Staz didn’t believe it. He wouldn’t have believed it if Arden had only become an Aspirant and failed in his trial. Even that was giving the gremlin too much credit. He was an agent of chaos who lived only for himself. He antagonized others with just his existence and didn’t care who his enemy was. Staz would sooner believe that the stars returned than this punk becoming a full-fledged Starborn.

  His scowl deepened.

  Staz gazed deep into Arden’s red eyes. They were mostly the same with a cold confidence shining from the depths. But he could also see something that wasn’t there before. Something akin to a sharpened edge, ready to strike out and shed blood.

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “Correction: You don’t want to believe it. You wondered how I didn’t notice Yaan was gone. Its because I was in my trial. You didn’t recognize me at first, because my body changed as a result of awakening. You asked how I knew Savish. I entered my trial here during the cascade and emerged here yesterday.”

  Arden gestured to his body.

  “This is the answer.”

  “If that's the answer then I hate the question,” Staz grumbled, raising a hand. “I need a drink.”

  The waitress returned, taking Staz’ order and left to bring him some liquor. When he got his drink he took a large swig of it, and for a moment he felt a pang of regret. Maybe he hadn’t made the smartest choice in having a drink at this time. It was only mid-afternoon.

  “I’ve given you a pretty substantial piece of information, I think,” Arden said. “And informants trade in information, right? Tell me what's happened with Miasma since the cascade.”

  Staz wiped his mouth and put the bottle of liquor on the table.

  “Information brokers trade in info. I just give them information for money. But this one time, I’ll tell you what you want to know. You’ve paid in blood many times over thanks to Yaan. Consider this an apology.”

  That was what Staz said, but he had different motivation. It was always good to get in the good graces of Starborn, especially when they were unique, and Staz believed that Arden was one of the most unique people in the entire city of Foruta. It was smarter to help him now before his name was known.

  “During the cascade, it was every man for himself. The Association barely had any presence here. Only Miasma had the authority and manpower to try to do anything to help.”

  Arden cut him off.

  “I’ve heard this from Savish. Because of Miasma’s efforts, they became contractors of the Association. They’re in charge of public safety now.”

  “Right. But you don’t know the full story. What did you know about Miasma before the cascade?”

  Arden thought for a moment.

  “Not much. I know it was a collection of criminals, hence the name. I'm pretty sure it was a criminal organization.”

  “That was never Miasma’s intention. Miasma was always made to be a collection of the weak and worthless, the dregs of society. It was supposed to be a place for them to come together and improve the life of people stuck here in the slums. The leader of Miasma, Chorzo, was a powerful Starborn in his prime when he came to the slums a little more than 10 years ago. Inhabitants here rallied under him at first, and for a while it seemed like life was improving.”

  ‘Ten years ago…That would be shortly before Sya and I arrived. I dont think I ruined that with my presence.’

  “But?”

  “But there was someone who didn’t like Miasma’s trajectory. They didn’t want to unify the slums. This person wanted to rule it. Being born into the family wasn’t enough. He wanted more.”

  Arden scowled and found his fists tightening.

  “Yaan.”

  “Yes. Chorzo’s son died at a young age due to criminal violence. That was why he wanted to fix the slums. Chorzo had no other children either, so he spoiled his nephew instead. It got to Yaan’s head.”

  “You don’t say? The guy who thinks his uncle could stand up to the Association is a bit arrogant?”

  Staz took another swig.

  “You aren’t exactly humble either. Anyway, Yaan’s fall from grace began small. A few fights here and there. Just scuffles between children, no big deal. It was only when he started going out of his way to start fights, Miamsa’s reputation began to fall. No matter which way you spin it, its not a good look when the organization intent on unification covers for someone actively going out of their way to disrupt the status quo.”

  “Why didn’t anyone stop him then?”

