8 Rotating Illusions

The voice of the priest echoed in the entire church building. He marked a small cross on his forehead, lips, and heart with his thumb while praying solemnly. The sunlight reflected on the crimson, lemonade, and emerald glasses on the window. Along with the congregation, I sat, crossing my fingers to each gap and placing them in front of my face.

"As you might have heard, a lot of unexpected things happened, so I'll continue the investigation from here," I uttered softly, closing my eyes like I was praying.

A man sitting on the row of seats behind mine was Aakash, a fellow spy agent from Green Organization and also my junior Altin had sent to meet me.

In order to report my investigation progress, I went to the church and my comrades were going undercover as a parish or priest since Marvel's bodyguards wouldn't likely follow me here.

As a direct agent who infiltrated, leaving no trace was paramount. I wasn't allowed to connect with my organization using any device. The only way to report the result of my investigation was to secretly meet a fellow spy after exchanging agreeable passwords. At this point, trust was more important than anything else.

I had to inform every detail of our target; even the most trivial things about them, their plans for the near future, and how to anticipate the possible events whether good or bad.

But, since the current investigation was unplanned, I didn't have any information to report, instead, I was the one to ask for it.

"He's only two years older than you, Senior," Aakash was ready to ease my curiosity with the data he had memorized in his head.

"So young, but already being a Family leader?" I couldn't help but be skeptical. Not to my comrade's information, but to the fact itself.

We silenced for a second. I supposed the moment Aakash found out about it, he couldn't believe it as well. Even the whole situation was ridiculous, because it was the first time we faced something like this.

"Have you ever heard of Yerevan's endless revenge toward Almanad?" Aakash resumed our conversation.

"It's not an endless grudge, but revenge?" Confused, I replied to his question with another question. "Why?"

"Because of a betrayal that caused the Yerevan's leader and also his wife, dead, causing the only son who had just turned twelve at that time to be an orphan."

I leaned against the wooden chair, starting to grow restless as I had a bad feeling about what I was about to learn.

From my seat, I looked at the priest, Claude; also my comrade, reading the gospel. His voice was just faintly heard when I was too focused on Aakash murmuring behind me, transferring the information.

Marvel Yerevan, the current head of the Yerevan Family and the owner of Yerevan Group, became an orphan at the age of twelve when both of his parents were poisoned and murdered by their business partner, Almanad Group.

Being the successor of a Mafia family, Marvel didn't live the life like the other kids his age. He didn't attend public school, but intense homeschooling with selected tutors. He wasn't allowed to make friends with random kids, but with the family with mutual business. The truth was, the parents of the "ordinary" wouldn't allow their kids to befriend him.

Having a high academic intelligence, Marvel finished his education at a very young age. But, rather than pursuing his study, the consigliere; advisers for the Mafia boss, were guiding him to be the decent leader of Yerevan. As a result, at the age of eighteen, he was able to avenge his parents' death.

Every of those who had betrayed and killed his parents and sent his family into a miserable downfall, he made sure they went through the same suffering by eliminating the leaders, not to mention their subordinates, leaving only the Almanad twin heirs with nothing in possessions and rights, all were under his command.

The consigliere highly dismissed the nonsense when he intended to monopolize those twins, who were poisons and drugs geniuses, by making use of their ability for Yerevan's advantage instead of just executing them with their parents, because it would potentially become a double-edged sword, and yet he still insisted on doing it.

The reason? It would be never-ending torture to serve an enemy while enduring the aftermath of past misdeeds.

And so, the twin brothers who didn't possess anything had no choice but to become Marvel's "loyal dogs" for the rest of their lives, and if they betray Yerevan once again, the boss himself would erase the entire Almanad forever.

At that time; ten years ago, to be exact, Almanad was such a distinguished Family in the underworld. That was why, what Marvel and his people had achieved was unbelievably remarkable, considering Yerevan had just begun to reconstruct with its new, young boss. But, Marvel understood it was his responsibility to avenge the previous boss' death, for it he had proved his existence and gained respect.

