"I thought he was dead! You had a public execution and all for him!" Arnold jumped from his seat.

"It was all a plan. A plan to break the rebels. Also, he's not the only one alive. But he's the only one capable of giving you some answers." Nicholas waved his hand and the soldiers forced Rion to his knees.

​​

In his torn baggy clothes, Rion looked at Arnold with his ghoulish eyes. His body malnourished beyond limits Arnold known. Yet Arnold didn't felt sorry for him. But Nicholas' remarks made Arnold lose his cool a bit.

"So you're saying Mali is alive too?" Arnold closed his eyes. Hoping Nicholas would say no.

"Yes. Though unfortunately he's gone mad. So he might not be of any help to you." Nicholas stated as a matter-of-fact. 

However, Arnold wasn't listening anymore. The room they were in, had been reinforced to withstand even an airstrike. But as soon as Arnold released a small fraction of his aura, the walls began to crack. Black horses rushed in to protect Nicholas, along with Gabriel but Arnold was faster. Using his bionic arm, he grabbed Nicholas by his neck and lifted him in the air. Christina couldn't understand what happened. Everything was fine a minute ago and now they were pointing guns at each other? 

Gabriel couldn't process it all either, but all he knew was that they had to calm Arnold down. Pointing guns at him were only going to make things worse. On one side was his brother-in-law and on the other was the man who he called his brother And had been saved countless times by him. He was torn between them. 

The soldiers, however, had no such dilemma. The moment Arnold turned against their President, he had to be neutralised. But before they could pull the trigger, Nicholas yelled at them to stand down. 

"But sir-"

"I said, STAND DOWN, YOU BELLIGERENT MORONS!" Nicholas yelled again while dangling in air, "Arnold. I know I messed up. It was a genuine mistake, but I thought by keeping the information that they were alive would make the remaining rebels lose their will to fight. I never thought they'd go and try to attack you for that."

Arnold didn't say a word and kept holding him up air. The whole reason for the White Wolves attack was to avenge Mali and Rion. Had they known that the bastards were alive, they might not have attacked the Blacks. So many people died... Just because Nicholas didn't reveal the truth in time. Arnold's anger issues were resurfacing again, that too at the worst moment. His head was throbbing continuously. All he could think was to kill all of them.

'Breathe... Breathe... It's all fine.' Arnold thought but suddenly he started having flashbacks of the night he had ordered Natasha to kill Mali's sister. 

The only reason he told Natasha to kill Mali's sister was because they had killed so many people. But now he felt all of them died for nothing. And Nicholas was the one responsible for it all. Yet Arnold couldn't bring himself to do any harm to Nicholas. He wanted to, but couldn't. 

"You're dead to me." Arnold mumbled before letting his former teacher free and turning towards Gabriel, "I assume, you knew about it too?"

Gabriel couldn't look Arnold in the eyes. Of course, he knew about it. He was the one who was tasked to fake their deaths. He was also the one in charge of the prisoners. He knew it. All of it.

"Brother, my ass." Arnold smirked kicking the soldier in front of him who went tumbling down through the room, "I'm taking Rion with me. I don't care how important he is to you. He owes me some answers and till I get them, he'll stay with me."

"Irmao, you can't take a political prisoner-" Gabriel tried to intervene, but Arnold's glare shot him down. 

Nicholas, however, wasn't someone who liked being bossed around. He too was a SS ranked warrior and president of a country on top of that. He just couldn't let Arnold do as he pleased. He knew he screwed up, and he was willing to pay for it but not like this. The attack on Blacks was technically his fault and he was sorry for it. But Arnold's behaviour was completely inexcusable. 

It wasn't the kind of reunion he was hoping to have with his 'disciple' but he won't have another man emasculate him in front of his people. Not again. But he also knew Arnold was out of his league. If he wanted to take him out then he'll have to do it quickly and in one strike. If he couldn't... Well, then Arnold would kick his ass. 

'This wasn't how I wanted to end my day, but I guess I'll have to.' Nicholas thought and went into battle mode.

He quietly started gathering as much energy as he could to deliver a deadly blow. But before he could as much as lift a finger in Arnold's direction, he felt a sharp pain across his cheek. It was only then he noticed the smoke coming out of Arnold's gun. A bullet had grazed his cheek. That's the pain he felt a moment ago. 

"The next one won't graze through your skin. But blow through your head." Arnold gave them a final warning before picking Rion up by his chains. 

'Flight, fight or freeze' was a famous adrenaline quote. Nicholas had always chosen the option to fight when it came to it. But he had never thought a day would come when he'll have to use one of the other two options as well. 

'Fear is natural and there to keep you alive and happy, yet once it has been weaponised and fashioned into a cage, one is honour bound to break free.'

Nicholas had always thought of fear in a different light, one of the privileges of being a world-renowned warrior. But right now, he was nothing more than a weakling in front of Arnold... It was the first time he had a taste of what true fear felt like.

Arnold's glare, his words, his aura everything had changed. He was no longer a man they knew. He was in a league of his own and no matter how much they trained, they'll never be able to catch up to him. But there was something Nicholas was invincible in - a battle of words.

"Arnold. Your actions are hostile-" Nicholas started speaking but Arnold wasn't in the mood to take his crap anymore. 

"Right now, we're all heated and can't make a proper decision. So please don't take my actions personally. I apologize for the nuisance I caused unintentionally, but this man is coming with me and that's final." Arnold mumbled a sort of apology as the darkness of his domain swallowed both of them.