The morning sun filtered weakly through the villa’s wide windows, it was the first day of the weekend. Outside, the world was waking slowly — but inside, the atmosphere was heavy with unspoken plans.

  Felix sat at his desk, headphones half-on, screens glowing around him. Lines of code scrolled endlessly. Yet his face held a hint of frustration.

  Kai approached quietly, hands in his pockets.

  “How’s it going?” His voice was casual — but his eyes sharp.

  Felix leaned back, rubbing his temple. “Honestly? Not great.”

  Kai arched a brow. “What’s the problem?”

  Felix sighed. “Finding new cases isn’t as easy as it was. I can track some students, dig into social media, and pick up rumors… but the real things? The hidden stuff — assaults, predators, drug deals happening under the radar — I can’t get that without access.”

  Kai watched him for a long moment. “What kind of access?”

  Felix smirked bitterly. “Police databases. School security systems. The real files.”

  “Can’t you hack into them?”

  Felix snorted. “Not with my level. I mean… maybe. But the risks? Off the charts. One wrong move and they trace it right back here.”

  Kai stayed silent — thinking.

  “There’s… a few who could do it,” Felix added slowly. “Guys on dark forums. Legends, really. There’s this Russian — no one knows his real name. Broke into multiple government servers once. Then disappeared.”

  Kai’s eyes narrowed. “And here?”

  Felix shrugged. “A few decent ones. But even they’d hesitate.”

  Kai thought for a second, then asked quietly, “What’s the hardest thing for you to hack right now?”

  Felix didn’t hesitate. “Police system. Hands down. But if you’re talking doable with low risk… the department of registered offenders. Still hard — but safer.”

  Kai stayed silent, processing.

  Then — “Alright. I’ll be back.”

  Felix blinked. “Huh?”

  But Kai was already turning, walking toward his private room.

  Inside the Sanctum

  The door clicked shut.

  The metallic blinds closed, sealing the room in near-darkness — except for the soft flicker of candlelight.

  Kai sat cross-legged, breathing slowly. The weight of his growing organization, the need for more reach… it all pressed in on him.

  But he had a solution now.

  Slowly… his body slipped away — mind entering the smoky space between.

  There, he let the vision form.

  Felix — grinning at his screen. Code flashing fast. The moment of breakthrough. Felix leaning back, laughing, “I’m in.”

  Kai imagined it — detailed, vivid.

  The sound of the keyboard. The digital locks crumbling.

  Felix’s voice: “I did it, boss. No alarms. No trace.”

  Kai held it… burned it into the smoky world.

  “Done.”

  He returned slowly — breath steady — feeling the pull of reality tighten around him.

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  Felix was still hunched over the screen, frowning.

  Kai walked over, calm. “Try it now.”

  Felix blinked, confused. “Try what?”

  “The Department of Registered Offenders,” Kai said simply.

  Felix stared. “Boss… I just told you—”

  “Do it.”

  Felix knew better than to argue. He sighed, flexed his fingers, and cracked his neck.

  “Alright…”

  His fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up the system schematics he’d only dared to glance at before.

  “Okay… firewall’s tougher than I thought. AES-256 encryption. Fun.”

  Felix smirked as he typed.

  “Pinging ports… spoofing IP… God, I hope no one’s awake on their side.”

  Lines of code streamed. Felix’s screen turned black for a moment — then lit up red.

  “Shit—false alarm.”

  Kai stood behind him, silent. Watching.

  Felix gritted his teeth. “Alright… try the backdoor methods. Old leaks — gotta be something…”

  He paused. “There… there it is. An old admin credential floating around. Looks real.”

  He tried it.

  Silence.

  Then — a soft beep.

  Access granted.

  Felix blinked — stunned.

  “No… freaking… way.”

  He turned slowly, looking at Kai.

  “I’m in.”

  Kai gave the faintest of smiles. “Good. Pull the data.”

  Felix swallowed, hands moving fast. “You… you don’t get it. That should’ve been impossible.”

  Kai just stared at him. “Then don’t waste it.”

  Data poured in — names, faces, crimes — everything.

  Kai’s voice was calm. “This… is our new hunting ground.”

  Felix leaned back, pale — part thrilled, part terrified. “Boss… how?”

  Kai’s eyes gleamed. “Let’s just say… the Watchers really want us to win.”

  No more questions. Only the sound of data flowing.

  Felix sat frozen — still staring at the screen like it might vanish if he blinked.

  The soft hum of the villa’s security system was the only sound… until the front door creaked open.

  Evan’s voice rang out casually, “Yo! We’re back.”

  Kai didn’t turn. “Come in.”

  Evan appeared first, Jonah trailing behind him. Both stopped short when they saw Felix’s pale face and the unfamiliar interface flashing across the monitors.

  Evan frowned. “What’s going on?”

  Felix blinked, almost like snapping out of a trance. He turned toward Evan, voice a little shaky. “I… I did it.”

  Evan’s brows furrowed. “Did what?”

  Felix looked at Kai, as if needing confirmation to even say it aloud.

  Kai gave a small nod. “Tell them.”

  Felix swallowed hard. “I’m… inside the Department of Registered Offenders database.”

  Jonah’s jaw dropped. “Wait — you mean… the department?”

  Felix gave a weak laugh. “Yeah. All of it. Names, pictures, locations, sealed files… everything.”

  Evan whistled low. “Damn… and you’re still breathing.”

  Kai finally stood, walking toward them. His presence pulled everyone’s attention instantly.

  “I told him to try,” Kai said simply.

  Jonah glanced between them, confused. “Since when was that even possible?”

  Kai’s eyes gleamed faintly. “Since today.”

