Webster Frog enjoyed the first break from a ten-hour long experiment. He tried modifying the formation the Saels had shown him.

The experiment was a total failure. It also cost a lot because the formation required ingredients to work. At first, the ingredients were the only thing that differentiated them from the runes in Webster’s eyes. Then he’d learned more and saw how the two worked on distinctive paradigms.

Formations required ingredients but once they were created and activated, they were easy to use and their functions didn’t change. Unfortunately, the formations were difficult to manipulate or change. Some parameters were very easy to adjust but introducing new things or taking away some elements was almost impossible without new schematics.

Runes on the other hand were modular, offered unmatched plasticity and were cheaper. Their biggest cost was mana. Frankly, there were runes that could create mana but they introduced many issues. On top of that, some runes required a constant mana supply. Before the outbreaks, Webster had discarded the runes simply because of that. No one had materials able to transfer mana without incurring a loss of 99% over a single metre. New materials were no longer about the mana loss but about the throughput and speed of transfer. They still lacked the mana containers but Sirian was convinced that soon they should find a schematic to build one. The mana container was going to be the game-changer. Webster could see it and couldn’t help but grow excited. The formations weren’t very kind to him.

The door opened and Sirian entered with a pitcher and two glasses. Since the attack on the Institute, they’d been forced to relocate to northern Scandinavia where the Saels had a secret estate.

Sirian and Webster shared the lab. Sirian worked on the new poison serum for his daughter, Vivena. She had a remarkable Talent. Perhaps, the most powerful Webster had ever seen.

“Apple juice?”

“Is it made out of the rift ingredients?” Webster asked. He’d gotten drunk with Sirian when they’d tested Level 2 alcohol. The next two days had been a living hell. The rift stuff was potent and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“I think only the soil came from a rift in this case.”

That was acceptable. The rift soil was fairly safe.

“I’d like some, please.”

Sirian poured the juice then turned on the TV.

“I hope you don’t mind. I’m starved for news.”

Webster frowned then turned his head to Sirian.

“Didn’t you call the news propaganda?”

Sirian chuckled.

“Oh, yeah, it’s propaganda but I got a tip that today will be different.”

This got Webster’s attention. He secretly liked to watch TV. It was his only window on the world.

Webster took a seat next to Sirian. They waited for a few minutes for the news channel to begin transmission.

“Welcome to The Truth Network.”

“The Truth Network?”

“Not my idea. I think the Nishimuras wanted this name. I don’t know.”

“I am currently in Crest after visiting Nice and Grenoble. The situation is very difficult here,” a young female reporter said. “The entire region was hit by terrorists from a group calling themselves the White Masks.”

The camera showed the destruction and hundreds of monster bodies being hauled and thrown onto heaps. It reminded Webster about the first outbreak. Not a pleasant memory.

“The city desperately needs help. I’ve learned from many sources that the government refused to step in and help. More than that—oh, I am sorry.” She touched her ear. “We just received an official statement from the White Masks.”

The picture switched back to the studio where a smooth-looking presenter explained that the White Masks issued their official statement and the Truth Network wished to present it before the government blocked the statement from the Web. Before they switched to the statement, the presenter assured viewers that the network didn’t support the White Masks in any way.

A person in a white mask stood in front of a red background. They wore a black robe and had a silhouette of a woman.

“People of Earth, my name is Persephone and I am the leader of the White Masks. It is true that we had attacked the so-called ‘the Alps warzone’ where tyrant Windsor Freeman and his illegitimate World Government kept millions of rift monsters from several uncleared rifts so they could ‘farm’ the essence for their so-called ‘troopers’. At the same time, they had denied the wider public access to the essence, which is unacceptable.

“The outbreaks were not an incident. They have been caused by the World Government and we should expect more outbreaks in the future. People of Earth, take the matter into your own hands and level up!”

Webster started chuckling nervously but when he noticed Sirian’s solemn face, his chuckle died off.

Sirian turned to Webster and seeing the researcher’s face he said.

“It’s true. The World Government has caused the outbreaks.”

“But … how?” Webster was shocked to the core. He didn’t know what to say.

“They used the boy you’d done the ceremony for in San Antonio.”

Webster shot to his feet.

“Keynes Kid!”

“Yes. Columbus Curt found their secret base where they’d opened the first rift. From what I know, Freeman wasn’t gentle with the boy."

Webster nodded but he tried to wrap his head around this. It explained everything. The NDA, the secrets, his Talent, the Error affinity…

Wait a minute! The Error affinity?

Webster rushed to his desk, his heart was hammering in his chest.

“I think I know what we are missing, Sirian. We play by the rules but we can… cheat the system.”

He started smiling, not being able to contain his excitement. This was the breakthrough he was waiting for his entire life!

***

Kaito Ren was disgusted by the White Masks declaration but then he remembered that he indirectly had allowed for the second outbreak to occur and suddenly, the White Masks’ attacks didn’t seem like a big deal.

“I don’t like their methods but they aren’t wrong. If another outbreak comes people must be ready to face the monsters,” Daiyu Fen said, leaning against a wall near the exit. That girl was difficult to work with.

