Emisarry Of Time And Space-Chapter 205 - 206: Caelum’s desire.

(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don't hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

Power stones people, Gimme it.

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Caelum was tired.

Not physically—at least not primarily—but mentally. Two weeks had given him enough upheaval to last a year. The abrupt departure from the academy. Commander Zion's relentless training. The Sylgrid Jade complication. The abomination. The capital. The prince's elevation. Every time he thought the situation had stabilized, something new had surfaced.

He didn't complain.

Complaining was pointless.

As a Chronos descendant—and more specifically, as Orion's assistant—this was simply part of his responsibility. He was expected to adapt, to keep up, and to shine when it mattered.

Before the academy, Caelum would have struggled with that expectation. He'd been rigid, overly formal, trapped in what a Chronos heir was supposed to be. If the version of himself from four years ago could see him now, he would probably be disappointed.

Caelum didn't mind.

The academy had changed him. Orion had changed him.

He still believed in duty—toward his family, toward the Chronos name, toward Orion—but somewhere along the way, that duty had become personal. Orion wasn't just an heir he served anymore. He was a friend. Someone whose burden he chose to share.

Selene had changed too. So had most of them. The academy had forced adjustments none of them had anticipated, but Caelum considered them improvements.

Still, through the entire Sylgrid Jade affair, he hadn't done much.

Not because he lacked capability, but because events escalated too quickly. Orion had taken the lead early and never relinquished it. As expected. Orion always adapted faster than anyone else in unfamiliar situations.

Caelum respected that.

Now, however, Orion had finally given him a task.

A real one.

And Caelum had no intention of wasting the opportunity.

He wasn't relaxed—not anymore. Orion was planning on multiple fronts now: infiltration, diversion, timing, social manipulation. The capital would be worse. Denser. More political. More dangerous.

Caelum intended to exceed expectations.

He understood Orion's plan. It wasn't elegant. It relied on momentum, human behavior, and controlled chaos. Too many variables, too many assumptions—but it was the only viable path forward given their constraints.

Still, Caelum saw inefficiencies.

And he knew exactly why.

Orion's greatest strength was also his quiet limitation.

Orion thought too much.

Not in the way weak people did—not paralyzed by doubt—but in depth. He read into every action, every reaction, every possibility. He accounted for contingencies others didn't even consider.

That saved them more often than not.

But it also narrowed his options.

Orion assumed complexity.

He assumed layered motives, hidden schemes, long-term consequences. When he encountered people, he treated them as rational agents operating with full awareness and foresight.

The problem was simple.

Most people weren't like that.

They didn't think ten steps ahead. They reacted. They followed emotion, momentum, fear, curiosity, pride. They made decisions based on incomplete information and then justified them afterward.

Orion knew this.

Caelum knew that Orion knew this.

And yet, when it mattered, Orion still overestimated the average person's depth.

That was the gap.

Small. Subtle. But exploitable.

Caelum planned to use it—not against Orion, but for him.

Instead of counterplanning every possible reaction, Caelum intended to reduce choices. Force situations where people would default to instinct rather than strategy. Where the simplest explanation would be accepted because no one wanted to dig deeper.

Chaos didn't need to be clever.

It just needed to be loud, fast, and convincing.

The diversion groups didn't need to manipulate competitors into elaborate alliances or rivalries. They just needed to present an obvious direction and a believable reason.

Fear worked.

Greed worked.

Authority worked best.

People followed strength far more readily than logic.

Daenys had already proven that.

Beating someone and taking charge wasn't refined, but it was effective. Most people preferred certainty—even brutal certainty—over ambiguity.

Caelum planned to replicate that without brute force.

Information control.

He wouldn't give people full context. He'd give them fragments. Enough to point them in a direction, not enough to question it. Rumors about the capital. About opportunities. About rewards tied to the prince's elevation.

Let them fill in the gaps themselves.

People trusted conclusions they reached on their own more than ones handed to them.

And unlike Orion, Caelum didn't care if the conclusions were accurate—only that they were acted upon.

Another difference.

Orion tried to minimize risk to everyone involved.

Caelum didn't.

Not entirely.

He wouldn't sacrifice teammates, but competitors? Outsiders? Participants who knowingly entered a lethal competition?

They were variables.

Tools.

He wouldn't lie to Orion about it—but he also wouldn't burden him with unnecessary details. Orion carried enough already.

Caelum would act decisively and report results.

That was his role.

He adjusted his pace slightly, glancing at Reina beside him. She noticed immediately.

"You're thinking," she said quietly.

"Yes."

"Dangerous thinking or useful thinking?"

"Both," Caelum replied.

Reina hummed, accepting that answer without further probing.

Good.

That was another advantage—people around him didn't push unless necessary.

Caelum focused forward again.

Their job wasn't to understand the capital.

It was to flood it.

Force reactions. Force mistakes. Stretch Sylgrid control thin enough for the infiltration team to move freely.

Orion would handle the precision.

Caelum would handle the mess.

And for once, he was actually looking forward to it.

A few seconds later

All three of them stopped abruptly, they had sensed incoming, and instead of wariness, they felt relief.

They'd finally encountered another group after days of wandering in this forest, and from what they could sense, there were many, just perfect for what they had in mind.

"I'll take charge," Caelum announced.

Kaelen and Reina both turned to him, somewhat surprised.

They both knew Caelum was very capable; they were all capable, but Caelum was part of the top of their class. Throughout their time together, Caelum had chosen to go with the flow with them; he didn't actively take command, and that wasn't unusual; he was a capable but silent person after all.

Hearing him say he'll take charge was surprising but not unwelcome, so they simply nodded.

Reina was somewhat worried, though. Caelum wasn't the type of person to show emotion, let alone act; expecting him to deceive a bunch of people was worrying, but she still agreed. He was their temporary leader after all.

The group, as expected, soon came into view, stopping in front of the trio.

They were about thirty in number.

That was quite a lot of people to hoodwink, and Reina's fear increased, although she didn't show it.

Caelum's gaze fell over all of them before stopping on someone in particular, someone who was looking at him with undisguised anger or was it hatred? He couldn't tell.

But he knew at once.

'This girl is going to be a problem.'