"You said if someone fails… they turn into a Zeron?" Lucan's voice was quiet, like he was asking something he already didn't want the answer to. "What does that even mean?"
Lyra's eyes stayed fixed on the window for a second longer before she turned to him.
"Zerons were like us." she said. "People with the god gene. But their bodies rejected the awakening—or their minds did. Some explode or mutate. And some just… lose themselves."
Lucan stared at her. His stomach twisted.
"That could've been me?"
"You made it through." Her tone didn't soften. "Most don't."
She paused for a beat, then added, "But something's been off lately."
Lucan frowned. "Off how?"
Lyra leaned her shoulder against the wall.
"The government has been finding Zerons who aren't even twenty-five. They're awakening early. And it's getting worse."
Lucan let out a long breath and dropped back onto the bed, one arm flung across his face.
"Too much to take in on this kind of day."
He let the silence stretch for a few seconds before turning his head toward her again.
"So… how do these Zerons even look?"
Lyra crossed her arms. "You'll see one soon enough."
Lucan sat up slowly. "That's not exactly the reassurance I was hoping for."
His gaze narrowed. "So… do we have to kill them? Or does the government take care of that?"
She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.
"Both, you could say. If it explodes by itself, all good. If not—someone has to take the risk."
"Sounds great." Lucan muttered.
Lyra pushed off the wall, her tone dipping slightly.
"When a Zeron emerges, the drones form a barrier field around the area. Everyone without the gene just… faints instantly."
Lucan frowned. "Why do they just make people faint? Wouldn't it be easier to get them out of the way completely?"
"Because Zerons go after movement. They absorb it. Doesn't matter what it is."
Lucan whistled under his breath.
"Damn. That's terrifying."
He leaned back again, the ceiling suddenly feeling heavier than before.
"I don't even remember my childhood properly." he muttered. "Just flashes. Faces. Nothing clear."
He looked at the translucent screen hovering nearby.
"This thing's been flashing some message since last night. [Memory Fractures Detected]. You ever seen that?"
Lyra shook her head. "No. Mine never said anything like that."
Lucan exhaled slowly.
"Maybe my parents knew. Maybe that's why they left. Or maybe they're just dead. I don't know."
There was a pause.
Then Lyra said, almost reluctantly,
"It's not just here, Lucan. Not just this city."
Lucan looked up at her.
She held his gaze.
"The entire planet—Nirvenn—is built like this. Covered up. Controlled."
Lucan sat up straighter. "What do you mean?"
"The government hides everything. The tech you see around? That's surface-level junk. The real systems—drones, neural tech, energy cores—they're already in place. Hidden and managed."
Lucan raised an eyebrow. "Why hide it?"
"Because Nirvenn is a Safe Zone. A containment pocket inside our universe. That means beings from other regions come here. Some hide and settle. Some were dumped here. If the public knew—if they saw what this world actually is—they would freak out."
Lucan ran a hand down his face. "That's… insane."
Lyra gave a faint smile.
"It'd be too much if I explained everything now. Just be patient."
She glanced back toward the Vein still hovering nearby.
"You'll learn. One way or another."
"Okay. That's enough crazy for one morning. I'm gonna take a nap before my brain melts."
Lyra raised an eyebrow but smiled faintly. "Fair. I'll cook something while you do. Just don't drool on your pillow."
She turned and headed downstairs, leaving the faint scent of her perfume in the air.
Lucan dropped back onto the bed, arm resting across his forehead. The weight of everything threatened to crash down all at once—but sleep tugged faster.
Just an hour, he told himself.
He woke to a sound like a blade screaming through metal.
A high-pitched screech rang through the walls—sharp enough to rattle the glass on his desk.
Before he could even stand, the door burst open.
Lyra rushed in, face tense, eyes already scanning the windows.
She yanked the curtains aside and muttered under her breath, her gaze sharp and frantic.
Then she turned to him.
"Get up. Now. Follow me."
Lucan's legs moved before his mind did.
"What the hell is that noise?"
Before she could answer, a faint pulse ran down his spine—cold and electric.
A sudden message blinked into his vision.
[Warning: Unknown Entity Detected]
[Mutation Pattern: Irregular]
[Proximity Alert: High-Risk Anomaly in Vicinity]
"What the—? The Vein just warned me about something—mutated, nearby!"
Lyra didn't even flinch. "Good. That means it's working."
They rushed down the hallway, boots hitting tile.
"Give it a command." she said quickly. "Tell the Vein to Activate stealth mode. Say it out clearly."
Lucan hesitated, then did as told.
"Vein—Activate stealth mode."
[Stealth Protocol Engaged]
[Signal Dampening: Active]
The screen flickered, then dimmed into partial transparency—still there, but almost invisible.
"Nice. Not bad for a rookie." Lyra said without looking back.
She checked something then tapped the side of her own Vein screen.
"Vein—Activate stealth mode."
And then—without warning—she launched herself up the side of the wall.
Her foot landed against the bricks, her body barely touching before she kicked upward and vaulted onto the rooftop like gravity was a joke.
Lucan stopped in his tracks, staring up at her silhouette.
"…Okay, what the hell?"
Lyra glanced down at him from above.
"Come on. You wanted to know what Zerons look like, right?"
He looked down at his feet.
No fancy prep. No countdown.
Just jump.
"Alright." he muttered. "Let's see if this body still belongs to physics."
He bent his knees and launched himself upward—way harder than intended.
A gust of air rushed past his ears.
He shot up higher than the rooftop.
"Wait—wait, wait—too high—!"
His limbs struggled for balance.
He came crashing down onto the tiles, landing face-first with a dull thud and a surprised grunt.
Lyra leaned over the edge, grinning.
"That was… majestic."
Lucan groaned, rolling over.
"Yeah? Felt like a nosedive off a balcony."
She snorted, still smiling. "You really just overshot the roof on your first try. Damn, you might actually be useful."
Lucan sat up slowly, rubbing his jaw.
"You could've mentioned there's no gravity cap."
But she wasn't entirely joking anymore. Her eyes stayed on him for a second longer than usual—surprised.
"Still… that was impressive." she said. "Most people can't even land up here their first week."
Lucan blinked. "Week?"
"Some people never get the hang of it." she added, already scanning the rooftops around them, her tone shifting back to serious.
He followed her gaze.
She crouched slightly, pointing toward a cluster of drones hovering over a distant house.
"They're forming a veil around that building. That's where the Zeron must've emerged."
Lucan's eyes followed the line of flickering lights, forming a dome-like shimmer in the air.
"That's the veil?"
Lyra nodded. "Yeah. People outside the veil can't hear anything. And as for us being up here? That's why I told you to activate stealth mode. It hides you from tech—and from normal eyes."
Lucan watched as a few of the drones adjusted positions, beams scanning the perimeter like predators looking for movement.
She straightened. "We need to move before it spreads."
Without waiting, Lyra jumped to the next roof. Clean. Effortless.
Lucan inhaled, sprinted forward—and jumped.
This time, he didn't overshoot.
He landed right beside her, knees bending with the impact.
She blinked. "Wow."
Lucan raised a brow. "What?"
She gave a short laugh. "You really adapted freakishly quick."
Lucan smirked, the Vein glowing faintly beside them.
"Guess I'm a fast learner."
She grinned back.
"Good. You'll need it."
[End of Chapter 3]