"Drake, what's happening?" Seris asked.
He was breathing hard, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool evening air. "I... someone was just talking to me. In my head."
"That's not normal," Sofia said, her earlier antagonism replaced by worry.
"No kidding," Drake muttered, his thoughts racing. *Who the hell was that? And how do they know about the system and my past life?*
"Can you walk?" Seris asked, studying his pale complexion.
"Yeah, I can," Drake replied, steadying himself against a broken wall.
"Good. Let's go meet up with the others," Sofia said, her voice softer than usual.
————
BOOM!
Lady Lylia flung open the command center doors, her Phoenix armor still gleaming in the dime light. Her red eyes blazed with authority as she strode into the room.
"Status report. Now."
"Right away, Lady Lylia!" The lead communications officer snapped to attention at the Grand Mirrornet, his fingers dancing across it's runic controls as several surveillance orbs activated throughout the district.
DING!
"We're connected," he announced.
"Good. What's the situation?" Lylia demanded, moving to the center of the room where she could see all operational screens.
The officer's face went pale. "I can't adequately describe it, my lady. You'll have to see this yourself."
Lylia strode to the massive crystalline display. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat.
The Buzzing District was a wasteland. Buildings lay in smoking ruins, some reduced to ash, others collapsed into rubble. Massive craters scarred the streets like wounds in the earth. Shops that had been thriving hours earlier were now twisted metal and shattered stone.
"By the goddess..." Lylia whispered.
"My lady," another officer spoke hesitantly, "you mentioned recruiting unofficial assets. Did you succeed? Because..." He gestured at the devastation on screen. "Are they still alive?"
Lylia's jaw tightened. "They're alive. I'm certain of it."
"But the entire district is in chaos," the officer pressed. "How can you be sure they haven't—"
"Because that's impossible," Lylia cut him off sharply. "Search for them. Begin immediately."
The command center erupted into coordinated activity. Officers' fingers flew across their runic consoles, their focus absolute as they took control of the surveillance network.
"Commencing search pattern now," the lead officer announced, pressing a red activation rune. Half the orbs stationed throughout the district connected to individual monitoring screens.
"We're online, Lady Lylia."
"Begin the sweep," she commanded.
The orbs moved, scanning different sectors of the devastated district.
DING! DING!
A notification chimed at one of the stations.
"What are you picking up?" Lylia turned to the female officer monitoring the alert.
"Heat signatures, my lady," she reported, her voice tight with concentration. "Multiple contacts."
"Get closer."
The orb descended toward a partially collapsed building. Through the smoke and debris, it captured sight of two figures standing over a massive, motionless form.
"There they are!" the officer exclaimed.
"Put it on the main screen," Lylia ordered. "Everyone needs to see this."
DING!
The image transferred to the Grand Mirrornet, filling the display with crystal clarity. Two men stood victorious over the fallen Soulwretch—Fred and Percival
"They did it!" someone shouted. "They're alive!"
"They killed the Soulwretch!"
The command center erupted into cheers, officers embracing and shouting in relief. Lylia felt a wave of relief wash over her as the celebration continued.
"My lady," the lead officer said, approaching her, "those unofficial adventurers are quite something. I was wrong to ever doubt your judgment."
"My intuition is rarely incorrect," Lylia replied with a slight smile. "But there's no time for celebration. We have work to do."
She turned to address the room, her commanding voice cutting through the noise. "Listen up! We have homes to rebuild, shops to restore, and casualties to treat. I want three operational divisions working simultaneously."
Medical Division: Lylia pivoted to face the officers stationed on her left. "Contact every registered healer from A-Rank to C-Rank. Tell them to deploy immediately to the Buzzing District. Anyone injured in this attack receives priority treatment. Each healer will log their patient count in their mirrornets—higher numbers treated means higher compensation. All payments will be processed through the guilds in Sidonia."
"Roger, Lady Lylia!" The medical coordination team immediately began transmitting emergency broadcasts to healer networks across the kingdom.
