Marcus mimed a sweat removal from the forehead and the rest of the gang looked at one another and smiled.

Breaking the following silence, after cleaning her plate of fish and chips, Ella said, “He is top shelf though. I mean with his Ki manipulation but also with his fighting skill and tactics.”

“I agree,” Marcus quickly said. Then, he elbowed Neil and asked, “What do you think?”

“That’s pretty much true,” Neil replied, leaning back in his chair. He wiped his mouth with a tissue and, with a nod, added, “Our boy has been trained well.”

“Exactly,” Ella said, pointing at him. “That’s also why the Cult rumour got spread so much. He had to have learned all of it from somewhere.”

“Nah.” Neil stroked his hair back and continued. “Cults, whether African or East Asian, only teach the basics. One of the worst things the Outsiders ever did was take the pure Martial Arts knowledge out to the Cults. They used to be just charm-casting wizards and witches combating using their weird styles. But nowadays they are full-fledged Martial Artists, albeit their skill level is pretty basic.”

“It’s like they’re only able to learn about one module,” Gina explained. “So, they basically reach the fighting skill level of a Dominu or a Datimu – a junior or senior at the academy. They’re never very good fighters.”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Ella stressed leaning forward. “We are not discussing their fighting abilities. We are talking about his Ki Manipulation, and the Cults have always been good with that.” She glanced at everyone else, before saying, “And yes, their magic is far better than their understanding of Ki, but then it may actually be a magic spell rather than proper Ki manipulation.”

“Viable theory,” Neil said with his eyes closed. Then opening them he added, “But I sensed a connection with the Order in that man…”

A gripping silence fell upon the table with the mention of that name. The Order was the yin to the yang known as the Eye. They were once one but split up after the second great war nearly a thousand years ago.

“Come on, man…” Marcus shook his head. “There’s no way.”

“Think about it,” the Zaatsu stressed. “He had the same ammo as a Martial Artist. Martial Artists only come from the Eye or the Order.”

Both outfits followed the same principles and trained their operatives in a similar fashion with similar syllabi. And they both referred to their students as Martial Artists.

“They may be called Martial Artists but they’re quite different,” Ella said. “We all know that. Those guys act like gods among the public.”

And she was not wrong. The Eye kept to the shadows and operated from their well-hidden Regal Palace. They moved only when the balance of the world was tipped too far through artificial threats or calamities threatening to tear through humanity’s defences.

The Order, meanwhile, had no central base. Its agents walked among the people controlling governments, research labs, and big corporations. They guided progress keeping order as they saw fit.

But the Mystic shook her head. “I have seen their operatives in action,” she added. “They are way too aggressive. That White Bolt is too calculated and careful.”

She was referring to an old rift. Where the Eye valued human life above all else, the Order denigrated it. They saw a soul as a mere tool, an actor playing its part in the grand goal of order. Hence, they never shied away from drawing blood. This had many a time led to deadly conflicts.

“True,” Neil said. “But he could be faking it. And he has killed in past. We don’t know his true motivations yet. Just don’t forget, he resembles a proper Martial Artist. That can’t come from anywhere other than the Eye or the Order.”

“So, rogue then?”

Every once in a while, an operative went off-script, severed ties, and attempted to become a ghost. When that happened, both the Eye and the Order would circulate lists of these rogues to watch for, hunt, and contain. They did not tolerate freelancers. Not at that level.

“Highly likely,” Neil said with a nod. “Did you observe his fighting style?”

“Typical and classic,” Marcus said, nodding. “Petrichor’s classic…”

“Yes. He had brilliant form and was following many manoeuvres only a master would.”

“But hold your horses, pal. His Ki bursts, the Instantaneous Charge, it was rivalling Master Hugo’s, ok? Then, he was also using all elements, Ki suppressions and boosts, and standard Magicism techniques and spells. But he was also using some mighty strange techniques. Some of them I could say were probably Cultist, but I can’t say anything for sure. Order never teaches Cultist Magic, man!” When no one responded, the red haired young man added, “He even levitated seamlessly. He had a bout with us mid-air. Hello?! Was I the only one sensing nothing ordinary about his levitation? It did not involve the usual Ki Manipulation!”

