It was not a good Monday and Kaveh’s heart ran like a jack rabbit in his chest. He half expected to be dragged off and killed by the shadow crab for real this time. But no, his and James’s plan didn’t work quite like he expected it to. Despite losing access to the artifacts, Kaveh managed to get some important pieces of information. He had texted it to Wren as promised. And he toyed around all day in his mind if he should let Faihan know. Faihan was a brother he never had, but Kaveh didn’t like the idea of being so open about what they knew.

And let’s not even mention that whole memory reveal… but has Gaius even been reincarnated yet?

He happened to be downtown, picking up a couple items for dinner that night. Ignatio had requested a few things they had run out of. With a bag in arm, Kaveh saw Faihan working in his bakery, even though the sign said it was closed, as it was shortly past 4. Kaveh sighed. Perhaps he could tell Faihan what he found out and maybe give him one last warning to be careful of the company he kept.

After crossing the street, he knocked on the window to get Faihan’s attention, waved with a smile, and pointed towards the door with a questioning look on his face wondering if he had time.

Faihan supposed he could use the Bravo kitchen now if he really wanted. He and Alejo would be married, hopefully sooner than later, and no one had told him to stay away from it so far. But they weren’t married yet, and that kitchen had not been arranged according to Faihan's very specific sense of order. Azúcar was still, in so many ways, his home. He thought he probably would return to this kitchen, even after he was Alejo’s husband. It was a last bastion of something that maybe he didn’t need to prove anymore, but it was something in this world that belonged to Faihan and Faihan alone, and it felt good to have this place. After the wedding, he might consider letting the Bravos finance it, but for now, he kept it as his own.

He did not need to carefully cook up a week’s worth of lunches and dinners and adhere to that schedule. The freezer in his apartment was no longer stacked with tidy rows of tupperware, each ready to be heated up like T.V. dinners for every lonely night of the week. Sitting down to dinner with the Bravos was…nice, and he had let himself get used to it—to being with people again. It made him sad at times, because it reminded him of things that he had lost, but he was making new memories now. His apartment had grown a little dusty, and even Sukkar had come to think of the Bravo junior mansion as her home. He probably spent more nights there than he ought to have (at least, his old anxiety seemed to think so), because nothing was set in stone yet, but he could trust Alejo.

He was presently trying out an arepas recipe he’d found on the internet. He thought Alejo would enjoy a pre-workout snack. He was not the one providing Alejo breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and he was never going to be—he would not ruin that delicate ecosystem, or be responsible for upending anyone’s life by taking away a job—but he still wanted to feed his fiancé. If it must be relegated to snacks, Alejo would never want for something to nibble on. And it was, as it had often been in the last five years, easier to apply himself to this work (even if he was doing it recreationally at the moment) than to worry…because he had so very much to worry over lately. He applied himself to the task and kept his brain as empty as he could with a near-deafening dose of Dua Lipa playing in the background. So he almost missed the knock, but he saw the shadow of someone at the storefront and came out, smiling when he saw it was Kaveh and gesturing for him to come in. He wiped his hands on his apron, coming over to greet Kaveh, with the usual kiss on both cheeks.

“Hi, stranger. Good to see you…” The very edge of his smile had grown worn, but he was managing to keep his spirits up, somehow. Maybe it was because Badr was somehow keeping his shit together—the trickle down effect was real. But he was keeping it together for now, so he smiled. “How’s Nacho?”

“Good to see you too,” Kaveh grinned as he got the go ahead to enter. After opening the door and returning the kisses, he added a shoulder pat before placing his bag on the table. At the question about his boyfriend, Kaveh puffed out his cheeks as he exhaled.


“How to answer that question,” the geologist posited. “Good. Things are good. But everything,” he gestured everywhere. “Is certainly making things complicated.” He would not tell Nacho any of this, not just because he didn’t want to be thought of as crazy, but he didn’t want his boyfriend to be pulled in and hurt if he didn’t have to. It seemed to him Nacho didn’t have memories, otherwise he’d be in the meetings. Ignatio probably would accept the idea of magic in this world than Kaveh would and would be eager to join in.

But he was not and Kaveh wanted to protect him.

