The air in the living room of my Celestial suite felt heavy. Borderline suffocating. Just not for me.

Despite her initial bravado, Director Savir's demeanour went through a radical shift once she sat down, no doubt thanks to Mountain Girl. Even now, her glare could be felt through her featureless helmet. Was this that 'killing intent' thing lots of martial arts stories liked to make into a supernatural power, I wondered?

"Could we discuss things in private?" Savir asked the moment I also sat down on the nearby couch, earning her a critically raised brown right out of Josh's handbook.

"We're in private," I responded flatly.

She overtly glanced at Rinne, but when I didn't react, she swiftly abandoned the issue with a stifled sigh and focused all of her attention on me.

"Let's not dance around the point. Is she the second advent of Deus?"

For a second, I wondered if obstinately denying the fact would be useful for stalling things for a while, but considering that this was a situation that had the nebulous Narrative's grubby little fingerprints all over it, I sincerely doubted it would help much.

"She's still unconscious, so I've yet to ascertain everything, but based on the few words we shared during her rampage, I'm confident she is."

The female director scrutinized me for a few seconds and then clicked her tongue in irritation.

"That complicates things. Can you keep her under control?"

I had to admit, I blanked out for a moment.

"Keep her under control?" I repeated after her, my voice automatically dropping by a solid octave without any conscious input on my end.

"We had already discussed this before," she responded with a frown, practically scoffing at my response. "Your return as Polemos had already stirred up the political stalemate of the Directorate, and there wasn't enough time to solidify your foothold in Elysium yet. Your collaboration with Bel of the Abyss is currently kept under wraps, only known to a select few individuals, but it's only a question of time before it spreads. Now that Deus is back, we have to come up with a way to control her, before she could—"

My patience lasted exactly this far.

"'We'?" I echoed her in a low growl, crossing my arms and placing one finger on my temple. "Director Savir."

"Yes?" she uttered reflexively, visibly surprised by my reaction.

"Are you playing dumb, or did you honestly believe I had no idea what you've done?" She stared at me, small cracks already showing in her confidence, so I hammered on a bit more. "You created an artificial crisis, kidnapped my close acquaintances, and when your misguided schemes led to the awakening of Deus, you barge into my quarters and act like we're allies?"

"Listen, Leonard. I don't know how much you—"

"I've yet to finish!" I raised my voice, not only cutting her off but outright startling her in the process. "There is no 'us' in this anymore. You have conspired against me, with the express purpose of holding my people hostage."

"That wasn't my intent," she cut in, but I didn't give her an inch.

"Right. I'm sure you just planned to give them a scenic tour of the Elysium before sending them home with a gift basket."

"No, I admit I did not, but they would not have come to any harm!" she insisted, apparently labouring under the misconception that she could still salvage this situation. "I only wished to bring them to understand my position and help me influence your future actions."

Once again, I was taken aback by how openly she was admitting her own guilt.

"Was that supposed to make you sound any less guilty?"

"Guilty?" she echoed me, sounding genuinely offended. "Don't be ridiculous, Leonard. I simply enacted a plan to further my interest while also teaching you a valuable lesson. I have nothing to feel guilty about. I wasn't the one who conspired with a Lord of the Abyss."

Ignoring the way she forcefully tried to change the subject, I levelled a glare at her and flatly uttered, "You show no remorse at all."

"Of course not. The only thing I regret is that my plan failed," she stated flippantly and crossed her legs. "Now, can we put this meaningless topic behind us and discuss what we should do about the second advent of Deus?"

"… No. No, we can't," I responded in the bluntest way I could manage and slowly rose to my feet. "Leave."

"What?" Savir's eyes opened wide and then narrowed into a glare just as fast. "Leonard. Don't let your emotions have you lose sight of the bigger picture here."

"No, Director. I'm perfectly calm," I told her while pointedly placing my hand on Cal's pommel. "You are a vile, scheming, unrepentant pest who represents all the worst stereotypes the wider world believes about Celestials. The only reason why you are still breathing is precisely because I am looking at a much bigger picture than what your limited mind could possibly behold, let alone comprehend. I have no need of you or your petty schemes, and if you wish to hold onto whatever shred of dignity you still think you possess, I recommend you leave now on your own two feet before I personally make sure you'll have to crawl on all fours. Have I made myself clear, director?"

I admit, I might've let a bit of my inner Bel slip there, but it did have an effect, and after the first shock passed, Savir scrunched up her nose and rose to her feet with an indignant huff.

"You will regret this," she hissed, her glare sharp enough to cut glass, and she even brought out her three pairs of wings for extra theatrics. "You will regret the day you made me your enemy!"

"Stop embarrassing yourself and get out already." I met her eyes, glare for glare. "You're as intimidating as a parade balloon."