  “Chorzo tried, but it was hopeless. Chorzo was a Starborn who could turn a building into a funeral pyre with little effort, but he had one weakness. Family. He didn’t want to lose his family again, so there were no dire punishments. Unfortunately it just led to Yaan getting more and more disruptive as he grew older when he knew he could abuse his uncle’s weakness.”

  “That fucker.”

  Staz was surprised by the coldness in Arden’s words. It was disturbing seeing Arden, who he pegged as someone who didn’t get angry get genuinely upset. Staz continued.

  “Yaan continued his descent, diving into even deeper depravity, and Mr Chorzo could only watch the monster he helped raise. Drugs, assault, sexual misconduct. You name a crime or hedonistic base, and Yaan undoubtedly dabbled in it.”

  Arden remembered the last night he saw Yaan. Back then, Staz told him that he spent the majority of the night with a selection of women, essentially turning the slums into a brothel for his own pleasure.

  He glanced around Savish’s restaurant. All around people were enjoying their life, seemingly unaware of the hell it used to be. This was what the original Miasma wanted, what Chorzo wanted. But it was twisted by his nephew, perverted for his own gain. The thought of that turned his stomach.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  All of this was made possible in only a few months. It was always possible. It would have been slower without the aid of the Association, but it still would have happened at some point.

  But Yaan.

  He wanted his damn kingdom of ash.

  “You were the catalyst,” Staz said.

  “Me?”

  “Your bounty. Yaan created it after you humiliated him.”

  “I remember. The bounty said I killed several of Miasma’s people. I was lucky to get food and return to Sya without being attacked before the bounty. As soon as I saw the bounty, I knew that there would be no restraint. They would try to kill me. Hell, even before the bounty went up people hunted me down.”

  Staz nodded in agreement.

  “The higher-ups knew that you were Yaan’s favorite punching bag, so they doubted the legitimacy of his claim. So he had to create evidence that there was a murder.”

  Silence hung in the air between them. Staz knew that Arden was smart enough to pick up on the implication.

  “So he crossed that line,” Arden muttered.

  “Indeed. But he needed it to be believable that you were responsible. He couldn’t just kill anyone. They had to have a history with you.”

  Staz downed the rest of the bottle of liquor and dropped it to the table, causing it to fall over and roll to Arden.

  “Yaan killed Dest. The quiet one from that night. He and I were in the middle of making plans to escape Miasma. When you went into hiding, we thought we had a rock-solid plan. But we never got to enact it. Yaan killed him a few nights before with a brick. Caved his skull in.”

  Staz shook his head in disgust.

  “I’ve seen a lot of fucked up things acting as Yaan’s bodyguard, but that…” he took a breath. “I woke up when I heard it happening. At first I didn’t know it was Yaan. Not until I raised the alarm. When Miasma’s Starborn showed up, he was quickly subdued.”

  Arden didn’t say anything.

  “When Chorzo saw what his nephew had done, he knew that he was too far gone. Yaan went as far as to kill his own bodyguard to frame you for murder. He was imprisoned by Miasma so they could figure out what to do with him. The Stargate Cascade happened as chaos was consuming Miasma. With Yaan locked up, Miasma was finally able to start setting things straight. Miasma began taking in refugees and raiding the Stargates. They gave most of the loot to their recruits to help with taking back the slums. Eventually, the Cascade ended, but in the chaos, Yaan managed to escape, leaving the ashes of two more Miasma members in his wake.”

  Staz looked at Arden with sorrowful eyes then down at the table.

  “When the Association arrived and made us contractors, they had to look through our history. When they saw your bounty, and read the report of a Starborn attacking mundane because of a bounty, they weren’t pleased. They gave us an ultimatum. Post a different bounty and aid in the criminal’s capture, or Miasma would cease to exist.”

  “And Chorzo chose the first option,” Arden said.

  Staz nodded his head, and ordered more alcohol. This was a lot more intense than he thought it would be.

