The workshop, nestled in a corner of the city, was as busy as always. The air inside was thick with the scent of metal and the hushed murmurs of whispered conversations.

Tools clinked against metal, and blueprints adorned the walls, mapping out the intricate designs of Shinon’s creations, the factory’s most important products by far.

In the heart of the workshop, Miro sat behind a cluttered desk, poring over a letter Shinon had just shown him. The letter from Rico troubled both of them.

After reading the letter twice, Miro finally looked up, his eyes narrowing in concern as he noticed Shinon was also worried but was not showing it.

"Do you think that trouble is-"

"The Eclipse," Shinon interjected. "It has to be them. No one else would willingly mess with the Phoenixes and the military."

Miro nodded upon hearing Shinon’s explanation. The letter might not have mentioned the Eclipse by name, in case the letter fell into the wrong hands, but Shinon was sure as Rico had used the keywords they had previously discussed.

Shinon hadn’t informed Miro about the hidden keywords yet, as he wanted to keep some secrets from him. After spending time with the Phoenixes, Shinon had learned not to blindly trust someone, no matter how great of an ally they might be.

One could have said Shinon didn’t trust Miro as much as he would like to. But as the saying went, a burnt child dreads the fire; Shinon was simply careful with his interactions with everyone in the city.

"What you’re saying makes sense," Miro sighed, folding the letter and placing it on the cluttered desk. "It seems the Eclipse has caught on to our shenanigans. As such, the Eclipse is tightening its grip, and the noose around the settlements is getting tighter."

Miro then got up and spread a map with various settlements marked on it. He was searching for any place to house the other rescues while they made alternate arrangements or dealt with the Eclipse once and for all.

Shinon’s gaze fixed on the map before Miro spoke calmly, "We knew it was a risk. Hiding the escaped slaves was never going to be an easy endeavour."

"We might need to rethink our approach. The Eclipse is becoming too aware of our movements," Miro mumbled, leaning back in his chair.

It was then Shinon said something that changed the course of their conversation.

"How about we create a new settlement? One which the Eclipse would have no idea about?" Shinon commented. "I have contacts that could make it possible."

"Are you serious? Even if we do that, you or someone we trust would have to leave the city, which could alert the Eclipse about our involvement with the rescuees!"

"Sometimes risks are worth taking," Shinon chuckled as he said those words.

Since stepping into Heaven’s Refuge, he has been taking risks left and right. Why would he sigh away from taking another risk if it would give them a shot at thrashing the Eclipse?

"I agree. It needs to be something unexpected, something that throws them off their game." Miro nodded, tapping a thoughtful rhythm on the desk. "It could work, but there’s another matter we need to discuss."

Shinon knew precisely what Miro was talking about. Caleb was getting desperate, and the recent policies that he had enacted were biting the Eclipse hard; even though they were helping the civilians, the Eclipse wasn’t happy about the changes.

"Your father has become a thorn in the side of the Eclipse, and they’re closing in on him," Miro continued. "If we don’t get him out of here fast, something might happen to him."

"I know, but his stubbornness would allow him to leave," Shinon sighed. "He wants to take his family with him, but getting them all out of the city at once is next to impossible, and getting one of them out but not the rest would make it impossible for the rest to leave."

"The Eclipse must be watching over them 24/7," Miro nodded. "Getting Caleb out would be a miracle, let alone the rest. But if that’s what Caleb wants, we must figure out how to proceed."

"I’ll contact the Escapist and devise a plan. Meanwhile, you find a way to get the entire family out without the Eclipse noticing us. Something that will divert their attention and give him a window to escape."

"We’ll need to exploit their spy network," Shinon said, his eyes locking onto Miro’s. "Spread misinformation, create confusion. Make them believe the Shadowbearer is about to do something drastic."

Miro nodded, liking Shinon’s plan. The mere mention of the Shadowbearer was enough to cause havoc amongst the Eclipse. After all, they had been so involved in catching him that they wouldn’t give up the opportunity to catch the cause of their pain.

Within moments, the plan began taking shape. Miro would secretly feed misinformation to the Eclipse’s underground network, causing them to throw the Eclipse into disarray.

In the meantime, Shinon would have to visit Caleb, inform him about the plan, and get his input. After all, a significant section of the plan depended on him.

"After escaping, Caleb can get help from the Phoenixes and the rest of your friends to establish a new settlement for more escapees," Miro said, pointing at the barren area between the Phoenix settlement and the Military base.

Although the area Miro suggested was ideal and affordable. But Shinon’s gut was telling him something was wrong with the place.

"Let’s postpone the plans for a bit," he replied. "I would like to scout the place first."

"I wouldn’t recommend that."

Shinon was a bit taken aback, even though his expression didn’t reflect his thoughts.

"Why is that?"

"Because of the Eclipse, of course!" Miro blurted. "They are getting more vigilant, and even the elusive ’Shadowbearer’ might trigger their alarms and cause problems for us all."

"They haven’t been able to catch me yet," Shinon replied, his voice steady but with a hint of scepticism. "What makes you think they’ve developed so much without the workshop’s help?"