Chapter 192: Not Leaving Gaia Anytime Soon

Outside the room, however, two men stood completely still.

Amar and Vince had been standing beside the closed door for several minutes.

Neither had spoken.

They had heard every word.

Vince’s expression had become increasingly strained, while Amar had lowered his gaze to the floor as though silently reconsidering every decision that had led them to this hallway.

"So..." Vince whispered.

Amar did not look at him.

"We don’t say anything."

"I wasn’t going to." Vince hesitated, then lowered his voice even further. "...Even for just a little?"

"What do you think?" Amar finally turned his attention toward him.

Vince glanced toward the door.

Inside, the others were still laughing.

He lowered his voice further. "I’m amazed they really think the boss couldn’t have done it."

Amar rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t even argue with him. How innocent and lawful did they think their leader was?

"You know our boss is... like this, right?" Vince made a sign with his finger, making circles beside his temple. "Why do they think he’d follow whoever’s rule just because he got into trouble two years ago?"

They knew more than the other men about what happened at the Association and why Nykos had attacked the Chief Master back then. But Nykos’ being unable to step foot on the Association’s island was not because of the ban. Rather, it was because their leader had chosen to do that himself.

And he had broken that vow last night.

"Honestly, I agree with them. Whoever invaded that place is out of their minds..."

Amar cut him a warning look.

"Not me. I was against this idea—"

"What?" Vince smirked, clearly entertained by Amar’s attempt to distance himself from it. "Come on, you’re the one who gave directions... You could’ve refused. Is it because—"

"Shut up."

The warning in Amar’s voice made him stop.

They couldn’t tell the others what happened, especially not that they had been the ones responsible for causing such a disturbance the previous night. It wasn’t necessarily something worth hiding from their brothers, but keeping the information within a smaller circle was safer than risking a leak.

Besides, there was also the matter of Aisha’s older brother, Zenick.

And although they hadn’t intended to lie to their brothers, standing in front of that door and listening to them praise Nykos for something he had technically done while insisting he couldn’t possibly have done it created a strange kind of guilt.

Neither man wanted to be the one who walked inside and ruined that atmosphere.

Suddenly, a faint distortion appeared behind them.

Neither noticed it.

Nykos materialized from the shadows with his silver hair slightly disheveled from the journey back, his presence concealed until the final second. He had finally caught up with them after his meal with Aisha, and the moment his feet touched the floor, both Amar and Vince realized someone had arrived behind them.

They spun around.

Vince nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Boss!"

Nykos raised an eyebrow.

His crimson eyes moved between them and the closed door. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"What are you two doing out here?"

Amar opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Vince looked at him.

Amar looked back.

Nykos’s gaze narrowed slightly.

Before either man could produce an explanation that wasn’t likely to make things worse, Nykos simply reached past them and pushed open the door.

The noise from inside immediately spilled into the corridor.

Every person in the room turned.

The laughter died almost instantly.

Nykos walked inside as though he hadn’t heard a word of the conversation outside.

He glanced around at his people and slowly removed his coat.

"We won’t be leaving Gaia anytime soon."

Silence.

Amar closed his eyes briefly.

Vince stared at his commander.

Several men exchanged confused glances.

Nykos draped his coat over the back of a nearby chair before taking his usual seat, entirely unconcerned by the sudden change in atmosphere.

He looked toward Amar.

"We have something else to take care of first."

Amar’s expression tightened slightly.

He already knew exactly what that something was.

***

By the time evening settled over Sector Nine, Kane, Sabel, and Vesper had finally reached Aisha’s residence.

The three stood outside the gate without speaking for several seconds.

The elegant residence was quiet from the outside, and the lights inside were only partially visible through the surrounding trees. The security system remained active, although none of them had expected anything different.

Vesper shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Do you think she’ll open?"

Sabel glanced at him.

"Why wouldn’t she?"

Vesper hesitated.

"Because we left angrily last time."

Kane exhaled softly and adjusted the collar of his uniform.

"She might. But we’ll have to hope for a miracle. She’ll see us today before the match tomorrow."

The three of them fell silent again.

They had spent the entire journey discussing what they were going to say once they arrived, but now that they were actually standing at the gate, none of their rehearsed words seemed particularly useful.

They even brought some snacks they remembered Aisha liked when they started to get along.

Sabel stole a glance at the residence.

"What if she’s not home?"

"Then we wait," Vesper replied.

Kane looked at him in surprise.

"You sure? We might end up waiting for nothing."

Vesper frowned.

"So?"

Sabel smiled at that. There was no need to point out that Vesper had volunteered to wait; his answer had already made that clear.

Kane finally raised his hand toward the gate. He hesitated for only a second before pressing the bell.

The sound echoed faintly through the property.

Nothing happened.

The three waited for a few seconds.

Vesper’s shoulders slowly stiffened. The longer the seconds ticked by, the more his confidence and patience wore thin.

"What if she’s not home—?"

The gate abruptly opened.

All three straightened at once.

Aisha stood on the other side.

Her grey eyes settled on the three people waiting outside her residence, and for several seconds, she simply looked at them.

Kane, Sabel, and Vesper exchanged a nervous glance.

None of them had expected facing her to feel this difficult.

Aisha remained silent.

Then her gaze moved from one face to another.

"Why are you here?"

The three stood there awkwardly, suddenly unable to remember a single sentence they had rehearsed on the way over.