At exactly 2:00 PM, a soft chime echoed through the townhouse.
Nyx's voice boomed over the internal intercom. "Shift One complete! Shift Two begins now! Vanguard and Aether, vacate the primary lounge!"
Lyra immediately stood up from the leather sofa, her fingers smoothly closing the holographic tablet screen hovering before her. She adjusted her glasses, looking down at Zen with a rare, soft expression that softened her usually cold analytical glare.
"Our scheduled hours have concluded," Lyra stated quietly. "Your core stabilisation metrics have improved by fourteen per cent. We will maintain the outer perimeter wards to prevent external spatial interference."
Valeria walked out from the side hallway, retrieving her black-steel broadsword harness from the rack. She strapped it across her chest, her crimson eyes locking onto Zen with a fierce devotion.
