“Today, gathered beside me are the pillars of our bloodline, the custodians of our legacy. For far too long, we have remained passive observers, content to bask in the fading glories of our country. But the time for complacency has passed. The winds of change blow fierce and unforgiving, we must stand strong to challenge them.” The Patriarch declared proudly, his voice resonating through the grand hall.

  I could only tighten my fist as the Patriarch spoke proudly. He paused, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officers whose faces bore expressions of unwavering seriousness. Not a hint of hesitance could be seen among them.

  “It is time to forge our path. It is time to seize control! Control of our fate with hands unshackled by fear or doubt,” The Patriarch continued, confidently.

  “I envision a future, where the name of our family resounds across the heavens. A future where every country under the stars bears witness to our greatness.” The Patriarch raised his hand skyward—trying to reach for said stars. “But to achieve such mighty heights,” his hand clenched into a fist. “We must first lay the foundations, upon which our dreams shall be built.”

  A chill ran down my spine at the insinuations behind his words, and I could sense the same reaction among the rest of the family. The Patriarch’s gaze settled upon everyone once more.

  “Henceforth, we have come to a consensus with the Japanese Government. We shall begin establishing our own military branch under our homeland’s flag,” he announced. Eyes widened across the grand chamber; not a single face expected this to happen, and it showed. “To say each of you will play a vital role in this endeavor is an understatement. I shall rely on every single one of you, for it is only through our combined efforts that we can emerge victorious.”

  The tension in the room was palpable as he continued.

  “Sacrifices will be demanded, and the trials shall test our family’s resolve. I have my eternal faith that we will emerge from this adversity stronger, and more resolute than ever before.”

  I felt my heart tighten, the weight of his words making my chest quiver, pressing down upon us all.

  “So—my beloved family. Heed my call! Heed the call of destiny! And sacrifice yourselves to me! Together we will write a new chapter for our family, one that shall be remembered throughout the ages!” The patriarch placed his right fist over his heart, the family’s gesture of solemn commitment.

  In unison, everyone shouted and stomped their right foot on the floor. Saluting with their fists over their hearts, they echoed his fervor.

  “For honor!” We shouted, stomping again and stabbing our heart with an imaginary knife. “For glory!” Another stomp. “For the future of our bloodline!” With a final stomp, everyone chanted at the Patriarch’s words, pounding their chests to the rhythm of their feet.

  A fire ignited in the hearts of every officer, as if fuel had always been there, waiting, to finally set ablaze.

  “You are all to finish your tasks by the end of the week.” He commanded. “Onward my kin, for the bloodline!”

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  “And for its victory!” the officers roared, raising their right fists in exultation.

  Everyone quickly dispersed, each of them knew exactly what needed to be done. They returned to the lobby to coordinate with their groups, while others departed swiftly, determination etched on their faces.

  These officers represented the top ten percentile of the organization, and the gears in their minds had already begun to turn. I made my way back to the couch where I had been sitting earlier. Unlike these core officers, I had nowhere to go and no assignments to complete.

  “Hey…” Turner approached me with a girl by his side. Her arms wrapped around his as she chatted animatedly, not paying attention to her surroundings. “About earlier,” he stood in front of me. “This is my fiance, Aki Akatsuki Kurenai.”

  The girl’s eyes scanned me up and down, her face that of non-urgency, until she met my gaze. Suddenly, her eyes widened before her posture straightened, and she began to raise her hand in a motion to solute over her heart. Quickly, I reached out to gently grasp her arm before she could complete the gesture, leaning in to whisper into her hear before she chanted something stupid at the top of her lungs.

  “Please don’t.” I murmured softly, only for her to hear. “People do not know who I am, and I don’t know how you saw through the MorpthMask, but please keep quiet.”

  I stepped back, in an attempt to play it off.

  “Ah ha, sorry about uhh—that. I am already acquainted with Aki. We were colleagues in the advanced talents program where we first met,” I explained, trying to downplay the interaction. However, her rigid stance with her mouth shut tight and fish like eyes made it hard to undermine what just happened.

  “So, you both met during that advanced seminar? That must have been in the years after graduation,” Turner responded happily. “That explains how you made it here. You managed to get into a class higher up than mine! You’ll have to introduce me to your sponsor at some point!” Turner responded happily.

  I sighed in relief as Turner continued talking, seemingly oblivious. I glanced at Aki. She and I used to spend a lot of time playing when we were kids. As distant cousins, we saw each other at every family gathering, often grouped with other children our age. She was a headstrong kid, literally, whenever it came to fights she would often be the one starting it, and everyone’s poor forehead was often red afterwards. Back during those times I would be the one getting beat up by her the most, I frequently ended up on the losing side.

  It appeared that despite the years, she still remembered those days. I wonder how she was able to see through the MorphMask. I guess it doesn’t completely change my face structure, most of all, my eyes were the exact same. This version was made for comfort rather than concealment. It makes sense for a person I spent a lot of time with to recognize me. My brother could easily do the same.

  “….so after all of that…” Turner continued, recounting how he and Aki met. Unlike his earlier demeanor, his expression seemed happy and genuine. “So—yeah, that is how Aki and I got engaged”

  Aki stood there silently. Her body was tense, probably struggling to not salute or perhaps still thinking? I had no clue.

  “Elde—uhh…I will…I just remembered, I have something I need to do!” Aki suddenly exclaimed. Her movements were stiff as she prepared to leave, but before doing so, she quickly hugged and kissed Turner on the cheek.

  I watched her go, while puzzled by her behavior, she was destined to be a head of house—if she played her cards right. From what I remembered she has always been the best candidate, my family often spoke highly of her whenever the Akatsuki House was mentioned. There was no reason for her to be afraid of anything, I could only wonder.

  My attention moved back to my friend Turner, I noticed his expression changed back to that of a hallow husk. Behind all that act earlier I could still tell he was putting up a front. I could only wonder why Aki didn’t, or maybe she did but decided to ignore it? She had always been the troublesome type, which left me even more curious.

  “So, Turner…this is where you explain yourself.” I asked gently, while he looked at me with pleading puppy eyes.

  “I need a counselor,” he admitted with a hopeless smile. “No matter how many times I declined her at the beginning, things still ended up this way.” He sank onto the couch, seeming to release the weight on his shoulders. “After I met her parents, it was game over.” He said, gazing up at the ceiling, perhaps looking for a different way out of this situation. “After saying yes once, I expected the Head of House to put some reason into her head when I first met her, but no! Without questions asked I had become her fiance in less than a fortnight!”

  “Turner, you’re going to need a lot of counseling,” I took out a business card from my jacket. “Here, have this number and tell him I sent you, make friends with him.” I would have tapped his shoulder if he hadn’t been slumped on the couch. “You’ll probably need to see him a lot from now on.”

  I could only pity him, but I had my own matters to worry about. As people began leaving one by one, I made my way towards the stairs. Glancing back at Turner, I saw Aki approaching him once more. She glanced at me with her fish like eyes, before she stood up straight once more. I continued making my way up the stairs.