Chapter 36 - Pilse Arc
Zoa and Sonny are led through the hall and into Chief Calo’s office. A guard gestures for them to sit. They wait. The room is quiet, filled with maps, documents, and carefully arranged shelves. Sonny scans it without moving his head, taking in the details out of habit. Zoa sits nervously beside him, hands clasped together, her foot tapping lightly against the floor.
After a minute, the door opens. Chief Calo steps inside.
"I’ve been briefed on what happened at the market," he says, closing the door behind him. "But I want to hear it directly from you, Zoa. Start from the beginning."
Zoa nods and begins.
She walks him through everything. The truck. The panic. The lightning strike. The child. The demand for volunteers. Her voice stays steady at first, but tightens as she continues.
"They grabbed him," she says. "They said they would start killing if no one stepped forward."
Calo’s expression hardens.
"These deranged men," he mutters.
Zoa continues, describing how one of the men followed them.
"But then Sonny… stopped him."
Calo’s eyebrows lift slightly. He slowly turns to Sonny. "He stopped him," he repeats.
Zoa nods. "Disarmed him completely. The man backed off."
Calo studies Sonny for a moment before speaking again. "Can you confirm all of this?"
"I can," Sonny replies.
Calo leans back slightly. "An ether user stopping a magic attack," he says. "We may live in a powerless society, but even we know ether typically doesn’t trump magic."
"He wasn’t prepared for resistance and underestimated me," Sonny says.
Zoa quickly adds, "He went to the Academy of Magic. He’s fought many magic users before."
Calo glances between them, processing that.
After a moment, he nods. "Then you have my thanks. You protected one of our own."
He turns his attention back to Zoa.
"But this is not his fight." The words land clearly.
Sonny speaks before the silence settles. "Then explain the situation," he says. "Everything you know."
Calo looks at him again. "You’re offering to help," he questions.
Sonny doesn’t respond right away. His expression doesn’t change.
"Potentially."
Calo exhales quietly. "I appreciate the willingness. But this isn't your burden to carry. You’re merely a rogue visitor."
The room falls quiet. Sonny shifts his focus slightly.
"There was an older man that used to visit this village?" he says. "Gray hair. Long beard. Didn’t speak much."
Calo’s posture changes instantly. His eyes narrow. His attention sharpens. "Why are you asking?"
"I knew him," Sonny says. "You could say I worked with him."
The tension in the room thickens. Calo doesn’t respond.
Sonny already knows. "You would meet with him," Sonny continues. "Wouldn’t you?"
Calo remains silent, but the reaction is enough.
Sonny turns slightly toward Zoa. "Please step outside for a minute."
She frowns. "Why?"
"I need a moment with your chief alone."
Calo raises a hand gently. "It’s alright. Give us a moment."
Zoa hesitates, then stands. She sadly looks between them one more time before stepping out. The door shuts.
Calo peers at Sonny, eyes cold and focused.
"Ask your question," he says.
Sonny meets his gaze. "You had a relationship with him," Sonny says. "What kind?"
Calo takes a moment before answering.
"We met sparingly," he says. "He would come through for supplies. If necessary, I would inform him of potential issues and threats to the village."
"And then?"
"He’d listen," Calo says. "Then leave. A man of few words, as you know."
"Did anything ever come from those conversations?" Sonny asks.
"No," Calo replies. "The problems always… resolved themselves. But I expect he had something to do with their resolution."
Sonny nods once. As expected.
"He wasn’t just some traveler," Sonny says. "He was part of a group."
Calo doesn’t look surprised. "I assumed," he admits.
"They’re called the Omegas." That name settles heavily in the room.
"And you were part of these Omegas," Calo says.
"I was."
A pause. Sonny continues. "He was the healer for this group. He also maintained our base of operations, the mountain where I was found, and collected resources for us like food and water."
Calo folds his arms slowly. "And the protection?"
"My guess, an exchange," Sonny says. "You provide us supplies. They make sure nothing threatens Pilse."
Calo exhales. "So that’s why…"
"Yes," Sonny cuts in quietly. "That’s why things stayed quiet here."
Another pause.
Then Sonny says it. "I killed him."
Calo doesn’t react immediately.
"When I left… I killed him," Sonny continues. "And then over time, the rest of the Omegas."
Calo finally shifts his expression. "You’re telling me the entire group is gone."
"They are."
"And now this group shows up to terrorize us not long after our supposed protectors have been eliminated," Calo says.
"Yes."
Calo studies him carefully. There’s no panic. No anger. Just calculation.
"You believe this is connected," Calo says.
"Indirectly," Sonny replies. "No one knew of the Omegas. They were a myth. But the protection is gone and someone is taking advantage of Pilse."
Calo nods slightly. "And you think you can fix it."
"I will end it," Sonny says.
The confidence is calm. Not forced. Not exaggerated. Just certain.
Calo considers that. "Then talk," he says. "What do you need to know?"
Zoa is brought back in.
She looks between them immediately, trying to gauge what changed.