“We must stop the next outbreak from happening,” said Vivena. From what Kaito Ren learned, Vivena’s Talent was very powerful in the right circumstances. She hadn’t told them what the circumstances were but during the fight near Leeds, where they’d helped Daiyu Fen clear the Level 2 uncommon rift, Vivena hadn’t shown the power of her Talent and Kaito Ren speculated that she didn’t have the means to create the circumstances.

“I agree with Vivena,” Christopher said. “Humankind isn’t ready for another outbreak. We still have uncleared rifts all over the world. Imagine another couple of hundreds of Level 3 rifts. We might not survive it.”

“We will,” Daiyu Fen said. “And we will get stronger this way.”

“You’re talking about billions of dead people,” Christopher said, softly. Arguing with Daiyu Fen had been the reason why their operation in Lower London had gone sideways. They’d managed to free the Kid family but the government was hunting them without mercy now.

They were hiding in Kaito Ren’s friend's house in southern London. But they needed to get out of here. They needed to find Keynes Kid before he caused the third outbreak.

“If people won’t get stronger, the government will. Pick one,” she said and that ended the argument. Because no matter how ugly her vision was, it seemed to be the only choice. Vivena had told him that the resistance; especially the Ravencrofts and maybe the Nishimuras, would seek to take advantage of Keynes if they caught him. They weren’t any different from the World Government.

They spent the evening processing the news from France. The Kid family stuck to themselves. They were terrified. Their son had been ‘technically’ kidnapped. Two outbreaks had happened and they’d been kept in a secure location until Kaito Ren and the rest freed them.

Kaito Ren went to check on them.

Ewan Kid sat by a table playing with some tools and a glyph. Kaito Ren was aware that the man had a glyph-related Talent but he didn’t ask for details. He didn’t even notice Kaito Ren entering the room.

Harter and Nina stood up.

“Did you learn anything?” they asked immediately. It was their third week in the house. Everyone grew tired of constant waiting.

“Nothing about Keynes.”

Ewan didn’t react. He seemed to not listen to them at all. Nina closed her eyes, keeping her tears at bay. Curse you, Daiyu Fen, you shouldn’t tell them the truth.

“How long will we need to stay here?” Harter asked, holding himself quite well, although his cheerfulness he’d shown in the beginning, vanished. “There must be some laws. Something. Is it even legal for the government to treat us like criminals when we did nothing wrong.”

“The government answers to no one at the moment, I’m afraid.”

“Keynes must be terrified,” Nina said, sobbing. “He’s not ready…”

“He’ll be fine, mum,” Harter told her then added quietly. “He must be.”

“Keynes isn’t weak. In the short time I spent with him, he turned from a boy into a man. He is strong.” And that was Kaito Ren’s fear. What would he turn into next?

Nina sat down, staring at her hands, they were shaking. Harter tried to console her but despite his best attempts, he wasn’t doing a good job. Not his fault. Kaito Ren didn’t think any person without the right Talent could soothe this woman, who ironically had a soothing Talent. Kaito Ren was about to assure them that the moment they learned about Keynes’s whereabouts, they would go looking for him.

“KAITO GET HERE!” Daiyu Fen bellowed. “NOW!”

Kaito Ren rushed upstairs expecting the worst. Through his head went different scenarios and he prepared his Talent to open a portal to their emergency destination.

As Kaito Ren got there, he found everyone in the room ready to fight. The source of commotion stood in the doorway – a well-tanned man, wearing a suit and not looking one bit worried.

“We have a situation here, Ren,” Christopher said, eyeing the intruder. “This man claims to know where Keynes Kid is.”

Kaito Ren froze and from behind him came a loud gasp that belonged to Nina. She shot past Kaito Ren and dropped to her knees.

“Please, tell us where he is.”

Ewan and Harter stepped next to her and lifted her to her feet.

“Take your mother, Harter,” Ewan said then turned to the newcomer. “If you truly have information about our son, please, tell us.” He tried to sound composed but his voice shook.

The man smiled.

“I will, but first things first.”

“How did you find us?” Daiyu Fen asked. “And who do you work for?”

She was sharp as the blade she kept attached to her belt.

“Fair questions,” he said. “I think you should sit down as well.”

When they didn’t do it, he shrugged.

“Fine.”

Kaito Ren had a bad feeling about this. Christopher glanced at him and shook his head. This man had to be very high level as his ageless face suggested.

“I always knew where you were.”

“What are you saying?” Vivena asked. “You somehow have a way to track us?”

“Vivena Sael. I have to say, you have an interesting Talent and there is a great future ahead of you.” He made a step forward and everyone twitched. Kaito Ren was ready to attack him. Most likely this man worked for Freeman. One of his assassins. “And yes, I have a way to track you. Not something you would have in mind but it works.”

He glanced at Daiyu Fen.

“And you, Daiyu Fen, disgraced daughter, you have potential as well. You two will shake this world. As to who I work for. I work for nobody.”

