S-2879 • L10 Tramaluna • D25 Alonli
"Tramaluna weaves the sky in a low curve.
Alonli lengthens the thread of return.
The tide draws silver in a gentle step.
The story moves on whole, in fine light."
I woke up gasping, pulse racing, cold sweat all over me.
My throat closed as I searched for air, and I choked.
"Easy."
Kiara stroked my back.
"I-I had a nightmare."
"It's alright now."
She helped me sit up in the soft bed.
The room was pleasant.
Warm lights lit the ceiling and wooden walls.
"Where are we?"
"In one of the Father's chalets, here in Russia."
I stretched my numb legs.
"What happened?"
"After you fainted, we came here.
Do you remember what happened?"
She frowned.
I bit my lower lip.
"I remember us being in the car—"
An avalanche hit me, burying me in the cold of memory.
My throat burned.
I covered my mouth with trembling hands.
Kiara hugged me.
"W-why… why did I do that?"
She stroked my hair.
"It was you or him.
You know what would've happened."
A spiral of guilt swallowed me.
Inside me, the doubt remained:
was that really necessary?
What if I had only neutralized him?
No.
He would have woken up and told the others.
The whole plan would have fallen apart.
I had to preserve it.
My hesitation would have ruined everything.
But…
Was it about hesitation?
Did I need to be confident in order to take a life?
I had always studied and worked to give beings a better life, to save lives.
I met the android's gray eyes.
She must have witnessed the worst of humanity, seen so many deaths and caused so many others.
Maybe not because she wanted to.
Maybe if Kiara, Maia, Saymon, the other mercenaries…
If the underworld existed and beings died because of them…
No.
The guilt belonged on other shoulders.
The cause of those deaths was the fault of those who upheld that system.
Kiara held my gaze.
The lives I had saved.
The ones I wanted to save. Improve.
Who had I studied for? Worked for?
I had only preserved the lives of Zenith's people while those below died.
I looked away.
I hugged my knees and curled in on myself, my Maiden wounded.
By consenting, I too had blood on my hands.
Kiara had killed in front of me.
I had already witnessed death in many forms in the streets, in hospitals, during my studies.
I had seen hundreds of news reports about deaths across the world.
I only ever felt discomfort.
A reminder of the cruelty in the world.
The truth was…
I had already caused a death.
I rubbed my eyes.
Wiped away tears heavy with the weight of a life.
I had the right to feel guilt, yet I was just like them.
I knew exactly what I was doing when I injected the syringe into his neck.
I knew what it meant.
I did that.
I did it because…
I chose to.
That thought produced an unbearable, revolting feeling.
My heart wanted to tear free of me.
Suddenly I felt a weight, like an anchor tied to my feet, pulling me to the bottom of the sea.
It stole my air.
"I-I'm drowning.
My head is trapped underwater.
There's no escape."
Kiara held my face.
Her warmth contrasted with my freezing body.
It was so comforting.
"Maia felt that too."
"I-understand. I chose this."
I sniffled, nose clogged.
"I'm confused.
It's a huge burden.
I need time—"
"H-HELP!"
Anichka's anguished scream echoed up from the ground floor.
"HELP!
Trix, she's…"
Kiara and I looked at each other.
Adrenaline flooded my body.
I ran.
The princess was standing, eyes wide.
Trix was on the floor.
Her body convulsing, eyes rolled back, drool slipping from her lips, and her wounds bubbling with a green liquid.
I followed instinct.
Dropped to my knees beside her.
Lifted her head and settled it in my lap.
She was drowning inside herself.
Desperation all over her face.
Her lungs failing.
I turned to Anichka.
"What happened?
What was the last thing she did?"
Anichka clenched her fingers.
"S-she was asleep and then woke up.
She started imitating me.
It was strange.
Everything I said, she repeated in a robotic voice.
It all happened so fast."
She licked her lips.
"Shit.
Kiara, she was…"
No time for explanations.
"Do we have any Citopurge?"
"A neutralizer for nanopoisoning?
No."
She crouched down beside me.
Her gaze radiated controlled panic.
"I'll have to do this manually.
Let's hope the nanites detach from her brain."
I drew in a breath.
Held Trix's chin.
Mouth to mouth.
I sucked hard.
The liquid flooded into my mouth.
I spat.
Once more.
Again.
Blood mixed with green.
I kept sucking and spitting.
A poisonous puddle formed on the floor.
"Come on, react!"
Kiara watched me. Focused.
"P-please," I whispered between pulls.
Trix's muscles tightened, arching her back.
Each spasm sent a wave of chills down my spine.
"C'mon…"
Trix choked.
Coughed.
Vomited the remaining liquid.
Her lungs fought for air.
"W-what the fuck was that?"
She wiped her mouth on her arm.
I threw my head back, panting.
It had worked.
But there was still more to do.
"We need saline to clean the blood out of her.
Bring one milligram of that opioid too."
Kiara went for the medical kit.
I turned to Trix.