Since then, many Family bosses had laid their eyes on him, leading to beneficial partnerships and expanding authorities, and so Yerevan managed to be such a reputable Family to this day.

Being the highest one in a group of a Mafia family, Marvel was obliged to keep the essential part in every breath of his life; betrayal means death. Even to be said, he was still the one who opposed that rule, and came back unharmed, like he controlled death.

Perhaps, he was stronger than death itself.

"There was a secret interview with the Almanad twins which I found hard to believe in, simply because of the severity of the incident," Aakash told me after his long explanation. "While those twins were hysterically crying in the corner to witness their parents being brutally beaten to death, Senior, do you know what Yerevan said?"

I stayed silent as I didn't know what to answer. Even I didn't know what to say. It was when Aakash decided to make use of his amazingly accurate recollection.

"He said, 'I will gladly send you to my parents so you can apologize, but I don't think you'll be able to meet them because you both are going to hell while watching your twin sons get trampled under my feet. Killing them now will be too lenient, right? I'm going to share my experience as an orphan and make them redeem your sins while you wait for me down there. I've reserved a seat next to yours, so let's meet again, since killing you once is barely enough."

After hearing the answer, for a brief moment, I was someone filled with horror. Feeling anxious was normal. It was natural. In such a situation, it would be odd to not have anxiety. It was the part of the system that evolved to keep the body safe, though realizing why I was anxious wasn't magical because I could still feel it. In a way, it was a good sign. It showed that I could grasp my condition, that I wasn't in denial.

My fear was supposed to only ever be short-term, because I had collected the information about my target. Even so, saying it was easy would be an ignorant judgement.

What I knew about the Mafia crime syndicate were people who only cared about money, position, and business. Even under the disguise of the name "family", it wouldn't change the fact that they were just a bunch of strangers who wouldn't mind killing each other in the end.

But this time, against someone like that, how could I...

My state of mind had become a kind of background noise, as if there were traffic on some unseen road. There were times I could do something about it, and times I couldn't. And yet I had responsibilities, missions to accomplish, and I should think of a way to reach my goals.

Should I join with those twins of Almanad? If I could make use of them, maybe I... No, creating a coalition might require some detailed information and I shouldn't risk leaking my plans to some strangers.

"When Lieutenant heard you've penetrated Yerevan's circle, he was ecstatically happy," Aakash told me about Charles out of the blue, and I wondered what the thing was about.

For the last four years doing my mission, I hadn't been able to come back home.

After being inseparable from Charles, suddenly there was that cut, and it would be a lie if I didn't feel lonely, or if I didn't miss him. But, the day I left that house, how would I know if I could make it until today?

"He's been such a doting father toward you, but this time is a bit different," Aakash continued.

"Different... How?" I flatly asked, feigning ignorance.

At the very least, I didn't want to show my junior what I truly felt. I didn't want to get carried away. I couldn't afford to look overwrought in front of him, so I stayed calm.

"He's like..." Aakash was pausing, and my curiosity grew even bigger. "Like a father watching his son graduating from school? I don't know, but he looks so proud."

This time, Aakash said something I couldn't ignore. All my thoughts stopped in their tracks and within a split second, I realized I had waited for the continuation of his words.

"That's my son," when Aakash changed his accent into someone I knew so dearly, I no longer could stop my emotions from rushing in. "He kept saying that."

There were so many ways I smiled, and only a few were told with my lips.

I smiled with an unexpected flutter in my eyes, with the way I paused to hear my heartbeat racing, with the lilt of my voice, and my choice of words.

But, my favorite smile would still be the one on Charles' face.

That's right, I thought to myself, just like that day, this time too, I don't need to think whether I could make it or not. All I need to do is to do it, and I know I will do it, because I believe I can do anything for Charles.

"Yerevan's mansion provides maximum security against infiltrations, but I will handle it, so find the safest way to keep communicating with me. Do you understand, Aakash?"

I will do what it takes to get into Yerevan's deepest territory.