Carmen’s heels clicked sharply against the polished floor, each step echoing through the wide, glass-paneled hallway of the Astral Spire. The morning light bled in through high windows, turning the steel-blue walls into a river of shifting color. Behind her, Lawton and Vanessa followed at a steady pace.

  Vanessa dragged a tired hand through her cropped hair. “I swear, it’s like the entire world decided to fall apart these last few weeks.”

  Lawton gave a low hum. “It has been lively.”

  “Lively?” Vanessa shot him a look. “Two months ago we had that disaster at the marketplace. Riftspawn pouring out of a tear the size of a building. Then just three months later. Bam, the Syndicate wakes up from the dead like it took a nap.” She gestured dramatically. “And now everyone wants answers yesterday.”

  Carmen didn’t slow. Her expression stayed flat, neutral, deceptively calm. “That’s what we’re here for.”

  Lawton clasped his hands behind his back. “There’s been good, too,” he said, tone gentler. “The Monster Generation even if they’re broken, some of them reconnecting? That’s something. And this year’s Espers… they’re promising. Less powerful graces on average, but their foundations are solid.”

  Vanessa arched a brow. “Referring to that kid you brought from the hospital?” She didn’t bother hiding the pointed tone. “The one Carmen immediately tossed into a death trap after he just joined?”

  Carmen stopped walking.

  Lawton and Vanessa nearly ran into her.

  Carmen turned slowly, dark eyes cold and unreadable. “Vanessa.”

  Vanessa straightened. “Ma’am?”

  “Send a message to the Astralis Guard. Everyone except Aiden and Elijah’s squads. Those two already know.” She waited until Vanessa was fully attentive. “The standing mission regarding Mordred Solace has changed. Effective immediately.”

  Vanessa paused. “…Changed how?”

  “Capturing him alive is no longer an option.”

  Lawton’s brow creased. “Carmen—”

  “It’s kill on sight.”

  Both assistants stiffened.

  Lawton stepped forward, voice strangled. “Carmen. That goes against Raphael’s orders. You’re defying your husband.”

  “Yes,” she said flatly. “Because he’s wrong.”

  Vanessa swallowed hard. “Ma’am—”

  “Mordred Solace is too dangerous for a cell.” Carmen’s voice sharpened like a blade. “Too intelligent. Too resourceful. Too corruptive. If we imprison him, it will only be a matter of time before he escapes, manipulates his captors, or breaks the system entirely.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment, just long enough to betray she wasn’t cold. She was hurting.

  “I love my husband,” she said quietly. “I would burn the world for my family. But Raphael… he’s going soft because Mordred was once one of his students.”

  Lawton flinched. Vanessa looked away.

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  Carmen lifted her chin.

  “And I will not allow the person who killed one of my daughters to walk this earth.”

  Silence strangled the hallway.

  She continued, softer but unbearably heavy: “And he didn’t just take her from me. Both of you…” Her gaze lowered. “You were victims of him as well.”

  Lawton’s chest tightened. His wife. His children. That night.

  Vanessa pressed her lips together, breath trembling. Her partner. The screaming. The fire.

  Carmen didn’t need them to speak. She saw their answer in their faces.

  She inhaled, deep and steady.

  “Now,” she said, “do either of you still object to my order?”

  They shook their heads.

  Carmen nodded once, turned, and resumed walking.

  The shadow of the Rusthelm Massacre followed silently behind them.

  ---

  The wide common room buzzed with low conversation. Members of Aiden’s and Elijah’s squads sat scattered around. Some slumped into couches, others leaning against walls or pacing. Everyone looked tense.

  Felix tossed a stress ball into the air. “Okay but real talk, that meeting was… something.”

  Tessa exhaled dramatically. “Understatement of the year.”

  Across the room, Rei sat on a bench, hunched slightly forward. His fingers tapped his knee, rhythm uneven. He wasn’t hearing the chatter. His mind was spinning.

  Codenames, objectives, casualty projections… Mordred Solace…

  Carter flopped next to him. “Earth to Rei. You alive, man?”

  Felix leaned over his other side. “You’ve been staring into the void for like five minutes.”

  Rei blinked, startled back to the present. “Sorry. Just… thinking.”

  “About?” Carter asked.

  Rei hesitated before voicing the question. “Who exactly is Mordred Solace?”

  The room quieted.