"How are you feeling?"
She sighed, leaned her head back in my lap, and rubbed her forehead.
"My head is going to explode."
I ran my fingers through her hair.
She closed her eyes.
Almost smiled.
"Shhh. Easy.
It'll pass."
"Here."
Kiara came back with the saline and syringe.
Trix jolted upright, seeming oddly self-conscious in front of the android.
After helping her lie down on the sofa, I connected the saline and injected the morphine.
She blacked out.
"Now we wait.
If she doesn't respond…
Well… I'm going to clean her wounds."
Kiara nodded.
I took the medical supplies, cleaned the foaming injuries, disinfected them, and wrapped them with nanobandages.
I gave Trix one last look.
Pressure throbbed in my head.
The adrenaline was fading.
I had forgotten what that felt like.
Anichka was still panicking.
Her panic, exaggerated beyond measure, snapped me out of my drift.
I frowned.
Something clicked in my mind.
Could it be…?
Instinct took over.
I lunged.
The princess recoiled.
"W-what are you doing?"
"What did you do?!"
"I-I didn't do anything!"
She nearly stumbled.
Hands raised.
Defensive.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
I leaned even closer over her.
"Who gave you the liquid?"
Her eyes shone with fear.
"W-what are you talking about?"
She turned her face away.
Looked at Kiara.
A silent plea.
"Kiara, are you just going to stand there?!
She's threatening me!"
"Answer her, damn it!"
Kiara's voice cut like a razor.
Anichka froze.
Her eyes filled with tears and her body shrank in on itself.
She wet her lips, looked at the floor, took a deep breath, and then gave in.
"Alright."
Her shoulders slumped.
Her arms dropped.
Surrender.
"A-an android gave me the syringe to inject into Trix…
H-he threatened to kill my sister…"
Kiara lunged forward and grabbed Anichka by the nape, yanking her sharply.
Her stare was on fire.
"Which android?!"
"I-I don't know.
He showed me a video of my sister…"
Sobs.
Her voice broke.
Breath short.
"In real time… in the palace…"
Kiara let her go.
Stepped away as if burned.
Activated a hologram.
Yuri's image glowed.
"This android?"
Anichka nodded, trembling.
Kiara's teeth ground together.
"Get out of my sight, before I…"
Her voice low.
"NOW!!!"
Then blazing.
The princess jolted and ran, vanishing from sight.
Kiara remained there, fists clenched.
"Saymon, you damned bastard!"
Saymon?
It was one of his androids?
Why would he do that to Trix?
It made no sense.
My heart pounded against my chest.
My mind spun.
The air felt heavy.
Agony crawled across my body.
My legs gave out.
I sank into the armchair, disoriented.
"What the hell is that liquid?"
Kiara sat down beside me.
I pushed away thoughts of Saymon.
Exhaled.
"Mentis Imperium.
A nanosubstance for mind control.
They're nanites that lodge in the cerebral cortex and interrupt neural firings, forcing the brain to respond only to whoever controls the nanites."
She frowned.
"The CMG and ARGOS banned its production.
Ordered the formula destroyed."
"Why?"
"The records are hazy, but they place the disaster in 2795.
Militias rose up against governments, corporate collapse, and abuse, demanding rights in the face of growing android use and service automation."
I clasped my still trembling hands.
"In response, governments created a commission in an attempt to contain the uprisings.
Then someone proposed the unthinkable:
a nanosubstance to control the mind.
That way, they would eradicate the protests.
The tests were horrific."
I lowered my voice.
"The failure in neural signal transmission made the bodies obey, but the mind burned.
The few who remained lucid begged for death."
Kiara watched me, motionless.
"In the medical archives, there were videos of the infected—dead eyes, empty smiles, bodies moving against their own will."
I looked away toward Trix, who now slept peacefully.
"After that, the world turned.
The militias took power.
But that story is confidential.
Only researcher physicians have access to those files."
I looked at Kiara.
And I was telling her everything.
I was surprised by how easily I trusted her.
And strangely, it felt right.
She still hid things from me.
But my intuition said it was more than mistrust.
Kiara ran her fingers over her lips.
"I see.
If that's true, how did Saymon get access to that substance?"
I shrugged.
"I read the tests.
The liquid used on Trix is a poorly made copy.
The nanites read the first person she saw.
She imitated Anichka, but the princess doesn't have the controlling nanodevice."
Kiara's face grew tense, but her anger was aimed elsewhere.
"Right.
That leads to one conclusion."
She turned toward the window.
Snowflakes gathered on the sill, forming mountain-like shadows.
"Netheria runs on contracts."
She turned back to me.
"The contracts exist to keep the mercenaries in line.
Follow laws? They only follow their instincts.
If they want to kill, they kill."
She shrugged.
"The contract also lets the ones above have someone else do the dirty work they avoid.
Useful and pleasurable at once:
mercenaries kill for money and satisfy their hunger, while those above have their obstacles removed."
Kiara paused.
