Kairo spent the entire night in the library searching on the internet. "Strangely, there's never a mention of the Deck of Origin being constituted of three cards online. How could Jed know about it?" Kairo was perplexed.
One could assume that since most card mages carried just three cards on them, Jed deduced the Deck was also made up of three. Still, there was no certainty that the Deck was only made of three cards. His curiosity could hardly be kept in check. However, the more he tried to find information about the Deck of Origin, the less he discovered.
Twirling his third card in his hands, Kairo observed the Eye of Truth with curiosity. "If only this thing could give me all the answers, it would be much easier," he thought. Still, the Eye of Truth was even more stubborn than the Sand Paladin. For now, he couldn't count much on it.
Kairo yawned as he stretched his body. The day had begun. He couldn't keep searching. "For now, let's focus on the mastermind. Leli and Nyx should be waiting at the cafeteria." Kairo pulled on his jacket and left immediately after.
He found his way into the massive open terrace of the building. All around, officers chatted and ate together in small groups. Most of the time, Kairo would avoid this place. "It feels too rowdy in here. Father used to hate unnecessary noise," Kairo murmured. But since Leli had insisted, he decided to join them today.
As Kairo moved into the building, he noticed quite a few stares directed at him. Being the son of Magnus Veyne, Kairo was used to people staring. Still, he felt something was off today, though he couldn't tell why. Keeping his shoulders straight, Kairo moved toward his friends.
"This way, Kairo! There's space here—you can sit right beside me!" Leli's angelic smile was too nice to miss. Kairo quickly found them in the crowd. Seated nearby, Nyx greeted him as well. "Good morning, Kairo." Though she said nothing else, there was an empty space next to her.
Kairo glanced suspiciously at the duo. "What do they have in mind this early in the morning?" He dragged a chair to the table and took his seat. "Good morning, ladies. Are we forced to stay in this place?" Kairo asked. All around, more stares fell his way—seated alone with two dazzling girls, the son of the Head of the Card Mage Police.
"These are our colleagues, Kairo. You should feel comfortable around them. They wouldn't eat you, don't worry. Well, not with me around... Wait, that's not even the best part! Did you know that for every newcomer in the cafeteria, there's the right to a special dessert?" Leli spoke nonstop.
Already used to her, Kairo only listened silently. "Stop bothering him in the morning. Kairo looks like a zombie today. Did you get enough sleep?" Nyx asked with a small smile.
"Not exactly, but I feel perfectly fine. Don't worry. Where's this special dessert?" Kairo asked, almost salivating. Now it was clear why Leli had lured him here.
A few minutes later, a lady joined their table, bringing with her a plate of creamy white-and-red dessert.
"Smells so good. It's such a waste they serve this jewel only on special occasions. Thank you for your generosity, Kairo!" Leli pulled the plate to her side.
"Don't be such an egoist, Leli. We should share," Nyx joined in. The two divided the cake into two equal halves, disregarding Kairo's utter disbelief.
*"Hey, wait—isn't this mine?"* Unfazed, Kairo acted, grabbing the cake in one swift motion and stuffing it all into his mouth. With part of the cake smeared on his lips, he struggled to swallow.
The girls were so startled they stared blankly at him. Unable to hold it in any longer, Nyx burst into laughter. "This is so unlike you, Kairo. What went wrong?"
His usually refined movements had been more chaotic this time, causing the duo to laugh out loud. In a matter of seconds, their table became the most interesting one in the hall.
"You're such an egoist, Kaior. We specifically brought you here for this. I hate you for that," Nyx pursed her lips, like a spoiled brat who had been refused her toy.
"You could have shared, Kairo. I didn't know you were this stingy."
Kairo himself was little surprised by his actions. He had acted without thought. 'Back in the days with Father, I would have never dared something like this. These girls are having a bad influence on me,' he laughed inwardly. "It's all your fault. You're sharing my cake without my permission! What did you have in mind? Feeling the taste, I understand why it was delicious,"Kairo smirked, causing the ladies to stare with knife-like expressions.
While the trio chatted and had fun together, the door of the cafeteria was violently flung open. Kairo and his group turned their attention to the entrance. From the corridors, a group of officers barged in, their synchronized movements a stark reminder of their training level.
