Back in the Spire, the debrief room felt colder than the Riftline fog. Shen's tablet glowed with graphs—sync spikes, efficiency curves, Stage Three stamped in bold gold. Handlers clapped slow, like it was scripted. Juno stood in the corner, arms folded, that fake smile glued on.
"Exceptional," Shen said. "Stage Three in weeks. Unheard of. Crown's investing heavily."
Aria wiped sweat from her brow, still buzzing from the Harmony rush. "Investing. Right."
Kai rolled his shoulder—the claw marks from earlier healed clean now, thanks to shared Vitality bump. He caught Juno's stare, sharp as a blade.
Before anyone could spin more PR, the door slid open.
She walked in like she owned the air—tall, raven hair in a sleek braid, eyes electric blue. Crown leathers tailored perfect, Arc insignia glowing faint on her gauntlets. Elara Voss. Kai recognized the name from old guild posters: Aria's dorm rival, the one who climbed ranks neck-and-neck till Aria pulled ahead.
Elara's gaze locked on Aria first—old fire there. Then slid to Kai. Dismissal quick, but curious.
"Aria Kline," she said, voice smooth honey over steel. "Heard you bonded to a Dockside F-rank. Had to see it."
Juno stepped up beside her—too close. Partner stance. "Elara's my new duo lead. Elite track. Stable sync projected."
Aria's posture went rigid. The tether tugged—jealousy? No. Old hurt.
Kai felt it echo. "Stable. Cute word for backup plan."
Elara laughed soft. "Bold for dead weight." She turned to Aria. "Come on. You know this anomaly's a glitch. Juno and I—we train clean. No leashes. Ditch him, pair proper. Crown's offering you lead on the next Apex fragment."
Shen watched neutral, tablet ready.
Aria's hand twitched toward Kai—stopped. "Not interested."
Elara's eyes narrowed. "Still the Ice Queen. Alone's better, right? Till it kills you." She glanced at Juno. "We could've been that. You chose wrong before."
Old history hung thick.
Juno's smile didn't waver. "Offer stands. Pruning's kinder than Collapse."
Kai stepped forward. "She's not pruning anything."
Elara sized him up—real this time. "You talk big for someone riding her coattails."
Aria moved—fast, between them. Lightning crackled warning. "Back off, Elara."
Room tensed. Handlers shifted.
Shen cleared throat. "Enough. Pair 07's data is priority. Alternates on standby." She tapped tablet. "Mandatory joint training tomorrow. Compatibility stress test."
Juno nodded satisfied. Elara smirked, turned to leave with him—shoulder brush deliberate.
Door sealed.
Aria exhaled hard, sparks dying.
Kai watched her. "Old friend?"
"Rival." Quiet. "Dorm days. She wanted what I had—top spot, Juno's attention. Thought pairing with him would lock it." She rubbed her arm. "I said no. Always solo."
The tether hummed warm—trust steady, but vulnerability peeking.
Kai bumped her shoulder light. "Good call."
She didn't pull away.
System chimed private.
[Stage 3: Trust — Progress 12%
Domain Harmony prototype: Ready for evolution condition
Warning: Alternate pair sync rising. Threshold breach in 96 hours.]
Then deeper file unlocked—cold text.
[EXPERIMENT 07 LOG:
Alternate Pair (Vale/Voss) at Stage 2.
Activation if primary emotional deviation detected.
Root interference noted—external variable.]
Aria's eyes widened reading it same time.
"Choir's involved," she whispered. "They're pushing this."
Kai's comm buzzed—hidden channel. Rook.
Text: Meet sub-level 7. Now. Ironwake transfer fast-track. But Crown's watching close. Bring proof of Choir mark.
He showed Aria.
She nodded once.
As they slipped out—Echo Step ready, fifty meters grace—the Spire lights flickered odd.
And carved faint into the debrief wall, fresh—root symbol glowing violet.
Someone had been in the room.
Watching.
(To be continued…)