The descent into New York was uneventful. The city felt different,not in the way it looked, but in how it settled in their mind. After everything that had happened in Egypt, the familiar skyline almost felt alien.
Elara walked beside him, silent but watchful. They had barely spoken during the flight, both lost in their own thoughts.
Elara exhaled as she stepped out of the airport terminal. "Feels weird to be back."
Kael glanced at her. "Yeah."
No more words were needed.
The two parted ways outside the terminal. They both needed rest real, uninterrupted rest . Kael's mind felt like it had been running for days without pause, and the weight of what lay ahead made exhaustion settle deeper in his bones. He made his way home, the familiar walls of his apartment was a very welcoming sight.
Sleep took him almost instantly.
---
The Next Day
Morning light streamed through Kael's windows, pulling him from the depths of sleep. A knock at his door forced him to his feet.
Elara stood outside, not alone. Beside her was a young man in his mid-twenties, eager-eyed, the kind of student who lived for academic discoveries.
"This is Ryan," Elara introduced. "A history major with a particular obsession with ancient civilizations."
Ryan grinned, extending a hand. "Elara told me you've got an interest in lost knowledge. I figured we could trade theories."
Kael shook his hand, masking his true intent. "Sounds good."
The conversation that followed was carefully measured. Ryan spoke with enthusiasm about lost texts, forbidden archaeological sites, and ancient structures that defied logical explanations. Kael and Elara, in turn, shared vague insights enough to keep Ryan engaged but never too much to reveal their true purpose.
Eventually, Ryan leaned back, thoughtful. "You know, there's someone you might want to talk to. Lara Richardson. She's an archaeologist, but not the university kind. She's been to places most professionals wouldn't dare step into."
Elara raised an eyebrow. "Where can we find her?"
Ryan chuckled. "That's the tricky part. But I can arrange something.
Lara Richardson's base of operations was an unassuming loft tucked in the outskirts of the city, filled with relics, maps, and photographs of places most historians only read about.
She was in her fifties, sharp-eyed and guarded, with a presence that commanded attention. When Kael and Elara arrived, she scrutinized them .
"I don't do guided tours," she said flatly. "And if you're here for stories, you better be buying me a drink first."
Kael smirked. "We're looking for knowledge. Real knowledge."
Lara studied him, then nodded. "Alright. Tell me what you think you know."
She motioned for them to have a seat.
What followed was three days of discussions, debates, and careful probing. Lara had seen things, structures beneath deserts, ruins that predated recorded history, artifacts that whispered of things the world wasn't ready to understand.
A few breaks for meals and a little sleep but all they did was mostly topics and topics.
Kael was totally enthranced because Lara turned out to be extremely knowledgeable and experienced but she was unaware of the true scope of what they sought. And Kael intended to keep it that way.
By the end of the third day, Lara leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "You two are either really good at playing dumb or you're just scratching the surface of something bigger. Either way, be careful. People who dig too deep don't always like what they find."
Kael exchanged a glance with Elara. They could see that they were thinking along the same lines . ' she's really smart ' .They had learned alot from her but not enough.
But he had one final place in mind, which was the library where he worked before.
----
Although it was still going through renovations and repairs, Kael and Elara stood outside a small makeshift office just outside the once magnificent grand library of central city, the office was for one that catered to rare manuscripts and restricted texts. This office belongs to an old acquaintance of his.
Marcus had been a co-worker of Kael's back in his librarian days. A man of careful words and hidden knowledge.
"Kael," Marcus greeted, with surprise written on his face "Didn't expect to see you here."
Kael smirked. "I doubt that." he said and took a seat in side corner of the office
They settled in while Marcus brought over two cups of coffee and also took a seat opposite the duo. The discussion began with pleasantries, moved into casual inquiries about lost histories, and eventually circled the real matter at hand.
"I heard you've been traveling," Marcus mused. "Looking for answers?"
Kael met his gaze. "Maybe."
Marcus's expression was unreadable. "You always did have a knack for finding things that should stay lost."
Kael leaned forward. "And you always did have a habit of keeping secrets."
A flicker of something crossed Marcus's face a hesitation. It was all Kael needed.
" I'm guessing you know why I'm here," Kael said, voice measured. " maybe you have something that belonged to me in your possession." he said with squinted eyes while staring around the shelves of books
Marcus chuckled. "Now, why would you think that?"
Kael tilted his head. "Because you haven't asked me what I'm looking for. You already know."
Silence.
Elara watched, waiting.
Finally, Marcus sighed. "You always were too damn clever."
From beneath his desk, he pulled out an old, worn out map. The lines were faded, but Kael recognized them instantly.
He had drawn this. At some point he couldn't quite remember, and even without the memory, he recognised the hand writing and the name written below the map.
Marcus set it down. "I wasn't sure if I'd ever give this to you. But something tells me you're going to need it."
Kael exhaled. "Yeah. I think I will."
He folded it and kept it away while saying his thanks and goodbyes before departing with Elara behind him.
---
The players (Demi gods) had returned to a building they somehow got for themselves, it was a tall skyscraper that looked majestic even among the many in the streets of New York.
The air inside the hall where they presently occupied was thick with tension. Forty-nine figures stood in a loose circle, their expressions ranging from furious to contemplative. They had returned from Egypt with more questions than answers, and now, the weight of their next move pressed upon them.
A man near the center, his dark eyes sharp with frustration, spoke first. "We had him. We should've finished it there."
"And how would that have played out?" Eryx countered, arms crossed. "You think attacking him directly would've worked? We underestimated him before, and he survived."
A different voice cut in. "Then we hit him harder next time. Before he regains more of himself."
A murmur of agreement swept through the group, but others remained silent.
One of the women, dressed in deep red, leaned against the wall. "Charging in blindly didn't work in Egypt. What makes you think it'll work here?"
"Because next time, we won't hold back," the first man growled.
Eryx shook his head. "And if he remembers everything? If he becomes what he was before?"
Silence.
They all knew the truth even the ones who spoke bravely. Kael wasn't just an opponent. He was something more dangerous beyond comprehension. Someone who could go toe to toe with even a full fledged martial god, it could be questioned how crazy it was for the martial gods to send this seedlings.
Finally, the tall man in the crimson coat stepped forward. "We don't have time for arguments. Here's what we do: we split up. Each of us takes a different route, finds the fragments, and regroups. If we get to them before he does, we control the outcome."
The chamber remained tense, but the decision had been made.
They all agreed on this decision and now everyone was determined that this time they won't let him survive.