped in bandages like a mummy.

Before he could even process the situation, an urgent need struck him nature was calling.

Luckily, a nurse walked into the room. Shocked by his awakening, she turned to alert the doctor, but Sirius slowly raised his right hand to draw attention to his discomfort.

Understanding, she delayed her call and helped him as best she could.

---

Once cleaned up, Sirius was left alone for nearly an hour before a doctor came in to examine him. The checkup was quick some basic tests and then the doctor ordered some machines disconnected before leaving.

Sirius had many questions, but the medical staff remained tight-lipped. They only gave him what their professional oath required and left him alone again.

He used the silence to sort through his thoughts.

It had been two months since he’d been brought to this hospital, whose name and location he still didn’t know. He could’ve been on the other side of the world, for all he knew.

According to the doctor, his arm had been severed in such a way that the reconstruction had been a massive undertaking.

Oddly, Sirius had no memory of losing his arm or of breaking his leg during the battle.

From what he gathered, he still needed time to fully recover and regain proper use of his legs through rehabilitation, as well as the rest of his body.

("All I can do now is sleep and wait for someone to show up...") he thought, then wondered where Iris and Lucy were.

According to the doctors, he was the only one transferred to this hospital.

By whom? They weren’t allowed to say.

---

That same day, in the City of the United Nations, the population was buzzing.

The Emperor had just made a brief television appearance to reassure the citizens: security in the North had been restored. He promised such a tragedy would never happen again.

The message, barely five minutes long, recorded in the Imperial Palace, was being replayed in a loop on all channels and giant screens in the capital and other major cities.

The ether disturbances had calmed. People could finally reconnect to the internet and the outside world, gradually forgetting the Invinctus tragedy , unaware that same day, a delegation from the Order was due to arrive at one of the city’s train stations.

---

The military barracks had their own train station, used for transporting supplies, weapons, and troops throughout the empire.

But today, a special event forced all present soldiers to line up in two immaculate rows, forming an honor corridor for the awaited delegation.

The approaching train’s rumble prompted the soldiers to check their pristine white uniforms once more.

A general from the Imperial High Command, ranked as a Transcendent, the mayor of the imperial capital, and the team in charge of the Invinctus case stood waiting on the platform.

When the train came to a stop, three people stepped off.

A woman in a white suit, her blue hair tied in a bun, wore a badge labeled "Intern."

She was followed by two men in their late twenties, dressed in long blue coats embroidered on the back with a symbol: a scale framed by two crossed swords. Below it, in golden letters:

" The Order is absolute."

The city’s mayor stepped forward and offered a handshake to the head of the delegation, who returned it with a sincere smile.

"As the mayor of this beautiful city, I welcome you. Though I do wish we could’ve met under more festive circumstances."

"Sarah Harley, secretary to the Bureau of Internal Affairs. With me are two members of the same bureau."

Sarah gestured to the two enforcers behind her, then responded to the mayor’s comment:

"Your welcome is warm enough already, so don’t worry. Perhaps at the end, we’ll ask for a tour of one of the most beautiful cities in the world."

"I’ll be delighted," replied the mayor enthusiastically before introducing the general and the investigative team.

Once the formalities were over, the delegation requested to be taken somewhere more appropriate for discussion.

As they walked between the two lines of soldiers, chants rang out in fanfare:

" The Order is absolute!"

But in return, all they received were the cold stares of the two enforcers enough to silence the soldiers instantly.

A convoy of black, tinted cars waited in front of the barracks.

Once everyone had taken their place, the motorcade sped through the city, weaving between skyscrapers and secured roads, headed for the Imperial Palace which served both as the Emperor’s residence and the central seat of government.

---

It was in one of its sumptuous meeting rooms that the conversation began.

The general, opening the session, presented the official report on the fall of Invinctus.

Sarah Harley reviewed the documents one by one before asking:

"Where are the survivors?"

"They were hospitalized in various specialized facilities around the city. Three just woke up, two are still in a coma, and one who refused to speak is being held in one of our underground prisons," the mayor explained.

"In prison? Why?"

"They violated several imperial laws and must be punished accordingly," the general stated plainly.

"I don’t recall giving you permission to imprison them. If I refer to our message, we requested they be treated with the utmost care."

"You’re asking us to treat terrorists like honored guests? They should’ve already been executed for crimes against the Empire. The prison is a sign of respect we’re showing the Order while we await your investigation’s outcome."

The two enforcers frowned at the statement.

("Respect?") they thought.

But Sarah, calm as ever, replied evenly:

"The survivors are to be handed over to us for interrogation.

Only we will determine their guilt or innocence, according to the rules of the Order."

"So you disregard imperial law? The very laws His Majesty the Emperor proclaimed?" the general roared, slamming his fist on the table and shattering it.

"This is an insult to the Emperor! I will not stand before those who offend the Great Emperor!"

He stood abruptly, continuing:

"Sending a delegation led by a mere ordinary woman, not even awakened and two lowly initiates is an insult to the mighty Empire!"

He turned away, adding:

"If you wish to deal with the Empire, send at least a Director. Then we will show the Order the respect it deserves."

Sarah gently pressed her forehead.

("Even though I stay calm, I’m nearing forty... This kind of provocation is something I’d really rather not deal with. It’s all so predictable.")