Timeless Assassin

(The Skyshard Mansion, Leo's POV)

"Go on…"

Those two words sent a cold shiver straight down Su Pei's spine, his throat tightening as he gulped down a mouthful of saliva before forcing himself to continue.

"The wounds on your brother's body were made by straight blades, the kind that is standard issue for most warriors across the universe.

But the Red Army… they're different.

Anyone who knows even the basics about them understands that nine out of ten Red Army members wield curved blades, as for them it's a sign of belonging to their organisation, a unique signature of sorts, even if it's not the most practical.

So for Luke to be hunted by them for over a year, and not receive a single wound from a curved blade?

That's where my suspicions began." Su Pei's tone was steady, but his eyes flickered with the weight of what he was saying, and Leo held his gaze without so much as a blink.

"Next, I checked Luke for the classic signs of memory tampering… and he had them all.

Stuttering when recalling altered events.

Fidgeting hands when speaking of completely fabricated memories.

And worst of all, the missing stretches of time, entire chunks of his memory between major incidents are gone."

Leo's breathing began to deepen, each exhale short and sharp, the sound low but impossible to miss.

"Your father told me that he suspected something was wrong with Luke's memories too. That's why he hired two different private investigators to look into it.

But, both of them eventually submitted reports that matched almost perfectly, so his suspicions were put to bed, but those reports themselves were big red flags…"

Su Pei's voice lowered. "So I decided to then visit them in person, and let's just say…. Used enough charm to force the truth out of them, at which point, they admitted that they had both been pressured by the Twelfth Elder's office and a woman named Mu Fan to alter those reports.

That they had known for a long time that Luke's injuries may have had nothing to do with the Red Army, but were forced to not say anything about it."

*Crack*

*Crack*

The sharp sound of Leo's knuckles tightening filled the space, his fists clenched hard, as his jaw locked in place.

"Both investigators told the same story. So from that day on, I began tracking this Mu Fan… and confirmed she's employed by the Twelfth Elder, working from an independent office.

I went there during her absence, just to scout the place. And what I discovered…" Su Pei hesitated, his eyes flicking briefly to the side as if weighing whether to speak the next part aloud.

"What is it? What… did… you… find?" Leo's voice was low and deliberate, each word dragged through gritted teeth as the veins in his neck tensed.

"I found out that the Twelfth Elder has assigned Mu Fan to monitor the Skyshard Mansion around the clock. And that… they planted a spyware microphone inside the old body of the robot man you keep here.

In other words, the Cult was previously listening to everything…. every conversation happening inside this house, and would have probably continued to do so if they still had a chance.

You and your family… were not living free lives here. You were being monitored constantly."

Leo's expression twisted into something caught between a smile and a snarl, the kind that didn't reach his eyes. "I see…" he murmured, making a small hand gesture for Su Pei to keep going.

"I did not confront Mu Fan despite having the chance to do so, because I wasn't sure how you'd want me to handle this… but based on everything I've pieced together, here's my conclusion." Su Pei took in a slow, steady breath.

"The Cult, or at least the Twelfth Elder's office, has gone to great lengths to bury the truth of what happened to Luke.

And I can see only two possible reasons.

The first, and most likely, is that they are directly responsible for his injuries, and the cover-up is their way of hiding their crime.

The second… is that this is part of a bigger plan.

A plan to keep you under control by turning your family into leverage.

Because they know that if they can manipulate your family, they can keep a collar around your throat at all times."

Su Pei straightened slightly, locking eyes with Leo.

"So… how do you want to play this, Master? What are your orders?" He asked, as he expected Leo to burst into a fit of rage and demand blood this very instant.

However, contrary to his expectations, Leo simply closed his eyes, controlled his breathing and let out a long exhale.

*Husshhhh*

He seemed to try hard to regain his composure, as he stood in absolute silence for a few minutes, before eventually opening his eyes that looked merciless and focused.

"The old me would have probably unsheathed my dagger by now….."

"There's no doubt in my mind that the old me would have murdered Mu Fan, and that bastard Twelfth Elder before dawn tomorrow, and said hell with the consequences.

But the current me has matured.

The current me finds death to be too simple a punishment for these bastards, so I won't grant them easy ones….."

"If there's one thing that the Cult should not have done, it is to mess with my family, but now that they have, I will make sure that everyone involved in this scheme will pay for it.

But to make all the culprits pay, I'll have to approach this problem systematically." Leo said, as despite his primal rage, he seemed to be using his head to plot a more cruel revenge.

One that would be more devastating than a mere assassination.

"My family has just settled in their new life at Vorthas and I don't want to uproot them yet again.

So I won't operate in a way that implicates me for these crimes.

However, I swear on my surname as a Skyshard, that within the next 90 days, I'll bring everyone involved with harming my brother to justice.

That much is certain now."