"You…!" she hissed again, but when I remained adamant, she let out another huff, put away her wings, and left my quarters, each of her steps hard enough I was surprised her high heels remained intact.

I waited until the door closed behind her, and only then did I let out a tired breath.

"It was only a question of time," I murmured under my breath and turned around, trying to ignore just how many potential future avenues I cut off with this exchange. I didn't exactly regret doing it, but I hoped it wouldn't bite me in the ass later, and made a quick mental note to keep tabs on her more often through Far Sight.

However, all of those thoughts were quickly washed away when I noticed that Mountain Girl wasn't standing in front of the bedroom door, where I left her. That was curious, so I made my way over, only to freeze the moment I opened the door and looked inside.

"Welcome back, O Archon," a familiar voice greeted me, and I found Tsephanyah standing pressed up to the far wall, with Rinne holding Onikiri to his Adam's apple.

My eyes immediately darted over to the bed, but to my relief, I found that Angie was still lying down, with Josh sitting by her side, and they looked more confused by the development than anything else. Slightly relieved, I turned back to the scene unfolding in the back of the room and raised a single eyebrow.

"Where did you come from?"

"The balcony," he answered casually, ignoring the blade right next to his neck. "I wished to personally pay my respects to Deus, the First True Archon, Father of Elysium, hallowed be his name. Since the prohibition on flight is suspended for the day, I used the opportunity to visit your residence this way, O Archon."

It took a couple of seconds to internalize what he just said, but then I closed the door behind me and buried my palm in my face.

"Goddamit, Jaakobah."

"Hm? What was that?" Josh's ears perked up, but I dismissed him with a wave of my hand.

"Nothing. I'm just talking to myself." After collecting my thoughts, I told Mountain Girl, "You can let him go."

She nodded and unceremoniously withdrew both her blade and the hand pressing the Celestial director to the wall. He nearly stumbled once the pressure was removed, but quickly steadied himself and straightened both his toga and the laurel crown on his head. In the meantime, Rinne remained nearby and didn't sheathe her blade, signalling that she was ready to get back into action the moment he made any suspicious moves. The blonde director was also well aware of this, and he made sure not to make any sudden moves.

"Please forgive my unconventional entry, but I found it pivotal that we spoke in person as soon as possible." He paused here, glancing at the door behind me, and added, "Although, if my ears didn't deceive me, you already had a rather heated discussion with Eris."

"You're putting it mildly, but yes."

Tsephanyah nodded and turned to Angie next.

"As for you, O Deus, please forgive me for my late introductions. I am Acacius Tsephanyah, Elysium's Director of Internal Affairs."

"Ah… Um…" Angie floundered for a moment, but then her boyfriend squeezed her hand and she quickly calmed down. "Good evening, um, sir Tsephanyah! I'm Angeline Dionn, and I'm… erm… still new to being Deus. Please take care of me!"

The blonde director blinked in surprise, and after some consideration, he directed a pair of inquisitive eyes at me.

"Her awakening wasn't complete," I told him flatly, and when he remained steadfastly curious, I slightly elaborated with, "You could say that Deus is still sleeping within her, and only came to the forefront due to the traumatic circumstances of her first awakening."

"I understand," Tsephanyah noted without much of a change in his expression, but then he was surprised again when Angie raised her voice.

"Erm… Sir Director? Can I ask you a question?"

"It would be my honor to answer your inquiries, O Deus," the man answered on autopilot, already doing his best to ingratiate himself with Angie.

"I don't remember much of what happened back then, but… did anyone get hurt?"

"There were…" he paused to glance at me, but when I didn't react, he tentatively continued with, "The injured are currently being treated by the best healers of Elysium. I'm convinced they will survive."

"That's good to hear," she whispered, audibly relieved.

As for me, I was getting a little impatient, so I forcefully cleared my throat to get everyone's attention.

"I would appreciate it if you explained what you're really here for, right about now."

Tsephanyah exhaled a shallow breath and turned to face me.

"I admit, my greetings to the second advent of Deus, honored be his—" He paused momentarily and glanced at the bed. "… or her name, was only ceremonial. I wished to talk with you, Archon Polemos."

"I don't know how much you've heard, but I just kicked Savir out for trying the same."

"Ah, yes. Director Savir," Tsephanyah repeated after me with little to no emotion in his voice. "I believe I owe you an apology, Archon."

"For conspiring behind my back to kidnap these two?"

I gestured at the couple on the bed, and after a moment of hesitation, the director nodded.

"In a sense, certainly. I was aware of the broad strokes of Eris's plans, but I purposefully didn't involve myself too deeply, which lead to these complications. For that, please accept my sincerest apologies."

"… Did he just apologize for not scheming hard enough?" Josh blurted out, speaking my mind as if he could read it, and I had to once again bury my face in my palm.