  All eyes drifted toward the four remaining Monster Generation members: Aiden, Elijah, Violet, and Victor.

  No one spoke.

  Elijah suddenly stood.

  Not a word.

  He just turned and walked straight out.

  His squad froze, stunned.

  “…Did he just leave?” Luna whispered.

  “Just like that?” Lysander blinked. “Should someone… go after him?”

  Violet lifted a hand, stopping them. “No. Leave him.”

  Silence hung heavy again.

  Rei looked between them, confused. “I didn’t mean to—”

  “It’s not you,” Violet said softly. “It’s the name.”

  Aiden pushed off the wall and strode toward the exit. His jaw was clenched so hard the muscles twitched. He didn’t look at anyone as he passed.

  “Aiden?” Zane called.

  Aiden didn’t respond.

  He left just as abruptly as Elijah.

  Now only Violet and Victor remained of their generation.

  Everyone stared at them.

  Victor exhaled, long and weary. “You want answers,” he said. “So here’s the short version.”

  Rei’s posture straightened.

  “Mordred was our teammate,” Victor said. “Our friend.”

  The room stiffened.

  “And the man who killed the other two members of the Monster Generation.” His voice dipped low. “Kaito Takeda. And Alice Lysandre.”

  Rei felt the words like a punch.

  Felix’s jaw dropped. Daisy covered her mouth. Iris paled.

  Violet spoke next, voice thin. “There’s… a lot more to that story. But not today.”

  She squeezed her brother’s arm. “Let’s go.”

  Victor nodded once.

  The twins walked out together, leaving two squads full of unanswered questions behind them.

  And leaving Rei feeling like he’d just stepped into a labyrinth he didn’t even know existed.

  ---

  Raphael’s Office

  The desk was buried under papers. Reports, drafts, supply manifests, deployment forms. Raphael signed the last page with a tired flick of his wrist.

  He leaned back, stretching his spine until it cracked.

  The phone on his desk vibrated.

  He grabbed it and answered. “Dauntless Overseer speaking.”

  A low, familiar voice hummed through the speaker.

  “Well, that’s a title I haven’t heard from you in a while.”

  Raphael froze.

  “…You.”

  “Miss me already?” the voice teased.

  Raphael pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is a secure line.”

  “And? You think I forgot how to slip through those?” A small chuckle. “Relax. No Syndicate business. I’m calling for something simple.”

  “Simple,” Raphael repeated flatly.

  “Yeah.” The voice softened. “A meeting. For old time’s sake.”

  Raphael’s heartbeat thudded hard.

  “Where?” he asked quietly.

  “I’m in Avionis right now.”

  The call ended.

  Raphael stared at the phone, dread slowly crawling up his spine.

  ---

  Elijah — Empty Training Room

  The training chamber was silent except for the distant hum of ventilation. Elijah swung his serpent staff in a sharp arc, the chain whispering as it cut through air.

  Clack

  The weighted ends slammed into the floor as he shifted stances again. His movements were smooth, practiced, hypnotic but there was a tremor beneath them. Something brittle.

  He inhaled deeply.

  Then—

  A voice: casual, young, too calm.

  “Yo.”

  Elijah stopped, whip-fast.

  He turned.

  A boy leaned against the wall just inside the doorway. Elijah couldn’t make out his face. The lighting, his posture, something about him obscured the details. But he saw the clothes.

  Armor-like plating layered across the torso. Cloth pieces reminiscent of old samurai garb. And a symbol painted across the chest:

  A black dragon coiled around a katana.

  Elijah’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

  The boy pushed off the wall, steps unhurried. “That’s not important right now.”

  Elijah shifted his grip on his weapon.

  The boy’s tone stayed light, almost playful. “Everyone talks big about you guys. The Monster Generation.” He shrugged with a laugh. “I’ve always wondered how strong you really are.”

  He stopped directly in front of Elijah.

  Close enough that Elijah could see the faint gleam of metal at the seams of his armor.

  The boy lifted one finger and pressed it against Elijah’s chestplate.

  Then he said in smooth, natural Japanese:

  “試してみようぜ。”

  (English: “Let’s put that to the test.”)

  Elijah’s pulse spiked.

  The boy grinned.

  Then, switching to English. Clean and fluent, almost amused:

  “So how about it?”

  He tilted his head.

  “A light spar.”

  Elijah tightened his stance.

  [End of Chapter]