A few days later, things finally began settling down. For an entire week, Kairo didn't have the right to leave his father's villa.
Being back here felt strange, but he didn't have a choice. With the gravity of his wounds, he couldn't stay alone.
Furthermore, Kairo had good company, so he couldn't complain.
In the open-air kitchen, Kairo sat at the counter, his body still covered in bandages, while Leli was attempting not to intoxicate them with her skills.
"On TV it was way easier than this. Should I add salt now or at the end?" she asked.
" Let it boil few minutes and then it should be fine " Kairo directed her. His father was almost never home and when the made were absent Kairo had to learn how to handle himself. Cooking was part of it.
"Thank you both for staying with me here. I really appreciate it. This house feels a little livelier," he said. The days when this kitchen had so much noise felt so distant that Kairo wanted this moment to never end.
"I didn't know you had such a big house, Kairo. There's even a pool. I can't wait to get inside," Nyx was playing the host, like the house belonged to her. Her wounds had fully healed, although her left arm was still covered in white tissue. Wearing one of his oversized pullovers, she loitered around, having fun.
Kairo didn't know exactly where she came from, but he knew life had not been generous with her from the start. And frankly speaking, he didn't really care. This house was just one of the many his father had. As long as she was fine, he was okay with that.
"Your name is all over the world now, Kairo. They call you the Sword Diver. Cool name, huh? To think they forgot about all of us and just remembered your acrobatics at the end. These journalists are too much," Leli said after giving up on cooking.
Kairo smiled, reading through his tablet. These days, the world had been active with the Card Mage Police. Although many of the articles were good, some were not. Some were questioning his father's leadership.
"They dare to ask what he was doing? I can't believe it. See this? They dare to say he let a woman do his dirty job," Nyx joined in. "They are questioning Mirelle's ability to lead. She should have just let them burn under the Sky Tears."
"We should understand them at some point. Magnus has been absent all this time, and with an incident of this magnitude, it is just normal for people to question things. We all know how competent Mirelle is, and that's all that matters to me," Leli said.
Knowing it was her mentor they were talking about, Kairo felt she was strangely very calm.
'Might be she is just right. As long as the right people know the truth, it doesn't really matter.'
Mirelle's quick thinking and decision-making had been essential to their success. Without clear priorities, they would have drifted without knowing what to focus on.
"Okay, enough talking about what the others think. Who cares? The only good news is we have another free day—thanks to Kairo. If you could lie sick a little longer, our off days would increase," Leli's enthusiasm was contagious as both she and Nyx exchanged scary gazes.
Kairo couldn't know what they had in mind but guessed it wasn't good for him. He stood up and furtively walked away.
"You know what, girls? I need some fresh air. All this time inside has made me sick," he said.
...
Outside felt rejuvenating. Walking by the side of the huge pool, Kairo could finally breathe in some fresh air.
Kairo's thoughts drifted to all that had happened. Although this long break was interesting, he would obviously have to return to work, and when the time came, he would have to ask the hard questions to his father.
What about the inner self the Surgeon talked about? If the government knew about it, why hide it? Is there any way to save Jed and the others?
Deep in his thoughts, Kairo didn't notice that a frown had drawn on his face. His expression was so serious it was like he was in an intense fight.
Until ploff...
he was sent into the pool, sending water splashing all over the place.
"Hey?" he called out.
"You look so stressed. It's called holidays for a reason, Kairo. You're so rigid."
Nyx jumped into the pool without a second thought, dragging him even more.
"She's right, Kairo. You can just take a break from all this. We need to return to work tomorrow anyway, so you'll get plenty of time to think about it soon."
Seated on one of the edges of the pool, Leli observed the duo in the water. Hands on her knees, she said,
"You both look perfect together. So sad you were faster than me, Nyx. Might be because you spent more time with Kairo. Whatever, I'm not giving up this easily either… do you get it? Now I'm leaving you."
She stood up and left the pool to return inside.
Kairo was speechless. Still, he wasn't blind to what was going on. He simply didn't want to spoil their friendship if he had to choose between anyone—but it looked like the choice had already been made between them.
Kairo and Nyx looked at each other silently in the pool. Kairo's heart slowly rose, increasingly beating faster.
'have never been in this kind of situation. Should I make the first move? Wouldn't she think I'm too eager?.'
