The auburn-haired operative clapped his hands together slowly, mockingly, the sound echoing through Vera's workshop like gunshots in a graveyard.
"Bravo, Detective Takatana. Truly impressive deduction. Stage 1 and you've already pieced together what three investigators died trying to figure out."
Each word dripped with amusement, with condescension, with the casual cruelty of someone who held all the power and knew it.
He stepped further into Vera's workshop, his presence filling the room with an oppressive weight that made the air itself feel heavier. Stage 6 essence radiated from him like the feeling of standing too close to a predator that could tear you apart without effort.
The empty whiskey bottles on the floor trembled slightly. The dust motes in the air seemed to flee from him. Even the candlelight flickered and dimmed as if afraid to illuminate him fully.
Melissa's hand went to her crossbow with the practiced motions. Her fingers wrapped around the grip, knuckles white with tension.
"I wouldn't," the operative said without even looking at her. His voice was soft. Almost gentle. Which somehow made it worse. "You're Stage 4. Talented, yes. Quite impressive for your age. But if you draw that weapon, you'll be dead before your finger touches the trigger. Your arm will be separated from your body, the last thing you'll see is your own blood painting the walls."
Melissa hesitated, her breath catching in her throat. Her hand trembled. Then, slowly, agonizingly, she moved it away from the crossbow.
Her jaw clenched so hard Hiroto could hear her teeth grinding.
"Smart girl." The operative smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "You have survival instincts. Good. You'll need them."
Hiroto stepped between them, positioning himself as a barrier even though he knew it was meaningless. His Stage 1 body couldn't stop anything this man wanted to do. But he moved anyway.
Four more operatives outside. I felt their essence signatures when we entered. All Stage 3 minimum. They're positioned at cardinal points around the building. Escape routes blocked.
The man in front of me is Stage 6. I've never felt essence like this. It's like standing next to a sun that's been compressed into human form.
Melissa is Stage 4. Strong. But not strong enough. Not against this.
Vera is... Vera is compromised. She won't fight.
We can't fight. We can't run. We can't negotiate from strength.
But maybe...
Maybe I can negotiate from desperation.
"What do you want?" Hiroto asked, and he was proud that his voice didn't shake.
"What I want?" The operative's smile widened, showing too many teeth. "I want to congratulate you. You passed our test. You found the truth buried under layers of deception. You navigated through assassination attempts, political manipulation, and psychological pressure."
He walked to Vera's desk, each footstep deliberate, measured, like a judge approaching the bench to deliver a sentence.
His hand trailed across the empty bottles. The whiskey. The vodka. The cheap wine that stained Vera's lips purple.
"Ms. Blackwood here has been quite useful. Three years of loyal service. Feeding us information. Helping us track dangerous artifacts. Compromising security systems." He picked up one of the bottles, examining it in the candlelight. "The guilt must be tremendous. I imagine that's why she drinks."
Vera flinched like she'd been struck. Her hands clenched into fists, knuckles white, nails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood.
"This was a test?" Hiroto asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Everything is a test, Detective." The operative set the bottle down with a soft clink that seemed too loud in the silent room. "The Ten Wonders? Each one a crucible. Each one designed to find individuals with particular skills."
He turned, and his eyes—cold, calculating, ancient—fixed on Hiroto.
"The Veridian Lens case, although not on the scale of the Ten Wonders, was designed to find someone with exceptional deductive abilities. Someone who could navigate complex webs of conspiracy while under extreme pressure. Someone who wouldn't break even when threatened with death."
"You killed three people just to test detectives?" Melissa's voice was raw with fury and horror.
"We let three incompetent investigators fail. There's a difference." The operative's tone was conversational. Like discussing the weather. Like commenting on the quality of tea. "They lacked the necessary skills."
"They were people—"
"They were variables in an equation that needed solving."
He looked at her with something that might have been pity.
"You're young, Miss Voss. You still believe in the sanctity of human life. That every person matters. But some people are simply... less valuable than others."
"You're a monster."
"I'm a pragmatist." He shrugged, and the gesture was almost human. Almost. "But we're not here to debate philosophy. We're here because Detective Takatana has proven himself valuable.
He pulled out a crystal—communication device, Hiroto recognized—and tapped it once.
A projection appeared in the air. Holographic images. Documents. Files.
The Ten Wonders.
Each one marked with the Archivist symbol. The eye inside the triangle.
"These cases," the operative explained, gesturing to the projection, "are all connected. All tests."
"And if I refuse to play your game?"
