Not every corner carries peace.
Where there is light, shadows are born.
Kai and Teanguan had also received permission.
Everything unfolded exactly as they had planned.
Now, all they had to do was follow the guide....
to the Aurea Flora Complex.
But Kai's mind…
was nothing like her gentle, fabricated identity.
Inside, it seethed with vengeance, unrest, and a hunger that clawed at her like a starving wolf.
And Teanguan.....
he was no less dangerous.
One strike of his fist could shatter bones,
and Kai.....she never left a blow unfinished unless it claimed a life.
This was the creed she had carved into herself.
Yet what she was feeling here…
it unsettled her.
Something foreign, something she could not understand.
She chose to ignore it.
Her mission could not afford distractions.
---
The Aurea Flora Complex.
The atmosphere was breathtaking.
Everywhere the eye wandered.....plants, leaves, blossoms.
It felt as though a forest had been folded neatly into the heart of a building.
Dozens of labs lined the space.
Figures in white coats moved about, hands gloved, masks pulled tight.
Some inspected samples, others watered delicate stems.
The air was alive with quiet diligence.
And in one corner....
Suda.
Focused, meticulous, hidden behind gloves, mask, and protective goggles.
He was still working on his assignment, carefully examining butterfly eggs on a leaf.
His analysis was nearing completion when the guide led Kai and Teanguan forward.
Just as before, the procedure was the same.
They were assigned to a group.
Group Fifty-Five.
Its leader...none other than Suda himself.
He sat calmly in his chair, pen scribbling notes, while other students of his group carried out their own examinations nearby.
The guide pointed directly toward him.
"From today onwards...he will tell you what to do."
Kai and Teanguan exhaled quietly.
Their faces changed.....calm, obedient, unremarkable.
And yet… inside, they moved like two wolves cloaked in the skin of sheep.