An Unseen War

But of course, she wasn't there. Tiel thought, losing his patience as he looked toward the jewel of Torra—the capital city where every accomplished architect had left their mark in the form of tall skyscrapers. Like spears of ice and stone touching the sky, hidden among mist-like clouds in the distance. Almost like shadows in the orange sky.

Once, Tiel had ruled over every street in this city with an iron fist, and nothing went unpunished. There were whispers back then that everyone feared the shadows in the night, but the shadows feared Tiel.

Something that's extremely hard to be proud of, considering now he cannot find his bride. So much for a ruler, Tiel added to his series of self-criticisms. One week. How was he supposed to catch a girl who could vanish like smoke? Tiel asked the gentle evening breeze as he lost his patience once again. The sound of his phone beeping in his ear was irritatingly long.

"Well?" he asked.

"We've looked at the Brims, Constance Fair, Sapphire Avenue, the Chambers, boss—we've looked everywhere!" Timothy said from the other side, almost a cry. His usual calm, gathered composure cracking under two days of pressure.

"What about Galaxy Dome?" Tiel suggested.

"No. Not Galaxy Dome. Not the Towering Colonies. No. We've spread every single person to every corner. No one has seen Celeste Everhart."

"Augustine Pendulum?"

"No."

"Hellion Harbor?"

"And upset the Nightingales?" Timothy sounded perplexed, his voice rising an octave higher. "And risk another gang war?" He asked, reminding Tiel of the war he had caused three years ago. How they had fought so hard and nearly killed everyone in that gang, losing many of their own men, just to have the government step in as they were about to take control of everything.

"Maybe we should have another gang war," Tiel said more to himself.

"Boss! What should we do now? The men are exhausted. Some are hiding away just to sit and smoke, and the rest are saying Celeste jumped on a boat and slipped out of the country," Timothy explained in defeat. "You know Talimut isn't that far away," he mentioned.

"D*** it! Alright, fine! Just go home! But tomorrow morning, we're going to gather at the tower again," Tiel said, turning off the phone before Timothy could say anything in return. The sun had begun to set, the lights of the city were turning on, and the wind had grown chilly.

Tiel sighed, then took a seat beside a large silver ventilator. He scrolled through his phone, then saw an image of his mother above the dial button. His thumb lingered over it, doubting whether he should call, but then decided not to.

Instead, he wrote a text message:

"Mom, I tried my best to find her. I know you always taught me to be tough and ruthless, but this time it backfired. I can't accept her running away from me; she's mine now."

Tiel finished texting, reread it, and then sent it. It was sent under dozens of other unanswered text messages. The words written there were like a silent mockery to a Tiel he despised but couldn't discard.

With an ugly, fiery feeling inside, Tiel looked for a familiar name on his call book. Avond's annoying face popped up on his screen, the line connecting to an absent recipient. He sighed. It had been one and a half days since he went home! Was the cut that bad? Tiel wondered.

What if he made it home but then collapsed? Maybe he had fallen and hit his head. Maybe he bled to death, and now Tiel was calling a dead man. His mind cheered at the thought of being the sole heir of the company. Now, Avond could no longer outshine him, considering he'd be six feet underground.

But his heart betrayed him.

As much as he hated Avond, he was his big brother.

Tiel's heart sank in his chest. He quickly rose to his feet, about to dash toward the door, when someone suddenly appeared around the ventilator. His face was familiar.

"Joey," Tiel said, trying not to sound surprised. But something told him his expression betrayed him.

The old man was Erickson's closest right-hand man, and how he managed to appear and disappear on a whim was always a source of wonder for them. Over the years, the harshness in his eyes had hardened to cruelty, a lot like his father's.

"Tiel," Joey said with an undertone of disapproval. His piercing gray-ash eyes laid heavily on him, as if Tiel had been caught wasting time relaxing. The truth was that Tiel had not slept since he heard Celeste had gone missing.

"What do you want, old man?" Tiel asked casually, masking his displeasure.

"Your father wants to know why none of his sons has called in for duty."

Tiel's brows lifted. "How about there's no news to report?"

"Your temporary failure is news enough to report. Where, how, when. If you cannot manage it, notify us as soon as possible," Joey said, his voice sharp and brisk. Tiel wasn't sure whether it was real or not, but the older man seemed to look down on him, his chin slightly raised.

"I have one more thing to do, and I will report it," Tiel answered.

"Very well. Two other things. Go find Avond; he hasn't been replying, and no one has seen him. And Madam will return soon. Be sure to bring a welcome gift."

Tiel snorted. "Like I'll forget to buy my mom a gift. And don't worry, I was on my way to find that p****. He's probably hiding away at his country apartment," Tiel said, which warranted a disapproving look from Joey. But the old man said nothing in return. He turned around and left the youngest member of the Brightwell family without even a second glance. He was done with his message.

"Damn it, Avond!" Tiel cussed, as once again his older brother left his phone unanswered. Something was wrong, he thought. Avond was so serious—he did not drink, smoke, or consume any other recreational drugs. He couldn't have been sleeping this whole time, could he?

The moment the line ended, a phone call from Timothy brought his phone to light. His heart raced in his chest.

"You found her?"

"I wish. No, this is something else. We found one person who has the new drug. Do you want us to interrogate him? Maybe bring him to headquarters?" he asked.

Tiel smirked. "And help my brother get a lead on the drug? That's like doing his work for him. I'm out here doing everything I can to find my bride, and he's probably just relaxing with his feet up," Tiel said, almost stuttering the last part. He knew it wasn't true.

"But isn't his job your job too, boss?" Timothy asked, regardless of the obvious. Despite his career in crime, the guy was annoyingly walking in a straight line.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! You know what I mean!" Tiel complained.

"Yeah, yeah, competition. But seriously, I have the guy. I had the newcomer who happened to bump into him—at the bar, by the way—paid and told to shut up. What do you want me to do now?"

"That's really good… alright… where are you now?"

"By the Crystal Path Bridge, second column."

"Perfect. I love the park at night. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere. I'm coming."