Chapter 312
However, behind his external calm, Theo's mind was still slightly disturbed by the mental recording that had just occurred.
When Aldraya ordered the tickets, the cashier—a young woman with a professionally trained, friendly expression—had shown a fraction of a second of stiffness.
Her gaze lingered a moment longer on Aldraya's flat, emotionless face, on her movements that were too perfect and efficient, on the absence of a smile or even a habitual blink.
It was not fear, but rather an instinctive confusion, a subconscious acknowledgment that the one standing before her counter was not an ordinary human, not a teenage girl with all the usual turbulence and expressions, but something else—something similar, yet fundamentally different.
That tense reaction, though quickly concealed by the cashier's professionalism, had been caught by Theo's sharp eyes.
Now, as they made their way along the descending corridor toward the cinema hall, Theo deliberately tried to drive that image from his thoughts.
He refocused on the mission, on the two cups of iced tea in his hands that were beginning to feel cold, on the aroma of popcorn, and on their own long shadows projected onto the corridor wall by the emergency lights.
He had to forget that tension, because inside the dark theater, Aldraya's absolute calm would instead become an asset, while his own human unease needed to be suppressed so that observation could proceed without interference.
The theater's double doors opened before them, releasing a hiss of cold air-conditioning and the low rumble of speakers playing advertisements.
They stepped inside, leaving behind the remnants of the cashier's strange reaction in the lobby, ready to disappear into a darkness that would conceal more than just their physical forms.
'We can move freely now.'
Before their feet fully crossed the threshold and entered the dark space filled with whispers and the murmurs of film audio, a subtle yet fundamental change occurred around Aldraya.
She did not raise her hand or utter a mantra; there was no flash of light or dramatic visual distortion.
Her concealment ability was activated with a calm, certain intention, like a pianist pressing a key without sound.
The effect was immediately felt, a strange sensation enveloping Theo, as if the layer of air around his body thickened and then absorbed every trace of their presence.
They were not truly invisible, but the attention of people's eyes would naturally drift away, their minds dismissing the two figures as though they were merely part of the shadows or insignificant empty seats.
This skill was a legacy of her past as a celestial entity, the ability to remain "unregistered" within the perception of lower beings.
With that invisible protection surrounding them, Theo and Aldraya's steps changed.
The cautious rigidity that usually accompanied stalking melted into a semblance of ease.
They no longer needed to hunch or hide behind pillars.
They could walk straight down the central aisle illuminated by dim floor lights, with nearly normal posture, like two ordinary patrons searching for their seats.
This psychological freedom was a luxury in an observation mission.
Theo could feel the tension in his shoulders loosen slightly, even as his awareness remained sharp and focused.
As they moved slowly toward the back row they were heading for, Theo's eyes—already adapted to the dimness—conducted a swift scan.
He swept his gaze toward the area he had mentioned earlier.
The middle-left corner.
And there, in the flickering light from the screen playing advertisements, sat two familiar silhouettes close together: Ilux and Erietta.
They appeared smaller from this vantage point, sunk into the wide design of the cinema seats.
Although distance and darkness obscured the details of their expressions, their body positions—the slight inward lean—were enough for Theo to confirm their targets.
A small sense of satisfaction flowed within him.
The chain of surveillance had not been broken.
"RWIA, continue visual and audio surveillance on the target. Report if there is any suspicious behavior."
Inside the pitch-dark theater, where the only source of light came from the large screen projecting colorful moving images, Theo's awareness operated on two different layers.
On the surface, he was an ordinary viewer, his body leaning back against the plush seat, his hand occasionally reaching for a handful of warm popcorn whose aroma mingled with the cold, air-conditioned atmosphere.
Yet deep within his mind, a far subtler and more disciplined surveillance mechanism had been activated.
With a soundless command, he mobilized RWIA, the four fundamental aspects of his will.
There was no debate, no question, only absolute compliance that felt like a natural extension of his own nervous system.
Unified as unseen external senses, Resolve, Will, Intent, and Ambition stood ready once more, encircling the two observed figures with subtle yet comprehensive vigilance.
In the middle-left corner seats, Erietta and Ilux were immersed in the world projected before them.
However, unbeknownst to them, another layer of observation enveloped the space between them.
RWIA worked with silent precision, capturing not only physical movements but also subtler nuances.
The shifts in distance between two adjacent shoulders, the direction of glances that might occasionally turn toward each other instead of the screen, the body language that could reveal comfort or tension.
All of this data was absorbed, processed, and fed back into Theo's mind as a continuous stream of subconscious information, forming a dynamic map of the interaction under surveillance.
Meanwhile, beside him, Aldraya sat perfectly upright.
The darkness and the effect of her concealment made her nearly merge with the shadows in the corner of the room.
Her eyes, capable of capturing light across a far broader spectrum than humans, might not have been fixed on the story on the screen.
She could have been observing the patterns of light and shadow cast onto the faces of the audience, or perhaps, like Theo, her focus was directed toward the smaller, more tangible drama unfolding a few rows ahead of them.
Her presence was a quiet vacuum, a striking contrast to the waves of emotion the film sought to evoke.
The film went on.
'An intimacy only the two of them could understand.'
Within the dark cinema space, united by the flickering light of the screen, the personal space between the two teenagers in the middle row gradually shrank until it nearly vanished.
Through the RWIA sensory link directly connected to his awareness, Theo observed with extraordinary clarity how the once-maintained distance was steadily eroded.
Their clothes, thin layers of fabric separating skin, brushed against each other again and again.
These small touches did not occur as a single prolonged contact, but as a series of brief, random encounters, accompanying relaxed movements or muffled laughter.
Each time Ilux's broader shoulder shifted, the edge of his sleeve swept against Erietta's arm.
Each time Erietta leaned forward slightly while laughing, her shoulder touched Ilux's.
These contacts formed a pattern of non-verbal communication, a secret morse understood only by their bodies, signaling a comfort that flourished within the intimate darkness.
Then, a ridiculous slapstick scene flashed across the screen.
An exaggerated fall, comical facial expressions, accompanied by deafening sound effects.
Erietta's reaction came spontaneously, an unrestrained surge.
However, her laughter did not burst out loudly like that of most of the audience.
To be continued…