Calo gestures for her to sit.
"Sonny will be assisting us," he says.
Zoa blinks. "What? Didn’t you just say it wasn’t his burden to bear?"
She looks at Sonny. Then back at Calo.
"We weren’t even sure about him yesterday."
"New information has come to light. We have more clarity now." Calo replies.
Zoa doesn’t look convinced, but she stays quiet.
Calo begins. "They call themselves the Anti Society. The Antis for short."
Sonny listens carefully.
"Roughly twenty core members," Calo continues. "Magic users. Organized. Violent. Deranged. Evil."
"They’ve been hitting the all villages in the basin," Zoa adds. "Not just us."
Calo nods. "Since each village in the basin does not have any power users, they see us as easy targets to overpower and control. They come in, do what they want, take what they want, and leave."
"Or stay and linger," Zoa says quietly.
Sonny’s eyes flick toward her.
Calo continues. "Their leader calls himself Ruin. Strong magic user. Stronger than the others by a noticeable margin."
Sonny’s spine tightens slightly.
"Some believe he uses some sort of enhancement to bolster his abilities," Calo adds.
Sonny immediately thinks back to his conversation with One. Enhancement. Demon ether. He says nothing, but it all tracks.
"For every raid," Calo continues, "they take people. Some become recruits. If they refuse, they become slaves or are tortured until they agree."
Zoa’s voice lowers. "Or they are killed on the spot."
Calo nods. "Their numbers have grown. From twenty to roughly a hundred at this point."
Sonny absorbs that. "Where are they operating from?" he asks.
Zoa answers this time. "About two miles out," she says. "A centerpoint between here and four other villages. Easy access to all targets."
"They have a base," Calo adds. "Structured. Guarded. Similar to a fortress."
"With technology," Zoa says. "Vehicles. Communication systems. They are organized and operate efficiently."
"They’ve cut off our ability to coordinate with other villages," Calo says. "We’re all isolated from each other."
Sonny processes everything quickly and understands the task at hand.
Then he looks at Zoa. "They took your sister."
It’s not a question.
Zoa nods, eyes dropping. "Yes."
She doesn’t say anything else. She doesn’t need to.
Calo leans forward. "At a high level, that’s everything we know," he says. "So tell me. What are you thinking?"
Sonny rests his hand against his chin briefly.
Then he answers. "I go alone."
Both of them stare at him.
"I go to their base," Sonny continues. "I eliminate their leadership and remove the structure. The rest collapses."
Silence.
Then Zoa laughs under her breath. "You’re serious? What, you’re just going to walk through the front door?"
Calo shakes his head slightly. "That’s not exactly realistic."
"I will need to work out finer details, but that is what I am thinking," Sonny says.
"You’re talking about roughly one hundred people," Zoa says. "And Ruin."
"Twenty actual threats," Sonny corrects. "The rest are either minimally trained or half committed."
"And the leader?" Calo asks.
"I’ll handle him."
Zoa steps forward slightly. "You will die," she says. Her voice is firm. Certain.
Sonny meets her gaze. "I won’t."
No explanation. No elaboration. Just that.
He looks back at Calo. "You lose nothing by letting me try," Sonny says. "I have no association with Pilse. If I fail, your situation doesn’t change. If I succeed, everything does."
Calo thinks. Zoa watches him, hoping for refusal. After a moment, Calo nods.
"I’ll bring this to the council and I want you to attend," he says.
Zoa exhales sharply, frustration clear.
"I’ll be there," Sonny continues. "And I will require a full briefing. Everything you know about the base. Layout, patrols, timing. Everything you have on this Anti Society"
Calo nods again. "We’ll gather what we can."
As they begin to wrap up, Calo pauses. "There is one thing," he says.
Sonny looks back.
"If possible… bring their leader back alive."
Zoa glances at him, surprised.
Calo’s expression hardens. "I’m not a violent man," he says. "But what they’ve done… deserves an answer."
Sonny considers that. "I’ll see what I can do."
Outside, Zoa turns on him immediately. "What were you thinking?" she snaps. "You’re just going to walk in there alone?"
Sonny lets out a small chuckle.
That only makes her more irritated. "This is funny to you?"
"You just remind me of someone," he says. "From the Academy of Magic."
That takes some of the edge off her expression.
"That’s not the point," she says. "This isn’t some tournament. These people are dangerous."
"I know."
"Then act like it. Our village’s entire livelihood is at stake."
"I am."
She studies him for a moment.
Then her tone shifts slightly.
"What did you tell him?" she asks. "To get him to trust you like that?"
"For now, that stays between us two."
Zoa pouts slightly. "You’re annoying."
Her stomach growls. She looks down, then away.
"I’m hungry," she mutters. Then she looks back at him. "Come eat with my family."
Sonny thinks for a moment if it is a good idea or not. He agrees anyway.
They head off together, the conversation fading behind them. But the decision lingers. The fate of Pilse could rest on the shoulders of Sonny.