Civilian Support Division: She turned to the communications array on her right. "Send kingdom-wide broadcasts to every mirrornet in the Buzzing District. Any citizen whose home or business was destroyed in the Soulwretch attack should file damage reports with their nearest guild. We will provide full compensation and reconstruction support."
"Yes, ma'am!" The communications officers bent to their tasks, crafting emergency bulletins for immediate distribution.
Intelligence and Recovery Division:Lylia's voice softened slightly as she addressed the final group. "Monitor all damage assessments and casualty reports. I need a comprehensive summary for the King within an hour. Also, send word to Thane, Captain Derrick and his men deserve proper military honors. Arrange for full ceremonial burials."
Her voice caught slightly as she mentioned Derrick, the weight of losing good soldiers evident in her tone.
Pulling herself from her moment of grief, she turned to her primary surveillance team. "Main Operations—keep those orbs active. I want to know about anything unusual you detect. Anything at all."
"Understood, Lady Lylia," the officers responded in unison.
Lylia allowed herself a brief smile of satisfaction, but something nagged at her. "Main Operations, urgent question—among the people we recruited, is there an injured girl with them? Specifically, Elsa?"
An officer at the surveillance station checked his readings. "No, my lady. Our scans show only the two men and the defeated monster."
Lylia's teeth clenched. *Where are you, Elsa?*
"Wait, Lady Lylia," another surveillance officer called out. "Four additional heat signatures approaching the main group."
"Show me," Lylia said, rushing to his screen. The display revealed Sofia, Fred,Drake and Seris moving through the rubble toward Percival and Fred
"Still no sign of Elsa," Lylia muttered, concern evident in her voice.
"Ma'am," an intelligence officer interrupted, "we're receiving updated readings on the Soulwretch."
The command center fell silent.
"Report," Lylia ordered.
The officer consulted his mirrornet readings. "The creature is still breathing. Its core is glowing, though faintly. It's alive, Lady Lylia."
Lylia studied the main display, her tactical mind immediately grasping the implications. *What are they thinking? I told them to eliminate the threat. Why is that thing still alive?*
"Continue monitoring," she said aloud. "Maintain current observation protocols."
"What should we do about the beast, Lady Lylia?" an officer asked.
"Don't worry," Lylia replied, her hand moving instinctively to her sword hilt. "I'll handle this personally. Prepare a containment convoy and a full Solar Knights escort. If that thing poses any threat, I'll end it myself."
"Excellent plan, Lady Lylia."
"Maintain surveillance while I deploy," she commanded, her cape swirling as she strode toward the exit. "I want constant communication."
"Yes, Lady Lylia!" the officers chorused as the doors closed behind their departing commander.
BACK IN THE BUZZING DISTRICT…
"I can't believe you guys already killed the Soulwretch without us," Seris said, amazement evident.
"Yeah, and look at all this destruction you caused," Sofia added, gesturing at the ruined landscape around them.
"Will you shut up already? You're making my ears hurt," Fred said, rubbing his temples dramatically.
"Say that again and I'll punch your teeth in," Sofia snarled, clenching her fists.
"Shut. Up." Fred repeated with a deliberately smug expression.
"That's it! Let me at him!" Sofia lunged forward as Seris quickly grabbed her arms.
"Stop it, both of you," Percival said firmly.
Sofia calmed slightly with an indignant "Hmph!" while Fred returned to his characteristic lazy demeanor.
"You're both a handful," Seris sighed, still holding Sofia back.
"So, did you actually kill Havoc?" Drake asked, moving closer to examine the unconscious Soulwretch.
"No, Havoc is still alive but unconscious," Percival replied.
"Are you insane?" Sofia exploded. "After everything we went through—almost getting blown apart or sliced in half—you let it live?"
"Calm down, Sofia. Even though I promised to kill this thing, I can't bring myself to do it. Besides, think about it logically—a reasoning Soulwretch is unprecedented. If we deliver him alive, scholars can conduct research and determine how such a transformation is even possible."
"They can study it just as easily if it's dead," Sofia countered.
