"...What kind of service?"
Theoâs brows drew together, a frown threading across his face like a shadow.
It wasnât just a questionâit was suspicion wrapped in curiosity.
This was the first time he had ever heard someone from that syndicate utter that word.
A word so...
civilized
. So...
unfitting
for the monsters cloaked in gold and blood.
~Service.~
From their mouths, it almost sounded like a threat.
"Iâll provide you with a Nexus Being," the man in the yellow cloak said casually,
"One you can actually
afford
to buy. A clean deal, a real opportunity. What do you say?"
"..."
For a moment, Theo said nothing.
His mind raced through every past interaction with the syndicate.
Every half-smile, every trap disguised as a gift.
Then, slowly, he nodded once.
"Two," he said.
"I want two. At the very least. And I want them delivered within five hundred yearsâno delays."
"Done."
The yellow-cloaked man grinned, then clapped Theo on the back with the laughter of a man who had just sold a loaded weapon to a child.
Thenâ
whooo~
â
With a flick of his fingers, the man reached toward his own head and drew out something that shimmered in the air.
It looked like a thread of liquid starlight, pulsing faintly with strange, arcane life.
He held it only a second before pressing it into Theoâs forehead.
No pain. Just warmth.
And thenâownership.
"Itâs yours now," he chuckled darkly.
"Good luck... heheheh... HAHAHA!"
"..."
Theo exhaled deeply. That laugh grated on his nerves like sandpaper across bone.
He was used to it by now, though.
Used to being played. Used to the weight of foolish choices.
He wasnât even angry.
He
knew
he had been scammed.
He knew this "deal" would probably cost him more than just resources.
But still...
If this loss was the toll to enter the deeper waters of the syndicate,
If it meant having access to power others only dreamed ofâ
Then it was a price he was, reluctantly...
willing to pay
.
He inhaled slowly and turned to face the prisoner once more.
"Do you have a name... or shall I give you one?"
"..."
For the first time since their arrival, the prisoner stirred.
One eye opened.
Then the other.
They were narrow, alertânot the eyes of a broken man.
And within them glowed a furious, radiant redâlike molten rubies, forged under pressure and time.
His gaze locked with Theoâs, unmoving.
Unblinking.
But his lips remained still.
"...Youâre not going to speak?"
Theo tilted his head. Then he gave a faint smile.
"Fair enough. I was like you once, you know."
"When my new masterâmy fatherâfirst purchased me, the slaver told him my name was
The Mute
."
He glanced at the man sitting on the floor.
"That name... it fits you now more than it ever fit me.
So from today onward, your name is
The Mute
."
He motioned for him to stand, then turned and began walking away.
"Come. Weâre leaving. Youâve got a new home to get used to."
"..."
The Mute stared at Theoâs back in complete silence.
Still motionless.
Still unbroken.
But slowlyâever so slowlyâhis body began to rise.
It wasnât will that made him move.
It was the curse embedded in his soul.
And so, with one last look at the crumbling wall that had shielded him,
He took his first stepâ
into servitude.
-------------------------------------
Two years laterâ
WHOOSH
A swirl of orange light descended into a grand, coliseum-sized hall lined with marble statues and ancient glyphs.
At the center landed a woman of almost mythical beauty.
Her nine flaming orange tails drifted like silk banners behind her, and her long hair, glowing with inner power, cascaded down her back like a living river of flame.
She stood tall, her presence undeniableâ
A queen among monsters.
"Elder sister," she snapped.
"Why have you summoned me back
so suddenly
?
I told you I was in the middle of something crucial!"
Rinara, seated upon a stone platform carved with the sigils of the Nine Paths, sighed and rose slowly.
Her face was calm, but her eyesâthose ancient, weathered eyesâcarried weight.
"You mean your attempt to dissuade Caesar Burton from attacking the capital of the Iron Boar Empire?"
Her voice was quiet but cutting.
"That... is no longer an issue."
Elinor blinked, momentarily stunned.
"What do you mean âno longer an issueâ?!"
Her tails flared behind her like a fan of fire.
