"I knew he was strong, but wow… this is way beyond my expectations. He didn't even break a sweat," Rye muttered.
Adam was the first to stand, wiping sweat from his face. "I'm getting hungry after all that, Should we go eat?"
They all nodded and left together, leaving the training ground empty and silent.
Somewhere in a dark alley of Zekil City, a feminine figure rose from the ground's shadow, her form coalescing like ink gathering into shape.
"This is troubling… there are eyes all over the city. We won't be able to make any progress at this rate." Lulu's low, tired voice lingered for a moment before her form began to dissolve, sinking back into the darkness until nothing remained.
In a room hidden beneath the city, where the Bearers concealed themselves from prying eyes, Myr and Nera sat quietly, eating their meal in silence.
Without warning, Lulu arrived, her form rising from the shadows.
"Welcome back," Myr said, setting down her spoon. "How's the situation outside?"
"It's not good," Lulu replied. "Security's too tight. There are eyes everywhere. If we try to move now, running into them is unavoidable."
"Hmmm…" Myr leaned back, thinking. "If we wait too long, they might find it before us. We need to get our hands on the fragment before anyone else." She paused, then added, "I'll figure out a plan. We will move in a few days. For now you should come sit and eat with us."
Back at Neus, the mess hall was crowded with people during noon, the usual rush that came with break time.
Demurc spotted a familiar face in the far corner, Doctor Adelan, sitting alone as he quietly ate. After grabbing his own tray, Demurc made his way over.
"Hello, Doctor Adelan," he greeted, still standing.
The man looked up from his tray, blinking once before recognizing him. "Oh, Warden. Come, sit with me." He gestured toward the seat across the table, letting out a low chuckle.
Demurc sat down, placing his tray on the table. "How have you been? Is there any difficulties on your side?"
"Well... I wouldn't say we're facing trouble," Adelan replied, picking up his fork again, "it's a bit awkward to admit but we certainly aren't making any progress so far."
"What about you, Warden? I've heard you've been training with an Elite squad."
"Yes. I haven't been active outside lately, so I need to move around physically. I can't afford to grow weak from doing paperwork all day."
Their conversation drifted naturally as they ate, hopping from one topic to another.
"What about outside?" Adelan asked, wiping his mouth as he finished his meal. "I haven't been keeping up with the news, but I heard Neus agents are on high alert in Zekil City. Is there something going on out there?"
"More or less," Demurc replied shortly.
"New threats have been appearing," Demurc continued, lowering his voice a little. "They've been very active these past few days, and we still haven't found any clue about their goals or their whereabouts."
"That doesn't sound too great. How are you planning to deal with them?" Adelan asked.
"It sure doesn't," Demurc admitted. "For now, I've instructed the agents deployed to observe them quietly and not make any rash decisions."
The loud chatter from the other tables gradually faded as most people finished their meals. On the far side of the hall, the Eclipse Squad sat together, eating in their usual quiet manner.
By the time Demurc had finished eating, their conversation had drifted into lighter, more casual topics.
Time passed quickly, and eventually Doctor Adelan rose from his seat.
"Oh, look at the time," he murmured, glancing at his wristwatch.
He turned to Demurc with a gentle smile. "I still have some unfinished work, so I'll take my leave first, Warden. I enjoyed the conversation."
"Alright," Demurc replied with a nod.
Adelan left the table, his footsteps slow and quiet as he exited the mess hall.
Demurc decided to linger in the mess hall a little longer, remaining in his seat as he let the food settle. Letting out a quiet sigh, Demurc leaned back slightly. 'What should I do next…' he wondered.
'I haven't checked the containment ward in a while now. And Cynthia… I wonder if her mental state has improved.'
Demurc decided to check on Cynthia's condition before returning to his chambers. Fortunately, he ran into the therapist, Alden, in the hallway and received an update on her situation.
"I see… so she's improving," Demurc murmured.
"Yes, Warden. It's not completely resolved, but she's making steady progress."
"Alright. That's all I needed to hear. Thank you for your work, Dr Alden." Demurc gave the therapist a light pat on the shoulder before heading toward his chambers to finish the remaining files.
Inside the command centre, Alice focused on a particular live feed as an agent reported unusual movement.
On a rooftop overlooking the area, a deployed group of agents had taken position for a clearer view.
"Are you seeing this?" one of the agents muttered.
"See what?" his teammate asked, slowly making his way toward him.
"Look, down there. I see three devils. I've never seen anything like that."
"Holy crap… make sure you alert our team," the teammate said, already relaying the sighting back to HQ.
The squad remained perfectly still, observing the devils below with as little movement and noise as possible.
'Devils doesn't really have much intelligence… they attack anything that moves, even each other. What could be the reason for this?' Alice pondered, unconsciously biting her nails.
"Be very cautious. Do not alert them," she ordered.
They should be safe for now, considering their vantage point high above, at least the twelfth floor, but caution was still necessary.
Alice contacted several researchers who studied devils, their patterns, movements, and abilities, but even they had never seen anything like this, a group of devils moving together as a coordinated team.
It was a first, leaving the researchers completely baffled.