“How are you and Alejo? Have you set a date yet?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

“The date will be…when everything is resolved, and there’s nothing—” Emotion stirred in his face, his jaw flexing as he pushed the trainwreck of his thoughts back onto the tracks. Faihan let out a long sigh, that was half through his teeth and finished through his nose, and then rubbed his brow. He motioned for Kaveh to make himself comfortable as he retreated into the kitchen to put a kettle on the stove. A little mint tea would help keep the festering in his brain down. At the very least, it might help that queasy feeling that had begun in his stomach whenever he thought very much about the Tower and the conversation with Joaco that followed.

“So we know who we should really be scared of,” Faihan said as he turned down the music and led the way to the back patio where they could sit more comfortably and enjoy some privacy. With the soundtrack lowered, he’d be able to hear the whistle of the kettle. “I’ll tell you…that I do know who the Dark Knight is, because that person isn’t our enemy.” He knew that Kaveh would find it hard to accept his statement on faith alone, but he couldn’t give up Joaco’s identity. He frowned, looking away at the blue sky above the fence. “Prince Gaius. He is still here. And he still intends to do what Itzal did. He still is Itzal, I guess. I mean, he was always Itzal.” He trusted that Kaveh remembered who Itzal was from his long explanation in the previous meeting. “His goal seems to be…to go through with the sacrifice to make sure that everyone remains safe here on Earth.” He swallowed. “He isn’t our enemy…” Though Joaco was, unquestionably, his own. “He told me that he does believe Nero is here, and that this is still the danger we really face… Probably that’s why he came out of Dark Knight retirement. But he doesn’t know who it is, and he doesn’t know who might be connected, so… I guess you were right. We can’t really do this out in the open.”

He looked down, his brow knitting—a brief flicker of sadness. “Still, I believe that so many things were problems back then because of the secrets people kept. If even Titus had known that Gaius was in love with another man… That maybe his father was, too…” Alejo had said he didn’t think Titus would follow Badr—wouldn’t leave with him when his faith and his people beckoned him to stay. And whatever Nero had done, then… Lion Monster. That probably was bad in Elysium, too, though Faihan could only guess how. “So I don’t know what that person might even be up to. Earth doesn’t have real magic, after all. It’s probably going to be worse than the half-assed monsters the Dark Knight sicced on us. Whatever we were in Elysium, we’re bakers and scientists and booksellers and amateur ghost hunters here. The Dark Knight approached us on…’easy mode.’” A term he’d picked up from Alejo (he also now knew that toy was called a Switch and not a Twitch!). “But it would be a miracle if Nero did, too. He was a brilliant politician then. I doubt whatever he is now, he’s lost that knack for manipulation.”

Kaveh took Faihan’s offer as a seat. He listened to what Faihan had to say, glancing down at the table after a few moments. There was so many questions. Would he ever be able to answer them all? Would he be driven insane?

He rubbed his head, just feeling incredibly tired. Couldn’t he just have domestic bliss? Not even that, considering an old booty call decided to talk to him and not just any old booty call – one of Seneca’s. No, domestic bliss was pretty much on pause for as long as Faihan had a fiance but before a husband.

As Faihan explained everything, everything still felt foreign. The fact that his little brother knew who the Dark Knight was caused him to sit upright, he wanted to know this but he stopped himself from asking. Instead, he stared and frowned slightly. No, he’d be a hypocrite if he pointed it out.

Still, the fact that Itzal was here and wanted to sacrifice himself again for everyone… an interesting development. He still wasn’t entirely convinced the Dark Knight was free from blame though – call it Serenitas bias.

“I wonder… what Nero would be while here. I doubt he would be able to fly below the radar,” Kaveh said. “I expect we may know who he is. Someone that is known by everyone.”

He sighed. “I still think there is something going on with those artifacts. I tried to legitimately try to see them. I also tried to magic them to get more info. It didn’t go according to plan.” James already told everyone about their findings.

Faihan shook his head. “I think we’ve seen…that…there were only a few of us reborn exactly as we were then.” Nati had been Gunnar. Aslan had been Aditi. Eli had been Kyo. So many faces were completely different now. “But…I think you have a good point. It probably is someone that has some kind of influence here…for the Dark Knight to be as anxious about them as they are… They have said more than once now…to be careful about who we’re talking to and what we’re sharing, but…” Some part of Faihan would rather just be loud and see who responded. Make it simple. “I guess I was never cut out to be a spy.” He shrugged.

