In the span of one heartbeat, the incarnation of vengeance and destruction dissolved.

She launched herself across the debris-strewn hallway filled with fallen men and women and collided with Kaiden's chest at full speed.

"KAI!!!"

Her arms wrapped around him like a missile made of pure affection.

The same girl who had just threatened to vaporize a government squad now buried her face into his chest, trembling but smiling, her voice suddenly soft, almost childish.

"It's really you! They said they were taking you!! I thought…" she suddenly began looking all over his body, searching for injuries while declaring, "I-I'll kill them all if they hurt you! The President as well!!"

Behind her, the dozens of agents she had been obliterating lay in a pile, staring in disbelief.

Someone whispered, "What the hell just happened?"

Levi just stood there, hand still raised to cast a spell, and muttered:

"…Oh."

Kaiden sighed, but his hand moved, gently patting the top of Alice's head.

…

The convoy moved slowly.

"You'll be held at the Central Awakened Detention Facility, but not taken to the underground areas. You'll be in a holding cell, all together," Levi explained as they approached the surface tunnel. "Good conditions, the only restrictions will be the bars themselves. Not even your mana usage will be limited. But try anything, and the punishment will probably not be to your liking."

Kaiden nodded once.

Nyx stretched her arms lazily. "Going to jail together with my besties, it's kinda exciting."

Luna instantly scoffed. "Weirdo."

"Sue me~"

…

A steel door slid shut behind them.

No cuffs. No dampening fields. Just concrete walls, a long cell wide enough for all of them, and a single observation camera blinking red above the door.

A gesture of goodwill… with a warning attached.

The guards left, leaving silence in their wake.

Kaiden turned slowly to face Alice with a dry expression.

She sat on the bench like an innocent kitten.

Blink. Blink.

Kaiden pinched the bridge of his nose and even closed his eyes for three full seconds.

"Alice," he managed to say rather calmly. "I told you that if you kept acting like this, you'd expose our relationship."

He opened one eye. "Levi looked like he just had the discovery of a lifetime."

"B-But!" Alice puffed her cheeks, fists balled.

She paused.

No good comeback came to her mind.

Panic settled rapidly in.

Solution: be cute and hug!

She launched into him for a giant hug. "I saw your stream! I knew they were coming for you! I wanted to get here first and help you escape!"

Nyx's laugh was soft and melodic.

"Alice… sweetie. Your brother is a smart man. You really think we streamed all of that and expected to run away?"

"Yeah, little sis, I have to agree with the bimbo. You're not giving your big brother enough credit. Or do you think him to be dumb?"

"No!!!"

Alice froze mid-hug.

Nyx and Luna tilted their heads in sync, smiling.

"Ugh!" Alice's eye twitched.

She slowly turned her head toward the duo. The two Valkyries were grinning as if they'd just won the lottery.

Alice glared. Fiery. Offended. Betrayed.

Kaiden sighed again.

But just a little… he smiled too.

Kaiden knew that Alice was turning into quite the problem that had to be tackled, one way or another. After all, this girl had done something reckless again, something that went against his direct wishes that were stated previously. As such, the young lady was in for quite the scolding.

But alas, that would have to wait until they left the jail. He did not want to conduct a family drama before strangers.

For a moment, peace held.

Then Aria shifted her weight and took a single step closer while smiling gently.

"I mean… I do get it," she said with a voice that was warm and supportive. "If someone tried to take my siblings away from me, I'd probably burn a city too-"

She didn't get to finish her statement because Alice...

Hissed. Not figuratively, metaphorically, comically, nothing like that.

She literally hissed, releasing a sharp, animalistic sound. Low and full of warning. The sound of a territorial kitten guarding food it would kill for.

Clearly, Alice Ashborn was not interested in being consoled. She was much more interested in ensuring that no one interrupted her hugging session with Kaiden, and the approaching Valkyrie was designated as a grave threat.

Aria froze mid-step.

Calypso blinked, confused.

Bastet's lips curled into the most amused of feline grins. "Interesting…~"

Alice didn't care about the reactions of the women. She clung harder to Kaiden's chest with her eyes narrowed at the approaching woman.

Silent, but the message was clear:

Mine.

