[Nova Academy – Technical Evaluation Room, Morning]
The faint echo of alarms still pulsed in the hallways of Nova Academy.Deren sat on a long metal bench, surrounded by suspicious stares from evaluation staff and technical officers.He yawned.
"All I wanted was morning coffee. But nope. Of course not. There had to be an explosion."
On the holo-screen in front of him, a staff member projected the remnants of a device recovered from the simulation room.A small cylindrical tube, with traces of mini energy modulation—and one glaring mark stamped faintly on the side:
"DA-Prototype 3.4 Mod"
Deren squinted.Not in surprise—But in disappointment.
"That's... just ugly," he muttered."Looks like someone tried to copy my stabilizer system… and failed."
One of the instructors stepped closer.
"This resembles one of your older Core-stabilization blueprints, Arkwright."
"Similar? Sure." Deren replied flatly."But look at that screw placement—lower left? Amateur hour. I'd never design something that stupid."
Silence.
"So... are you denying involvement?"
Deren blinked. Then spoke with all the energy of someone dragged from a nap.
"I deny all involvement in anything I didn't approve, didn't sell... or didn't build while drinking coffee."
[Underground Sector 12 – Eidolon's Second Warehouse]
Behind a false steel door labeled:"Ancient Tech Recycling Unit – Not for Civilian Access"—lay a secret everyone in the underworld already knew.It wasn't a scrapyard.
It was the neural heart of Eidolon.
Inside, dim lights cast a cool hue across the vault.Rows of holo-panels streamed with Core simulations, virtual blueprints, and thermal readings of tech fragments confiscated just hours ago from Nova Academy.
Clarice stood at the center.Sharp. Composed. Impeccably dressed.Her gaze didn't blink as she examined the shattered chip inside a transparent tube.
"Extract all circuit layers. Compare against D.A. V1.3 through V2.7. Report the thermal deviation."
One analyst nodded and typed rapidly.
"Already done, Lady Clarice. But... there's a problem. This Core structure has vibration markers outside our catalog."
Clarice's voice dropped a degree.
"Repeat that."
"It's not just a modified copy. Whoever made this added compounds outside conventional Core networks. The composition isn't entirely... Earth-based."
She stepped closer.The soft blue glow of the containment tube reflected in her eyes.
On the chip—just beneath the etched serial:"D.A. – V.1.3 Prototype"—a second logo pulsed to life under the outer layer:
OV-Sigma Subnet.
"Oblivis," she whispered.
Clarice clenched her fist under her long coat.Then turned to the main console and typed a series of commands.
"Run full signal trace. Map all Core-resonant pings in the last 72 hours. Focus on black market distribution routes… and Nova Academy's perimeter."
Seconds passed.
"Ma'am," the operator said nervously, "We detected a signal spike. Four hours ago. When that device activated."
"Where?"
The operator swallowed.
"Cadet Dorm Block C… third floor. Single occupant room."
Clarice closed her eyes.She didn't need a name.She already knew who lived there.
For a moment, the entire room of data went quiet.She stared at the screen—But her thoughts had wandered far.
"Why is it… that every rogue signal, every broken prototype, every unplanned catastrophe… always leads back to him?"
Her voice softened—painfully calm.
"You always said you just wanted a quiet life, Der…"
Her hand touched the edge of the screen—right where the "Prototype D.A." tag glowed.
"…But this world was never kind to quiet geniuses."
And then, with steel in her voice:
"Deploy passive scouts around Nova. Do not engage. Observe only."
The order was clear.Her tone—lethal.
As Clarice stood alone in that vault of light and shadows, watching the pulse of stolen tech flicker across her network—
She knew something greater had begun.Something too big to control.
Someone was closing in.And the boy she watched over from afar...
...was being surrounded from every direction.
[Nova Academy – Empty Classroom, Noon]
Deren snuck into a quiet classroom, planning to nap on the back desk.Unfortunately, Kael and Ryn were already there.
"Did you hear about the illegal device this morning?" Kael asked excitedly.
"No," Deren replied, muffled by his hoodie.
"You were summoned to the investigation room—"
"I was sleepy."
Ryn didn't joke.
"The design looked too familiar, Deren. If your old blueprints are leaking..."
Deren paused.
"If they are, then that means…"
"...I need to start watermarking my designs," he said casually—then pulled his jacket over his face and went back to sleep.
[Eidolon HQ – Strategic War Room]
Only half the lights in the room were active.A massive holographic map of Eterna hovered in the air, dotted in red:Underground tech channels.Black sites.Weapon caches.
And one blinking blue marker: Nova Academy.
Clarice stood in front of it.Around her, Eidolon's elite operatives waited silently.
"This module wasn't just stolen. It was a message," she said coldly.
"Someone is copying Deren. And selling it like it's theirs."
One execution unit spoke quietly.
"We suspect a breach from Thalros' sector. Possibly an infiltrator."
Clarice didn't respond.Instead, she zoomed in on the map. The blue point glowed brighter.
"If it's an internal traitor—remove them silently.If it's external—we hunt them to the edge of the system."
The silence that followed wasn't fear.It was acknowledgment.
And then:
"Initiate Silencer Protocol-3.Monitor everyone touching our tech… even if they sit in the most sacred halls of Nova."
As she turned to leave, her voice dropped to a whisper—low, deadly, and barely audible:
"If they think they can play with Eidolon...They've clearly never seen me angry."
[Ending Chapter: Deren]
Still asleep.Snoring lightly.
As he shifted slightly under his hoodie—his digital wristwatch chimed quietly.
[Signal Received. Sender: Unknown. Location: Undetectable.]
And yet, Deren slept on.
The world could burn.
He had five minutes left in his nap.