“We are trying…to get our hands on them now. I don’t know if I should tell you more. The university does pay your mortgage…”

To hear Faihan speak like this did not soothe Kaveh’s growing sense of paranoia. And he now had questions, “It is very interesting how the University keeps so many artifacts so close. It had been extremely hard to get as much access as myself and James had done.” He shook his head at his failed plan.

“No, you are much more suited to be a diplomat,” Kaveh pointed out. “Song is flashy and by its nature loud. Spies must be able to disappear and seem unassuming. That was what I was looking for in the meetings – people who disappear. But I don’t think Nero would be capable of that. His people may be.” He tilted his head to the side, thinking.

Then, he glances to Faihan, his eyes widening, “No, please tell me more. I want to make sure you don’t… get hurt or anything.”

Faihan laughed a little, though dryly, at Kaveh’s worry—but looked away, a little embarrassed about the feeling of cynicism that had fallen over him. He realized that maybe Kaveh was going to think it was aimed at him, so he quickly followed up with, “I am…once again in a role…where it isn’t me who is likely to be hurt, but the people listening to me. Chosen of Song, safely tucked away—doling out orders, but never allowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone he’s leading.” He shook his head.

“I’m worried, though…about that. In this life, I’m not like I was. I never have thought of myself as a leader or a diplomat or a strategist or a healer. I always was just a baker with a love for hitting things. And now I feel like I’m responsible for my friends’ lives in some kind of war against a faceless, unknown enemy…and someone who is good at sinking into the shadows and knows more than I can even guess. If anyone gets hurt, it won’t be me. I’ll just be the one responsible for it. I’ll just be proving again that I’m better at making mistakes than solving problems…”

He rubbed his brow. “Sorry. Too much self-pity. I should just shut up and own it. That’s what Mr. Walks Alone would do. If he…let people help h—them. And somehow, I have to figure out a way to keep Nero from winning…and to keep the Dark Knight from achieving their goal, too. I just…don’t know if that’s something I can even do.”

Kaveh crossed his arms, thinking about Faihan’s predicament. He remembered more and more about Seneca’s memories – how much Seneca hated the politics of Serenitas but how much he saw it as a necessary evil. Even the church itself – that man had always been too corrupt to really try to embody the light. He doubted that was even possible.

“The Chosen of Song always took on that role, right? I think perhaps you should lean into that. Figure who your allies are and give them specific purposes. Also, think that Nero is probably approaching this as well. Figure who his allies are and deny him access to them,” he sighed. “It is so ridiculous to me how I was a child during war and now military tactics are stuffed in my head now from Seneca.”

He shook his head then asked, “The dark knight. Do you know if they work with Nero? In the past definitely not… but do you think that may be a possibility?”

“It’s possible. They are working with someone that they don’t think is trustworthy. I guess it’s a situation of…a knife in one hand, a handshake with the other. I told them that was stupid. They’re better off working with us, since we have common goals, but…” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Kaveh had a good point. Faihan hated it. He’d always been the kind of person who preferred to live his life under the mantra “never ask anyone else to do what you wouldn’t yourself,” but then…he supposed that his preference would be to be there at the forefront of things, so it wasn’t actually asking anyone to do what he wouldn’t. Still, he hated the idea of it. That was where his friends could get hurt, and he didn’t like the idea of someone getting hurt on his behalf. It was, as Kaveh suggested, probably the most logical role, and there wasn’t really someone else to fill it, but…

“I— Badr always hated it, too. Being Chosen of Song. Before he fell in love with the Chosen of Light, he wanted to be Chosen of Light. Everyone’s shield. The strong one. The one who bodily put himself between the world and harm. He always wished, too, that he could have been Dragon’s Chosen.” Faihan shrugged. “Badr was very capable, though, as a leader. I’m not really sure that’s true of me. I’m a baker. And most people probably think I’m an asshole, so who is actually going to listen to me?”

Kaveh hummed a little. He didn’t like that Faihan knew who the Dark Knight was and also it is possible he has a connection to bad people, “You kids and your crazy plans…” he grinned slightly but it was humorless. “Be careful around this person regardless. Even if you are trying to save them.”

