Vale stared wide-eyed at the figure standing before him.
In a single breath, the exhaustion that had clung to him moments earlier vanished, ripped away and replaced by raw, electrifying nerves, nearly as intense as the dread he had felt when facing Chimera. His fingers twitched around the handle of his burned door, the metal still warped and blackened from the damage it had endured. For a moment, his hand shook, and he had to force himself not to pull away.
The man standing in front of him was enormous.
His skin was onyx black, smooth and unbroken, contrasting sharply with his pale, pupil-less white eyes. Long black hair cascaded down his back like a curtain of shadow, framing a face that showed no hostility, only indifference. He stood tall, nearly two meters in height, broad and immovable, as though the space itself had been shaped to accommodate him.
Hydra watched Vale in silence, clearly waiting for him to speak.
Vale didn't.
His mind struggled to catch up, scrambling to process who what stood in front of him. The weight of the moment pressed down on his chest, making his breathing shallow.
Eventually, Hydra exhaled slowly, the sound deep and controlled.
"May I come in?" he asked.
Vale blinked, startled by the calmness of his voice. After a brief hesitation, he nodded and hydra stepped aside, his movements stiff and mechanical. The large, muscular man ducked only slightly as he entered, his presence immediately dominating the room. He wore a pristine white suit, tailored perfectly to his frame, the fabric emphasizing the stark contrast between light and dark.
Vale closed the door behind him and immediately turned his head toward his computer desk.
'Chrome.'
The space where the robot just stood was empty.
Relief washed over him, brief, but intense.
Ember, however, was already there.
The small creature hovered nearby, watching Hydra with open curiosity. Ember had met Hydra before, just as Vale had, but unlike Vale, Ember appeared almost pleased by his arrival. That fact alone unsettled Vale more than he cared to admit.
'Why does this have to happen now?' he thought.
Hydra's gaze drifted slowly across the room, methodical and unhurried. He examined everything with what could only be described as a delicate attention, taking in the scorched doorframe, the cluttered desk, the faint signs of hurried movement.
Then his eyes fell on the tiny ravens perched atop Vale's desk.
They chirped loudly, oblivious to the tension filling the air.
Hydra lowered himself onto one knee, bringing his massive form down to their level. He studied them closely, head tilted slightly, his expression unreadable.
"Where did you find these little ones?" he asked.
Vale tilted his head in response. Panic flickered, but never fully ignited.
'I can't exactly tell him I was inside Chimera's enclosure, can I?'
He crossed his arms and answered slowly, deliberately.
"Outside."
Hydra straightened and turned his gaze back toward Vale, allowing him to stare directly into those empty, reflectionless eyes.
"Is that so?" he replied.
He stepped closer.
With each step, Vale felt a crushing pressure radiate outward, as though the air itself were being compressed. His instincts screamed at him to back away, but he didn't. He forced his legs to lock, his spine to straighten, refusing to yield ground.
Hydra continued forward.
Vale widened his eyes, lifting his chin despite the fear tightening his throat. Soon, his head was nearly tilted straight upward just to maintain eye contact. Hydra loomed over him completely.
Those pale eyes reflected nothing.
Not the room.
Not the light.
Not even Vale himself.
Hydra stared at vale and blinked once.
"Do you think I am stupid?" he asked calmly.
Vale's heart stuttered.
'Why would he think that?'
"I don't recall ever saying that, sir," Vale replied, keeping his voice level through sheer force of will.
Hydra stared at him in silence.
Seconds stretched into minutes.
Then, without warning, he turned away and began walking toward Vale's closet.
As he moved, he spoke.
"I commend your courage," Hydra said. "You remind me of my younger self."
He opened the closet door and sifted through Vale's clothes with careful, unhurried movements.
"However," he continued, "there is no value in lying."
Vale's eyes widened.
'Shit.'
"I was there last night."
The words hit him like a blow.
Vale's heart sank into his stomach. A cold bead of sweat slid down his cheek as he clenched his hands into fists. There was no denying it now, no twisting the truth, no half-answers that could save him.
Hydra closed the closet and leaned back against it.
"I came to bring you to my father for judgment."
Vale's shoulders stiffened.