"You people are incorrigible…"

"Excuse me, O Archon?"

The blonde man looked genuinely confused by our reaction and even tilted his head to the side a little. As for me, I spent some time considering what to do with him. My gut told me to throw him through the same window he came from, but my brain insisted that it would be bad to turn two of the head directors against me on the same day, so I should at least be a bit more patient with him and hear him out. After all, while his priorities were just about as warped, he was still more genuine than Savir. That counted for something… right?

At last, I levelled a stern gaze at the man and uttered a single word.

"Speak."

Credit where credit's due, I didn't need to elaborate any further, and Tsephanyah immediately launched into a monologue.

"As you must be aware, O Archon, the subsequent advent of Deus, blessed be her name, so soon after your return, would certainly lead to chaos within the Directorate. The rise of new factions is all but inevitable, shattering the current ideological lines that divided us, and while unity under the rule of the reborn Deus, acclaimed be her name, would be the ideal outcome, I think we can both see that such a thing is little more than a fleeting dream at this point."

"Get to the point."

"As you wish," he responded patiently and pointed at me. "As of this moment, Dolion would oppose you on principle. His ideals would not allow him to acknowledge you, after acting in accord with Bel of the Abyss. As for Eris, I believe you have cut ties with her, so the two of them would naturally form a united front against you. Even with Deus, venerated be her name, at your side, they would serve as a consistent thorn in your side."

"I'm growing impatient," I noted with just a hint of distaste. "Is your point that, since both the Orthodox and the Unorthodox faction would rally against me, I should join hands with you?"

"You aim for the heart, as always, O Archon." I wasn't entirely sure that was supposed to be praise or mockery, but I didn't have the chance to ask for clarification. "Yes, allying with me would be your best choice under the circumstances. Combining your influence among the military branches of the Directorate and the resources of the Bureau of Internal Affairs, Eris and Dolion wouldn't be able to make any hasty moves. It would allow you to further your own influence, as well as to introduce the reborn Deus, blessed be her name, to the citizens of Elysium. Her presence alone should be enough to slowly but surely bring everyone to your side, and so long as you remain of one mind and purpose, it's only a question of time before all of Elysium will fully acknowledge your authority and power."

"In short, you're offering to support us. What do you want in return?"

"My goal remains the same as it always has been," Tsephanyah answered solemnly and put a hand on his heart. "I only wish for the advancement and prosperity of all Celestials living in Elysium."

"In other words," I cut in, and pointed at Angie, "This whole thing is about pushing the Reformist agenda by having Deus change the laws about the Malakim living outside the towers."

"… Yes, O Archon. That's precisely what I want."

Well, of nothing else, he was honest. I had to give that to him.

Now, while this was a pivotal decision that would no doubt have long-term repercussions, especially on Josh and Angie and their 'route', I couldn't ask for their opinion on the matter, because they were lacking the context to make an informed decision. As such, it fell on my shoulders to make the call, and I didn't have to think long about it.

"Let me ask you three questions first." The director's eyes lit up, followed by a thin-lipped smile. He must've felt he was already in the home stretch. However, that smile immediately faded when I gestured for Rinne to come over and present him with the hilt of Onikiri. "Hold it."

"Is this… truly necessary?"

I only glared at him, and before long, he gingerly wrapped his fingers around the wrapped-up grip with visible discomfort.

"Good. Now, first question: Once we joined hands, do you have any plans about the rest of the world outside the Elysium?"

Tsephanyah looked genuinely baffled by my words, but after collecting himself, he looked me deep in the eye with a steely expression.

"I care not for the rest of the world. Whether you wish to rule them, lead them to war, or completely abandon them, matters not to me. My duty is, and always has been, to the people of Elysium. So long as our people are safe and prosperous, nothing else matters."

I waited to see if he had anything else to say, and when he remained silent, I glanced at Rinne. She gave me a shallow nod, so I moved on.

"Very well. Second question: Why did you kidnap these two?"

He involuntarily glanced at the duo on the bed, silent like mice and observing the situation with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

"As I have already told you, O Archon, my involvement in Eris's scheme was shallow and—"

Without warning, Mountain Girl interrupted him by shaking her head.

"Would you like to rephrase that?" I asked in a growl, and the previously composed director's face visibly paled.

"I… admit that I have provided certain ideas to the scheme, such as the target of the operation." He pointedly stared at Josh, and added, "It was only supposed to be him. The second advent of Deus, extolled be her name, was an unforeseen complication."

This time Rinne nodded, though not as firmly as the first time.

"You still haven't told me why you opted to kidnap them."

"It was to implant a suggestion in his mind… or as it turned out their minds," he admitted, realizing that trying to sugarcoat the issue wasn't going to work. "My men were responsible for that part of the operation, but they never had a chance to fulfil their task, as the two escaped custody right away."

