Lukai read and nodded.

  His father sent a message. It could work—what his father wanted to do was to use the situation to trick families into voting.

  He and Si explained in detail what had happened; together they went to Domini to talk immediately after the events. It was a wise move.

  … It could work. The families could take the bait and try to remove the current Domini and try to install their candidate. When voting was in motion, Lukai would have his chance.

  He replied and confirmed.

  Lukai also sent an additional message to Si. After Planet Three’s disconnection, it was crucial to explain their involvement in Gates, but it had to be explained slightly differently. Something that they took over after what happened with Yura and the planet.

  For security reasons?

  His father also insisted on this. To use it this way, to show how weak Unio was. It would be a good moment to start the unification process right after.

  Then Taj—

  Lukai instantly felt annoyed.

  Taj didn’t and wouldn’t obey him; it was clear. It was frustrating.

  However, Lukai didn’t want to comment on it. Later. What was needed currently was more information. He needed to know more about who Taj was, his skills, and his weaknesses. What kind of weak spots he had, how to use them—how to steer him.

  Lukai was even lucky. He got his hands on the old data from the City. His father allowed him to access it. The algorithms searched the recordings from security devices.

  What attracted his interest was just a half-minute of one recording. It was a miracle that the algorithm found it, as finding Taj’s face from the times he was Elder was extremely difficult. He wore caps and covered himself. Why? No idea.

  In older recordings, Taj was younger, spotted in multiple places, but it was not interesting. He was going from place to place. Sometimes not alone, he walked with a red-haired girl; her ID showed her name, Rowan. Was she later one of their Elders? Not relevant? Regardless, not many other people Taj had around him then, Lukai noticed.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  This half-minute of recording, however, was exciting. It had to be Commander, captured by security devices, together with Taj.

  Elder Song—Commander. His face was not clearly visible. There was not a single real picture of Commander, Lukai recently noticed. Si said they had something, but he added it was considered a family’s souvenir, and he couldn’t bring it and show it.

  Lukai sighed.

  Something was odd about it; he was certain. Regardless. Two Elders from the Sect, in the City, in normal clothes, nothing truly to grab attention, except… Commander looked somewhere, then Taj touched his face and brought it closer to himself to start kissing. He was kissing a man on the street—visibly different times, Lukai sighed. Currently, in Unio, it would be more problematic.

  … It was not what caught his attention.

  A second later, they both disappeared. It was it! It was what Lukai had read about.

  Transportation.

  An entirely different way of materialization than Shadows used these days.

  Abilitiers could transport like this back then; he heard, read about it, and now he saw it in action. A smooth, easy way to materialize at a location.

  Of course, it had its limitations. Transportation was difficult to learn; the spot had to be clear and known—no moving objects, no water, nothing that was in motion. But it worked on the whole planet and was energy efficient, from what Lukai knew.

  Shadows were more limited; Si couldn’t easily transport around on a planet; he needed to use Gates. He sometimes took risks, but Si was easily depleted. Lukai helped him to test, and it was clear. Shadows’ swirl was way more limited.

  Commander was the remote weapons’ creator, of a scale that was said to be enormous. And they were lovers. Taj had to know more than he was saying.

  Elders… lost knowledge, lost skills, lost opportunities.

  Lukai also found more things during his search. More odd things. Physical storage, from Clar, from the City. What things were there, what recordings—very personal.

  Elder Anders’s notes were what Yura meant; Lukai was certain. He couldn’t recall the place of his runs. Who cared back then? He didn’t listen to all these talks about yet another marathon.

  Yura’s house—Lukai ordered to search it and tear it down if needed. Nothing.

  Taj could share information; he could admit that he had this other energy. It had already been discovered years ago; Lukai was certain after he observed Taj’s merge with Gates.

  Energy.

  Neutral natural Ability. Neutral artificial Crystals. Shadows, the negative wave to control the destruction. And then the other one, the so-called positive wave, only assumed to exist.

  Lukai thought it had to be the creation, the ability to control the matter. As for this lake, Lukai saw it on a recording. This person that fell from the building created water out of nothing.

  How?

  The answer was only one. The other energy wave.

  What possibilities! He could create planets. Destroy planets. What an empire he could build. But, for now, Lukai could only wait.

  Taj was not aware? No. He was. He knew.

  When to think, Taj was already like a god. Immortal? His life was full of tribulations.

  Taj had to know. He knew this other energy existed. Lukai was almost sure that Taj had it. Why was he not using it? No idea.

  Patience was needed.