He let the silence befall after that and waited. No one in the room felt strong enough to speak up somehow. Kaito Ren couldn’t understand what was happening. Were they influenced by a Talent? That was a possibility.

“No more questions?”

Christoper stepped forward. Kaito Ren tensed up.

“What do you want?”

“I came here to tell you where Keynes Kid is. That is all.”

They were missing something here. This wasn’t normal by any stretch of the imagination. And this man sensed it.

“Keynes Kid needs you and without me, you will never find him. He’s a ghost.”

“Then how do—” Daiyu Fen asked but didn’t finish her sentence as the man snapped his fingers and she froze.

That was a spell!

“There is not much else I can tell you. The less you know the better for everyone. I will lead you to him because he needs you right now. That is all you need to know.”

He snapped his fingers again, releasing Daiyu Fen from a spell. She dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. Vivena and Nina went to help her.

Meanwhile, Kaito Ren studied the man’s face and couldn’t help but feel like he was looking at something inhuman. He couldn't understand what made him think that but it seemed like the man tried to act naturally. He decided to probe a little.

“Let's say we agree. Why us and not the World Government?”

The man turned to Kaito Ren and sighed.

“Kaito Ren. An interesting Talent with many future applications. As to your question, if I wanted to, I would take you against your will as easily as if you went with me willingly. I did not come here to ask, I came here to tell you. The World Government is a big no.”

These words filled Kaito Ren with a chill. Who the hell was he?

“Are you Keynes’s friend?”

“Hm.” He pondered the question as if he hadn’t just threatened them then answered it. “I am on his side.”

“Then why don’t you defeat Windsor Freeman?” Vivena asked.

"Because Windsor Freeman has his own role to play.”

They all blinked. What the—

***

The Shaper looked over the unmoving bodies in the room. His idea of this meeting was different. More tempered, less chaotic. But his script didn’t play out. Maybe he needed to spend more time among other humans? He was growing stiff and unaccustomed to conversations again. He was good with threatening people though. It was the most important bit.

He took out the stasis box from his dimensional space and placed the seven people inside it. The stasis box was a very different thing from dimensional space although it looked the same at first glance. Dimensional space didn’t support life. The stasis box suspended it without any side effects. He needed those people alive for Keynes Kid’s benefit. That boy had an important job to do and without his friends, he would turn into…

You?

No.

The Shaper had entered the Medium Stage a long time ago. His spiritual companion, Magnalius, was rather reticent and when the two of them engaged in a conversation, it didn’t resemble a human interaction.

No. If Keynes Kid was to left to himself, he would turn into something this world wasn’t ready to face. The Shaper closed his eyes, remembering the visions of that particular future. It was a dire place to live. Designed only for the strongest. Human civilization fell in that iteration.

The Shaper picked the stasis box up and placed it in his dimensional space. Another absurdity. A dimensional space couldn’t be placed inside another one but the stasis box was fine.

What about Letchworth Truman? Magnalius asked. You said you will deal with him.

It turns out, I don't need to. There is a hybrid from France that found his trail and will hunt him down.

Or he will kill the hybrid.

Yes.

Letchworth Truman was the unknown variable that hadn’t appeared in the visions. It was best to leave him alone.

The Shaper drove to the airport where his private jet awaited. Two more outbreaks and first [Teleport] skills would start appearing. Travelling like this was tiring. He missed Elulu. His Global Teleport Talent had allowed the Shaper to travel all over the world but good things could never last long. Soon, some people were going to learn that the hard way. He looked toward the north. It’d serve them right as they hadn’t heeded his warning and had shared his knowledge with others.

***

Keynes entered Geneva in the assassin’s clothes. They were ideal for blending with the crowd. After the attacks, Geneva saw an increased number of troopers and Keynes had to pick a different route that didn’t take him through a checkpoint.

Yes. He’d made a mistake. The name he’d given to the two troopers, Joe Brown, somehow got the attention of the government and they were looking for him. Nothing official but the troopers gossiped and he eavesdropped their conversations in bars, inside the city. It was good to have cash. It let him sleep in a small hotel in the suburbs. A game-changer! Getting a good rest was important and it kept Alice happy.

He decided against meeting the gardener right now. If the government got to Hugo and Sophie, then Keynes would walk into a trap.

It was late evening and he was tired after the entire day of gathering information. He entered the small lobby and found it empty.

Alice, Keynes warned her. Something’s up.

Yes, I sense—oh, crap.

“Keynes Kid,” a man said from the doorway.

Keynes froze, readying his cloak, dagger and shortsword. How the hell did they find him?

“I have brought someone and you will be glad to see them.” He said then quickly added. “And here, a small gift for you.”

Keynes whirled but the doorway was empty.

“Where is he, Alice?”

“No idea, he blocked me completely. I couldn’t even see his physical body.”

Keynes noticed a piece of paper on the ground. It had numbers, wait, these were geolocations. He turned the sheet over and read.

This is the list of locations of Level 3, 4 and 5 rifts. One each. You will know what to do when the time comes.

PS.

Your family waits in your room.