  Felix let out a breathless laugh, still staring at his screen. “It’s like… everything just lined up. The door was open. I barely had to push.”

  Kai nodded. “Good. Because from now on — this is how we work. No more waiting for rumors or schoolyard stories.”

  He turned to Jonah. “We find the darkness before it spreads.”

  Jonah swallowed hard but nodded. “Got it.”

  Evan, still processing, finally smirked. “Guess we’re really in it now.”

  Kai gave a small, rare smile. “We’ve always been in it. Now… we’re just playing at a different level.”

  Felix sat back, still stunned. “Boss… seriously… how did you know I’d pull it off?”

  Kai met his gaze, calm and unreadable. “Let’s just say… the Watchers are watching.”

  No more questions followed.

  Kai turned toward Jonah, his voice calm but deliberate.

  “Did you buy the ticket… the one I asked for yesterday?”

  Jonah blinked, pulled from the excitement still lingering after Felix’s breakthrough.

  “Yeah… yeah, I did,” he nodded quickly. “Results are later today though.”

  Kai gave a small approving nod. “Good. Don’t forget to check.”

  Jonah smiled nervously. “Of course… I won’t.”

  Just then, soft footsteps echoed from down the hall. Iris appeared, hair still slightly messy from sleep. She blinked at the group gathered in the living room.

  “Sorry…” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “I didn’t realize I slept that long.”

  Kai glanced over, his tone softer than usual. “Don’t apologize. You needed it. You’ve earned the rest.”

  A faint smile touched Iris’s lips before she took a seat.

  The group slowly relaxed — the earlier tension replaced by light conversation. They laughed, joked, Evan threw a playful jab at Jonah about the ‘pressure’ of his new finance role.

  Time slipped by.

  2 PM.

  Jonah’s phone buzzed — his alarm breaking the rhythm of their conversation.

  Everyone turned as Jonah’s eyes lit up, his hand flying to his pocket.

  “It’s time,” Jonah breathed.

  Evan raised a brow. “Time for what?”

  Jonah grinned nervously. “The lottery… remember? Gotta check if… you know…”

  Felix perked up, instantly rolling his chair to the nearby desk. “Let’s pull it up — lottery’s live-streamed.”

  Within seconds, the screen glowed with the lottery’s official broadcast — the bright, overly cheerful presenter standing beside the lottery machine. Balls ready. Audience quiet.

  The air shifted. They could all feel it.

  “Alright, folks — it’s time for today’s life-changing numbers!” the presenter grinned.

  Jonah’s heart hammered as he pulled the ticket from his pocket — unfolding it carefully, his hands slightly trembling.

  Kai sat silently, leaning back, watching.

  The first ball shot out.

  “Number 17!” the presenter beamed.

  Jonah’s eyes snapped down. “17” — there it was, first on his ticket.

  The second ball.

  “43!”

  Jonah gasped. Another match.

  The third — “8”.

  The fourth — “22”.

  The fifth — “36”.

  The sixth — “5”.

  Each number — perfect. A match.

  By the final number, Jonah couldn’t speak.

  Jonah sat frozen, staring at the ticket in his hand and then back at the screen — back and forth like his brain couldn’t catch up.

  Felix was the first to react, spinning his chair toward Kai. “Boss… that’s it, right? That’s the jackpot.”

  Evan’s mouth hung open. “No way… every single number… How…?”

  Iris, still half-awake, blinked rapidly. “Wait… what just happened?”

  Jonah finally let out a shaky laugh — part disbelief, part joy. “We won… All of it. The full jackpot.”

  He held the ticket up like it was holy. “It’s real. I… I don’t even know what to say.”

  Evan shot up from his seat, pacing. “Okay… I knew you were planning something, Kai… but the lottery? Seriously?”

  Kai leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable — calm, almost detached.

  “I told you… we needed funds. Real funds,” Kai finally spoke, his voice low but steady. “Now we have it.”

  Jonah couldn’t hold back anymore — he laughed, the sound echoing through the villa. “You’re… rich.”

  “No,” Kai corrected, his gaze dark but calm. “The organization is rich. That money is ours — not mine. It’s for what comes next.”

  Iris, slowly piecing it all together, crossed her arms. “You… You planned this, didn’t you? You knew those numbers.”

  Kai gave her a glance — but no confirmation, no denial.

  “I just knew the time was right,” Kai replied simply. “And now… it’s time we start building.”

  Jonah exhaled, his excitement turning into something heavier — responsibility. “What… What do you want us to do first?”

  Kai’s gaze shifted toward him — calm, unwavering.

  “First,” Kai said, his voice firm, “we deposit the money… properly.”

  Jonah blinked. “Deposit…? Where?”

  Kai leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Into the organization’s account. This isn’t a personal win, Jonah. This money belongs to all of us — to the Illuminatii.”

  Jonah nodded slowly, swallowing hard. “Right… Yeah. Of course.”

  Kai continued, his tone sharp but steady. “You’re the new financial lead. Which means you’ll handle this — directly. I’ll connect you with our banker.”

  Felix’s head snapped toward Kai. “Wait… there’s a banker?”

  Kai gave the faintest of smirks.

  Jonah sat up straighter, nodding. “Alright… I’ll handle it.”

  Kai’s eyes narrowed, making sure Jonah understood. “This is serious. From this point on,it’s your responsibility.”

  Jonah met his gaze. “I will not let you down.”

  Kai nodded once, satisfied. “Good. I’ll set up a meeting. You’ll go in alone — represent us. Think of this as your first real task.”

  Jonah’s throat felt dry, but he still grinned. “I won’t disappoint you.”

  Kai’s lips curled into a subtle smile — one that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “I know.”

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