Is this destiny?

Over breakfast, Sarah and Aiden told Hong about the two days long training and that he will need to decide if he will stay in his current place or return back.

"How do you know about this?", Hong asked.

Sarah and Aiden exchanged glances when they realized that they rushed. With their talk about staying at the main base of the Voronin family, and moving to the middle circle, and training… they forgot that Hong does not know about Eve. Their goal was to give more time for Hong to think about his options, forgetting that they should not know about this before the official announcement.

Sarah decided to play the mystery card.

"You know that we are more than just two kids who can throw a punch, right?"

Sarah felt silly addressing herself and Aiden as kids. They will be parents in a few months, but that is how Hong calls them, so she went with it.

Hong nodded in understanding that they will not tell him how they found out about the upcoming training and that only two people can move on, while others can wait or leave this place.

Of course, Hong knows that Sarah and Aiden are capable of many things, but that does not explain how they got access to the information without any computer or a similar device. Maybe they used phones, Hong thought, but then he dismissed the idea because phones are being traced and so is the network traffic. Is it possible that they have an informer within the Voronin family? Who could that be? It's not Maksim, right? Last night they were cursing him, why would they suddenly cooperate? It does not make sense. Hong decided to let it go.

"I will head back."

"Are you sure?", Aiden asked.

Hong confirmed. "Staying in my current place does not do anything other than exposes me to danger and creating a liability for you. I hope that you know what you are doing and when you get in, call me back."

"Absolutely.", Sarah confirmed. "You think about the options we discussed before coming here."

Hong knows that Sarah is reminding him about the possibility of him taking the position of the next Grand Master. It's not that Hong didn't think about it, but he does not have any positive thoughts about this place or the people. If he decides to take over, it would be only to tear it apart until nothing is left. Hong is unable to imagine himself as the leader of the organization he despises.

After breakfast, they all assembled on the training ground, where they announced final scores.

Team falcon was ranked as #1.

Sarah hugged Aiden while frowning at the list that was shown on the screen.

"Where is Mila?", Sarah asked.

The list for team falcon was: Maksim (the leader), Alex (aka Aiden), Jasha, Kolya.

"Are you worried about her?", Aiden asked Sarah.

"She is not listed. After the mission, I saw her standing next to Maksim, Jasha, and Kolya. Did something happen?" 

It's not that Sarah cares about Mila, but she was from the same team as Aiden. If something bad happened to her, Aiden was close to it. Does that mean he was in danger? Sarah tightened her hold on Aiden.

Aiden shrugged and tried to get Sarah to relax. "She was a nuisance. Whatever happened, she probably deserved it. She is not the first person to mysteriously not show up in the rankings."

Sarah remembered that Vanya, Dushan, and Igor also didn't show up in rankings, and they know what happened to them. Well, they don't know what happened to Vanya and Dusan after the incident in the warehouse, but Igor is safe and sound, recuperating in the base of the Army of Chaos and learning new skills. So, Mila missing can mean a lot of things, and it's not necessarily the only option that she was killed.

The information was provided that everyone listed has the right to bring one person, and that they should come back in one hour, ready to head to their next destination where they will start two days long training.

"Before lunch, you will find out about your next destination and the training will be designed to make you successful in that role.", the announcer spoke loudly for everyone to hear. "Others are free to stay in their current accommodation or to leave... At the main entrance, you will find transportation ready to take you to the neighboring city if you decide to leave. They will be there the whole day..."

It was just as Aiden saw earlier that morning.

Sarah, Aiden, and Hong headed to their rooms, taking the longer route so that they can talk.

"Ron and Zula will meet with you to take you back.", Sarah told Hong. "We instructed them to look for several nearby locations where we can have a temporary camp. In case of emergency, we need you to come here fast. Talk to them about this place, so that they know what to expect."

"How will we know if you are in urgent need of assistance?", Hong asked.

Sarah was ready for this. "Felix perfected our communicators.", she pointed at her ear stud. "We can send an SOS signal through. But it will not be much of use if you need an hour to reach us."

Hong wanted to ask, in case of emergency, are they expected to conduct a full-blown attack or a secret extraction? But they didn't have much time to discuss and he was sure that Sophia would be in charge of deciding on the right strategy.

"I will leave through the forest.", Hong announced. 

"Are you sure?", Aiden asked. The organizers said that there will be transportation to the nearby city for the ones who want to leave the base.

Hong nodded in confirmation. "If they ask where I am, you say that you have no idea. I should be your superior and I don't tell you about my movements. There is also a possibility that one of the competitors took me out and hid my body."

"You think that they will not let you go?", Sarah guessed the reason why Hong wants to take a different route to leave.

"Maybe you trust Maksim, but I don't.", Hong said flatly. "He knows you are not Olga. Do you think he will let me go without interrogation?"

Sarah and Aiden agreed with this.

Hong exhaled in frustration. "I honestly don't know why you are risking yourself so much. You know that your cover is compromised."

"As long as they don't know who we truly are, we should be fine.", Sarah said. "Maksim is too preoccupied with a game of cat and mouse to consider me as a threat."

Hong didn't want to argue further. He knows that Sarah and Aiden are set on this and he can't dissuade them from staying. Well, if he is in their place, he would probably do the same.

Hong spent more than three decades hiding and he is aware of how difficult it was for him to stay under the radar without knowing how his loved ones are doing. And he had only Tashi and his desire for revenge. Sarah and Aiden have a small village of people who are considering them as a family and who depend on them, and for Sarah and Aiden to go into hiding is nearly impossible. They are young and capable and full of vigor, and if they can't sort this mess out, no one can.

Hong told himself to trust them. His warnings will only dampen their fighting spirit, and there is a chance that is the only thing they have going for them.

Hong packed his things swiftly because he had only two changes of clothes and toiletries that fit in a small backpack. Like this, even if someone sees him leaving, he does not look suspicious and they will think that he is going for a walk.

Aiden packed his and Sarah's things while Sarah explained to Hong how to reach the clearing where the helicopter landed when Aaron picked up Igor.

Hong didn't want to delay. He wanted to use this commotion of everyone packing and to make his exit.

"When you are about ten minutes away from the lake, you will be able to contact your ride without any disturbances.", Sarah gestured toward the ear stud. "They are on their way."

Hong looked at Sarah and Aiden and exhaled. "Alright, take care."

"You too, old man…", Sarah said and gave him a hug which Hong didn't expect.

Hong watched as Sarah and Aiden made their way back to the training ground. That is the gathering spot from where they will go to their new accommodations in the middle circle.

When they disappeared from sight, Hong turned in the opposite direction and made his way toward the forest. Part of him was relieved to leave this base, and part of him regrated that he is leaving empty-handed. If he got his vengeance and defeated Simeon, things would be better. Maybe.

Hong told himself to cheer up. Living another day means another chance, and he looks forward to seeing his disciples Souta, Bo, and Wing. Haru included. He smiled at the thought that Atlas is probably going to greet him and demand head-scratches.

Hong realized that he has more happy things waiting for him at his destination, than what he is leaving behind. His heart would be lighter if Sarah and Aiden are with him, or at least not in that wretched base that has only bad memories for him.

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