He rested his chin in his hand as his below rested on the table. Kaveh continued to listen. This always was the hardest part of resistance – figuring who to trust and how to divide chores that had to be done. And accepting people will get hurt was just the risk everyone took.

“I think true leaders always think they aren’t good enough,” Kaveh pointed out. “A true leader steps up when no one else is. And true leaders are not universal on how they’re presented. In pressing times, bakers and teachers and scientists and shopkeepers can become leaders and do amazing things especially if it is to protect what they love and know. Also, it seems like everyone is listening to you. You’re the one pulling everyone together.”

Faihan looked away for a moment. He could hear the faint sound of the kettle beginning to squeal, but did not immediately stand to get it.

“I don’t know if they should,” he said, slowly, with a bit of hesitancy. “I may…have had a hand in…why we are here now. I can’t say more than that, because I don’t know more than that. Only that the Dark Knight made some insinuation that it could be so. I don’t think I would have acted unilaterally…but also, maybe I did. Maybe I was really selfish and made some kind of strange decision, or did some kind of weird spell…I don’t know why I would? But the Dark Knight…isn’t someone who lies very often. They prefer omissions and sudden bouts of obliviousness. So…if that insinuation is…what I understand it to be, I might have…I don’t know. Done something drastic. I’m not sure…how to tell the others. Some people might be happier here, but not everyone. Part of me thinks…that I had it so bad on Earth growing up…until now…as some kind of karma.”

Kaveh continues to listen to Faihan’s concerns and he felt frustrated himself about how he only still has pieces of what happened in the other world. He hated only having pieces like this. Having gaps between memories and gaps in science were two completely different things.

“Regardless of what you did before, I don’t think that suddenly disqualifies you forever from being leader. Perhaps the Dark Knight wanted to get inside your head a little to better place themselves to succeed in their goal. Also, definitely be honest and upfront with the others, you may find your friends are more forgiving of you than yourself, which is often true with most instances.”

At the mention of karma, Kaveh smiled a little, “In many ways, I grew up in a similar place as Serenitas. But this go around, I am able to live more authentically as how I wanted to live. I didn’t join the military. I love more openly and not just when I got lonely at night.” He rolled his eyes. “We all get second chances. You just got to notice when you they appear in front of you and take the opportunity.”

He felt a little chill run down his back and up through his stomach. He had spent the last five years alone except what companionship Kaveh afforded him—and Rui. Not wholly alone, but so often alone. A year ago, most of the people now around him didn’t even know his name. Maybe they knew of the video, but they likely didn’t know the name of the man in the video. He was just some peripheral object. The background character in their daily lives, like one of the random villagers in a Disney movie. He didn’t even make just plain bread, so it was unlikely that he even factored that much into the majority of their daily lives. And now when he called, they came, and they trusted him for some reason that made no sense to him. To tell them that he might have, for better or worse, had some role in their existence here on Earth… It was hard to shake the fear.

It had only been a few months since he had moved away from that void of loneliness. He rubbed his arm and nodded, staring at a hole starting in the knee of his jeans. Of course, it was his own mantra, to tell the truth. And he had said he was strong enough to own his failings. Even so, to look eye to eye once more with the memory of that emptiness… He thought there were certainly things more frightening than being dead. He wondered if that was the real reason Joaco helped him at Halloween. He had looked at Faihan and seen that dreadful yawn and known it in himself, because even though there was not a person on the island who did not know him—now in circles both grand and modest—there was not a person on the island who he would allow past his mask. Certainly, he must know what real loneliness felt like, too. He kept choosing it, even though he did not have to. Or rather, maybe it was because he thought he had to, and so he chose it so that it did not choose him, as it had Faihan. To choose was a sort of power, after all.

“The Dark Knight is still active, because they believe there is still danger in this world. They believe that Nero is still here, and…they believe that this world is unsafe, because…a seal that was protecting it broke when they were reborn.” He looked up, to see if Kaveh followed the meaning. “They mean to complete the seal again. But it turns out, it isn’t strictly their soul that’s required to reseal what’s broken. I’ve been thinking about it, and…I think it could be basically any soul, but in order to transfer a soul into this mysterious seal…it requires a specific kind of magic. The kind they have…and that Jomana and Alejo and I have. Which means…I can probably do that kind of magic, too. I’m…trying to figure out a way that no one has to make a huge sacrifice. I have an idea that it’s possible, because…of what happened to Alejo’s soul. I don’t remember if I told you what happened at Christmas or not.”