Leading the path was a very familiar old man. His gaze scanned through the crowd and fell on Kairo's table. 'Something bad is coming,' Kairo thought to himself, rising to his feet.
The old man rushed to his side. "Get him,"** he said. Few words, but those were enough to alarm everyone. Kairo's face turned serious. "Wait, what's the meaning of all this?" Kairo tried to understand. The old man was none other than the Chancellor - Jed's father. 'Did the coward really run to tell his father?' Kairo doubted. Jed was not the most courageous, but he was not a fool either. He wouldn't do something like that.
While Kairo was thinking, one of the officers moved his way, his eyes gleaming with a very unfamiliar glare as if they had been turned into gemstones. Without warning, he stepped forward, his hand making a huge grasping motion towards Kairo's neck.
Despite the initial surprise, Kairo stepped to the side, effortlessly evading the blow - but to his dismay, his body didn't move. 'Huh?'
The figure caught him, and in one swift move, Kairo was sent biting the ground, hands blocked on his back. "Officer Kairo Veyne, you're under arrest for kidnapping the Chancellor's son."
Kairo wanted to activate Tactical Brilliance to defend himself - since the other party was already using card magic - but the officer's words made him freeze midway. 'Jed had been kidnapped?' He couldn't believe his ears. He thought it was a bad joke, but then, if that were the case, the Chancellor wouldn't look this bloody.
"No, there must be a mistake. I was with Kairo the entire day. This isn't what you think. Chancellor, if we could talk in private, you would understand what exactly happened," Nyx tried to explain. But the Chancellor wasn't listening to anything.
"She's an accomplice. Get her too," he casually added.
Nyx got cornered by the Chancellor's gorillas, all wearing badges with two stars on them. "This is going too far, Chancellor. Do you have any proof?" Leli could not stand still and stepped out.
"Little girl, stay out of this. This is no place for you to intervene. Dare to meddle into this, and your cute face won't save you. Now bring these criminals with me. You shall all understand what happens to traitors of the Card Mage Police. No exceptions for families," the Chancellor's voice was that of a dark king ready to cross the forbidden line.
Leli's face darkened, but at last, she couldn't do anything. The Card Mage restraining Kairo had a very disturbing power. 'He can seal his opponent and force them to react the way they naturally would. All he has to do next is counter the natural movement. This is quite troublesome,' Kairo analyzed as he was taken away.
"The officer had three stars on his insignia and had a strange resemblance to Jed, though the officer had a sharper expression—the type that was acquired only through hardship and struggle.
'The Gemstone Dominance is not a mind-controlling card, little boy. You have nothing to fear if your Jed is safe. Otherwise, I can't guarantee my father won't kill you in revenge. You know he is the most just around here,' the officer spoke to Kairo as they moved away.
Kairo steadied his breathing, restraining the pain that flowed from his tied arms. It was very uncomfortable to have his hands blocked that way. Still, there was nothing he could do for now. Running away would only aggravate things. He would wait for the chancellor to be alone and try to explain himself. Hopefully he wouldn't kill me before I talk, he thought.
The group was about to leave the main building when they came across a figure.
'Where the hell have you been, Kairo? I've been searching for you both for the meeting. Bring your ass over here!' the familiar voice of Danzan echoed from the other end of the corridor. His hair still spiky and unkempt, he appeared to be rising from an electric bath. Collar unbuttoned and shirt unironed, Danzan casually waved at them to come his way.
'Danzan!' Nyx and Kairo called out. I would have never thought I'd be this happy to see him, Kairo said to himself. Now that he was here, they would be able to explain themselves. Safely.
'Don't pretend to be stupid, Danzan. I'm taking them with me. They have crimes to answer for. Get out of the way,' the chancellor said.
'I don't pretend to be stupid. I never claimed to be smart either. Now, you two are still tied up like fried chickens. Didn't I ask you to come here?' Danzan said, startled and incredulous, wondering why they were still standing still.
Kairo was keen and quickly noticed something different. Behind Danzan was a sort of waterfall that appeared out of nowhere. More like a single water droplet that fell from the sky. It was such a strange and bizarre phenomenon that Kairo was left speechless. The droplet slid down, falling off and touching the ground, causing the water to ripple outward toward them. And in a blink, Kairo and Nyx were freed. Not exactly freed—they were next to Danzan."