Demonic Po*nstar System

Chapter 892: Power Plays

He paused for the camera. The pause was perfect.

”Eclipse, under the leadership of Guild Leader Kaiden Grey, has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the defense of American lives and American interests. From unearthing the deplorable leadership of ChronosX and ensuring they were held responsible. To working with us with bravery through the mass dungeon breaks, saving countless human lives. And now, all the way to the elimination of the recent Kaiju-class threat. This young man and his team have stood where others could not, fought what others would not, and emerged as a symbol of what the awakened community can achieve when it works hand in hand with the institutions that serve our people.”

Kaiden listened politely and read the room instead of the speech.

His girls wore expressions of diplomatic tolerance in various shades, except for Calypso, who genuinely seemed to be trying to follow along and finding the experience educational.

Alice got bored within moments and began fiddling with his fingers.

”...And so it is with great pride,” the President continued, building toward the crescendo his speechwriters had earned their salaries on, ”that I stand here today to formalize the partnership between the United States of America and Eclipse. A partnership built on mutual respect, shared purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the safety of every citizen under our flag.”

He turned to Kaiden and gestured toward the table with a grand, inviting sweep that said: this is where you walk over, sign quickly, shake my hand, and let me have my photo.

Kaiden walked over.

He sat down, settled into the chair, and pulled the leather-bound folder toward him.

The hall quieted. Cameras tightened their frames. The President remained standing beside him, smile locked in place, one hand resting on the back of the other chair in a pose that would photograph beautifully.

Kaiden opened the folder, and he did not pick up the pen.

He began reading.

The document detailed the deal he had already struck with the Chairman in the tent yesterday.

Line by line, clause by clause, his eyes moving across the first page at a pace that made the word ’leisurely’ feel rushed.

The hall held its breath for about thirty seconds before the first murmur rippled through the press section.

The broadcast carried his silence to tens of millions of screens.

One minute passed. Kaiden turned the page.

’Sovereign dungeon ownership... recognition of Eclipse’s territorial boundaries within municipal and federal jurisdiction...’

Vespera had already approved of the document’s contents, or he wouldn’t be here.

But Kaiden didn’t care.

It was his duty to ensure the contents were still the same she approved of, and he intended to do his due diligence no matter how uncomfortable the atmosphere got.

The President’s smile held, but the warmth had left his eyes.

The hand on the chair back shifted its grip. His speechwriters had not budgeted for this, and far too many viewers were watching the wait unfold in real time.

Two minutes. Kaiden turned another page.

’Entity reclassification... legal personhood extended to non-human sentient beings under Eclipse’s authority...’

He paused at a line, reread it, and continued.

Luna bit the inside of her cheek as the President’s composure thinned, because watching the most powerful man in the country wait on her boyfriend’s reading speed was the best entertainment she’d had all her life.

Three minutes. The cameras had adjusted their shots. What was supposed to be a five-second signing photo had become an extended broadcast event, and the press section was alive with whispered commentary that would become tomorrow’s headlines.

The President leaned down, just slightly, enough to bring his mouth near the microphone without it looking like he was prompting anyone. ”Everything in order?” The warmth in his voice was immaculate.

Kaiden didn’t look up. ”So far, yeah.”

Then he turned to the next page.

’Awakened class tier re-evaluation... Undergo formal reassessment using Association-standard artifacts...’

”...” The President looked anything but amused.

The President had spent minutes on a stage telling the world that Kaiden Grey was America’s golden boy, a cooperative partner who worked hand in hand with his government.

A power play, telling American citizens that he still held power over all awakened beings, Kaiden included. After all, Kaiden was playing by his rules.

At the same time, it was a signal to other nations as well: Kaiden was signing with his home country, happy to take their deals instead of looking abroad.

Yet Kaiden had spent whole minutes silently telling the world he read contracts before he signed them, on his own time, at his own pace.

It was his response to the president’s play: he’s no one’s loyal little soldier, he doesn’t trust the President’s word blindly and refuses to sign quickly just because the President wanted him to.

’First responder obligation... in the event of a catastrophic-scale threat on United States soil...’

Four minutes. Five.

Vespera stood behind her son’s chair in the position she’d occupied in the negotiation tent, one pace back and to the right, and her face betrayed nothing.

She’d read the document before Kaiden entered this building. She’d approved every line. She’d told him on the ride here.

He was reading it anyway. She knew why. The pride in her silence was louder than the President’s entire speech.

Grace, standing to the side of the stage with her tablet pressed against her chest, watched Kaiden turn another page and felt a familiar helplessness: this guy was going to do what he wanted at whatever pace he chose, in front of a global broadcast audience, while no force on Earth could make him go faster.

Behind her, half-hidden by a pillar, a woman in a scribe’s uniform clutched a ledger to her chest and watched the same scene with cheeks that were already turning pink, because some things hadn’t changed at all.

Six minutes.

The press section had given up on whispering.

Full conversations were happening between journalists, and the running theory was split between ”he found something wrong” and ”he’s doing this on purpose,” and both camps were correct in the ways that mattered.

Kaiden reached the final page. He read it to the end. Then he closed the folder, picked up the pen, and decreed:

”Everything checks out.”

He signed.

The hall erupted.

The roar that followed the scratch of pen on paper was louder than the one that had greeted his entrance, a detonation of sound that hit the stage from all sides at once and kept building as the press section abandoned professionalism entirely, staffers in the back on their feet cheering, international observers standing, cameras shaking in their operators’ hands.

The President offered his hand across the table.

Kaiden shook it, a handshake between two men who understood each other perfectly and liked each other approximately zero percent more than the last time they’d done this.

The President smiled for the cameras. Kaiden smiled for the bright future he just secured.

The anomaly belonged to no one, and the United States had just paid handsomely for the privilege of pretending otherwise.

But the signing was the warm-up.

The real show hadn’t started yet.

It was time to finally retest their awakened tiers.