Beneath Heavenly's recent peace—just after it welcomed two guests from another world—dark winds stirred in places untouched by light.
Far away, in the human world, hidden on a remote island unmarked on any map, stood a massive black facility. No one knew it existed. No one who had seen it ever returned. This was the headquarters of the Hoplites—a shadow organization forged from science, ambition, and cruelty.
The facility didn't rise high, but it reached deep underground. Its steel walls were laced with synthetic runes, built not only to contain creatures—but to bury truths. No windows. No wind. Only experiments, targets, and another world waiting to be conquered.
---
Inside the main observation room, a holographic screen replayed footage from one of the fallen squads.
Rain. A narrow alley. A flash of golden light from inside a bag. In an instant, the young Griffin emerged—wings spread, eyes glowing, and a roar shaking the air before it soared into the sky. Their target—the Griffin—was gone.
Commander Eren stood motionless in front of the screen. His firm posture seemed frozen, but his eyes burned sharp, like heated steel. He stared as if trying to pierce through the image.
Behind him, the door slid open. A neatly dressed officer stepped in cautiously.
"Commander. The target's ethereal energy has vanished. Most likely… it has returned to Heavenly."
Eren didn't respond.
"The tracking team lost its trail in the northern region. The last camera was damaged due to—"
"Leave," Eren cut in, voice low but final.
The officer froze, then exited without another word.
---
The corridor leading to the detention sector opened with a soft hiss. Eren's footsteps echoed alone between the metal walls and dim lights.
Behind thick glass, creatures from Heavenly were displayed like trophies.
A bird with diamond eyes lay motionless—its eyes long harvested. In another cell, a glowing aquatic creature floated in fluid, its body incomplete. Vital organs were gone.
A female elf sat on the floor of her cell, eyes blank. Around her neck, a tag read: Class A Entertainment Asset. She didn't even turn as Eren walked by. She had no reason to.
Eren didn't stop. None of this surprised him. It was the system he built.
He halted at the final cell.
Behind reinforced glass and rune seals, an old Griffin lay. Large, but aged. Its golden feathers were dull, its wings barely moving. A thick energy tube was embedded deep into its back, siphoning what little pure ethereal energy remained—used as the primary source for opening interdimensional gates.
Eren stared for a moment. Then activated a hidden communication panel.
A hologram lit up. In the dim blue light appeared the silhouette of a woman. Her posture was lean and sharp, her face partially obscured. Behind her, three pairs of glowing red eyes gleamed in the dark. No background noise. No small talk.
"The Griffin you marked… escaped," Eren said.
The woman merely nodded.
"Find it."
The connection cut off.
Eren stood still for several seconds, then turned and left the corridor. The lights dimmed behind him, and the hum of machines once again swallowed the silence.
---
Elsewhere—in a world bathed in eternal light—the magic embedded in that arrow finally reactivated.
The wound on the young Griffin's body began to glow faintly, revealing a pattern that had not been visible before.
A mark that was once only a tracker.
A mark that had disappeared with the light.
Now burned again with renewed fire.
The hunt wasn't over.