In the lounge, Nyx and Tessa straightened instinctively as the air shifted. Mariah followed suit, her posture sharpening just a second before Jeremiah's.
Then he saw her: Overseer Selene.
A flicker of relief passed through him, immediately chased by a cold hit of unease. Did I just jinx myself? Are there actual gods listening? The timing was too eerie to be a coincidence.
Magus Selene didn't waste words. "I hope you enjoyed your break," she said, her voice cool and cutting. "Ideally, everyone put it to good use rather than just lazing around."
Her gaze swept the room, pausing on Jeremiah. He met her eyes with a slight, silent frown before she moved on, offering a brief nod toward Mariah. "Good work. Your investigation into the Annex incident gave the A.C.C the lead they needed."
Mariah inclined her head in a silent acknowledgment, but the professional air didn't last. Selene's expression shifted, her smile turning dangerous.
"You all look a little too comfortable for my liking," she murmured, her voice dropping an octave. "Especially with everything going on. We can't have that."
She lingered for a moment, then clipped out her orders: "Suit up. Be ready in twenty minutes. Mariah, I'm forwarding the mission details now—you'll handle the briefing."
A low, echoing roar rumbled in the distance. Selene's gaze flicked off-screen toward the sound, and her grin widened.
"Well," she said lightly, "I have something to handle. Don't worry, you've got this. Report back once the mission is complete."
The hologram flickered and vanished, leaving a heavy silence that lasted only a heartbeat before the room exploded into motion.
"Finally," Tessa grinned, already on her feet and banking toward the hallway to change. Nyx was right behind her, her lethargy replaced by a snapping energy—but instead of following the others to the rooms, she veered off, heading straight for the elevator.
Mariah didn't look up, her mind already buried in the incoming mission data as she moved with practiced focus.
Jeremiah rose last, his mind already spinning through the variables of another mission. He looked toward the elevator where Nyx had disappeared; she hadn't finished his request yet, which meant he was still without his sword.
A small inconvenience, he lied to himself, exhaling a quiet breath. I'll manage. I'll have to.
He turned toward his room, his mind already running through a mental checklist.
Jeremiah leaned against the wall by the main doors, eyes closed and arms crossed. In his fitted black long-sleeve and dark combat pants, he appeared perfectly still, but a quiet alertness hummed beneath his skin. Beside him, Jerome stood like a statue—unmoving and perpetually waiting.
Jeremiah exhaled slowly, centering himself as his earlier restlessness sharpened into a cold focus.
Footsteps echoed in the hall.
Mariah arrived first. Clad in her Soma combat uniform, she stepped into the entryway with a locked-in expression. Her eyes flicked to Jeremiah, noting his presence before she pulled to a silent halt. Jeremiah didn't open his eyes.
A moment later, Tessa followed, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck. The Soma gear looked like a second skin on her.
"Hope this one's exciting," she said, her voice cutting through the silence.
Mariah didn't respond. Jeremiah cracked one eye, a faint frown touching his lips. Does she really not know that's a red flag before a mission?
Nyx stepped in last. In the same uniform, she carried herself with the lean, calculated grace of a huntress. Her gaze swept over the group.
Jeremiah pushed off the wall, uncrossing his arms as he stood fully upright. The team was assembled.
Jerome stepped forward, his voice calm. "The vehicle is ready. The keys are in the ignition."
Mariah gave a small nod. "Let's move."
Without another word, they headed out.
The vehicle hummed softly as it pulled away from the villa, the city lights fading into the quiet stretches of the coastal road. For the first few moments, silence held the cabin.
Mariah, keeping one hand on the wheel, tapped the side of her glasses. A holographic display flickered to life, expanding in the center of the car so everyone could see.
"Alright," she began, her voice calm but firm.
"Listen carefully."
The display shifted to a top-down map of a coastal region. An isolated cliffside structure sat perched near the edge, while a government outpost topped a nearby hill. The blue glow reflected in Tessa and Nyx's eyes as they leaned in to study the terrain.
"Our primary objective is to apprehend or eliminate a person of interest tied to the previous Annex incident," Mariah continued.
"The target was last seen near this decommissioned research outpost."
With a swipe, the map replaced itself with a profile of an older man with dark hair and a rough beard. He looked worn down, like someone running on borrowed time.
Tessa's eyes narrowed at the projection. "So who is he?"
Mariah didn't hesitate. "We don't know," she said plainly. "He has no trail—at least not here in BayPort. No records, no history, no digital footprint. All we have… is a face."
A heavy silence followed.
Jeremiah studied the projection, his gaze focused as he picked apart the details—the man's rigid posture, the weary tension in his expression, and a strange, cold quality that didn't sit right.
"Honestly," Jeremiah said, his voice level despite the ominous vibe of his words, "given the lack of intel and how this is shaping up..."
He leaned back, his eyes never leaving the hologram.
"I don't think he's from this world."
The suggestion hung in the air, sudden and chilling. Nyx's eyes flicked toward him, a mix of curiosity and unease clouding her face.
Tessa scoffed, though the sound lacked its usual bite. "That's a hell of a jump, Jeremiah."
Mariah didn't dismiss it.
Instead, her gaze turned thoughtful.
"Most likely," Mariah replied. "But disregarding that this one is different. Command flagged unusual mana readings in the area."
The map returned, highlighting the outpost as a pulsing distortion flickered beneath the structure.
"Mana density is elevated," Mariah said. "It's unstable, fluctuating in irregular patterns."
Nyx tilted her head, her brow furrowed.
"That's… not good," she murmured. "It doesn't look like a simple buildup. It looks like the mana is being pulled in."
Jeremiah's expression darkened at that. Mariah nodded once in grim agreement.
"That's the concern."
She expanded the display downward, revealing a rough schematic of the facility's foundations. "The anomaly appears to originate below the structure—either in the sub-levels or a cavern system. We don't have full confirmation yet."
Tessa exhaled sharply through her nose. "So we're going underground. Great."
"Our secondary objective," Mariah continued, ignoring the sarcasm, "is to investigate the source of the instability. If conditions escalate, we are authorized to deploy a Veil to contain the disturbance."
Nyx kept her gaze fixed on the projection. "If it's connected to the Annex… could it be connected to Aetheria?"
"Most likely," Jeremiah leaned back, his voice low. "Let's just hope not."
Mariah shot him a brief, unreadable look.
"Either way, we proceed with caution. We locate the target first. If the situation shifts, we prioritize containment. No unnecessary risks—we move as a unit."
Tessa rolled her shoulders, a grin creeping back onto her face. "Yeah, yeah. Find the guy, fix or find out the cause of the weird mana reading, don't die. Got it."
Nyx took a steadying breath. "I'll focus on the readings once we're close. If something feels off, I'll call it out."
Jeremiah glanced at her, offering a silent nod. With a final tap to her glasses, Mariah collapsed the hologram.
"We arrive in fifteen."
The vehicle surged forward, the rhythmic sound of distant waves growing louder as they neared the coast.