  “It broke Chorzo’s heart to post Yaan’s bounty, but he knew it had to be done. The people of the slums needed hope, Chorzo wanted unification and he needed Yaan brought in before anyone else was harmed. The Association gave Miasma resources necessary to rebuild, including materials and manpower. On paper, it seems that everything is better, but it's not.”

  “He’s still out there, isn’t he?” Arden asked.

  “No one knows where Yaan’s hiding, or if he has help or not. In the past two months, several women have been kidnapped and later found dead, or never found at all. All signs point to Yaan.”

  Fear gripped Arden. Yaan was obsessed with him at this point. Yaan knew that there was one person who Arden cared for above all else. If Sya was one of Yaan’s victims, there would be hell to pay.

  He felt a boundless hunger from inside of him.

  “How is Miasma now?” Arden asked, managing to control the strange feeling as Staz’s second bottle was delivered.

  “A lot better,” he admitted. “The leaders are all pleased with how the reconstruction is coming along. Some of them think that they’ll be able to expand into the next ring of the city. The lower members are all happy that they have a place they belong. My sister is slowly making progress towards being healthy.”

  “You have a sister?”

  Staz’s face filled with rage and he shouted, attracting the attention of most people in the steakhouse.

  “Stay the hell away from my sister! No way in hell will I give her to someone like you!”

  He went to pick up the full bottle, but it was in Arden’s hands before he could grab it.

  “I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink,” Arden said, not pleased at all to be the center of attention. “I have no intention of doing anything with your sister. I’m already taken.” He pointed to Savish’s room. “She’s in there right now, talking to Savish.”

  Staz looked to the room and scoffed.

  “Give me my bottle.”

  “Are you going to behave?”

  “Yesss,” he slurred.

  Arden contemplated it for a moment.

  ‘Screw it. I’m not the one with a job.’

  Arden took a drink then gave the bottle of liquor to Staz who took another large swig.

  “Who would even want to go out with someone like you anyway?”

  Arden regretted doing so immediately.

  “Harsh,” he said. “But since you ask, she’s the coolest and hottest woman I've ever met.”

  “You meet women?”

  “Shut up.”

  They both turned their heads to what sounded like a grandfather clock chiming near the front of the restaurant. They noticed everyone else was getting up and leaving and the waitstaff was eagerly shooing them out.

  The door to Savish’s room opened, and Savish and Vera emerged, both dressed in black cocktail dresses. Savish’s was noticeably higher quality with darker fabric that looked like Arden’s Stoneflesh Shroud. Vera’s looked like Savish’s but everyone could tell that it was slightly inferior to hers. That didn’t matter though. Both of them looked stunning, and they approached Arden.

  Arden drank in the sight of Vera in the dress. For a minute, he was speechless.

  “It’s rare seeing you like this,” Vera said. “Normally you always have something to say. Have a joke?”

  “I’d rather not waste brainpower on a dumb joke when I can use my brain focusing on you in that dress. It looks amazing.”

  Vera leaned and kissed him, and he reciprocated, while Staz shot envious eyes at the pair.

  Savish ignored the display of affection and instead looked at the boozed up Staz.

  “I was wondering where you were. I didn’t think Arden would drink you under the table.”

  “I’m not there quite yet, Mrs Savish. I was wondering why you were asking about the bounty. To think he’s a Starborn now.”

  “An impressive one, too,” Vera said.

  “You haven’t seen nothing yet,” Arden said, giving her another onceover. “I have, though. Why are you dressed like that?”

  “Savish told me a way to make money tonight.”

  Arden looked to the hostess then back to Vera.

  “I don’t know what you were told, but it's an even thousand if you want me for the whole night.”

  Vera laughed, Staz cringed, and Savish explained.

  “I offered her to be a waitress for tonight. She was more than willing, and so was I. With her looks, she’d make heads spin from across the city. It's good for business. I can offer you a position tonight as well, if you’d like.”

  “I’m game. What’ll it be?”