"But research is far more effective with living subjects," Percival explained patiently.
"He's right, Sofia," Seris agreed.
"But if it wakes up, it won't hesitate to attack us again. I'm not taking chances fighting that thing a second time," Sofia protested.
"Don't worry, it's too exhausted to wake up anytime soon," Drake interjected. "Havoc only became a Soulwretch today—he hasn't adapted to his new body or mana levels. The prolonged fighting, combined with the strain and damage from our battle, will keep him unconscious for quite a while."
"I still think we should kill it and be done with it," Sofia muttered.
"No," Percival said decisively. "That presence I felt influencing him when he lost control intrigues me. If we keep him alive and question him, we might learn something crucial."
"What do you mean?" Drake asked.
"Someone was controlling Havoc's mind, forcing him into a complete berserker state. After we defeated Havoc, that presence vanished completely," Fred explained.
*Could it be the same person who spoke to me telepathically?* Drake wondered, his mind flashing back to the pair of golden eyes he'd seen in the darkness of his consciousness.
"As much as I hate keeping him alive, it's probably our best way to get answers," Drake said aloud. "Because I'm certain this won't be the last time we encounter that mysterious person."
"Fine, if you all think so, then I'll go along with it," Sofia conceded reluctantly. "But I'm blaming all of you if that thing wakes up and kills us."
"Don't worry, Percival will protect you," Fred mocked.
"Shut up!" Sofia blushed furiously, steam practically rising from her head.
CLUNK! CLUNK! THUD! THUD!
From the distance came the rhythmic sound of armored boots and rolling carriage wheels, growing steadily louder.
Everyone turned toward the approaching sounds.
"It's Vice Captain Lylia," Seris observed.
"Right on time," Percival said. "Now we can file our report and have proper transport for this walking disaster."
"You mean unconscious disaster," Fred corrected.
"Whatever," Sofia sighed.
*Finally, it's over. I'm still alive, thanks to them,* Drake thought. *I was too weak to clean up my own mess, so I had others do it for me. How pathetic—thinking I was invincible nearly got me killed.*
*Now we have another threat to deal with: a mysterious person who conveniently knows my secret and will definitely cause problems in the future. I must get stronger—strong enough to protect Elsa and everyone who matters to me without needing anyone else's help.*
As Lylia's forces drew closer, Drake turned to Percival and the others.
"Thank you all for your help," he said, bowing deeply. "Especially you, Percival, for saving my life. And you, Seris, for healing my arm. I couldn't have stopped Havoc on my own."
They all stared at him in surprise.
"Don't sweat it, man. Raise your head," Fred said. "Yeah, raise your head, Drake. You have nothing to thank us for—it was our job," Percival added.
"No, seriously, thank you. Thank you all for cleaning up my mess. I'm grateful," Drake insisted.
Silence fell over the group.
"Enough already," Sofia said finally. "You're good, dumbass."
"Really?" Drake raised his head.
"Yeah, really. None of this was your fault, so I don't see why you're apologizing. And the healing was my pleasure," Seris said warmly.
"Thanks, you guys. You're the best," Drake smiled genuinely.
Lady Lylia arrived, reining in her horse and dismounting gracefully in front of the group.
"Excellent work, everyone. I'm proud of all of you," Lylia announced.
LUB-DUB. LUB-DUB.
Drake's heart began racing violently. His vision blurred as excruciating pain shot through his skull.
"AAAAHHH!" He screamed, clutching his head.
Everyone's attention snapped to him immediately.
"Drake!" Percival caught him as he began to collapse.
"What's happening? Why does my head hurt so much?" Drake's legs gave out as his vision faded to black.
"Drake, are you okay?" Their voices seemed to come from far away, growing more distant by the second.
"Don't worry, I'll heal you," Seris called out urgently.
*I don't understand,* Drake wondered as consciousness slipped away. *What's happening to me?*
Drake drifted into unconsciousness as all sound and sensation were swallowed by encroaching darkness.
—TO BE CONTINUED—