Radit changed the channel with a grumble. "Seriously? No good anime this late?"
Ethan immediately cut in. "Radit, go back to the news."
The image returned: barricades, heavy weapons, and world leaders scheduled to gather in Bandung. The reporter spoke quickly, as if racing against time. "...The conference will be held over two days in the city of Bandung…"
Kaivan froze. His eyes sharpened, thoughts clicking together like gears locking into place.
"They're targeting that conference," he whispered.
Radit straightened. "You mean, they're planning to hit world leaders?"
Felicia clenched her fists. "This isn't just about kids being recruited. They're trying to spark chaos on a global scale."
Ethan exhaled a thin trail of smoke, his face grim but his eyes darkly alive. "If we stay quiet, we're helping them kill."
Radit shook his head, but his voice carried a growing resolve. "We're just high school students… but who else knows the truth if not us?"
Kaivan nodded. "If we tell the police, they'll never believe us."
He looked at each of them, one by one, then spoke in a tone that cut through the silence. "We infiltrate their group. Convince them to stop. And if that fails… we end it from the inside."
Ethan lowered his head, his cigarette almost burned out. "How, exactly?"
Felicia turned from the window, her hair swaying softly, but her gaze pierced straight through Kaivan. "Raphael. He once asked you to join them, didn't he? That 'path of sincerity' thing…"
The room went still. Kaivan didn't answer, but the tension in the air said enough. And from that silence, their dangerous plan began to take shape, slowly, but surely.
Ethan stood abruptly, breath caught in his throat, eyes wide with disbelief. His fists tightened as though holding back something explosive.
"Wait…" His voice rose, breaking the quiet. "You've already met Raphael? Isn't that what we've been trying to do?" His tone wavered between fear and suspicion.
Kaivan met his gaze steadily. "Yes," he said at last, flat, calm, unwavering.
He looked down, fingers tracing the metal of his chained karambit, as if searching his own thoughts within its cold surface.
"He's gone too far. That ideology has him completely bound. We need proof, and a path from the Tome Omnicent. Without it, he won't listen."
Felicia moved closer, soundless as a shadow. Her eyes fixed on Kaivan, filled with faith, and something dangerously close to devotion.
Radit and Ethan exchanged glances. Radit's jaw tightened. Ethan drew in a slow breath, then exhaled, as if gathering the last of his courage.
Kaivan opened the Tome Omnicent. Its pages glowed with a soft, silver light. The room fell silent. Even the lamps dimmed, as if yielding to something sacred.
He closed his eyes and asked quietly in his heart:
"Where can I find Raphael?"
Silence sealed the air. Seconds froze.
Then, a silver radiance bled from the pages, flowing like liquid ink suspended in air. It formed shapes, shifting until a three-dimensional map shimmered before him, whispering directions without sound.
Kaivan's eyes traced every glowing point, each one a place Raphael had once visited. His gaze hardened, memorizing every path, every possibility. With one smooth motion, he closed the book. The light faded, returning the room to shadow.
"Tomorrow morning," he said calmly, "we move. Watch him. Find an opening."
Felicia nodded. Radit clenched his fists. Ethan stayed silent, but his eyes said everything, they were ready.
Dawn came soft and pale. The scent of wet earth drifted on the breeze. The park was nearly empty, save for a lone figure in a white robe, sitting still on a wooden bench, his back to them. Leaves rustled gently, warning them to tread carefully.
Kaivan halted. His heartbeat quickened. Beside him, Felicia stood rigid, her crimson eyes scanning every shadow. Behind them, Ethan and Radit crouched low, their breathing steady but sharp with alertness.
A thin mist still veiled the park as Kaivan stepped forward. Each stride pressed softly against damp grass and brittle leaves, creating a rhythm that pulsed with the earth's quiet breath. Felicia followed, her shoulders squared, her eyes sharp as glass.
Morning sunlight filtered through the trees, scattering across the dew like broken glass. Beneath the great oak, Raphael sat unmoving. His posture was straight, his gaze distant, like a man conversing with something unseen.
Kaivan emerged from the brush, slim but resolute, his stare cutting through the air. Three shadows followed close behind. They came not to fight, but to kindle the first spark of change. The world itself seemed to hold its breath, awaiting what would come next.
Raphael lifted his head slowly. When his eyes met Kaivan's, he smiled faintly, an expression that wavered between warmth and menace. Yet that smile vanished the moment he saw Felicia and the others. His gaze grew sharp, judging, dissecting.
"Kaivan," he said evenly. "You and your fiancée again. But this time, you brought company?"
Kaivan stopped three meters away, a safe distance, steady and unyielding. "They're my friends," he replied, glancing at Felicia. "You met her yesterday, didn't you?"