Get lost.

Bitch.

Aria's bright, friendly expression faltered.

Then, slowly, her smile… changed.

The warmth faded.

Her eyes darkened with recognition.

"Oh," she whispered, a little too calm. "So that's how it is."

The air shifted.

For the first time, Aria looked at Alice not like a kid… but like a rival.

A fellow lunatic.

A fellow yandere.

A tiny spark ran behind her eyes.

Kaiden quietly realized this detention cell might soon become a war zone.

But, abruptly, his salvation arrived.

*Clank.*

The metal door slid open, and a trio of guards stepped in.

"Kaiden Grey," one of them announced, visibly nervous at the murderous aura leaking from both Aria and Alice, "you have visitors."

Kaiden did not hesitate; he immediately pried Alice off him. She clung to him with all that she had. Well, perhaps not literally 'everything,' considering just how powerful she was.

"Cruel big brother!!" she whined with her fingers clawing at his shirt before he finally managed to peel her off and gently set her down on the bench.

"I hate-hate-hate-" The girl was physically incapable of declaring that she hated Kaiden despite being in the middle of throwing a hissy fit. Thus, all she did was pout mightily, "Hmph!!"

She sat there in the corner, betrayed and with her knees to her chest.

Nyx blinked. "Uh, you okay, little sis?"

Alice turned away, muttering into her knees, "Leave me alone…"

Kaiden exhaled a quiet breath of relief. With him out of the picture, her aggression vanished. She was no longer a feral tiger, just a sulking kitten.

Perfect.

He followed the guards through a sterile hallway deeper into the facility. White lights. Cold tile floors. Cameras tracking every step.

Eventually, they led him to a small, empty room with a table and a chair facing a large one-way mirror.

Kaiden sat down.

*Click.*

The mirror turned transparent.

And on the other side of the glass sat two men.

Every American would recognize them instantly.

The President of the United States.

And beside him, the Chairman of the Awakened Association.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then the Chairman, with eyes sharp and ancient, spoke up. "I finally meet you, Cub of the Dragon."

The President chuckled under his breath. "Cub? No. This one is a little dragon already, spitting fire wherever he pleases."

The Chairman hummed in amused agreement. "Fair point."

Kaiden rested his arms on the table. "To what do I owe the pleasure, gentlemen? It's an honor to meet you and all, but I'd rather chat with my girls than two grumpy men."

Both recipients of his words shook their heads in perfect sync, having instant PTSD of Vespera's attitude when it came to interacting with them. He was truly her child; there was absolutely no doubt about it in either man's head.

Then, the President intertwined his fingers. "We wanted to meet the soon-to-be biggest contributor to all of our future migraines."

Kaiden's lips tugged into a faint smile at that, though he offered no apology, nor did he display any form of guilt.

The Chairman, with a poker face, looked right into Kaiden's eyes as he asked. "So tell me, what's your plan for getting out of this mess? Hide behind the mother dragon again like you did the last time?"

Kaiden didn't answer right away. "Hide behind the mother dragon, huh…"

Far too comfortable considering just who he was speaking to, he leaned back in his chair.

Images flickered through his mind as he tapped into the Awakened Media Platform.

Notifications. News clips. Social feeds.

Millions of views.

Tens of millions.

Footage of the underground hell. The golems. The broken slaves. The blood.

Then the end, which saw Kaiden and his Valkyries being escorted like criminals after what they'd just done.

And the world erupted.

People were already outside federal buildings, gathering. Forming protests.

"Free Valhalla's Sinners!"

"They are heroes, not criminals!"

"Release them right now!"

It had been one hour, if that.

And protests were just the beginning.

Foreign embassies issued statements, criticizing the United States' detainment of the "Heroes of America."

Several governments publicly offered to pay bail, no matter the amount.

Others declared that if Kaiden took one step into their borders, he would be welcomed as a national hero instead of being thrown into jail.

Some called the U.S. government cowardly.

Some called it unjust.

Others called it political suicide.

Kaiden let those images fade.

Then he met the President's and the Chairman's eyes. "Hide behind the mother dragon…?"

And calmly said,

"I'm afraid this little dragon has already left the nest."

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