Symbolism

Suzy gets worried. "Are you okay? Your hand is bleeding."

He snaps out of it. "Uh, yeah. I just... remembered something."

"Remembered what?" She quickly goes in her purse to pull out bandages and disinfectant. She grabs his hand. "Hold still. This will hurt."

Kyo is unfazed, still on the cusp of a deep thought. "Suzy. Can you tell me more about these people?"

"What people?"

"The royal faction."

Suzy presses the cotton against his hand, watching the blood fade beneath the sting. “They’re the top of the food chain. Old money, old power. Everyone answers to them.”

She starts wrapping the bandage. “They control everything from trade to law enforcement. Magic, too. They ban it publicly, but they’ve got their own people using it behind closed doors. Experiments, assassinations, whatever keeps them untouchable.”

Kyo stares blankly at the table. “Sounds familiar.”

“Yeah,” she says quietly. “They’re the kind of people you don’t cross unless you’ve got a death wish.” She finishes bandaging Kyo's hand. "Alright, there you go."

"Thanks. By the way, aren't they supposed to be the good guys?"

Suzy chuckles. "There's no good guys. You know that."

"Right, right. I'm talking about their public image."

"Yeah, I guess so. Nevermind that, what did you remember?"

Right as the question lands, the royal member comes back from the bathroom. "Did I miss anything? Dude, what happened to your hand?"

Kyo feels his blood boiling.

Relax, Kyo. Stay calm. Stay cool. Don't blow this chance.

He puts on a fake smile. "I guess I got too drunk too quickly, hehe."

Suzy tries to hide her laugh upon hearing that. She knows he's full of shit.

Kyo composes himself. "Actually, I was just asking Suzy how one joins the royal faction. You take applications or is it more of a private club thing?"

The man smirks as he sits back down. "You? Join the royals? That’s rich. You’d have to scrub off a few layers of underworld stench first."

Kyo chuckles dryly. "Funny. Coming from a royal who spends his nights drinking with people like us."

Suzy covers her mouth, trying not to laugh. "He’s got a point."

The man shrugs. "Information’s information. We all play our part. Some of us just do it cleaner."

Kyo leans forward, tone still calm. "Yeah? From where I’m sitting, the dirt looks the same."

The man laughs under his breath, but there’s tension behind it. “Careful, friend. Talking like that can get you in trouble.”

Kyo grins faintly. “What kind of trouble? The kind you handle… or the kind you order someone else to?”

Suzy’s eyes dart between them. “Boys, boys. Relax. We’re here to drink, not start a war.”

The man raises his glass. “Just making conversation. You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that.”

Kyo clinks his glass against his. “You’d be surprised how far guts can get you.”

The man smirks, takes a sip, and sets his drink down. “Maybe. But in our world, it’s connections that matter. People like you don’t walk into the faction. You get invited. Or… you make yourself useful enough that we can’t ignore you.”

Kyo meets his gaze. Useful enough, huh? He forces a small smile. “Guess I’ll work on that.”

They kept drinking long after the topic faded, laughter and clinking glasses blending with the dull hum of the bar. Kyo nursed his drinks slowly, letting the other two burn through theirs. By the time the neon outside began to flicker with the promise of dawn, Suzy was slurring and the royal guy could barely sit straight.

Kyo stood, steady as ever. “Guess that’s my cue.” He tossed a few bills on the counter and slung Suzy’s arm over his shoulder.

She giggled the whole walk home, stumbling on every step, her perfume thick in the air. “You know,” she mumbled, eyes half-closed, “you could come in. I promise I don’t bite… much.”

Kyo sighed, shifting her weight. “You’re drunk as hell, Suzy.”

“Then take advantage of me,” she teased with a lazy grin.

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” He helped her to the door, waited until she was safely inside, then turned and walked off into the quiet streets, the night still spinning for everyone but him.

The streets were dead quiet by the time Kyo got home. He tossed his jacket over the chair, kicked off his boots, and collapsed onto the bed. The room smelled faintly of smoke.

He stared at the ceiling, mind replaying the mark, the man, the memories. Every time he closed his eyes, the symbol burned clearer, brighter, like it wanted to be remembered.

He thought about Suzy’s words, about the faction’s reach, and about what it would take to get close enough to burn it all down.

No matter how many times he shifted, sleep never came. By the time morning light crept through the blinds, his eyes were still open, and his hand still ached beneath the bandage.

The night was over, but his war had just begun.