Neil finally turned to look at Marcus. “Have you never seen Hugo fight?” he asked. “He does most of it as well. Trust me, he’s a rogue.”

“So, all in all, he is a master level Martial Artist, we’re all agreeing on that,” Gina said. “But at the end of the day, that speed…”

“Yeah,” said everyone in almost perfect unison.

“Had Master Hugo not warned us,” Ella added, “The guy would have ripped us apart.”

Neil shook his head. “I think we could have handled it,” he said. “We’re all very well trained. We’re one of the best squads right now. I think we could have handled it.”

“You know what…” Marcus said with a grin, “I agree.”

“Trained by the Order, leader of a Cult, rogue bounty hunter, whatever! The Eye has always handled miscreants of all sorts. Don’t sell yourselves short.”

Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement. The Zeta squad had completed many missions with a nearly perfect track record and was sufficiently equipped to take on any challenge.

Camille, however, did not agree. “Ego,” she said and leaned back. Everyone stared at her as she shook her head then continued, “Confidence is one thing, but if you can’t see that the man was a better fighter than any of us than you are only fooling yourself.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Neil was clearly agitated now. His eyebrows were scrunched, and he leaned forward and rested his forehands on the table. “You could sense him just as well as any of us,” he said. “Do you think he was more powerful than Marcus or me?”

“Nope…”

“…Better at Magicism than Ella or Gina?”

“Not really…”

“A Mystic?”

“Nope…”

“Then what the hell do you mean?”

“He took on two Zaatsu, you and Master Baylis, four of us Sokidus, and then 11 helpers who were all Datimus. And he almost got away. Hey Marcus!” She looked at Marcus. “Do you think you could have beaten him one-on-one?”

Marcus did not reply. “Does anyone here think they can take him on?” she further asked.

“I could,” Neil replied with a shrug.

“Of course, you could… but you would come out dead, that I can assure you of!” And before Neil could come up with a reply, she added, “How many times have you sparred with Master Baylis? Any of you? Has anyone here lasted more than a minute against Master Baylis in a proper sparring match? This guy was fighting one on three! You, Hugo, and Gina, for three minutes straight! He did not break one more sweat than you guys!”

The gang went silent. Neil leaned back in his chair, Marcus scratched his head, and Gina smiled with a bowed head. Ella, looking at Camille, commented, “You’re making it sound like even Hugo couldn’t take him… alone.”

All eyes were now fixed at Camille who slowly turned to face her Mystic best friend. She took a deep breath and said, “I can’t say for sure…”

Eyes wide open, Ella slowly asked, “What?”

“I have never seen anyone counter Hugo that well in battle. And we have all seen him sparring with other senior Zaatsus even. I have even seen him spar with Master Moore, the strongest Zaatsu of the Eye. Even he lost! This White Bolt guy is no joke. He is very, very well trained…”

“Could he have been a spy of sorts?”

“Spy?”

“I mean, he could have been an active member of the Order, posing as having no connections with anyone just to gather info.”

“Could be. But Master Baylis is very good at picking falsified intentions from Ki patterns. It would not have been a capturing mission then…”

Marcus added, “Why did we bring him back in the first place? Isn’t he like a top shelf criminal? He has murdered a Zaatsu too, you know…”

“It’s due process,” said Neil, quickly.

Camille chuckled looking away. “Knew you’d say that…” she said, looking back. “It hasn’t been the process in recent times, bro.”

“Come on, Camille!” Marcus intervened leaning forward. “Give it a rest!”

After a pause, Neil replied, “Sometimes you’re ordered to carry out a hit. The offences are so great that judgement is on the spot. We are taught and trained to follow orders, not question those wiser than us. And I believe the job of a spotter is to gather information and data from enemies, not judging your own superiors!”

“Aren’t his offenses so great?”

“If Hugo had let me, I would have killed him too…”

“You don’t mean that, Neil?”

Neil decided not to reply, and the conversation thence, came to an abrupt end, and after exchanging pleasantries, the squad quickly went their separate ways.