"Planetary Empires can lose territory. They can be cornered, blockaded, manipulated...
But you do not attack the Emperorâs cradle!
That is the
sacred ground
! The one place even tyrants refuse to touch!"
"Such an act is a declaration of a war of extermination.
When you strike a homeworld, you donât just provoke the empire.
You provoke
all its allies
.
Its tributary empires. Its hidden supporters.
Even those with ancient debts will rise in defense!"
She clenched her fist.
"What they are doing is
suicidal
. The Empire of the Nine Paths cannot endure such backlash."
Elinor placed her hand on her slender waist.
"Didnât something
exactly
like this happen during our battles against the Twilight Spectrum Empire?
After we reclaimed every one of our planets and began our counteroffensive...
The moment we so much as
touched
their territoryâ
They struck back with overwhelming force, unleashing every World Cataclysm under their command and pushed us back!"
"Our ground forcesâ
Even the Frost Permanence Legionâ
Were completely helpless against the might of just a single World Cataclysm!"
Then she furrowed her brows.
"That Robin Burton... he mocked us.
He laughed behind our backs when he only gave us a fourth-stage technique.
Itâs obvious heâs capable of crafting fifth-stage techniques and martial artsâjust look at the âBreath of Agesâ!"
"Enough, Elinor. Enough..."
Rinara rubbed the bridge of her nose, her expression weary.
"He showed up in the Soul Society today...
After decades of ignoring my messages, he finally decided to respond."
"You mean Robin Burton? He finally responded to our protests?"
Elinorâs expression tightened, her golden brows furrowed.
"Hmph. Donât you dare accept any half-hearted apology for his sonâs behavior, Rinara.
Demand compensationâfor all the years of neglect, and for the mental toll weâve endured walking on eggshells around him!"
"Apology?"
Rinara shook her head.
"There was no apology. He didnât even sound like he cared.
He simply told me heâs willing to
rent
the empireâs name in exchange for energy gems...
Or just sever ties with us entirely."
"What...?"
Elinorâs face shifted from disbelief... to frustration.
"Has that human gone mad?!"
"I donât know whatâs going on in his head anymore...
All I askedâ
all
I askedâwas to be notified about which planets he plans to conquer.
But instead, he starts talking about whoâs right and whoâs wrong?
And then he halts the trade of weapons and arrays we rely on for nearly every battle?"
Rinara frowned, genuinely confused.
"Where did
I
go wrong?"
"Forget it, sister."
Elinor waved her hand sharply, eyes narrowing.
"You put him on a pedestal... and he used you.
He
used
you to gather the planets he wanted.
He
used
you to reach the Middle Belt and build his precious new fortune.
Now that he has what he wants, he doesnât
need
you anymore. Itâs that simple."
She jabbed a finger in Rinaraâs direction, her voice rising.
Even her eyesâthose seductive, dangerous eyes known to charm emperors and slay tyrantsâ
Now flashed with anger.
"I told you long agoâwe needed to find ways to control him before this day came.
But you were too afraid to do
anything
!"
"...I didnât think he was
that
kind of person."
Rinara sighed, shaking her head slowly.
"But itâs fine. He hasnât fully cut us off yet.
Even tradeâhe only doubled the prices, not ended it completely.
Thereâs still room for negotiation.
Iâll speak with him again...
Perhaps we can find a compromise that benefits everyone."
"Youâre going to act submissive again?!"
Elinor shouted, leaning forward with both hands on her hips.
"Havenât you had
enough
?
Even a handful of soldiers and slaves have started acting like equalsâbecause of your softness!
And their leader... he dares speak to
you
like that just because he has some pearls?!"
"Money doesnât buy
everything
, Rinara!"
She pointed at her repeatedly, her voice like a sharp blade.
"Listen to me, and listen well.
I have more battlefield experience than you, and I
know
men like him.
The moment you show more weaknessâ
He will show more aggression.
And before long...
It wonât be surprising if he tries to swallow the entire Nine Paths Empireâ
The empire our father left us!"