Published at 23rd of July 2026 9:57 am

Chapter 1866: Secret Societies

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Genevieve knew Davos was home to secret societies.

She had heard whispers in the years she had settled down in the city.

Like the clandestine organizations whose agents were everywhere, apparently. At least, that’s what the stories claimed. Then there were far less famous organizations and private societies whose existence was known only through rumor and speculation.

Yet all of them shared one thing in common - Genevieve had always regarded them as distant mysteries.

The stuff of legends.

Never once had she imagined that one such organization would suddenly appear before her and claim to know her mother.

And judging by how Lady Stark’s remarks about the sisterhood having the Emperor’s ear, Genevieve was certain this organization was immensely powerful and influential.

It had to be.

After all, they were said to serve as advisors to the Emperor himself.

The Human Emperor.

The first Emperor Magus born of mankind.

The man credited with elevating humanity into one of the greatest and most influential powers in the universe.

To many humans, the Emperor was little short of a living god.

But that was a story for another time.

Genevieve had far more pressing concerns at the moment.

"How do you know my mother?" She asked, her light blue eyes flickering with a sense of urgency rarely seen.

The veiled woman sat across from her, silent and calm.

After a brief chat at the headmistress’ office, the two relocated to Genevieve’s studio apartment on campus. The setting was considerably more private, allowing them to speak freely without the presence of Adeline Stark and Emily Damon.

"First, I would like to know what your grandfather has divulged about us," the woman said in a gentle voice.

She knows about him too, Genevieve exclaimed inwardly.

"Nothing," she said.

"Anything about your mother?"

"Just that she died at childbirth," Genevieve replied honestly.

Suddenly, she thought of a possibility. Her lips quivered slightly, and she asked in a soft voice, "Is she... alive?"

"Unfortunately, no." The veiled woman shook her head. And for the first time, there was a flicker of emotion in her eyes.

"So she really did die giving birth to me," Genevieve said with a woeful smile.

A moment later, she asked with slightly hopeful eyes, "And my father?"

She never did know her father.

Nor had her grandfather.

For as long as she could remember, that part of her life had been an empty space. A question with no answer.

"Let’s talk about you," the veiled woman said.

"It would seem your grandfather passed your mother’s teachings on to you."

Genevieve lowered her head and softly whispered, "Apparently..."

"All the more reason you should come with us."

"Come with you?" Genevieve frowned. "I don’t even know you!"

She didn’t know what had come over her. It was unlike her to speak with such emotion.

Perhaps it was the revelation that her mother had supposedly belonged to this mysterious organization. Or perhaps it was the realization that her grandfather knew about it all along and never told her.

She wasn’t sure.

All she knew was that, for the first time in a very long while, she felt as though the ground beneath her feet had shifted.

"Many of the answers you seek can only be found among us," the veiled woman said.

Genevieve remained silent, head lowered.

"Everything your grandfather passed on to you was merely the foundation."

Genevieve’s eyes gleamed with a trace of desire.

A desire for knowledge.

And to learn more about the path her mother once walked.

And yet she remained silent.

"You have been trained in our way," the veiled woman continued. "Whether you accept it or not, you are one of us already. You simply lack the name."

She conjured a black sphere and placed it on the small table between them.

As she rose to her feet, she glanced at Genevieve and said, "The Emperor rules mankind. We ensure there remains a mankind to rule."

With that said, she walked toward the door. "Join us. Or don’t. The decision is yours."

Genevieve shot to her feet. She wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Instead, she silently stared at the door.

The veiled woman turned to her. "I truly hope you make the right decision."

"How did you know my mother?" Genevieve finally managed to get those words off her chest. She had to know.

The veiled woman flashed a faint smile.

A sad smile.

"She was my apprentice."

With that said, she walked out of the room, shutting the door gently behind her.

Genveive stood in the dim light, her thoughts in turmoil. She bit her lower lip, fighting to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks.

For a long time, she simply stared at the door.

Then, at last, she turned.

Her gaze fell upon the black sphere resting silently on the table.

***

Rain drizzled over the city as Adam, draped in a hooded cloak, made his way through the bustling streets of Trade Borough.

For the past couple of months, this had become a part of his routine.

Every few days, he would visit one of the dead drops he had established shortly after arriving in Davos. He had left messages hidden behind loose bricks, beneath floorboards, and inside hollow walls.

Along the way, he had also left subtle markings that only an agent of the Twilight Brotherhood would recognize.

Or at least, he hoped they would. After all, he had no way of knowing how different the methods used by the Tron Chapter were from those practiced in this world.

Most of the time, he found nothing.

Tonight, he expected the same.

Still, I cannot give up so easily, he thought.

This is the safest way of contacting them.

Adam turned into a narrow alley. Water trickled down the walls as he followed a series of nearly invisible scratches carved into the mortar.

He stepped beside a weathered brick wall.

The mark was still there. There was no sign of tampering.

He looked around cautiously and noted that the alley was empty. Then he crouched and slipped his fingers around a loose brick near the ground.

With familiarity, he eased it free and reached into the cavity behind it.

Then he froze.

There was something inside it!

For a moment, Adam simply gaped. After two months of silence, there was finally a reply. His lips curled into an excited smile, and he carefully withdrew a small folded piece of parchment from the hiding place.

Inside was a message written in coded language known to all Brotherhood agents.

It took a moment for Adam to decipher it.

And when he did, his smile froze.

The message contained only two words:

Behind you.

Adam’s instincts flared to life, and he quickly circulated the mana in his core. He turned around, but it was already too late.

A cold blade pressed against his throat.

A tall man in a hooded cloak stood before him, a dagger in hand. To his right, another man leaned casually against the wall, watching him with a cold gaze. And to his left stood a third hooded figure, blocking the alley’s exit.

All three of them were Cavalier Paladins.

Adam’s lips curled into a grin. "Quite the way to greet a fellow brother."

"Silence!"

The man before him pressed the blade deeper into his skin.

"In twilight we find truth," he said in a cold voice.

Adam breathed a sigh of relief. He silently thanked Aldo Wagner for not changing the Brotherhood’s traditions on Tron.

He looked the man in the eye and replied:

"In shadows we seek wisdom."

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