Zay looked at the door in front of him. It read 5J, carved in worn brass. He unlocked it with the key in his hand and stepped inside.
The room was dimly lit, bathed in a faint amber glow from a single wall sconce near the entrance that ran off of aura. Black carpet stretched across the floor, thick and soft beneath his boots. The walls were painted a deep, dark red, and intricate designs of foxes ran along the borders in looping patterns, some leaping, others curled in slumber, their shapes subtly shifting in the low light.
Directly across from the entrance was a large bed, its headboard pressed firmly against the back wall. The blankets were layered, deep gray with pale silver threading woven along the edges. To the left of the bed stood a brown wooden dresser with seven drawers, slightly worn but polished.
Zay closed the door behind him and walked over to the dresser. He opened the top drawer and found exactly what the note had mentioned, thirty silver pieces and fifteen of bronze. He gathered them quickly, slipping the coins into the pocket of his trousers before looking for a tunic or something to wear to cover his chest but was unable to. With a simple shake of his head, he moved to the bed and sat down on the edge.
He hunched forward, resting his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. His eyes closed slowly.
Five minutes passed in silence. He sat still, thoughts swimming through his mind, everything that had happened since arriving in this Sequence, the uncertainty, the weight.
"It's just been shit," he muttered under his breath.
Then he leaned back, his body sinking into the bed. The blanket was soft, like lying on clouds, and the mattress beneath him plush and welcoming. His arms settled at his sides as he released a long, quiet breath.
He didn't even realize when sleep took him.
...
Iris knocked once before stepping inside. Roland was at his desk, hunched over paperwork he clearly meant to finish hours ago.
He glanced up, saw her, and set his quill down. "Yes?"
She walked in and dropped into the chair across from him, her white tunic shifting slightly as she moved. For a second, it rose just enough to reveal a glimpse of her stomach before falling back into place.
A soft flush lingered on her cheeks, barely there, but just noticeable enough. Her amber eyes lit up as she looked at him, clearly still caught up in whatever storm was spinning in her head.
"THAT was the guy they sent?" she said, half breathless, like the thought alone was enough to wind her. For a priestess, the images running through her mind were... less than holy.
Roland chuckled, shaking his head as he slid a book under his desk and tucked it into a small cutout meant for his ink, quill, and whatever else he decided to hide down there.
"Is he not to your standards? He seemed more than qualified to be a bodyguard. Strong aura, good posture, and a solid record with the Red Dawn as one of their Demons of Red," Roland said, a slight smile curling at the edge of his lips.
Iris sat in silence, lightly biting her bottom lip as she glanced behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw the door still open. She stood quickly and closed it with a quiet thud.
Closing her eyes, she activated one of her divinities. "Goddess of Protection, I call upon your name as your priestess to grant a barrier of protection," she whispered, repeating it three times. Her divine aura flared in soft, snow-white waves that matched the color of her hair before shifting into gold. A barrier formed around the room, sealing it completely from being overheard.
She returned to the chair, sat down, and looked straight at Roland.
"It's not that he isn't qualified. I think he might be a little too qualified for this. What kind of deal did the higher-ups make to send someone with an aura that strong? Especially his divinity. He was practically bathing in it like it didn't even register to him, like he couldn't feel just how intense it was."
She leaned back in her chair slightly, her amber eyes moved away from Roland, glaring at the ceiling.
"And not only that... he's really hot. Who the hell is he?"
She wasn't leaving that room until she learned everything she possibly could, especially with only an hour left before she had to meet him in the garden.
Roland looked closer, "Is this what they call love at first sight?"
Iris coughed, almost choking on air as her eyes widened. "NO!" she shouted, but hearing that from Roland only deepened the rose already creeping across her cheeks.
Roland chuckled and pulled out a file, handing it over. "This is all the information Red Dawn was willing to give me about him."
Her body shifted in the chair, her eyes gazed at the file, then paused as a curious thought crossed her mind. She glanced back up at him. "I've never asked this before, but... how exactly do you have files on everything?"
"It's just a perk of being a contract holder with the God of Knowledge. I gain quite a bit of insight through what most would call sheer luck."
Iris narrowed her amber eyes, studying him for a moment. The golden barrier around the room slowly faded as she turned her attention back to the file in her hands.
His name was Zay Yuso. Age: 23. Long black hair. A member of Red Dawn, assigned to a special unit known as the Demons of Red, a group renowned for never failing a mission. Height: 6'2. Deep amethyst eyes. Described as someone who prefers to avoid conflict when possible. Suffers from an extreme case of PTSD, reportedly triggered by snow, cold, ice, frost, or anything associated with winter. The cause is unknown.
Iris blinked at that last part and swallowed hard, her thoughts drifting uncomfortably to her own last name. 'It... should be fine?'
"Is this really all we have?" she closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again before flipping the file to the back. For some reason, she found herself hoping to discover something about what he liked, his hobbies, his interests, anything.
But the back of the file was blank.
Roland Richfield shook his head. "That's all I was given by Red Dawn. If there's anything more, they didn't share it with us."
