The halls of Valis Academy were cold and lacked the polished grandeur of Aethelgard or the sterile precision of Zenith.
As Selene and Kaelo walked, their boots echoed against the heavy industrial plating of the floor. The air here smelled of old ozone and damp stone, a sharp contrast to the high pressure environment of the observation deck they had just left.
Both lieutenants moved with a practiced grace, though the tension between them was palpable. They represented the top two powers in the world, and even on a joint mission, the rivalry was never far beneath the surface.
Selene adjusted the collar of her golden trimmed uniform, her eyes scanning the dim corridors. "What if this Vane guy is really King Valen?" she asked, her voice low enough that it did not carry past Kaelo. "I mean, a one hundred percent match isn't just a coincidence, Kaelo. It is an impossibility. If the lineage was scrubbed and the Monarch blood was declared dead, how does a kid like this just show up at a third rate school in the middle of nowhere?"
Kaelo did not look at her. He kept his eyes fixed on the holographic map projecting from his wrist, his slate colored eyes reflecting the blue light. "Data is objective, Selene. It doesn't care about our history books or the stories the High Kings tell us to keep the masses in line. If the system says he is Valen, then biologically, he is Valen. But a King is more than just a sequence of DNA.
A King is a presence. A King is power. This boy is someone who let a Carbonite cadet like Kaelen scream and swing at him without even flinching or fighting back. He stood there and didn't even let the boy touch him while that brute exhausted himself. Does that sound like a Monarch to you?"
"Maybe that is the point," Selene countered, her brow furrowing. "If you wanted to hide the most dangerous bloodline in history, you wouldn't hide it in a warrior. You would hide it in someone who refuses to raise a hand. You would hide it in a ghost."
Kaelo adjusted his pace, his expression hardening. "If we find him, we have to persuade him to leave this school. He needs to be somewhere that will release his full potential. Keeping him here is like keeping a star in a jar."
They turned a corner and encountered a group of three Valis students huddled near a sparking conduit. The students jumped at the sight of the elite uniforms, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and curiosity. Kaelo stopped in front of them, his presence looming.
"You," Kaelo snapped, his voice like cracking ice. "Have you seen the transfer student? The one from Omen."
The students looked at each other, trembling. One of them pointed a shaky finger toward the end of the hall. "He went into the Great Library, sir. He was with Nora."
Kaelo didn't offer a word of thanks. He pushed past them, his mind already calculating the shortest route. Selene followed, her eyes narrowing as they approached the library sector.
"Do you know anything about this Nora girl?" Selene asked, glancing at Kaelo.
Kaelo gave a short response without slowing down. "Not much. She graduated early. Top of her class. That is all that I know."
Selene let out a soft hum of acknowledgment. "Top of her class. Early graduate. General Kaine should make her a lieutenant then. He is certainly in need of one."
"General Kaine isn't reckless," Kaelo muttered as they approached the entrance.
Before them stood the entrance to the Great Library, but it was not a standard doorway. The doors were in a state of constant, shifting movement, the heavy oak and reinforced steel sliding in interlocking geometric patterns. It was a rhythmic, hypnotic dance of precision machinery and hydraulic pistons that ensured only those with the proper timing and electronic clearance could enter without being crushed by the moving plates.
"The architecture here is archaic," Kaelo remarked, watching the plates slide. "But effective."
Kaelo stepped forward and interfaced his Zenith device with the shifting terminal. The machine groaned, its internal gears grinding as it processed the foreign override, forcing the shifting patterns to halt for just a single heartbeat.
"Access Granted," the computer hummed.
The doors slid open with a heavy hiss. The temperature in the Great Library was controlled, the air thick with the scent of aged parchment and the low hum of cooling units for the digital scrolls.
There, standing in the center of the archive's glow, was Vane. He was standing perfectly still, his back to the entrance, staring intently at a massive holographic map of the fringes that he had pulled up without authorization. He was simply minding his own business, his eyes tracing the jagged lines of the borderlands as if looking for something lost. Nora was beside him, her expression a mix of awe and terror as she watched the data scroll by.
Vane didn't turn around when the lieutenants entered. He didn't acknowledge the heavy thud of their boots on the polished floor. He remained focused on the map, his fingers hovering near the interface but not touching it.
Kaelo watched him for a moment, his analytical mind racing. He just finished fighting minutes ago and he doesn't look exhausted,
Kaelo thought. "His breathing is steady. His posture is perfect. There is no sweat, no tremor in his hands. What is he?"
"By order of General Vesper and General Varick, you are to come with us," Kaelo stated, his voice regaining its cold, military edge. "There are questions that need answering, Vane. You need to come with us now."
Vane finally turned his head, his gaze meeting Kaelo's. For a second, the lieutenant felt a chill run down his spine. It wasn't a look of anger or even defiance. It was a look of profound, ancient boredom.
"I am a student at Valis," Vane replied calmly. "I came from Omen. I have already answered these questions for General Kaine."
"General Kaine doesn't speak for the entire military hierarchy," Selene said, stepping up beside Kaelo. "We are here on behalf of the top schools. You are a matter of global security. You can come with us quietly, or we can make this difficult. But one way or another, you are leaving this library."
Vane looked at the two lieutenants, then back at the map of the world that was slowly being eaten by the Bylaws. He didn't seem scared of them. He seemed like he just wanted to be left alone.
"Fine," Vane said softly. "I will come."
Selene turned her sharp gaze toward the girl, recognizing that as an early graduate and a witness to the current situation, she fell under their immediate authority. "Cadet Nora, you are to follow as well. You have been privy to unauthorized data. You are coming with us for questioning."
Nora didn't argue. She knew the weight of the gold and slate uniforms standing before her. She glanced at Vane, then nodded silently, stepping into rank behind the two elite officers.
Kaelo felt the air in the room grow heavy, the pressure of Vane's Spark beginning to leak out even though he wasn't consciously using it. This was different. It was cold. It was dense. It felt like the weight of a mountain pressing down on the library walls.
"We are ready for anything," Selene said, though her hand tightened on her sword.
"No you aren't," Vane said as they were walking.
The four of them continued toward the exit, the shifting plates of the library doors parting once more to allow the procession to pass. The blue light of the archives remained steady, though the holographic map Vane had been studying continued to pulse with red markers long after they had left the room.