The city moved again.
As if nothing had happened.
Stalls reopened.
Voices returned.
Footsteps filled the streets.
Order—
restored.
Sora stared around, frowning.
"…That's it?"
No one talked about the incident.
No panic.
No lingering fear.
Just quiet acceptance.
"…Did everyone just forget?" he muttered.
Johan walked beside him, gaze steady.
"…No."
A brief pause.
"…They accepted it."
Sora exhaled sharply.
"…That's worse."
Johan didn't disagree.
Because something had changed.
Subtle.
But present.
Knights were more visible.
More frequent.
Watching.
Not the crowd.
Specific points.
Specific people.
"…We're being observed," Johan said quietly.
"…Still?" Sora whispered.
"…More than before."
A figure stood at the corner they passed earlier.
Same posture.
Same stillness.
Different street.
Sora glanced back.
"…Yeah… okay, I see it."
Johan didn't turn.
"…Don't react."
They kept walking.
As if nothing was wrong.
"Stop."
The voice was calm.
Firm.
They halted.
A group of knights stood ahead.
Different cloaks this time.
Gold-lined.
"…Gilded Chain," Sora murmured under his breath.
The one in front stepped forward.
"…You are requested for questioning."
Not a suggestion.
Sora forced a small grin.
"…Requested, huh?"
No response.
"…Right."
He sighed.
"…Guess we don't have a choice."
"…No," Johan said quietly.
"…We don't."
The room was plain.
Deliberately so.
No distractions.
No unnecessary detail.
A table.
Three chairs.
Nothing else.
Sora leaned back slightly.
"…I don't like this place."
"…You're not supposed to," Johan replied.
The door opened.
Footsteps.
Measured.
Someone entered.
Not a knight.
Not exactly.
A dark cloak.
Minimal design.
Eyes that didn't wander.
They sat across from them.
"…We will proceed with a few questions."
No hostility.
No aggression.
Worse—
calm.
"…Name."
"Sora."
A glance.
"…Full name."
Sora clicked his tongue.
"…Just Sora."
A pause.
Then—
the gaze shifted.
"…And you."
"…Johan."
Silence lingered.
Not empty.
Measuring.
"…Origin."
"…Unregistered."
A slight shift.
"…Clarify."
"…No affiliation with any recognized territory."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"…Aether type."
"…Undeclared."
Sora stiffened slightly.
"…You don't have one?" the interrogator asked.
Johan met their gaze evenly.
"…Not in a way your system defines."
Silence.
Heavy.
"…Have you experienced instability in your aether?"
"…No."
"…Have you encountered anomalies before entering Varkhast?"
"…No."
The interrogator didn't write anything.
Didn't react.
Just watched.
"…You remained calm during the incident."
"…Panic is inefficient."
A pause.
"…You observed closely."
"…Yes."
"…Why?"
Johan didn't hesitate.
"…Because it wasn't natural."
For the first time—
The interrogator's eyes shifted.
Just slightly.
"…Explain."
"…The aether was not merely unstable," Johan said.
"…It was altered."
Silence.
Then—
"…By what?"
A brief pause.
"…Something external."
The door opened again.
But no one announced it.
No sound.
Just—
presence.
Sora felt it immediately.
"…What the…"
Johan's eyes moved.
Only slightly.
A new figure stood by the wall.
Arms crossed.
Watching.
Not hiding.
Not interrupting.
Just observing.
"…Vice-Captain," the interrogator said quietly.
So this was—
Someone higher.
The Vice-Captain of the Aether Inquisition.
They stepped forward slowly.
Calm.
Precise.
Their gaze settled on Johan.
Not passing.
Not scanning.
Focused.
"…You analyzed it quickly," they said.
Voice low.
Controlled.
"…Yes."
A pause.
"…Too quickly."
Silence.
Sora swallowed.
Johan didn't move.
The Vice-Captain tilted their head slightly.
"…Your aether is stable."
A brief pause.
"…But not normal."
The words settled.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"…You don't fluctuate," they continued.
"…You don't leak."
"…You don't behave like anyone within this kingdom."
A step closer.
"…That is… unusual."
Sora shifted slightly.
"…Hey, is that a bad thing or—"
"…Yes."
The answer was immediate.
Cold.
The Vice-Captain's gaze never left Johan.
"…Unusual variables require observation."
A pause.
"…You will remain within the city."
"…You will not leave without authorization."
Not a threat.
A condition.
"…Understood," Johan said calmly.
The Vice-Captain studied him for a moment longer.
"…For now."
Then—
they turned.
"…That will be all."
Outside—
Sora exhaled loudly.
"…I REALLY don't like those people."
Johan remained quiet.
"…We've been marked," he said.
"…Yeah, no kidding."
A brief silence.
"…This is bad, right?"
"…Yes."
No hesitation.
"…Very."
Far above—
She listened.
Not to voices.
But to the system itself.
Queen Vaeloria Varkhast stood in stillness.
"…A stable anomaly," she murmured.
A pause.
"…Interesting."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
"…If he disrupts the system…"
Silence.
"…He will be corrected."
A breath.
"…Or removed."
Then—
It happened again.
Without warning.
Without pattern.
Without permission.
A scream—
echoed through another district.
Then another.
Then—
many.
Multiple points.
Simultaneous.
Aether surged—
wild.
Unstable.
Exploding across the city.
"…Report!" a knight shouted.
"…Multiple anomalies—!"
"…They're spreading—!"
One man collapsed—
his body twisting—
breaking—
Another followed.
Then—
a knight.
"…W-What's happening—?!" someone shouted.
The knight staggered—
their aether flaring violently.
"…No… this isn't—"
It surged.
Out of control.
Then—
It consumed them.
Transforming.
Distorting.
Just like before—
But worse.
Stronger.
Faster.
"…Knights are being affected?!" a voice trembled.
Impossible.
It wasn't supposed to happen.
The system—
was failing.
Not breaking.
Yet.
But cracking.
Across the kingdom—
Chaos began to bloom.
Not from outside.
But from within.
And somewhere—
far beyond sight—
something watched.
Not interfering.
Not acting.
Just waiting.
Because this time—
the disturbance
was only the beginning.