The airship glided through the clouds, and Adrian leaned against the viewing glass, eyes widening as the horizon revealed itself.
The Earthlings' United Organization headquarters was not a mere fortress. It was a city unto itself, sprawling across the landscape like a living monument to humanity's survival.
From above, he saw layer upon layer of defenses, towering walls etched with glowing runes, shimmering shields that bent the sunlight, colossal weapons stationed on rotating platforms.
The skyline was filled with airships and flying transports, weaving between spires and towers. And at the center of it all stood the legendary Central Tower.
A monolith of steel and stone rising into the heavens, its surface carved with runic arrays that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
Adrian felt a weight settle in his chest. Compared to this, even the Academy felt provincial. The sheer scale dwarfed everything he had experienced.
Elara, seated across from him, watched his expression. "This is only the surface," she said quietly. "The Organization holds knowledge the public never sees. Secrets guarded since the Awakening."
"Once you are a Defender, the world will open to you. You'll learn truths far broader than you can imagine now." Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her eyes softened as she studied him. half-pride, half-worry.
For a moment, she scolded him again about pushing himself in battle, the way she always had since he was a boy. "You could have died out there, Adrian. Your body wasn't ready for that kind of strain."
Adrian, usually unflinching, found himself quietly enduring her words. Some battles couldn't be won. "I understand, Mother."
The airship descended into the landing bays. Adrian stepped out, immediately noticing the difference, the floors gleamed with rune-etched steel, artifacts hummed at every checkpoint, and defenders moved with precision. This was no academy.
This was the beating heart of humanity's survival. Every surface thrummed with contained power, every corridor designed for both beauty and absolute defense.
Elara walked briskly, explaining fragments of what he saw, transport arrays, rune inscriptions on the walls, the system of Defender wings. Nothing new to Adrian's ears, only confirmations of what he had heard before. But here, the scale was staggering.
"The Central Tower houses the upper echelons," she gestured toward the monolithic structure visible through reinforced windows. "Council chambers, strategic command, the Sentinel's personal quarters." Her voice carried reverence when she mentioned the legendary figure.
Guards in ceremonial armor flanked every intersection, their weapons crackling with contained energy. Adrian noticed how they tracked his movement with professional interest.
This was the Organization, the seat of humanity's strength. For most, the sight alone would inspire awe, perhaps even fear. For Adrian, it was a reminder, this was the scale of the battlefield he would one day command. Not as his mother's son, but as himself.
...
As they neared her private suite, a figure appeared without warning, blocking their path.
A woman stood before them, her presence impossible to ignore. She was about Elara's age, but her aura shimmered like a storm barely contained.
Golden robes draped over her form, and her eyes glowed with a Golden hue. Across her face and hands ran delicate golden tattoos, etched like ancient runes , some pulsing faintly, as though alive.
"Well, well," the woman drawled, her voice sharp with mockery. "Look who it is. The legendary Lady Blackwood herself."
Her gaze shifted to Adrian, studying him with calculating interest. "And who's this? Your little prodigy, the one who awakened the SSS-Rank affinity?"
Elara's eyes hardened. "Go away, Selene. I don't have time to deal with you."
The woman's lips curved into a predatory smile. Selene Valcrest, the name reverberated with weight, for she was known as the greatest Rune Master in all of humanity, a figure of myth to most Defenders.
Yet here she was, teasing Elara with the familiarity of an old rival. Golden runes along her arms pulsed brighter as she smirked, tilting her head.
"Still so blunt. You haven't changed a bit." Her voice carried years of shared history, bitter and sweet in equal measure.
"Enjoy your precious son, Elara. I wonder how long until the Organization claims him as their own."
With a ripple of golden light, her figure dissolved into nothing. The corridor felt suddenly empty, as though something vital had been drained from the air.
Adrian frowned, turning to his mother. "Who was that?"
Elara's expression was unreadable. "Once, when we were young, she was my rival."
"We trained side by side at the Academy. But our paths diverged when we came to the Organization."
"Paths?" Adrian pressed, sensing layers beneath her words.
"You'll learn in time," she said simply, ending the matter.
They reached her suite soon after. Spacious, rune-lit, it overlooked the heart of the HQ through floor-to-ceiling windows that revealed the sprawling complex below.
Elara gestured for him to stay. "Rest here. I'll report to the Board of Defenders."
Her voice was calm, but Adrian caught the flicker of worry in her gaze before she turned away. "If all goes smoothly, you'll be back at the Academy before long."
She bore the weight for him, as she always had, walking alone toward the massive Central Tower that loomed over the city.
Adrian watched her figure grow smaller through the window, a lone silhouette against the monolithic structure that housed humanity's greatest secrets.
He pressed his palm against the reinforced glass, feeling the subtle vibrations of the defensive arrays embedded within. The suite's luxury meant nothing to him, plush furniture, displays showing Organization news feeds, and artifacts humming with contained energy.
His mother thought she was shielding him from the storm ahead. She saw him as her son first, the prodigy second.
But Adrian had tasted true power on that battlefield. The white-grey mist hadn't been luck or desperation, it was a glimpse of what he could become.
"One day, I'll stand where even you cannot reach, not to outshine you, but to shield what matters most," he whispered to the empty room.
The words carried no malice, only iron certainty. He respected her strength, her sacrifice, the way she bore responsibility for his safety without complaint.
Yet beneath that respect lay something harder. A will that refused to remain hidden forever.
She needed to feel she was protecting him now. He understood that, accepted it even.
But the Source stirred within him like a sleeping giant, and Adrian knew with absolute clarity that one day, he would grow strong enough to protect her from any danger.
The Central Tower's peak disappeared into the clouds above, and somewhere within those heights, decisions were being made about his future.
He would let them make their plans. For now.