Silence lingered in the interrogation chamber.

On the other side of the glass, the President and the Chairman exchanged a glance. A myriad of emotions passed between the two men, including exhaustion, amusement, and perhaps even a bit of respect. But it was hard to tell for sure, as both of them were great at the political game, which needed them to remain unreadable.

But it did not matter what they felt or thought, because outside, the world had already spoken.

—

Global Awakened News Network (GAN), one hour after the stream ended and the video of it dropped.

"The footage has now been confirmed as authentic. What you're seeing is Kaiden Grey and his companions rescuing imprisoned individuals, some barely alive. The United States Awakened Association responded by dispatching Levi the Whirlwind to detain them immediately-"

The broadcast cut abruptly because the studio devolved into chaos.

"Holy shit! Look at the protest numbers!"

"And they're not even protesting only in America… Look at the French…"

"What do you want from the French government? They have nothing to do with Kaiden's situation."

"Well, the French are always down for a protest, but this time, they're doing it in front of the American Embassy at least…"

…

Somewhere in the American suburbs…

A young boy sat cross-legged on the sofa.

His empty plate of cut vegetables and fruit still rested beside him.

He stood up.

Marched to his room.

Put on his sneakers.

Grabbed a toy sword.

And slung his backpack over his shoulder.

He got as far as the front door.

A hand yanked him backward.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, young man?" His mother asked with the driest of looks.

"I'm gonna help Kaiden!"

"You're grounded for one week."

"WHAT?! Are you also a government dog?!"

The mother's eyes widened like saucers. Her son had been clearly influenced by what he read in the video comments.

"Make it one month. No internet. If I catch you watching the Awakened Media Platform…"

…

While real-life protests were being organized, the internet became a battleground.

Global Awakened News (GAN), the biggest awakened news channel that was owned by the American government, had its comment sections trolled and its news channels downvoted.

Presidential social media posts received the same mass downvoting into oblivion.

Every tweet drowned in:

#FreeValhalla'sSinners

#NotMyPresident

#WeStandWithKaiden

State Governor Hotlines became jammed. Some offices had to shut phones off entirely.

Then came the memes.

The many, many memes.

Some mocked the government. Others absolutely destroyed Maximilian.

Viral Meme #1: "Butcher's Request"

Kaiden, holding a butcher knife.

Maximilian's face drawn on a dirty pig.

Caption:

"The only thing I want from you is to hear your squeals, you filthy fucking pig."

Meme #2: "Really?"

Panel 1 — Maximilian on his knees, begging, "I can give you women from all around the world!"

Panel 2 — Kaiden looking to his left: Nyx, Luna, Aria, sitting like divine supermodels.

Panel 3 — Looks right: Bastet and Calypso, pure exotic, inhuman beauty.

Panel 4 — Kaiden's expression is deadpan.

Caption:

"Are you serious right now?"

➤ Meme #3: Government Briefing Parody

President looking depressed.

Banner reads:

"How to ruin your political career, step 1: arrest a national hero"

"Step 2: cry"

The world wasn't calm.

It wasn't patient.

It was angry, united, and demanding a response from the government.

…

Silence hung between the three men.

Then the President leaned back in his chair, exhaled sharply, and muttered:

"Who would've guessed that a dejected college dropout, who signed up for a porn shoot out of God knows what, would be giving the President of the United States migraines just a few months later."

Kaiden blinked.

Then he laughed.

A low, genuine chuckle escaped him as he rubbed his neck. "Yeah… fair. Only in the mana apocalypse."

The President huffed a tired breath and rubbed his temples. "Isn't that the truth… damned apocalypse."

His eyes, however, sharpened. The fatigue left his posture, replaced by something far more composed, presidential.

"But while this has been pleasant, I have a country to run. A very loud, angry country. A country that is currently calling me a sellout dog in eight different languages and turning me into Shrek memes. So," He sat forward. "Let me get to the point."

He looked Kaiden straight in the eye.

"I want to understand you, Kaiden Grey."

Kaiden's eyebrow lifted. "Understand me?"

The President nodded. "I'm not afraid of monsters. Not even dungeon breaks. They're predictable. You can study them, counter them, prepare for them."

He paused.

"What I fear… is the unknown. The things that don't fit into any report or known pattern. The anomalies. The unexplainable."

His gaze narrowed.

"Like a certain man sitting in front of me."

The humor left Kaiden's face.

"And what of it?" he asked quietly. "You want me to become an open book because you asked? Tell you everything about me? I'm sorry, but that's not happening."

His expression hardened.

"Or is this meant to be blackmail? With my family sitting in that cell, are you trying to use them as leverage?"

The air in the room went cold.

Across the glass, the Chairman's eyes sharpened. "Careful with that tone, youngster. You're speaking with your president, not your buddy."

Kaiden's expression remained on the President, and his tone did not lose any of its edge. "My president shouldn't make subtle threats then. Protect and serve, isn't that right?"

The tension filled the air.

Neither man backed down.

Kaiden, the boy who became a storm.

The President, the man holding together a country in the biggest crisis known to mankind.

Two different kinds of power.

One born from influence.

The other born from screen, sword, and the love of his girls.

Kaiden was overly protective, while the President had a myriad of reasons to treat Kaiden as a threat. Being an up-and-coming awakened combatant, even with his weird class, was only the start of it. His being able to sway the public so well was a much, much bigger threat to the President.

At least, until the day he learned just how powerful the Paragon of Sin class truly was.

But for now, his ability to sway people was the biggest worry the President had.

After all, Kaiden was a charismatic, young, and photogenic man, surrounded by beautiful and loving girls. Their group was emotionally expressive, full of personality and drama. Almost anyone had fun watching them in times of peace and rooted for their success in times of war.

But more importantly than any of that, they always seemed to find trouble, or rather trouble found them over and over again.

Yet, from each debacle, they come out stronger, more experienced, richer, with more loyal viewers. It was as if they knew how to turn anything into their advantage, whether it was a world-ending apocalypse or a boring evening, which they would then turn into a successful 'variety stream.'

This was the exact sort of group a man like him had to be wary of.

"Protect and serve, huh…? That's a nice slogan. It wins you many votes," the President mused slyly, but then added with full seriousness, "For the record, I did not mean to threaten your loved ones. I already knew all too well, but you truly are just like Vespera. Even the slightest self-perceived threat to your family is treated as if a nuclear alarm had gone off."

Kaiden didn't care about any of this. "With all due respect, then what did you mean? Were you really hoping I'd be open with you about my secrets because you asked nicely?"

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