The doors of the Guardian HQ sealed behind him with a metallic clang, echoing like a verdict. Arthur's steps were measured, controlled, every movement deliberate, as if testing the limits of the space around him. The slums were gone—replaced by cold, polished stone and fluorescent lights—but the rules of survival hadn't changed.
"Sit," a voice commanded.
Kael Veyron stood across from him, arms crossed, his expression unreadable but sharp enough to cut through stone. Beside him, Selene Ardin's eyes flicked over Arthur like a calculating predator, noting every small gesture: the way he shifted his weight, how his fingers hovered near his belt, the subtle twitch in his jaw.
Arthur didn't flinch. He didn't hesitate. He just observed.
"You survived him," Kael said, voice even but heavy with implication. "Darius Vane should have consumed you. Tell me—how?"
Arthur leaned back slightly, keeping his posture relaxed, though each breath sent a faint ache through his ribs. "I… survived," he said simply.
Selene's eyes narrowed. "That's not an answer. You weren't merely lucky. He failed to devour you. That requires—" She paused, the words hanging—"anomalous ability. Something beyond normal humans."
Arthur's lips curled faintly, just enough to unsettle. "I do what I must."
Kael's gaze hardened. "What are you hiding? Who are you aligned with? Darius doesn't just fail like that. Did someone… help you?"
Arthur's thoughts flickered to the Soulborne chains that had bound him. Not a word. Not a hint. "No one," he said calmly. "It was me."
Selene exchanged a glance with Kael, and Arthur could feel the tension spike. They didn't know what had saved him—they just knew it shouldn't have happened. And that made him… dangerous.
"You expect us to believe that a street kid—" Kael's voice clipped, sharp with disbelief. "—could survive Darius Vane alone?"
Arthur leaned forward slightly, letting the faintest shadow of defiance show. "I'm not a street kid."
Selene's voice was quieter, but it carried the weight of precision. "Then what are you? We need answers, boy. For your sake, and for ours."
Arthur's gaze flicked between them, calculating. Every word mattered. Every pause, every inflection could decide whether he lived—or if the Guardians became a threat. "I'm… surviving," he said again. The simplicity of it unsettled them.
Kael's jaw tightened. "And your connection to Darius? Speak plainly."
Arthur hesitated, only a fraction, enough to make them lean in. "I'm… aware of him," he admitted. "He wants something from me. I… want to live."
Selene's fingers twitched toward her blade. Not to draw it, but instinctively—he was unpredictable. He didn't fit their framework of danger, yet he was danger.
Kael exhaled, slow, deliberate. "That's not enough. His appetite is for power, control. If you're involved—knowingly or not—you're tied to him. You could be a liability."
Arthur didn't flinch. Didn't argue. He just observed.
A mechanical whir filled the room as the interrogation ended. They moved him from the questioning chamber into a high-security containment block designed for dangerous individuals. The walls were reinforced, energy dampeners lined the ceiling, and thick chains with sigils of suppression hung from every corner.
Arthur was escorted through the dim corridors of the Guardian facility, the heavy clank of metal doors echoing behind him. His mana core was locked, the Soulborne chains pressing faintly against his chest. Every step reminded him of what he had lost: cultivation, freedom, control.
The system spoke inside his mind, cold, detached, unyielding.
SYSTEM ALERT: HOST STATUS UPDATE
Mana Core: LOCKED
Class: SOULBORNE
PRIMARY TASK: Dissolve resentment of entity: REX
SUBTASK: Locate entity within 7 cycles (FAILED)
PENALTY: Loss of cultivation and limited combat ability
Arthur clenched his fists, not out of anger, but to steady himself. The system didn't care about regrets, excuses, or hesitation. Its only concern was task completion.
SYSTEM NOTICE: TASK PROGRESSION REQUIRED
ENTITY LOCATED: REX (PRISON CELL 17B)
ACTION REQUIRED: Initiate engagement under survival parameters
WARNING: Host vulnerability increased. Task failure risk HIGH
The guard pushed open a heavy cell door, and Arthur stepped inside. There, sitting cross-legged on the cold floor, was a man.
Arthur froze. His eyes met the figure's—Rex.
The Soulborne chains pulsed faintly, not with pain, but directive: act. Solve the task.
SYSTEM UPDATE: ENTITY EMOTIONAL STATE DETECTED
STATE: HOSTILE (REX)
MEMORY STATUS: Previous life recollection: NULL
INHERENT RESENTMENT DETECTED
TASK: DISSOLVE RESENTMENT
REQUIREMENTS: Immediate compliance. Efficiency mandatory
Rex glanced up, his eyes sharp, wary… and filled with an instinctive, unexplainable hatred.
Arthur didn't move. He didn't flinch. He simply observed, every detail of the man before him entering the system's assessment.
Rex glanced up. His eyes locked onto Arthur, and in that instant… a flicker of instinctive hatred crossed his gaze.
Confusion followed immediately. He didn't understand why he felt it. He didn't have the memory of his past life. Yet, something deep inside him recoiled.