"There are stories about mercenaries who broke a contract.
None were ever found.
None got a funeral."
A chill ran down my spine.
I leaned into the cushion, feeling calmer.
"If they do whatever they want, why do they submit to Netheria?"
Kiara ran a hand through her hair.
"Because Netheria embraces their hatred.
Welcomes them. Gives them weapons. Training. Resources.
It feeds their revenge against a society that marginalizes them, and they make money from it.
In exchange, the mercenaries hand over their freedom, accepting that this is the reason for their existence."
For a moment, Kiara's gaze drifted toward Trix.
A fleeting concern crossed her face.
Then her voice turned sharp again.
"But strike against a mercenary… and you'll be hunted.
Your name, status, wealth—none of it matters.
Netheria always remembers.
And always collects."
A chill crept down my spine.
She looked at me, one eyebrow raised.
As if to say:
"That's how things are."
I swallowed hard.
"And Trix…? Will she recover?"
A hesitation passed through Kiara's eyes.
I hugged my legs.
"Yes. I removed most of the liquid.
The saline will flush out the rest.
I still need to treat the wounds and the brain damage she suffered."
I rested my chin on my knees.
"But if she doesn't respond to treatment, it means the nanites lodged themselves in the cerebral cortex.
And they'll destroy the neurons."
Silence.
"If that happens… it's fatal."
The ease with which I spoke of death almost escaped my notice.
I didn't even sound like the same person who had fallen apart over killing someone.
I rubbed my temples.
How did you do it, Maia?
You did this while you were still a child.
"Right. That brings us to the second matter."
Kiara straightened.
"Every country has its underworld, but they're all connected.
Mafias. Mercenaries. Criminal organizations. Militias.
There's an agreement among them.
None interferes in the other's business.
Nanotechnology. Territory. Drugs. Cybercrime.
Trafficking of every kind.
The idea is to avoid war.
Because if the base falls, the pyramid collapses.
And nobody wants that."
She made a pointed face.
I nodded.
"Do you understand now why we infiltrated the Vorovskoy mir stealthily?"
Trix shifted on the sofa.
Kiara and I froze.
But the mercenary kept sleeping.
I let out the breath I had been holding.
Let her recover soon.
The android lowered her voice.
"The truth is, there is a Pakhan named Mikhail Morozov."
She smiled.
"But we call him Father."
My eyes widened.
Mentions of Netheria's leaders always gave me a visceral discomfort.
"To the Vorovskoy mir, Mikhail is the leader of the São Paulo unit, just a little below that in rank.
He infiltrated them, built an identity, and became one of their members.
That's why he had direct access to the official data."
There was a stiffness in her voice.
"You know, to make our friendly visits easier."
Kiara gestured.
"Obviously they don't know who he really is.
If they did, he would have been 'removed.'"
I bit my lip.
Too much information.
And yet it made sense.
And at the same time, hundreds of questions were born.
"Trix escaped once.
They took precautions?
I mean, if my prisoner escaped, I'd do everything to stop it from happening again.
And you? Isn't there a risk they'll recognize you?"
"Of course not.
Cloakify adapts to me."
She smiled.
"And it's true they improved Khalmer-Yu's security.
But once I become familiar with a nanosystem, it starts to belong to me."
Pride dripped from her voice.
I sighed.
Those nanosystems, so complex, made my mind burn.
Far more complicated than I could have imagined.
"I know it's a lot."
Kiara placed her hand over mine.
I gave her a faint smile.
"Mm… yeah… but I'm following."
"Good.
Why am I telling you all this?
Because that damn Saymon caused all of this for a few reasons."
She raised one finger.
"First:
He manipulated Anichka into attacking Trix.
Now Trix could kill her."
She raised another.
"Second:
He wants to create a conflict between the underworlds."
She paused.
Then smiled.
"C'mon.
We need to talk to the princess."
I frowned.
"Why?"
Suddenly, Kiara stopped and I nearly ran into her.
"Because our little princess is hiding one more tiny thing."
One eyebrow arched.
"She was talking quite warmly with the Pakhan when I found her.
Very… familiar.
And they doubled the guard around her.
Why would they do that without any sign of threat?"
My breath failed.
"She's… a member of the Vorovskoy mir?!"
"No."
Kiara's eyes flashed.
"She's more than a princess…"
Her smile widened.
"She is the Russian Pakhan's daughter."
The shock went through me.
I covered my mouth.
My stomach twisted.
The air fled my lungs.
That… had to be a lie.
But if it was true…
It meant Empress Sonechka Alexeyev was rooted in the Vorovskoy mir, and the Vorovskoy mir in the royal empire.
If Anichka died, it would be more than a conflict between underworlds; it would be a war between the criminal organization and the Russian monarchy.
Kiara was right.
I reflected on all of it, feeling drawn in and strangely fascinated by the mind behind it.
Saymon, why cause all this?
"Ready to pull some information out of that royal little mouth?"
I nodded, a shiver running through me at the implacability in her tone.