She nodded slowly; standing up. She whispered something under her breath, too quiet for anyone else to hear. Then she crushed the file in her hand and placed it on the table. A golden flame flickered along its edge, consuming the paper until nothing remained but ashes that drifted upward and vanished into the air.
...
Almost an entire hour had passed. Iris blinked slowly as she sat perched in a tree in the garden, one leg dangling freely while her left hand gripped the branch for balance. She bobbed her head from side to side, humming softly to herself, clearly unbothered by the wait.
Meanwhile, Zay stood in his room, having woken up just minutes earlier. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned, then tilted his neck to the left until a soft pop echoed from the joint. He sighed in relief, repeating the motion to the right and hearing a similar sound. His eyes drifted down to his bare torso, and he muttered under his breath, "I really need to head to that Harland place and get a shirt. It feels weird and uncomfortable without one."
"Arbiter: Resonance Lens."
[Name]: Zay Yuso
[Resonance Name]:Forsaken by Dawn
[Current Location]: Order of Restraint's Outpost #3
[Age]: 23
[Time]: 2:57 P.M.
Cores:
Aura Core: 100% | Initiate
Monster Core: 100% | Primordial(Sealed) | Ravager
Fallen Core: 100% | Ascendant(Sealed) | Initiate
[Important!]After acquiring multiple divine items, the Fallen Core has become completely stable. You may choose one of the following options:
1. Feed the Fallen Core into your Aura Core, automatically increasing your Core Rank to Resonant and bypassing the required quest.
2. Transfer everything from your Aura Core into your Fallen Core and discard the Aura Core. (Note: This will remove any Traits that require an Aura Core. You will gain Traits related to the divine.)
3. Do nothing and keep all three cores you currently possess. (Note: This will slow your Core Rank progression but allow you to access Traits, Resonance Echoes, and Passives tied to a specific core. It also increases your total Aura Reserves by providing another source from which Echoes can draw.)
-----------------------------------------------------
Zay read over each option carefully, his mind weighing every detail, every consequence. Each path held power, but it was the third that stood out, brimming with potential. The ability to harness more Resonance Echoes, unlock Traits and Passives tied to either core—Aura or Fallen—was no small advantage. It offered versatility, adaptability, and a rare kind of depth most Arbiters could only dream of.
But the cost was steep.
The delay in advancing his Core Rank could mean years. Years of stagnation. Years of falling behind others who would rise to power while he remained locked beneath the next threshold.
It had been years already since he had first claimed his Seal. Only recently had he finally earned the right to approach the Resonant tier. And now he was considering slowing that progress willingly. He exhaled, the breath heavy with the weight of his past and the uncertain road ahead.
"It's a major drawback... it could cost me everything, maybe even the chance to ever catch up again," he muttered under his breath. "But if I can access traits tied to both human and divine essence... maybe I can actually reach the peak.."
He glanced down at his hand, then closed his eyes for a moment.
'If I can gain even one trait, one passive, or anything that might be able to slow time and increase the amount of time I can live... just maybe.'
That possibility alone was worth the gamble. With a steady breath, Zay raised his hand and selected the third option.
He wasn't sure if it would become the greatest mistake of his life, or the single choice that would one day bring him to the peak. But either way, there was no turning back now.
He swallowed hard, expecting to feel something, anything, at all but nothing changed. He waited several seconds. Still nothing. With a furrowed brow, he opened his Resonance Lens again. All three of his cores were present, but the options were gone.
He let out a quiet sigh, a flicker of regret passing through him. That decision could have been the greatest mistake he had ever made. But he shook it off quickly. There was no going back now.
Glancing at the time, his eyes widened. He was supposed to be in the garden within the next minute.
He rushed to the door, flung it open, then closed it behind him in one motion. Sprinting through the hallways, he retraced the path to the staircase he had used to reach his room and Roland's office. He dashed down the steps, keeping perfect balance as his aura flickered to life around him. In a single breath, he launched forward and burst outside, determined not to be late on his first day.
He reached the garden almost instantly and looked up. On one of the thick branches of a tree, Iris sat perched, bobbing her head side to side in a clear display of boredom.
"Finally you're here. I thought you were going to be late!" she said in a playful tone before jumping down.
As she leapt, her white tunic lifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her stomach before she landed gracefully on the grass. The fabric settled back into place around her with effortless ease. "First thing we're going to do is head to the forest."
Zay tilted his head in confusion. "Why the forest?"
Iris looked at him, her eyes narrowing as she studied the divine aura spilling off of him in all directions. It shimmered faintly, casting a soft golden tint across the garden.
"I need to teach you how to control your divinity. It's... leaking everywhere. You're making the grass turn gold. It's annoying. I don't like golden grass."
'And I just want to be alone in the forest for a while,' she thought to herself, though a smile tugged at her lips as she walked forward, weaving between the patches of green flowers until she reached the stone path.
"Let's go!" she called, clasping her hands behind her back as she made her way toward the mansion's gate.
Zay followed behind her, and together they crossed the dirt road, heading straight into the forest.