Kairo hesitated. His father's training consisted of everything but this. Growing up, Kairo didn't have time to look at girls, with his father pushing him to strive for excellence. He could interrogate suspects, analyze complex situations, and fight like a born warrior—but this…
Now swimming close to each other, Kairo could get a glimpse of Nyx's wet body. Despite wearing his oversized pullover, her curves and form shone prominently.
"Well, I guess we're alone," she said.
"Yes, we are," Kairo gulped.
Leaning closer to each other, their lips were about to meet when Leli called out.
"Kairo?"
The duo was startled. Shifting his embarrassed and frustrated stare to her, Kairo was about to ask what she wanted when he saw his father standing next to her, staring at them from above the pool like some sort of monarch returning from a long journey.
"A to talk, Kairo."
"Father…"
...….
Kairo, after getting changed, met his father in his office. Because of his impromptu visit, Nyx and Leli had left early. Kairo didn't have time to see them off, as his father was a very busy man. He feared he might disappear again before they could talk about everything on his mind.
Kairo sat facing his father, waiting for him to finish talking on the phone before getting his attention.
Magnus had not changed, although he had been absent for over a year now. The last time Kairo saw him was before he went for his one-year training—after that, no more news.
"Sorry for disturbing you midway. You've grown up, my son," Magnus said.
Kairo offered no apparent reaction. Magnus never showed any interest in his social life so hence Kairo didn't bother either.
He was more curious about where he had been.
"You're probably curious about what I've been up to. It's a little complex. You're just a single-star officer for now, Kairo. Such information will do more harm to you than good. When the time comes, I will tell you everything," Magnus said.
Kairo sighed, leaning back into his chair. There was no point insisting, as his father wouldn't say more about his recent actions.
'He doesn't seem the least bit affected by what the journalists are saying about him.' Kairo had a smile on his lips. He wasn't even aware his body was happy to see his father.
His father had many things to handle and knew a lot of information. At his current level, Kairo didn't have the clearance to learn more than he currently knew.
Thus, Kairo went to the question disturbing him.
"While searching for the surgeon, Nyx and I discovered that the government—meaning you and the others—know about which card a mage will awaken long before he even does. At first, I didn't want to believe you were hiding something this important, but then the surgeon spoke about those 'InnerSelves' and everything became clear. Father, I need to know—what is the meaning of all this?"
Magnus eyes flashed with surprise clearly not expecting that. But it lasted barely a second.
''Card magic is much more complex than you can think, Kairo. Forces that can alter the course of time itself are in motion. Think of it, what would have happened if everyone knew exactly what kind of card they would awaken? " He asjed.leaving two seconds breath for Kairo to digest the possibility
"First, the Card Mage Police would have a very small effective. After the incident last time, the risks involved with our job are clear for all to see. Secondly, the innerself is as volatile as our emotions. Sometimes it might be as calm as the waves and other times as dense as the storm. Meaning although we can predict the type of card you will get—whether defensive, offensive, or tactical—the exact card itself is still dependent on how your innerself is represented at the moment.''
The more Kairo listened, the more he felt it their actions had careful consideration. It was true that someone like the surgeon could pull his plan off only because he understood how the innerself and card awakening functioned.
Imagining other people like him having access to that kind of information...
Cards like Promised Result would not be their only problem. From such a point of view, the truth would do more harm than good if given out.
'Although this reason makes sense, I feel like it's not all the truth,' Kairo thought. Remembering what Jed was saying—what if all of this was related to the Deck of Origin?
''I heard some rumours while investigating. They have found the location of one of the cards in the Deck of Origin. Should we not do something?'' Kairo asked. Actually he was lying. As Jed only said it might not be just a myth and never mentioned a serious clue.
Magnus paused a second, his expression wavering for an instant. ''That's why they are just that, Kairo... rumours. This will be all for today. I need you to get in shape fast. We have a mission coming up, and this one might be a little riskier.''
''So you aren't hiding anything important from us? ...Okay.'' Kairo said no more and left the office. Although his father didn't answer, Kairo had his answers.
''The Deck of Origin might not be a myth. Jed wasn't wrong. My father is definitely hiding a heavy secret.'' Kairo had no certainty about what he was thinking, but one thing was certain—he would find out the truth.
Little did he Know Card magic still had many secrets. Kairo had no idea in what he was diving to.