The metallic sound of clashes echoed off the walls of the NEXUS UMBRA underground arena. Cracks cut through the air like suppressed thunder as Seraphina and Vladimir Kaine faced off in an intense sparring match. "You're hesitating again, Kaine," Seraphina said, her gaze firm. "Hesitation is a death sentence, okay?"
"And you're less sadistic today. That surprises and worries me," Kaine replied, twisting to dodge a kick, a sarcastic smile on his lips. "Are you becoming sentimental?"
"I'm just saving energy," she replied coldly, disappearing for a moment and appearing behind him with a knee to the rib. Kaine staggered from the impact, but smiled. "You really know how to be a good sparring partner, you know that?"
"I know," Seraphina said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "And you know when to shut up." Before he could respond, the surround sound system activated with Specter's digital voice. "Choi Eun-kyung, report immediately to the central assessment area."
Kaine arched an eyebrow. "Did you do something wrong?"
"I always do. But I never get caught. But I don't think that's the subject he wants to discuss," she replied, drying her face with a towel and walking toward the exit without looking back.
Minutes later, Seraphina stopped in front of Specter, who, as always, looked more like a shadow than a man. The room was icy and minimalist, made of dark concrete and data screens suspended in the air.
"Choi Eun-kyung," he said bluntly. "Your previous mission was an absolute success. The interrogation, the field results, the intelligence gathering... All carried out with superior efficiency."
Seraphina simply nodded, impassive. "Therefore, with the approval of the Order's High Council, you are being promoted. Effective immediately, your new rank will be Shadowveto." The title reverberated like a heavy echo in the room. Seraphina bowed slightly. "Understood."
"Don't forget, with this rank, your movements will be even more closely watched. Expectations have increased. Prove this decision was correct."
"I don't often disappoint," she replied before being dismissed. As she left the room, her eyes met the reflection in one of the NEXUS's dark glass windows. Her thoughts immediately returned to Elysian. "Everything is proceeding exactly as I predicted. Come upstairs, Seraphina. I will remove all obstacles."
She remembered every word spoken on that call, every chess piece moved with mathematical precision. Two days, just two days since the mission's completion... and here she was, with a new title, climbing another rung within the Order of Erebus. "Damn calculating genius..." she murmured, with a barely perceptible smile.
Meanwhile… Deep within the Ruin Remnants' base, a circular room of grayish-white metal housed the organization's three most strategic leaders.
Avelar Noctis stood in the center, observing a three-dimensional projection of the world in ever-changing holograms. Beside him, Nyx Umbral, leaning with one arm folded over the console, wore an attentive, calculating expression. Facing them, hands behind her back and expression unchanging, stood Elysian. "The cover as 'Choi Eun-kyung' is solidifying," Elysian began. "The promotion to Shadowveto should have been granted by now, right within the window I calculated."
"Impressive as always..." Nyx commented, looking at Elysian with a certain pride. "The operations are generating exactly the tension we predicted within the Order. Suspicions still focus on external threats. The false association of the Remnants with the operation has increased their caution, but it hasn't raised any red flags regarding Seraphina."
Avelar crossed his arms. "What about the villain Thanatos?" Elysian replied as if he didn't even care. "Useless, as predicted. He was a convenient catalyst to validate Seraphina's ability in direct combat. Furthermore, he provided a body for the Order to study, keeping them occupied."
"We're pleased with the progress, Elysian..." Avelar stated. "But it's time for you to act elsewhere as well." Elysian inclined her head slightly. "You can name the target."
Avelar nodded, activating another projection. A devastated urban area appeared in the image. The ruins of an old laboratory submerged in the chaos of an unnamed city. "An old government base still active," Nyx explained. "Clandestine. The location houses classified data that we need to intercept before it is transferred to the Heroes' Alliance's central archives."
"Your objective is to extract the data and plant bugs. And..." Avelar paused. "You won't go alone," Nyx added. Elysian remained silent for a second, then said, "No."
"No?" Avelar arched an eyebrow. "I operate alone. Except with Hana and Nikolai." Elysian replied coldly. "They understand the logic of my actions. Anything else is unnecessary noise. And don't think that just because I called Seraphina earlier, I've changed my way of doing things. I only work in pairs if she demonstrates the aptitude and skills necessary and efficient for the mission."
"You're going with Echo," Avelar said without blinking, with a look worthy of a strong Leader. At that exact moment, the side doors opened, and Echo emerged with a wide smile on her face, as if she'd been waiting for the exact moment to enter the scene.
"You called me, boss?" she said innocently, snapping her fingers and leaning against the wall next to Elysian. Elysian then looked at her as if about to reprogram her existence to absolute silence. "...Echo? You want me to go with... her?"
"It's protocol. She knows the area. As you just said, she has the necessary aptitude and skills for this mission," Avelar said with his usual calm.
"I swear... if she says one more thing and interferes with my collection process, I'll rip out her lungs and replace them with mirrors," Elysian said with deadly calm. "Aww, how romantic!" Echo replied, placing her hand on her chest. "That's Elysian's way of saying she likes me!"
"No. That's her way of saying I'd rather die frozen in absolute silence than hear her voice," Elysian retorted. "And yet you're going with me~" she hummed.
"Avelar... Nyx..." Elysian turned. "Is this mission high priority?"
