It's been a few hours since both Elias and Mr. Ferborn had arrived at this place where he was going to get his ID updated.
The Harmonic Council Unit was located on one of the countless floors within the Colossal Megastructure at the center of the sprawling city. If Elias was to give a description of how vast and titanic this building was, then it could probably be more than enough to house millions and still have some space left over.
Mr. Ferborn had been left behind on one of the floors, and he had been led by a group of guards in white glossy armor into one of the elevators. They didn't say a word to him, nor could he even see any expression on their faces due to the dark helmets they wore over their heads.
However, from time to time, they talked right into the communicators on their shoulders.
"Subject 53922 acquired..."
"Preparations should be underway for Subject 53922..."
"Code Blue: Subject 53922 is to be tested..."
Right, he could at least guess that he was this... Subject 53922. Although Elias didn't know how to feel about being reduced to random numbers, it was undeniable that it was unnerving.
He had a name, you know?
And consequently, he had found himself right here in this lab, about to have his secrets pried open by the Fatesinger right in front of him.
The entire ordeal right up till this moment had made Elias feel an absolute lack of control, the measures taken to lead him up here giving him the unsettling feeling of having shackles strung around his neck.
But...
He took a deep breath.
'It's just for a few minutes.'
The walls of the lab were a sparkling white, like glossy marble. A few drones floated midair, the spinning of their fans causing his hair to ruffle.
Before the tall man could reach him, a humanoid robot rolling with two pairs of wheels in place of limbs had already gotten to him first, its eyes flashing like blue orbs behind its sockets.
"Commencing scan."
Its robotic voice boomed, multiple rays of light lighting up around his body from those flashing sockets, making Elias tense up.
"Biological Data acquired. Scan Complete."
The humanoid retreated, a chuckle escaping from the lips of the tall man as he stopped right in front of him, looking at him amusedly.
Elias furrowed his brow. 'Thinking about it, there's something weird about this man.'
He had a scattered beard and dark circles beneath his eyes, almost like he hadn't slept in a while. But what was weird was the fact that the Fatesinger continuously had one of his hands on the side of his head, scratching furiously as if there was an itch that never stopped itching.
It was absurd.
He finally spoke, the look of amusement not leaving his face. "Take a deep breath and relax. Normally I give visitors like you a chocolate bar as a sign of goodwill, but the last kid here stole the last of them just to spite me."
He sighed, his voice thick with resentment. "And she looked like such a harmless, well-behaved young lady that wouldn't harm a fly."
Elias clicked his tongue. This guy didn't seem all bad.
"And what may I call you, sir?"
The man grinned, his eyes letting out a brief, bright flash of gold. "Well, well, well. Finally, someone who regards me enough to ask after my name. I think I will like you, kid."
He cracked his neck, his hand furiously scratching against his hair, his eyes narrowed intently with his lips curled at the edges.
For some reason, his other hand was clenched tight into a fist.
"Since you have asked, then do well to remember the name Hartan Cullen—Warden of Fate Song."
It was right then that Elyndra, who had sat silently on his shoulders, nudged him against the fabric of his shirt.
Elias spared her a glance, watching as she turned her bored face to look right at him. However, there was now an expression on her face which he had never seen before.
Her eyes were cold. So cold that Elias felt a chill travel down his spine.
'What the hell got her so mad?'
"His puny mental pressure is trying to break through your defenses to reach the Voidsong," Elyndra said, flicking her fingers.
Although she said it casually, Elias knew that she was pissed. After all, while they already knew having his Carrier Profile read was part of the process, they both hadn't realized that it also involved an infiltration into his Harmonic Chamber.
That was simply an invasion of privacy of the highest form, comparable to looking at someone without any clothes on.
This kind of ability was probably something unique to only Fatesingers, and the funny thing was the very fact that this didn't even require the direct use of his Resonance String or some kind of awakened ability.
Just his mental pressure was already enough to do this, showing just how much of a nightmare it was to have these kinds of Awakeners against you.
Elias furrowed his brows, watching as the man's fist kept clenching tight, his eyes turning bloodshot and his forehead beginning to throb with veins.
Almost like he was struggling.
Elias rubbed his chin, his brows furrowing in thought.
If this man failed to succeed in breaching his Harmonic Chamber, it was bound to attract a lot of attention. More powerful Fatesingers would be called to try, and if Elyndra succeeded in holding them off, he was only going to be put on the radar of people he would rather not get himself associated with this early in his life.
So blocking him was only going to make things worse. At the very least, this man had to be fooled.
He called mentally to Elyndra. 'Is there a way to—"
"I was planning to take the easy way out of all this mess, but that simply wouldn't do anymore," Elyndra cut in, her wings fluttering as she floated right in front of the Fatesinger, whose face was turning sourer every second.
She regarded him irritatedly, like one would an annoying fly.
"Since he wants to get into your Harmonic Chamber so badly, then he will go just right in."
Elias tilted his head right at her, not understanding exactly what was running through her head.
"Won't that escalate matters?"
Unlike other people, his Harmonic Chamber was a little... special. Having this guy inside was only going to raise a lot of questions before he even began investigating his abilities and Class.
Elyndra rolled her eyes at him. "Anyone but you, stupid enough to enter inside the Voidsong, will regret it pretty badly."
She snapped her fingers.
"Honestly, it's kind of a good thing he decided to use this method. It makes things less complicated..."
Elias sighed, feeling something illusory brush against his mind, the face of the Fatesinger contorting into a gleeful smile.
He clicked his tongue in irritation.
'Just when I thought things wouldn't get hard enough.'
He felt a sensation like that of a knife piercing his heart, the wave of mental pressure finally invading the depths of his being.