--- [Shin’s perspective] Later that day, in Solis

  This place…

  I’ve never seen anything like it…

  I’d love to see Alex and Lett’s reactions to seeing this mess of city!

  I let out a little chuckle, forgetting that I’m in the middle of a conversation.

  “What’s so funny?” – Lily

  “Oh, nothing. My bad, continue.” – Shin

  She sighs; clearly a little annoyed I wasn’t fully paying attention.

  I mean, how could I?

  This place just took me by surprise, that’s all.

  “Like I was saying… I’m a Urielite, and the ones behind the murder of Alex’s brother are almost certainly Raguelites.” – Lily

  “How can you be so certain?” – Shin

  “I don’t want to make this a big history lesson; there are others more qualified for that. All you need to know is that the disagreement between the leaders that lead to the organization being split in half was a disagreement in philosophy, goals, and ethics.” – Lily

  As we get to the top of the stairs, she points to a door at the end of the hall.

  “That’s where I live.” – Lily

  She unlocks the door, and steps into her apartment.

  “You haven’t officially joined us yet, so you probably shouldn’t be out in public too much. If I get caught in smuggling you in here, things could end very badly for me.” – Lily

  She sits down on her bed and signals me to sit down on the chair next to her desk.

  “I feel confident that you’ll join us though, so I’m not too worried about that.” – Lily

  She has a lot of books…

  I didn’t take her for the type who likes to read.

  “Uriel and Raguel founded the organization because they wanted to kill the Emperor; this is, always has been, and always will be, their primary goal. Their disagreement came from a difference in opinion on what to do with those who were close to the Emperor…” – Lily

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  She lays down and continues to talk while looking up at the ceiling.

  “Uriel thought those who were close to him were only there out of fear. By staying close to the Emperor and sucking up to him, they wouldn’t be targeted by him. If their only crime was being on the Emperor’s side, they were still innocent in his eyes. He only saw them as his enemies if they used their connection to him as a way to commit evil themselves.” – Lily

  She sits back up and lets out a sigh before looking me directly in the eyes.

  “Raguel however… He saw them all as his enemies. Anyone associated with the Emperor had to die, unless they specifically decided to rebel against him. His view is twisted, but he’s at least somewhat reasonable… He always gives them a choice. If they join the fight against the Emperor, he’ll forgive anyone.” – Lily

  There’s a painting on her wall…

  I think it’s supposed to be Lily and her family.

  She’s so small though, it must be old.

  “Urielites, the ones in Uriel’s faction, have the same view as him. Raguelites, the ones in Raguel’s faction, have the same view as him. The Emperor has never had any children before, so the situation we find ourselves in now is uncharted territory. Although Alex and his brother clearly weren’t associated with the Emperor in the traditional sense, them being related to him is enough to make them persons of interest. Us Urielites would never have taken his brother’s life just because he’s the Emperor’s son. I have no doubt that the Raguelites would though… If he refused to join their side, they’d mercilessly kill him just like anyone else associated with the Emperor.” – Lily

  “Even then… I don’t think they’re all bad. Illian, the man who ‘pretended’ to be our friend, only to betray us… I don’t think he was just pretending. We went through way too much for that to be the case. Even at the very end, when Alex’s rage took over, he never once put his hands on him… His last words…” – Shin

  His last words…

  I take a deep breath to collect myself; I can’t start crying now.

  “His last words were: ‘I’m sorry.’” – Shin

  “…” – Lily

  “Right before Alex took his life, he simply apologized.” – Shin

  “I… Of course… Not all Raguelites are bad, and not all Urielites are good. I’m sure your friend was a great person. In the end, we all want the same thing. We’re all part of The END after all. All any of us has ever wanted is to make the world a better place. There’s so much unnecessary suffering… I know that all too well…” – Lily

  She lays back down, but not out of comfort…

  I think she wants to hide her face…

  “Shin. You saved those people in the colosseum from certain death, despite the risk. Not even I had the courage to do that, and I’m in an organization that is dedicated to doing exactly that! You may like pretending to be this cold and calculating cool guy, but really, you have a heart of gold unlike anyone else I know.” – Lily

  She gets up from the bed and walks over to the painting of her family.

  As she reaches out to it, and her expression changes as a wave of emotion washes over her.

  She retracts her hand and forms a fist…

  “Join us, Shin. With our help, you can accomplish so much more than you ever could alone. And with you on our side, we can accomplish so much more than we ever could without you. Please… We need you.” – Lily

  We look at each other in complete silence for a few seconds before I answer.

  “Okay.” – Shin

  “Okay?” – Lily

  “I’ll join.” – Shin

  “Just like that?” – Lily

  “Just like that.” – Shin