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His ornate capital home had become the official meeting place for the three boys. With his mother gone back to their villa in the countryside and father busy with work, the well-furnished house was the ideal spot for their secret plans.

"Eh? That\'s still several years away, though?" Thane questioned, fiddling idly with the expensive floral vase next to him.

"No, Ira is correct," Calix chimed in. "We can\'t continue with our preparations until we have the details worked out."

"How could we possibly know what to expect by then?" Thane argued. "There are far too many variables that come with time."

"That\'s precisely why we need to start plotting now," Calix replied. "If we take control of the variables, we\'ll know exactly what to expect."

"Alright, sure," Thane conceded, waving his hand lazily. "Carry on then."

"The first thing we need to consider is how Serin\'s military strength will be divided," Ira immediately began, grabbing one of his many documents.

On the page he held up was a list of names marked with either an M for Morue or an H for Hoeken. The pitiful Ms were vastly outnumbered by the Hs, however.

"Emperor Anselm may not be a competent ruler, but he\'s no fool," Ira continued. "He\'s made sure to place his loyal dogs in the most important military officer positions."

"With all those aristocrat-worshiping Hoekens, it seems the entire army will be against us," Thane sighed. "We need to find a way to win some of them over."

"That\'s the issue," Ira grumbled. "There\'s no chance any of those greedy puppets would even consider going against their beloved emperor."

"That\'s because if the balance of power shifts away from the nobles, the balance of their treasuries will suffer," Thane snorted. "Perhaps we should stoop to their level and just bribe them."

"That\'s not a terrible idea," Ira agreed. "The nobility aren\'t the only ones with extra gold laying around. If we contact our allies at the merchant port, we could raise a fair amount in no time."

"Why not just open a gambling house?" Thane suggested, grinning devilishly. "Make those nobles unwittingly fund their own demise.

For once agreeing with Thane\'s eccentric ideas, Ira grabbed his quill and began writing. "That could wo-"

"No," Calix interrupted, finally speaking up.

The scratching of Ira\'s pen paused.

"I realize the idea came from Thane\'s ridiculous brain," he reasoned, "but-"

"I said no," Calix repeated, his icy tone causing both Thane and Ira to flinch.

While his friends exchanged uncertain glances, Calix stood and walked to the tea room\'s recently replaced window.

"Money is too fickle," he mused, staring out into the wide vacant street. "We need something more.. certain."

"Ah, what did you have in mind then?" Thane asked.

"Commander Regan is on that list of yours, right?" Calix asked, turning to Ira.

"That\'s right," Ira confirmed. "He\'s currently leading the junior division of the army."

"The junior division," Calix echoed. "So the sons and nephews of the other divisions then?"

"More or less," Ira replied. "But I don\'t see the use in gaining control of a bunch of inexperienced soldiers."

"Fathers and sons," Calix remarked thoughtfully. "Wouldn\'t a father do just about anything to protect his child?"

He whirled around to face his two friends, a wicked smile spreading across his face.

Thane and Ira exchanged glances again, both unsure of what the black-haired boy was trying to convey.

"Who do you think would concede first if they had to fight each other?" Calix asked rhetorically. "Or do you think they\'d actually fight to the death? Parents and their children?"

"Wait, so you\'re suggesting we bet on the parents surrendering to their children?" Thane interjected. "That seems like a rather dubious gamble."

"Maybe it\'s not so dubious," Ira speculated. "Actually, that might be the best way to beat the emperor\'s supporters with minimal blood shed."

"Haa, I guess," Thane sighed. "But how would we gain control of those boys in the first place? Everyone knows Commander Regan is a devout bootlicker."

"That comes back to our original gamble," Calix commented. "Who do you think Commander Regan would choose between the emperor and his son?"

"Ah, you mean Spencer Regan?" Ira noted. "He\'s still a young man but has quite the.. unfortunate reputation."

"Don\'t you think someone should warn the poor father about the dangers of his son\'s obscene engagements?" Calix grinned. "I mean, aside from social suicide, those types of things can be physically dangerous as well.."

His eyes suddenly darkened. "They may even result in a brutal death."

"Calix! Are you proposing we threaten Commander Regan with his son\'s life?!" Thane exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "And then threaten all the emperor\'s soldiers with their sons\' lives?!"

"Well…" Calix turned back to the window. "I\'m just suggesting that fear seems to move a man\'s heart more than money."

Calix\'s idea was a good one, though a bit unconventional. After weighing all the possible outcomes, Ira concluded that motivating the military through fear was indeed far more effective than using bribery (or any other means he and Thane could think of).

Though they agreed that his strategy was ingenious, both Ira and Thane felt a strange discomfort every time they saw Calix after that. Perhaps, it was the fact that Calix had easily come up with an idea that neither of them would have been able to conjure even if they had years to ponder.

Or maybe it was that, for the first time, they had seen a dark and powerful aura surrounding their friend--much too dark and powerful for a mere fifteen-year-old boy.

The next week, Calix had a very short meeting with Commander Regan. Unsurprisingly, the man folded easily when his son\'s name was brought up. He surrendered so easily, in fact, that Thane and Ira wondered if it was truly fatherly love that motivated him or if he too had been pressed by Calix\'s terrifying aura.

Either way, their plans were moving forward flawlessly. With Regan under their thumbs, planting the seeds of rebellion in the hearts of hundreds of young soldiers was easy.

With sufficient watering, the seeds would soon come to fruition and bloom beautifully under Calix\'s command.