Blinded

Each government together with a family ruled a region, this was almost always the norm. While the government was in charge of managing the city, the family was in charge of most of the military power.

In the case of the city of Radford and the other cities that make up the region, it was the central government along with the Aeterna that maintained security and order.

But apart from the Aeterna, there were other sub-families that also supported the government, although these were more like extensions of the Aeterna.

It was assumed that Marlon planned to take advantage of the moment when the government together with the Aeterna were at their busiest and most fragile to strike at them. To which Nathan merely clenched his fists in fury.

'These bastards!'

Looking back at Syril, he realized the words he had said to him earlier.

'This isn't about a power struggle anymore, they're involving hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens!'

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted as all of Khan's top commanders raised their arms in joy and began to celebrate euphorically.

The generals remained seated to maintain their dignity, but Nathan did not overlook the smiles on their faces.

At that moment Nathan finally understood what kind of organization he had joined.

When he discovered that Boreas had created Khan, he did not know how to react. Even after he had known the old man for years, he did not understand what the purpose of the group was.

Even after a year in Khan, he still didn't understand. But all it took was a slight spark to ignite the spirits of everyone present.

"That's enough" Marlon announced, causing all the higher ups to fall silent again.

"Until the second wave begins stay hidden and move in groups"

The meeting ended shortly after with Marlon's parting words. Then everyone began to talk while Nathan remained completely silent.

The generals talked among themselves, finalizing the plans they were going to follow while the high command laughed amusedly.

Sighing, Nathan called softly to Dilliard, who turned and looked at him with a slight smile on his face.

"What's up...? Wait, when did you move up to third category?"

Like Syril, Dilliard was also surprised by him, to which Nathan merely whispered.

"This morning" 

Laughing lightly, Dilliard congratulated him.

"Good for you...your help will come in handy"

Nathan nodded slightly keeping a stoic expression behind his mask.

"So, what's up?" Dilliard finally asked him.

"Can I go? ...I have something to do"

Dilliard nodded and allowed him to leave, then not wanting to spend another second in that place, Nathan headed for the elevator.

'Nathan...' Amelia called out to him in a low tone.

'...What?'

Nathan called out to the elevator waiting for Amelia to ask, then just as he was about to speak, they both heard Syril's voice behind them.

"Nathan, wait!"

Turning around, Nathan looked at Syril who was still carrying the plastic bag in his hand. He looked at her with vacant eyes and even though Syril couldn't see through his mask, she felt his gaze on her.

"I don't agree with them either..."

Syril was direct, knowing that Nathan felt conflicted about the meeting that had just taken place.

"About your family--"

Nathan punched the hallway wall, leaving a dent in it.

"This isn't about my family anymore, they want to commit mass murder!"

Syril closed her eyes slightly and looked at him silently without saying a single word. 

Seeing that she said nothing, Nathan frowned.

"Did you even know? Wait... You knew, didn't you?"

Syril sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I knew about Khan's plans... but there's only so much I can do"

Nathan began to chuckle lightly.

"Yeah, yeah, we're just cadets and have no say in the plans of a large organization"

Lowering his head slightly, Nathan sighed.

"I suppose that's true... but we still have the freedom to choose our actions"

Syril shook his head.

"You don't understand... this is beyond our freedom. You saw it in the briefing room, they're all blinded"

Lifting his head slightly and seeing that there was no one around and there didn't seem to be any cameras, Nathan removed his mask and looked Syril straight in the eye.

"And you, are you blinded?"

Surprised by Nathan's completely serious and annoyed look, Syril took a couple of seconds to answer.

"N-no, I'm not blinded"

"So, what are your reasons for being on Khan?" Nathan continued with another question.

"I'm just returning the favor...you know my parents died and they took me in" Syril replied confidently to which Nathan nodded.

"Okay, so it looks like I was wrong about Khan, I guess they are a beneficiary organization that takes in children who lost their parents due to calamities?"

Syril was silent not understanding where Nathan was leading the conversation.

"They give them food to eat and a roof to sleep under, then support them as they grow up to become strong people who can help them in their ideologies"

Syril frowned.

"Saving one life to take three more, sounds good, don't you think?"

Without answering him directly, Syril asked him a question.

"What about you, why did you join Khan, don't you thirst for power? Because I distinctly remember how you always sought to leverage yourself to increase your strength"

"Yes, I thirst for power, because I know what it is to be weak and die at the hands of the strong. But my relationship with Khan is merely superficial, I have no reason to remain. If it were up to me, I wouldn't even have entered in the first place."

Nathan did not hesitate to answer, it was something that was clear in his thoughts. Moreover, he remembered Boreas' instructions, and could not understand why he had told him to join Khan.

"So, you'll just give up and leave?" asked Syril with a heavy tone.

Nathan just scoffed and held out his arms.

"And what's stopping me? I don't owe anyone anything, least of all Khan"

At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and they both fell silent. Then Nathan turned and stepped into the elevator, while Syril watched silently.

Once inside, Nathan turned again and looked at her seriously before putting his mask back on.

"You're really not blinded? You think killing with hundreds of thousands of people is the right thing to do?"

Syril did not change her expression and continued to listen to Nathan.

"Think about it, Syril. Before you do something you'll regret for the rest of your life. Believe me, I say that from experience"

Slowly, the elevator doors closed and the two were separated.

Syril stood silently staring at the elevator doors for a couple of seconds with a blank expression on his face, then she lifted the plastic bag Nathan had given her and looked inside it filled with food of all kinds.