Kaveh rubbed his forehead because he felt a headache brewing. This always happened when his scientific brain met his magical brain. They both operated on conflicting and contradictory principles so he had to force one of them back or risk getting a migraine.

Magic won out and he nodded his head at Faihan’s logic and reasoning, “No you didn’t tell me what happened at Christmas.” He thought then added. “I hope you don’t plan to sacrifice yourself.” He held his hand out as if to stop Faihan.

“Let me know what you plan to do,” Kaveh added with a small smile. “I remember some magic logic and more when I transform. I’ll see what I can do to help, as long as you don’t sacrifice yourself. I could never forgive myself if that happened.”

Faihan smiled faintly. “I am…not considering it—if only because it is possible. But I really don’t want to have my soul magically sealed away for all eternity either. But at Christmas, Alejo…had a breakdown and…he became a monster. Remember all that snow we had? That was his power going out of control. Snow and Light have the same signature, so his imbalance was…projecting as snow. He became this ice monster. But we were able to call him back. When it was over, there was this strange object that…I can’t remember if it appeared or fell out of him, but it opened and inside it was a piece of Light Crystal and Milk. Somehow, Milk—and maybe the crystal—had merged with his soul and were reborn inside him.

“In the past, Nero was doing something weird with Light. He was using the crystal…or maybe Titus? He was creating an imbalance of Light—a calamitous imbalance. I don’t know what that wholly means yet, and Milk can’t remember. Whatever the guardian before them knew…it’s lost now. But I have learned one thing from Christmas: it turns out that a soul is not an absolute thing. If that is true, and if all we need is the sum of a soul to complete the lock, there could be a better way... That’s what I mean by a solution where one person doesn’t have to give up everything. It’s only a theory, so I don’t know if it will work. If it doesn’t—if all these problems and dangers are because of things I did before… We do agree that at least—the Dark Knight and I—that this world and the people in it have to be protected. But if it’s not the Dark Knight’s fault things have gone wrong, they shouldn’t be the one paying the price.” He stood, agitated by the whistle.

“But…I don’t want to consider it right now, because I want all my resources to go towards preventing something like that from being necessary—because it scares me.” That word was so foreign to him only months ago—as rare as laughter. And yet now…both seemed to come so easily, it amazed him. He put the idle thought aside. “If you want to do the impossible, you have to have an abundance of faith—which was easy for Badr…and is really hard for Faihan. But I won’t have a chance without it. If I’m wrong, there will still be an answer, but I want to be proven 200% wrong before I accept that all of this has to end in a sacrifice.”

Kaveh tilted his head to the side as he continued to listen, forming any response. The discussion of Nero experimenting with light really stabbed Kaveh in the heart. The thought of others conducting such tests against another unwilling human was absolutely disgusting. He pursed his lips, really despising whomever Nero is and who he was. He scoffed.

At Badr’s comment to have an abundance of faith, Kaveh suddenly smiled. It reminded him of his mother. She believed in having an abundance of faith but also gumption to take risks if it meant her loved ones would be okay.

“It’s very brave,” Kaveh replied. “To have faith is to be brave. I believe you will achieve your goals because you are Badr.” He stretched a little, “Let me know how I can help and I will do my best.”

Faihan nodded, smiling back. He looked away, quiet for a moment. Reflecting. He could not have done this a year ago. He could not have done this six months ago. He opened his hand, glanced at it, and closed his fingers again. He had felt powerless most of his life. It was, he thought, because he had not had faith. But now…

The kettle was screeching. He shook his head and tucked a curl behind his ear, glancing back at Kaveh. “Would you like some tea to go? I’ve probably kept you longer than you expected. Just…lots of big revelations lately and a lot of work to do…” He watched a seagull pass overhead through the slats in the canopy. “Thank you. It’s always good…knowing that someone believes in you…even if half of what I’m saying probably sounds…” He shook his head and snorted softly. “Anyway. Tea?”