"Then you die. Miss Voss dies. Regiran and his daughter die. Ms. Blackwood's daughter dies. Everyone you've ever spoken to about this case dies. We're very thorough about cleaning up loose ends."
The casual nature of the threat made it worse. He stated it off as if he was reading a grocery list.
Hiroto's mind raced through every possibility.
He needs something. Otherwise he'd just kill us and be done with it. There's a reason he's talking. A reason he's explaining.
The Lens.
They have it but they need something else. Something they can't get by force.
"You need help activating the Lens," Hiroto said suddenly.
The operative's smile shifted. Grew sharper. More genuine.
"Very perceptive. Yes. Too valuable to destroy carelessly. It's a Tier 4 artifact with intricate essence matrices and failsafes we don't fully understand. Examining the schematics has shown us the true potential. A Tier 9 artifact.
He turned to Vera, and his expression softened almost imperceptibly.
"Ms. Blackwood. You helped design it, didn't you? You and Regiran. You understand the artifact's construction. The essence flow patterns. The containment systems."
Vera's voice came out as a croak. "I... yes."
"Then you know how to activate it."
"I..." She looked down at her hands. Cut from sleepless nights of guilt and self-punishment. "I might. But I'd need time. Regiran's notes—"
"We don't have time. The longer the Lens exists, the greater the risk someone else will try to steal it. Gerard Thorne. Helena Cross. Other organizations we haven't identified yet." The operative's eyes narrowed. "We need it destroyed. Now."
Hiroto's mind clicked through the pieces.
Why keep me alive if they have Vera? Why do this as a test? What purpose do they have for a Stage 1 like me?
"I can help you," Hiroto said.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Melissa's expression was confused. What is he doing?
Vera's was horrified. Don't. Please don't.
The operatives were intrigued. "Oh? And how can a Stage 1 detective help us destroy a Tier 4 artifact?"
"The secondary chamber." Hiroto pulled out his notebook with hands that barely shook. Flipped to the page with Vera's authentication notes.
"The secondary chamber serves a purpose. A specific purpose. And I think..." Hiroto met his eyes. "I think it's a control mechanism. A way to unlock the Lens's full potential."
Silence.
The candlelight flickered. The whiskey bottles gleamed like amber eyes in the darkness.
Finally, the operative spoke. "Explain."
"According to the schematics, the secondary chamber contains a Mirror Crystal. It's currently calibrated to limit the Lens's range and power. It's preventing the artifact from overwhelming its user or drawing too much essence."
Hiroto traced his finger along the diagram in his notebook.
"But if properly activated, if the Mirror Crystal is recalibrated to harmonize with the base essence matrix, the Lens's capabilities would expand exponentially. Not just showing the recent past. Not just revealing surface-level truths. It could peer into alternate dimensions."
The operative's eyes gleamed with something that might have been hunger.
"Show me."
"I need direct access to the artifact. And..." Hiroto took a breath. This was the gamble. Everything rode on this. "And I need assurances. For everyone here."
"What kind of assurances?"
"Everyone walks away alive. Vera, Melissa, Regiran, Belle.. The Archivists leave them alone. Forever."
"And in exchange?"
"I unlock the Lens's full potential. Show you what it's truly capable of. Demonstrate its maximum power." Hiroto paused. "Then I walk away."
The operative studied him for a long, long moment.
The silence stretched. Suffocating. Heavy.
Then he laughed.
Genuinely. Like Hiroto had just told a brilliant joke.
"You're lying," the operative said, still chuckling. "Oh, you're very good. Your micro-expressions are controlled. Your body language projects confidence. But I've been reading people for two decades, Detective. I know a liar when I see one."
Hiroto's stomach dropped.
"You don't want to unlock the Lens. You want to destroy it. Probably some heroic last stand where you sacrifice yourself to keep it out of our hands. Very stupid."
The operative walked closer.
"But you know what? I'm curious. Genuinely curious. I want to see what a Stage 1 detective thinks he can accomplish against a Stage 6 operative and five Stage 3 guards. I want to watch you try whatever clever plan you've concocted."
He pulled out his communication crystal.
"Bring the Veridian Lens to my location. Vera Blackwood's workshop. Priority override. Authorization Crimson-Seven."
A pause.
"Yes, I'm aware of the security protocols. Override them. I want the artifact here. Now."
He ended the call.
Turned back to Hiroto.
"You have fifteen minutes until the Lens arrives. If you're planning something clever, Detective, I suggest you prepare your final words. Because if you disappoint me..."
He looked at Melissa.
"She dies first. Slowly. I'll make sure you watch every second of it before we move on to you."