"I see…" he said quietly.
After a moment, he looked up again, meeting Hydra's gaze despite the dread clawing at his chest.
"I suppose I'll be punished for saving Chimera, then?" he asked.
Hydra raised an eyebrow, and, unexpectedly, let out a short, dry chuckle.
"Yes," he said, "I suppose that is how it appears."
He paused, glancing away briefly, as if weighing his next words.
"In truth, we have been trying to help Chimera for years. You merely accomplished what we could not."
Vale blinked.
"You mean…" He hesitated. "I won't be punished?"
Hydra looked upward, thinking.
"I do not believe so, no."
Vale released a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Relief surged through him, sharp and almost dizzying, no punishment, no execution.
'I'm alive.'
"However," Hydra added, his tone sharpening slightly, "we will need to determine what exactly caused the change."
Vale nodded slowly. He had expected that much. Still, it felt insignificant compared to what he had feared.
After a moment of silence, he looked back up at the towering man, curiosity finally outweighing his fear.
"How did you know it was me?" Vale asked quietly. "So quickly?"
Hydra looked at Vale with a strange expression, one that mixed confusion with mild disbelief. He opened his mouth, and when he spoke, his voice carried an unmistakable note of incredulity.
"We are the largest protection agency in the world," he said. "Maintaining constant surveillance over Chimera is one of our highest priorities. Of course we would find out."
He paused, then added with a faintly mocking edge, "What do you think this is, a mystery novel?"
Vale blinked, then awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah… that makes sense," he admitted.
An uneasy silence followed. Vale glanced around his room, searching for something, anything, to focus on. His eyes drifted from the scorched doorframe to his desk, then to the ravens, still chirping softly. He had no idea what to say next.
Hydra broke the silence.
"By the way," he said casually, "I saw everything."
Vale stiffened immediately.
"I was hovering above you the entire time," Hydra continued. He stopped there, allowing the weight of his words to settle. Vale's eyes widened slightly as he absorbed what that meant.
"I have to say," Hydra went on, "you're braver than most. Not many Flickers would have attempted to help Chimera in that situation. Most would have fled, or frozen."
He studied Vale for a moment before adding, "I suppose that's why Mirage likes you."
Vale frowned.
"Mirage?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. He moved to his chair and sat down slowly, still watching the larger man. "Who's Mirage?"
Hydra looked at him blankly for a second, then seemed to remember something. His expression shifting.
"Ah. Right. You don't know everything yet," he said.
He gestured vaguely with one hand. "Mirage is the black wolf. The one who helped you transfer energy to Chimera."
Vale's hand drifted to his chin as he thought.
'So your name is Mirage…' he mused silently.
He looked back up. "Did you see where Mirage went after I fainted?" Vale asked, then quickly added, "Sir Hydra."
Hydra shook his head slowly.
"No," he said, a trace of regret slipping into his voice. "Mirage dissolved into pure energy. Like you, I couldn't sense him afterward. Once he vanished, I gave up searching and brought you back here."
Vale lowered his gaze.
"I see," he murmured.
Then his eyes widened as Hydra's words replayed in his mind.
"Wait," Vale said suddenly, looking up again. "Sir Hydra… you're the one who brought me back here?"
Hydra nodded once.
"I am," he replied. "When I arrived, that little one was in the process of burning your door down." He pointed toward Ember, who was now sprawled comfortably across Vale's bed, clearly unconcerned. "Seemed like he sensed your fear and decided to rescue you as well."
Vale stared at Ember, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and fond exasperation.
"Of course," he muttered, before turning back to Hydra.
"And please," Hydra continued, "call me Barbatos."
Vale blinked.
'That must be his real name,' he realized.
"I'll do that," Vale said carefully. "Sir Barbatos."
Barbatos waved a hand dismissively.
"Drop the 'sir,'" he said. "It makes me feel old."
Vale gave him a strange look but nodded.
"…Alright."
Barbatos turned and walked toward the door, already reaching for the handle.
"Let's go," he said. "Grab your birds, and whatever else you need. We have a lot to discuss."
He paused, then glanced back over his shoulder.
"It's probably going to take an entire day to come up with a workable plan for this situation."