The next morning at 11:00 AM, Liuke was at the library.
He was scouring the shelves for any edge or information on the Everdread Forest.
But after an hour of searching, he found absolutely nothing useful.
He eventually walked up to the bookkeeper in frustration.
"Do you have any informative books on the Everdread Forest?" Liuke asked.
The bookkeeper shook his head slowly. "There are only two."
"One is pure fiction, and the other is full of fake legends."
"Hundreds of years ago, only a handful of people ever returned."
"Whatever they saw is locked away in secret archives by the Elders."
Liuke sighed, feeling the weight of the mystery. "So, I just wasted my time."
He walked out, realizing that waiting was his only option.
(Everything seems quiet... but someone is probably being tortured right now.)
(I have to destroy this authority, no matter what it takes.)
Liuke clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white.
He headed straight to the Solar Force training camp.
(If I don't sharpen my skills, I'll be on the verge of death again.)
(Having this nearly infinite Solar energy is dangerous without training.)
(As long as I'm alive, I'll bet everything on humanity.)
He doubled down on his training at the base, pushing his limits.
Meanwhile, in Aurora City, a different kind of scene was unfolding.
The Third Elder, Greyon, was at a strip club, heavily intoxicated.
He was enjoying the dancers while his assassins stood guard outside.
"Ugh, bring someone else in! I'm bored!" Greyon slurred.
He spotted a shadow moving behind a curtain but ignored it.
"Hey, you two," he said to the girls beside him. "You dance too."
Greyon was mesmerized, but then he noticed a fourth girl.
"Hey... why don't you come here?" she whispered. "Give me a hug."
Drunk and careless, Greyon stumbled toward her and pulled her close.
For a split second, the world went blurry.
When he opened his eyes, he didn't feel the softness of a woman.
He saw the lethal glint of golden armor.
There was blood everywhere—on his chest, his neck, and the floor.
An assassin in a golden chestplate stood before him, holding a dagger.
"Before you die, know who ordered this," the assassin whispered.
"The Fourth Elder, Umiko."
In a flash of light, the killer vanished as if they had never existed.
Greyon collapsed, his Solar Core completely destroyed.
He wasn't the only one; every guard in the club had been silently slaughtered.
It was broad daylight, yet the news of the massacre remained hidden.
Back at the training grounds, Liuke was focused on his Solar Core.
He was applying internal pressure to toughen his body against his own power.
(I need to strengthen my Solar Core's output layer,) Liuke thought.
(My input is infinite, but I can't release it safely without a stronger valve.)
He meditated, intentionally creating tiny "cracks" in his output layer.
He wanted it to heal back denser and stronger than before.
Suddenly, every soldier's phone buzzed with a mandatory alert.
Elvis rushed over to Liuke. "Stop for a second. I need to tell you something."
"The Council sent a message. There's another telecast at 3:00 PM."
"Why? Again?" Liuke asked, wiping his brow.
"Maybe more info on the Forest," Elvis replied.
Liuke looked him in the eye. "Commander... can I kill the Elders?"
Elvis looked shocked. "Wait, why?"
"They are tyrants!" Liuke's voice rose. "Crime is skyrocketing because of them."
"If we get the chance in the forest, we take them out quietly."
"But what if they threaten innocents?" Elvis asked.
"They're already doing that," Liuke argued. "We have to at least try."
Elvis went quiet for a moment, then finally nodded.
"Fine. But we have to be extremely careful. Just the two of us for now."
"Thank you, Commander," Liuke said, feeling a grim spark of hope.
An hour passed, and the Solar Force gathered in the main hall.
As the screen flickered to life, everyone noticed one Elder was missing.
Relph, the First Elder, stood up on the screen.
"Today, we are announcing the schedule for the Everdread Forest."
"This broadcast is exclusive to the Research and Solar Forces."
His face turned solemn. "But first, we must address an absence."
"The Third Elder, Greyon, was murdered this morning."
"An investigation is underway. Now, let us move on to the main news..."