Nyx quickly responded. "Without a doubt," Avelar added. "Critical." Elysian sighed. "...Okay, then." Nyx gave a small smile. "This will be interesting." Echo was already excitedly packing her backpack. "Time to travel! But Ely, please bring tea... or at least don't blow something up if I sing on the way."
Elysian looked at her, serious and deadly. "If you sing, I solemnly swear I will calculate the perfect trajectory to throw you into a shooting star."
"Aww, how sweet," Echo replied, patting him on the shoulder. "Opening dimensional portal to requested coordinates..." Echo murmured, her fingers cupped around her mouth. Her voice reverberated like a melody that oscillated between frequency and reality.
A burst of purple light swirled in the air, creating a dancing spiral that opened like a tear in the fabric of space and time. Beyond it, a misty forest in the Swiss Alps revealed itself, silent and cold.
"Et voilà!" she said, spinning on her axis before stepping through the portal. "Switzerland. A nice chill, perfect for teamwork." Elysian, wearing a long black overcoat and a dark scarf covering half her face, passed through the portal without a word. As soon as the two disappeared, the portal dissolved into tiny crystals of vibrant light.
Ainda na base dos Remanescentes das Ruínas Éden Zion. Nyx, ainda observando os monitores, manteve a postura séria enquanto cruzava os braços. "Avelar... posso perguntar algo?" sua voz era baixa, quase cautelosa.
"Always," the leader replied, without taking his eyes off the data projected before him. "Why her? I mean... Hana and Nikolai would do the job perfectly. You know that. Even Elysian himself said so. And I agree with him."
Avelar, after a long silence, sighed. It wasn't common to hear him hesitate, but this time there was a brief weight to his answer. "Because Echo... has a unique talent. Not in combat or strategy, but in something more... delicate." Nyx frowned. "Delicate?"
"She can make others open up. Even when they don't want to. Even if it happens through... unpleasant means." Avelar looked away for a second. "And Elysian... needs that. He needs someone to push him out of the bubble of silence he's buried himself in."
Nyx, with a gentle but also confused look, asked another question. "And you believe Echo is the key?" Avelar looked at the portal that had closed before speaking. "I don't believe so. But I bet and hope so," Avelar replied, finally turning around. "Sometimes, chaos and anger are the only catalysts for change."
In the Swiss forest, Echo walked in circles around Elysian, chattering enthusiastically. "Look on the bright side, Ely~" she said with an exaggerated smile, hopping from stone to stone. "With me here, you didn't have to take a plane, a helicopter, a sled... or talk to a human taxi driver... or a robotic one like you!"
Elysian remained impassive, staring at the tracker on his glove. "Just walk. And stop calling me Ely." Echo giggled before teasing him further. "But it's cute! Ely suits your bitter, silent personality!" She giggled. "Ely the icy one. Ely the calculating one. Ely the lovable sociopath!"
"...I'm seriously considering burying you under seven meters of Swiss soil," he muttered without looking up from the holographic map. Echo shivered slightly before teasing again. "Threaten me with graves? Wow, how romantic," she said, clutching her chest. "That's progress, Ely."
"This is a warning. Focus on the mission!" He veered to the left, his footsteps echoing on dry leaves. "I'm there, I'm there." She snapped her fingers and concentrated, taking a deep breath. Her body trembled slightly, as if vibrating from within, and invisible waves rippled through the ground and air. "Dispersed resonant waves... Let's see if any structures around here react..."
A few seconds passed until a subtle echo returned through the vibrations of the ground. A regular pattern of walls and pillars, about two kilometers away. "I found it! An abandoned village. Probably evacuated after some landslide or environmental invasion. We can take shelter there."
Elysian nodded. When they arrived, the village's houses showed signs of decay, but some structures were intact enough to serve as shelter. "This one." Echo pointed to a two-story house covered in moss. "Looks promising."
As soon as they entered, Elysian examined everything with a trained eye. Corners, cracks, possible hidden cameras. He detected no anomalies. "Unstable, but it will do," he said, dropping his backpack next to an old wooden table.
"You're never going to compliment anything? Not even a: good choice, Echo?" she said, flopping onto an old sofa with a dusty thud. "You hitting something is as rare as a shooting star hitting a moving target. I won't encourage randomness."
"Oh, Ely... your words are like radioactive poetry." She sighed. "I understand why people besides Phina don't try to talk to you. But I'm not those other people." Elysian walked past her without answering, activating a mini-drone to fly over the village and pinpoint the exact location of the hidden base.
"No need to answer," Echo continued. "I know deep down you're glad I came." Silence. "Okay, you're not glad," she answered to herself. "But I know at least you're not bored now, right?"
Elysian, with a cold, deadly gaze, began to speak. "Echo…" Echo stopped talking and began to listen to Elysian. "Yes?" He then asked a strange question. "…Do you talk in your sleep?" Echo replied calmly, but confused. "Sometimes… why?"
Elysian then fixed her with a cold, merciless gaze. "Because if you snore and chatter at the same time, I'll have to sedate you and put you in a coma!" Echo felt a shiver run down her spine, but didn't miss the chance to tease him further. "Aw, you worry about my sleep. How sweet!"
Elysian closed her eyes for a second and sighed deeply. "Come on. The base won't find itself."