Third POV (Hana)

"Weise Hana! Head Sage Yamu has landed!" Fachmann Aren said, out of breath from running all the way to Hana and Bavejo's office. They turned to each other with raised brows.

If Sage Yamu was back already, that meant there was news. They immediately got up from their chairs and made their way down the halls and to the courtyard.

There they saw the incredible sight of Sage Yamu strolling in with three Renge chained and following after him as though he were a mother duck. All Rangers lined up and saluted in respect, and Hana ran up to inspect the suspects.

"Sage! You got them to talk?" She asked, impressed as she stared at them. She recognized all three of them from both the palace and Mudan's memories.

Especially the man with the long hair.

"They have not caved yet, but they will," Sage Yamu said positively, beaming. The three Renge only scoffed at his words. "I'll leave their memories to you and Sage Maisu. But first, I have to discuss some things with you and Weise Bavejo in my office."

"We have something to tell you, Sage," Bavejo said, but Hana shook her head at him. She didn't want to mention that Mudan was here infront of the other Renge. There was a chance they would attack or even try to escape with her. Bavejo caught on to her disapproval quickly and stayed quiet.

"All will be discussed in my office. In the meanwhile, take these Clanfolk to their holding cells until further notice," Sage Yamu ordered. "Let Sage Maisu shift through their memories as much as he can."

"Fachmann Furn!" Hana called one of her best underlings. The curly haired boy came jogging at her beck. "Take these Renge to the holding cells. Give them a shockwave."

"What? Why?" The green-eyed boy cried out. "You shouldn't abuse that Zen technique! It hurts!"

"Even better," Furn said and cracked a grin, grabbing them by the chains. They were dragged into the LunarCrest building, no matter how hard they stepped on their heels.

"Let us proceed," Sage Yamu said and led the way to his office. No one could hold their stares and gossip about the Clansfolk, Hana knew it was only a matter of time before people started pushing for torture and punishment.

But that wasn't the objective. Not this time.

It had been years since they took Clansfolk, people who lived and breathed that twisted system, alive. Usually when the Moon Rangers managed to catch them, they would opt for suicide or ask for death. Like the crazy people they were. Indoctrinated to the bone where they'd rather death than tell on their Clans.

The Masters who ran them had to be proud. After all, their systems were solid. No traitors were left alive and no one dared to open their mouths. It was bizarre, the level of loyalty.

Hana and Bavejo plopped down into the two seats opposite Sage Yamu's desk. He sighed deeply as he looked down at his subordinates.

"The Nephatians are livid about this, Weise. There is no one to blame. All the culprits are dead and those who are not have escaped. They're depending on us to deliver the truth," the Sage said seriously. "If we do not, this will be a massive failure for LunarCrest. We were tasked with protecting them, after all."

"No one could have seen some guy teleporting coming," Bavejo tried to say. "And besides, we have these guys you caught. Can't we just hand them over once questioning ends?"

"I'm afraid we cannot do that, Weise Bavejo. And that is where our issue lies," the Sage sighed and sunk into his chair.

"They are unkillable."

"What?" Bavejo and Hana questioned at the same time.

"Their identities are too important. Their true identities. I took their Body Plans and all was revealed, Weise. They were  kids that went missing in all those Clan attacks on the Mansor family and Governor Fang."

Hana's head ticked emptily for a second, then it came back to her. "Governor Fang from the Suen province of Yuyang? The one who was assassinated years ago by those rebels?" She asked in disbelief.

"And Curadh and Lanis Mansor of Manserion Mines," Sage Yamu filled in the blanks. "Killed in cold blood. Children missing, presumed dead."

"So that's them? The Clan scum?" Bavejo asked, baffled. "They were raised there this whole time?"

Sage Yamu nodded regrettably. "And even if their parents are dead. They still have families in this world who will hear about this. So we cannot kill them, this only unwinds a greater conspiracy. If they are the victims of a Clan attack and have been raised there for years with seemingly no memory... how many more of them have the same story? "

Hana swallowed hard. This was definitely not the development she expected. She had always assumed the Clan raised their own from rogue monasteries and abandoned and unwanted children. The old Moon Rangers documented it to be so.

Clansfolk were simply rogue monks with grudges against the governments of the world for the cleansing that happened hundreds of years ago. They retaliated by killing government officials, toppling empires, basically anyone who disrespected Clan beliefs and history perished under their hand.

But this. It told a new story, provided a different angle. An angle they had to explore.

"What do you want us to do with them, Sage?" Hana asked.

"Keep them alive. Tell them the truth. Perhaps we can change their lifestyles. They need to disclose all information they have of the Clans and their secrets. Sage Maisu has to determine how to resurface their past memories, because I suspect they have been buried by Zen techniques. They are clueless about their past."

"That fucker lied to them," Bavejo scoffed. "And Miao lived surrounded by that."

Bavejo's disdainful tone as he spat Miao's name reminded Hana of Mudan. If this was the Sage's approach, he'd be on board with what Hana proposed to the girl.

"Head Sage, I must confess something," she said, making him narrow his eyes. "We saved someone from the palace. Another Clansfolk. Actually ex-Clansfolk. She's Miao's daughter and she's here as well."

Sage Yamu tilted his head, his eyes already darkening. "Song Miao's daughter? The woman who betrayed us in Suen?"

Hana nodded reluctantly. "I offered her a chance to join the Rangers-"

"You did what?!" Sage Yamu rose up from his chair, glaring at her. "Weise Hana, how could you? She is the daughter of a traitor!"

"She's just like them!" Hana pleaded. "I've seen her memories, Sage. She betrayed the Renge. She ran away and has been free of them for two years. She only got recaptured back in Pansa before the attack at Nahiti. She is innocent to all their doings."

"Not all," Bavejo chimed in. Hana turned and glared at him. "She might not have been responsible for Nahiti, but she's no saint. Don't make her sound like one."

"None of them are saints," Hana insisted. "But that's the point. We give people like this a chance. People who need rehabilitation. She is a victim, Sage. Please, consider this."

"Her father is the head of all the Clans," Sage Yamu said slowly, as if warning her to quiet. "She is a product of Miao's betrayal. Do you really think she deserves a chance?"

Hana nodded fully. "I do, Head Sage. And I'll take full responsibility for anything that happens while she's under our roof."

"How do you know she's not going to just kill someone and escape like they always do?"

Hana went silent. She in fact didn't know that. She had seen Mudan's memories and her will to live surpassed all her morals. She had killed people to stay alive and escape.

"She's in a bad state," Bavejo saved her, despite how much she knew he disapproved of her idea. "She got stabbed by the lunatic who launched the attack. He had a grudge. She stabbed him in the eye and killed his lover so he tried to kill her in revenge."

Sage Yamu scoffed. "They're animals."

"But they can be changed," Hana said again. "I'll get information out of her, Sage. She will be of use to us."

Sage Yamu hummed, unimpressed. "She had better be. If she isn't, I'm sending her to Nephati to be a scapegoat and die for her old crimes. After all, we don't need the remnant of a traitor under our roof."

The Sage's words were harsh, but they were not unwarranted. Even if Miao had somewhat redeemed herself by outting the Renge's temple, her past actions were not forgiven at all. She was the truest form of a traitor, going with whichever side made her feel more.

A slave to her emotions. The worst kind. Yet Hana couldn't let go of her at all.

"I'll get to work now, Sage," Hana rose from her chair and nodded to Bavejo to do the same thing. They got up and left the room.