--- [Alex’s perspective] In the cafe

  That’s…

  “Excuse me! We’d like four cups of coffee!” – Lily

  “I told you, Alex doesn’t drink coffee.” – Shin

  “Right… Sorry, three coffees and one soda!” – Lily

  That’s Shin…

  Why is he here?

  Why is he with The END?!

  Leanne sits down and picks up a menu.

  “Let’s see…” – Leanne

  I take a step back; shocked by the sudden appearance of Shin.

  “Where are you going?” – Shin

  “I…” – Alex

  I don’t even know what to say…

  Has he…?

  Always been with them?

  Is he a spy just like Illian?!

  “Sit down. We need to talk.” – Shin

  This is all too much…

  I feel sick…

  “Alex, come on. We just want to talk.” – Lily

  Lily…?

  I was too focused on Shin, I didn’t even notice her…

  Are all my friends with them?!

  “Alex… Sit. Down.” – Leanne

  Her tone…

  Is she threatening me?

  I think I fucked up; I should never have come here.

  But as long as she’s here, I have no choice but to do whatever she says.

  She could kill me in the blink of an eye if she wanted to…

  I sit down, and moments later, the waiter serves us our drinks.

  “Thanks.” – Shin

  He takes a sip, then puts his hands together as he looks directly into my eyes.

  “Let’s just get straight to the point. I know you well, so I know what you’re thinking. No, I was not always a part of The END. No, not everyone you know is out to get you. Even Lily, who actually was in The END from before we met, didn’t know you were the Emperor’s son. I know it may sound convenient, but it’s true. Please… Please trust me.” – Shin

  “Everything he’s saying is true, I promise. Everyone on this side of the wall are Urielites, we weren’t involved with anything that happened to you or your brother.” – Lily

  There’s that word again…

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  Leanne never explained what that meant.

  “What’s a Urielite?” – Alex

  “You didn’t explain on the way here?” – Lily

  “No, I wanted Shin to be present when I did. I think knowing his closest friend decided to become one even after seeing what happened with Illian, and knowing what happened to his brother, will give my words way more credibility than they would have otherwise.” – Leanne

  “I see, makes sense.” – Lily

  I mean…

  If Shin wasn’t part of The END from the moment we met, and he actually did join them after everything that happened with Illian, then he must have had a damn good reason…

  “The END is split in two. Rather than one ginormous organization, we’re more like two smaller ones with the same name. We have the same end goal, killing the Emperor, but the means by which we intend to accomplish that goal couldn’t be more different.” – Leanne

  “The Raguelites want to kill anyone associated with the Emperor, unless they join their side. It’s all so that they can weaken the opposition, and maybe bring some people over through fear.” – Lily

  “The Urielites however only want to kill the Emperor. He’s the root cause behind almost all evil in the world, everyone else is just a victim. Unless they’re directly fighting for him, or causing massive amounts of harm themselves, they’ll leave anyone else alone.” – Shin

  So Illian and Seth are both Raguelites?

  Shin, Lilly, and Leanne aren’t on their side?

  “So the Urielites didn’t have anything to do with the plan to recruit me and my brother?” – Alex

  “Correct. We had nothing to do with that. We were also not aware of their plans, so we unfortunately couldn’t help either. I know about most of the prominent Raguelites, but I can’t know everyone. That’s especially true for the lower ranked members and non-hunters. Illian was likely a relatively new member; someone they knew I wouldn’t know was in The END. They were obviously aware that I was watching over you during the exams, so they probably picked him to be the person to recruit you partly because I wouldn’t know he was a mole.” – Leanne

  She couldn’t help even if she wanted to…

  How convenient.

  “What’s the difference between what you’re doing right now, and what they did? You’re literally trying to recruit me while threatening me.” – Alex

  “Threatening you? When did I ever do that?” – Leanne

  “Your tone when you told me to sit said it all.” – Alex

  “… Alex… I just wanted you to sit down, that’s it. You looked like you were freaking out over seeing Shin, so I didn’t want you to leave before we could even explain ourselves. I’m not holding you hostage. If you want to leave, then leave.” – Leanne

  She could be telling the truth, and honestly, it seems like she is…

  But also, she could also just be trying to get me to lower my guard, while fully intending to kill me the moment I exit the building.

  Regardless of which option is true, staying is in my best interest.

  If she’s telling the truth, then I should stay to get as much info out of them as possible.

  If she’s lying, then I should stay for my own safety.

  “Why are you called ‘The END’?” – Alex

  “It’s to remind ourselves of why we do what we do; something the Raguelites seem to be forgetting these days…” – Lily

  “‘The Emperor Needs to Die.’ It’s our chant, our motto, our goal, and our promise.” – Shin

  “Once that human blight is gone, the world can finally start healing.” – Leanne

  It always comes back to him…

  “What has he even done? Why do you think he’s as absurdly evil as you claim he is?” – Alex

  “Are you not aware of the rampant amounts of poverty, starvation, and slavery? It’s almost exclusively affecting people from the outer area, and it’s because he wants to concentrate all wealth into Adamas, and certain large cities in the middle area. I mean, he’s the one who divided the world into different ‘areas’ in the first place.” – Leanne

  “But how do you know he wants this? Why would he? At the end of the day, he’s just one man. Even if he did want to change things, it would probably be too much for even him.” – Alex

  “Alex… The Emperor can do whatever the hell he wants. He has supreme authority over the entire world, and it’s all because of his unparalleled might. He is without equal. He can not, and should not, be compared to mortals like us. If he wanted things to change, he could do it with a snap of his fingers. The fact that he isn’t, means he wants it to continue.” – Shin

  “But why would he? There has to be some reason, right?” – Alex

  “Because he’s evil. That’s the only explanation we need. Whatever other motive he may or may not have, it doesn’t change a thing. He’s still allowing so much suffering to occur on a daily basis.” – Shin

  Just as I’m about to open my mouth, Lily interrupts me.

  “Before you say anything else, could you answer one of my questions?” – Lily

  “Sure.” – Alex

  “Why do you think people aren’t fighting back?” – Lily

  I…

  I don’t know…

  “I’m not sure…” – Alex

  “Because the royal guard are the ones enforcing it. They protect the slave traders by going after anyone who threatens or hurts them. They make sure wealth stays in Adamas and the middle area. They create conditions where most people in the outer area don’t even have the opportunity to learn Divinity manipulation; the only way to fight back in the first place. I think you already know who the royal guard work for…” – Lily