"What would've happened if we didn't?" Josh interjected, sounding somewhat miffed.

"Rest assured; after the procedure, you would have been returned to your homes without any memory of the events."

"Then what was the point of kidnapping us in the first place?" the guy pressed on, and Tsephanyah exhaled a shallow sigh in response.

"You were supposed to influence the Archon. To be more… cooperative."

"But why me?" Josh burst out, and if he wasn't still holding onto Angie's hand, I could see him jump over the bed and grab Tsephanyah by his collar. "Leo never listens to me! I'm the worst person for the job!"

"Hey! I listen to you…" I started, but then couldn't come up with a good example off the top of my head, so I concluded with an ambivalent, "… sometimes."

"See?" Josh gestured at me, and it caused Angie to giggle.

"He was only supposed to be the first," Tsephanyah explained as he faced me again. "He was simply the one we could access the most easily at the time."

"So you planned to brainwash him, and then do the same to the rest of my inner circle back on Critias," I stated, not even bothering to ask, and after a long beat, the blonde director nodded,

"Brainwashing is not entirely accurate, but it was the core of the plan, yes."

I waited for Rinne to nod, and when she did, it took some effort on my part not to deck him in the nose right away. My breathing was getting a little ragged, so I got it under control first, and once I felt stable, I asked my third, and potentially most important question.

"Why did you set up that whole incident with the Colossus?"

"The Colossus?" he repeated after me, and he was visibly confused. "Yes, we… created that situation to…"

"To?" I pressed him, and for a second, it seemed like he was on the verge of entering into the typical, glazed-over thousand-mile stare state.

"It was a… distraction."

"To distract me from what?"

"From the operation."

"But I was already out of the tower and on the lookout with you for half a day. Why did you need to get a Colossus involved?"

"It was Eris's idea," he blurted out, sounding disoriented. "I'm not sure why she insisted, but… it made sense at the time. We needed that much to make sure you didn't…" He paused again, but this time his earlier confoundment was replaced by a critical frown. "Looking back at it, the Colossus feels gratuitous. It added nothing to the plan. I don't know why I approved of Eris's proposal, but… Thinking back on it, the way Dolion agreed was also strange. Only a few functional Colossi remain to the present day, and he was always very protective of them, considering them our trump cards against the Chimeras of the Abyss, yet at the time, we both felt like pitting you against one of them was the right call."

"Oh! Maybe you were destined to fight one!" Angie exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to her. "W-What? I'm just trying to ease the mood with an in-joke! It was a good one, right, Josh?"

"Yes, yes. Very good."

"Hey! I can tell you don't mean it!"

Ignoring the couple on our right, it was my turn to let out a long sigh. With this, I have more-or-less confirmed that there was some kind of Narrative influence involved.

"To be honest, I think I didn't find it strange at the time because of your capabilities, O Archon," Tsephanyah continued to rationalize what happened, with one hand on his chin. "Knowing you, Eris saying 'We need at least a Colossus to keep him busy and away from our operation' doesn't sound entirely unreasonable. Or does it?"

"Don't wrack your head over it too much," I told him a touch dismissively and gestured for Rinne to step back.

"As you command. So, about my proposal?"

"You can consider us tentative allies," I said blandly and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll have to discuss this with Deus first, but for now, you can rest easy knowing that you're officially the least of the three evils."

That once again confused the man, but I didn't give him time to respond, and nonchalantly dragged him out of the bedroom, through the living room, and to the main entrance. With a flick of my phantom limbs, I operated the mechanism of the door and it opened on its own, revealing a surprised Jaakobah on the other side. I unceremoniously pushed the director outside, with the words, "Next time you want to visit, make an appointment."

"I… will."

I didn't give any attention to his annoyed response and addressed the alleged elite honour guard captain standing by the door side.

"Prefect. When I said I wanted the floor locked down, I meant both the inside and the outside. One more mistake like this, and we'll have to have a long and severe talk." Jaakobah didn't respond, only nodded with a frown. I didn't wait for him either. "I'll have to bring Deus up to date with the Elysium's affairs. No. More. Interruptions."

With that, I manipulated the door and it closed with an extra loud sound, and only when I was sure I was alone did I let out a lung-rattling groan.

Great. Just great. I was not only trapped here with a fractured Directorate, half of which was now officially out for my blood, but I was also saddled with the two least politically savvy guys in my inner circle, on top of whatever malarkey the Narrative was up to, and I didn't even mention the whole potential Deus body-snatching scenario yet.

"It's about damn time I started working on a Plan B and cut through this pile of bollocks," I grumbled as I turned on my heel and headed back to the bedroom to instil some seriousness into the couple still bickering about whether it was appropriate to make fun of fate or not.