Rudy swallowed.
The pause stretched long enough that even fear seemed to hesitate.
Finally, he set the cloth down slowly and raised both hands, palms open, careful not to make any sudden movements.
"All right," he said, voice low now, stripped of the bartender’s casual tone. "I’ll talk."
The frozen room pressed in around us, dozens of unmoving figures caught mid-breath. Rudy glanced at them once, then back at me.
"The Hollow Star doesn’t operate the way people think," he began. "There’s no single office, no obvious headquarters you can just march into. What they’ve built is... distributed."
I tilted my head slightly, listening.
"In the center of the Rubble Maw Ocean," Rudy continued, "there’s an island. Most maps don’t mark it clearly. Storm patterns blur it out, Essence currents bend perception. Locals call it Mystery Island."
"An avian tribe lives there," Rudy said. "My tribe. Wings adapted for long-distance flight over water. They’ve been there longer than the current Feradros ruler, or at least that’s what they claim."
"And that’s where contact happens," I said.
Rudy nodded. "For this planet, yes. Every major planet in our solar system has one such node. One tribe, one hidden settlement, one point of contact. Different tribes. Different cultures. Same function."
"Hollow Star," Knight murmured.
"They’re not Hollow Star themselves," Rudy corrected. "They’re intermediaries. When someone needs information, they go to them. When Hollow Star needs something done, instructions flow back through them."
I leaned back slightly. "So this entire system has been plugged into their network from the start."
"Yes," Rudy said quietly. "And not just this system."
"Did Shera Ranthor come to you?"
Rudy hesitated, then nodded. "Almost a decade ago. He wasn’t subtle. But Hollow Star already knew about Feradros long before that. Shera didn’t introduce anything new. He just... formalized cooperation."
"Mutual benefit," I said.
"Exactly. Ferans shared military movements, political fractures, expedition data. Hollow Star shared news about other races too with the Ferans."
"And the Eternals?" I asked. "Were they aware you were working with them?"
Rudy let out a humorless breath. "Everyone is aware. No one pretends otherwise. And no one cares."
I stared at him.
"They all still use you," I said.
"Yes," Rudy replied. "Because information is power. And power doesn’t care where it comes from."
I tapped the counter lightly. "So what exactly is your service?"
Rudy’s eyes flicked to my finger, then back up. "Information gathering. Target tracking. Political destabilization. Removal of unwanted variables. Occasionally mercenary coordination. Occasionally... erasure."
Knight’s tail twitched once.
"And me?" I asked. "What does Hollow Star have on me?"
Rudy swallowed again. "Personally? Not much. Your origins are... unclear. That alone alarms them."
"But," he continued quickly, "you’ve been placed on a hunting list."
I smiled faintly. "I figured."
"It’s not just a list," Rudy said. "It’s a tiered system. You were low priority at first. A curiosity. After the demon incident and the rift closures, you jumped tiers."
"How high?" I asked.
"High enough that bounties are being prepared," Rudy said. "Not public yet. Private circulation. Independent Transcendents."
"Saints?" Knight asked.
Rudy shook his head. "Not yet."
I nodded. "Do you know where Hollow Star’s true headquarters is?"
"No," Rudy said immediately. "No one does. Or at least, no one who’s still alive."
"What will I find on this Mystery Island?" I asked.
Rudy hesitated. "A gateway. Not a permanent one. But when activated, it opens a passage to one of their forward bases."
That was enough.
I straightened and snapped my fingers again.
The frozen world exhaled as motion returned. Sound rushed back into the room in a rush of startled gasps and clinking glasses. Patrons blinked, confused, some rubbing their temples, others looking around as if they’d missed something important.
Rudy slumped slightly, relief and terror mixing on his face.
I leaned in close.
"You’ll keep running this bar," I said quietly. "You’ll keep your mouth shut. And you won’t warn anyone."
He nodded rapidly. "I won’t. I swear."
"You know what happens if you don’t," I added.
"Yes."
I stood and turned away. Knight followed.
We didn’t rush back to the guest residence. We walked, letting the night air cool the tension. Once inside, I sent my summons back to the core one by one, leaving only Knight.
Steve and North were already waiting when I gathered them in the hangar.
I looked at the two of them and said, "All right. We’re heading out."
Steve tilted his head. "Heading out where?"
I smiled, the kind that made him sigh before I even answered.
"An island," I said. "Middle of the ocean. Supposedly very secret. Supposedly very important."
North crossed her arms, studying my expression. "That sounds like trouble."
"Only if you’re on the wrong side of it," I replied easily.
Steve let out a short laugh. "Let me guess. Someone told you not to go there."
"More like they pretended it doesn’t exist," I said. "Which usually means it’s exactly where we should be."
North shook her head, but there was a spark of interest in her eyes. "So what’s the plan?"
I shrugged. "We go, we look around, we ask a few questions. If they answer nicely, great. If not—" I spread my hands slightly. "We improvise."
I chuckled. "We just came back from a party, Steve. Let’s not make this feel like work."
He grinned. "Now that I can get behind."
North stepped closer to my side. "Then let’s go. I’m curious what kind of place needs this much secrecy."
I nodded, already turning toward the ship. "Good. Because I have a feeling it’s been watching us for a long time."
We boarded the ship docked near the residence. As we lifted off, a few Feran patrol craft moved to intercept, lights flashing in warning.
I reached out casually and pressed down.
Every Feran in the ship in our path lost consciousness mid-flight, drifting harmlessly aside as our vessel passed through without slowing.
The ocean stretched ahead, vast and dark.
At its center, far beyond normal shipping routes, a distortion shimmered faintly.
The Mystery Island awaited.
Our ship slowed as we reached the outer perimeter.
I stood at the viewport, eyes fixed on the island ahead.
"Looks like we’re knocking on Hollow Star’s door," Steve said quietly.
I smiled.
The ship descended, hovering just beyond the island’s shore.