Aaron was standing in front of a medium-sized house with a simple design. He began knocking on the door, rubbing his hands, trying to warm them. The door opened to reveal San, who raised his eyebrow in surprise, saying, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the palace!"
"I was kicked out."
"As usual!"
"Let me in."
"Yaah, the place is noisy inside, as you can hear. My mother is hosting a light party and invited her friends."
"And you’ll keep me outside, then!"
"Yaaah, I’m not lying, truly. The house is already full. I’m sorry."
"You scoundrel, I’ll look for some hotel, as if I’m going to sleep outside if you don't let me in." He turned to leave.
"Stop." San reached out and handed Aaron a key. "It’s the shop key. Go there and sleep on the sofa. As you know, the hotels are full of visitors from all over the country now."
Aaron grabbed the key and turned away, annoyed.
"I’m truly sorry, Aaron," San finished, smiling as he quickly closed his door.
In the depths of the city, the entire market was illuminated despite the darkness of night. Lights were spread in every corner; chaos and hustle were everywhere. Many people were scattered throughout the market.
Jake and Clarity emerged from one of the shops, wearing matching coats. Clarity shouted excitedly, "It’s warm!"
"We’ve become twins now."
"How can that be? You are about three years older than me, and your hair is brown, too."
"Fine, fine, we aren’t twins." Clarity grabbed Jake’s arm, whispering gently, "I am your little brother."
"Ah, I know that."
Clarity removed his hair tie, letting it flow down, saying, "It makes my neck warm, as you can see. That’s the benefit of long hair."
"You really love long hair, just like the Boss!"
Clarity spoke in an annoyed tone, "What brought him up now? The thing is, my mother likes playing with my long hair, and she loves its many waves."
"Then keep it! As for me, I hate long hair on men. I really don't think it's appropriate, but I accept it on you, Clarrie. Since we’re here, let’s eat something delicious."
Far away, in the southern part of the capital, in a house overlooking the river—a rural area more than it was part of the city—Bruno sat on the sofa. Eric sat opposite him. Eric spoke in a sarcastic tone, "The mission to gain the support of the gangster Charlie might fail. Those men Charlie sent refused to cooperate with Apollo. He is trying to convince them, but he is truly bad, and he might give them importance they don't deserve. You understand what I mean, Boss."
"Yes, I understand your point. In the end, Charlie is a disreputable gangster, and I don't want to give him more than he's worth. But I need his cooperation for our next operation."
"That’s true. Regarding the North, I heard that Apollo has held two parties already, with plenty of food and drink. He is exploiting his position badly... he is a bad person."
"Worse than you?"
Eric smiled, "My badness is different. My morals are bad in themselves, so forgive me, Boss. But Apollo’s actions are somewhat childish. In short, he is a person who doesn't deserve to lead the Northern group. Your future goals are all in the North; failure now will affect our plan."
"Then nominate someone suitable for leadership."
"It’s Jake. He is perfect for that. Prepare him for leadership."
"Ah, are you sure? Wasn't he one of your bitterest enemies?"
"He is no enemy of mine; I see him as a strong competitor."
"And your competitor has been removed, as you can see."
"Not in this way. In reality, that Apollo is just a liar and a deceiver. I heard him confess to Jake about his ridiculous charade."
Bruno’s eyes widened, saying, "You mean this Clarity has nothing to do with the incident as Jake said?"
"Yes, that boy Clarity cannot touch an ant with harm. Jake has always performed Clarity’s combat tasks on his behalf. Perhaps you didn't notice, Clarity was always a companion and follower to Jake."
"So that's how it is. Since that is the case, I will head North tomorrow to arrange the situation, restore Jake to leadership, and deal with that rascal Apollo." He finished the sentence with a faint smile.
"Why don't you go now? Better than going in the morning."
"Everyone is celebrating outside at this time. I hate that, so I will wait for sunrise and the end of the celebration, then I will leave. And also, stop the chaos and those sounds that have started to sneak into my hearing."
Eric nodded in agreement and left the room, heading toward another room where many followers were gathered. The youth there had prepared a simple party with many lights spread in the corners of the room, food, drink, and some cheerful music.
Eric shouted, "Stop this chaos!" The youth stopped playing; everyone looked in surprise.
Eric continued, "You cannot celebrate here! Whoever wishes to do so will leave the place and do it. The Boss hates these sounds."
One of the youth said, "So the rumor is true? That his son, Johan, died on this day?!"
"Yes, I heard that too."
"I also heard that he died in the fertilizer factory explosion in the Northern Forest."
"Ah, I heard about that explosion, too. They say the forest lit up because of the fire."
Eric shouted, "Stop the chatter and remove the traces of the celebration!"
Eric left the room, closing the door behind him, and whispered in a tone of surprise, "Is what I heard really true?!"