Vale stared at Rikin, eyes wide, as Barbatos finished speaking.
'Is this man really the leader of the G.V.O.?' Vale thought.
Looking at him now, it made sense, his posture, his presence, the way the room seemed to subtly orient itself around him. Still, Vale had imagined something different. Something colder, more distant. Nevertheless, realization struck him hard, and he immediately straightened.
"I-sorry for my language, sir," Vale said quickly, bowing his head. "I didn't mean any disrespect."
Rikin blinked, clearly surprised, then burst out laughing.
"Well now," he said, his laughter loud and genuine, "you're quite well-mannered, aren't you?"
Vale straightened slowly, rubbing the back of his head with an awkward expression.
"Shouldn't I be?" he asked hesitantly.
Rikin chuckled again, shaking his head. "Honestly? I'd rather people treated me normally. I took this job to protect others, not to be worshipped for it."
His smile was warm, almost disarming.
Vale let out a quiet sigh of relief and returned the smile, tension easing from his shoulders.
Rikin's expression shifted as he refocused, eyes sharpening just slightly as he looked at Vale.
"Anyway," he said, "why don't you come with me for a moment? There's something I think you'd like to see."
He turned and walked toward the wall of windows where the staff worked diligently at their stations. Vale hesitated only a moment before following, curiosity pulling him forward.
As they approached, a few of the staff glanced over briefly, then returned to their work. One researcher stepped aside to make room.
"So," Rikin said, gesturing toward one of the monitors, "tell me, what do you see?"
Vale leaned forward, studying the darkened screen. At first, it looked like nothing more than shadow and static. His eyes narrowed as he focused, his strange perception slowly teasing meaning out of the darkness.
Then he saw it.
A massive shape, curled and still.
Vale's breath caught.
"Is that… Chimera?" he asked quietly.
Rikin nodded and motioned to the staff.
In an instant, fingers flew across keyboards. The screen brightened, resolving into a clear image.
Chimera lay sleeping.
Vale's eyes widened.
The skull-like mask was gone. In its place was the form of a true wolf, large, elegant, and unmistakably real. Her fur was a brilliant white, almost luminous, though her body was still painfully thin. Even so, the difference was staggering. Compared to the half-dead creature Vale had encountered before, this was nothing short of a miracle.
As Vale watched, Chimera's eyes slowly opened.
Deep gray colored eyes.
They lifted and locked directly onto the camera.
Onto him.
Vale froze for a moment.
'You really did recover,' he thought.
"Incredible, isn't it?" Rikin said, his voice cutting softly through the silence.
Vale glanced at him briefly, then back at the screen.
"Yeah," he murmured.
Rikin grinned. "I probably should've mentioned this sooner, but Chimera can see you right now."
Vale turned sharply, eyes widening.
"Really? How?" he asked. "I thought I was supposed to be undetectable."
Rikin chuckled. "Normally, yes. I suppose some rules bend under special circumstances."
Vale frowned slightly but turned his attention back to the screen.
If Rikin was right, then he and Chimera were making direct eye contact.
Vale tilted his head slightly, studying her more closely.
She was beautiful, like something out of a fairytale. A pristine white wolf, calm and quiet. And yet Vale knew better. This wasn't her true form.
He had seen it before.
Flames. A woman's silhouette. A name that was burned into his memory.
'Alexandria Rosemary.'
As if sensing him, Chimera tilted her head in the same way.
Vale's eyes widened slightly.
Then, slowly, she lowered herself back down, closing her eyes once more as she returned to sleep.
Vale watched for several long moments before finally exhaling and straightening.
He turned to Rikin.
"So," Vale asked, hesitating slightly before adding, "how long will the discussion take… sir?"
Rikin waved a hand dismissively as he walked back toward his desk.
"Six hours at most," he replied. "Though the participants will take a while to arrive. I'd say around four hours."
Vale raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
"Participants?" he repeated. "Who exactly is coming?"
Rikin opened his mouth to answer, but Barbatos spoke first.
"Primary combat and research staff of the G.V.O.," he said evenly. "As well as half of the Rosemary family."
Vale's heart sank.
Barbatos continued, unfazed. "You've already met some of them, Callum Stillrose, Evelyn Darkrose, and Yuki van Eska."
'Damn,' Vale thought. 'I'm definitely going to hear about this, aren't I?'
"And," Barbatos added after a brief pause, "Miss Rosemary herself will be attending."
Vale stiffened.
"After all," Barbatos finished calmly, "Chimera is one of her greatest interests."
Vale looked at the two men with a nervous expression. While it was common sense that he could have expected most of the people currently stationed at this base, he was still lightly surprised, perhaps even unsettled, by the fact that Miss Rose would be attending as well. He gathered his thoughts for a moment, shifting his weight uneasily before looking back at them.
"So… when will they arrive?" he asked, his voice hesitant.
Barbatos glanced at him and offered a polite smile before turning his attention toward the elevator.
"Yuki should be here now," he replied calmly.
Almost on cue, the elevator chimed and its doors slid open. A white-haired woman stepped out, mid-yawn, clearly unimpressed to be there. She muttered curses under her breath as she exited, her posture loose and irritated. However, the moment her eyes landed on Vale, her entire demeanor shifted.
Her eyes narrowed sharply, as though she had just seen a ghost.
She snapped her gaze toward Barbatos, raising a finger and pointing directly at Vale.
"Why is Wonderboy here?" she demanded, confusion lacing her voice.
Vale let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
'I guess I'm Wonderboy now,' he thought dryly.
Barbatos chuckled softly.
"Oh, right. I suppose I haven't explained the purpose of this meeting yet, have I?" he said.
He turned his gaze toward Vale for a brief moment, his expression unusually gentle, before looking back at Yuki. He opened his mouth and spoke with deliberate calm.
"Chimera has been healed."
Yuki froze.
Her eyes widened instantly, and she nearly stumbled backward in shock.
"That's impossible," she muttered under her breath. "We tried everything. So how-"
Barbatos raised a hand, cutting her off mid-sentence. Slowly, he lowered it, gesturing in Vale's direction.
"This boy," Barbatos said simply, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Yuki stared at Vale with a deeply doubtful expression before abruptly turning away and rushing toward the computer terminals monitoring Chimera's condition. Her fingers hovered over the controls as she scanned the data, her breath catching.
Then she staggered back.
She covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes wide as she stared at the screen, then leaned in again, as if afraid the data might vanish if she blinked. Vale watched awkwardly from a distance, unsure of where to look or what to say.
After a long moment, Yuki turned around and fixed him with an intimidating stare. She walked toward him with measured steps. Vale remained where he was, tense, bracing himself as she closed the distance.
When she finally stopped in front of him, she studied him in silence.
"…Thanks," she said quietly. "You did us a huge favor healing that troublemaker."
Without waiting for a response, she turned back toward the computers, her gaze once more locked onto Chimera's vitals.
Rikin let out a small chuckle.
"Don't mind her," he said. "She's quite fond of Chimera, especially after all those famous stories."
Vale glanced at him and nodded silently before turning his attention back to the elevator.
The chime rang again.
This time, two figures stepped out, both far more alert than Yuki had been. One was a short woman with pale skin and short black hair, dressed in dark clothing that matched her sharp features. Beside her walked a blond man clad in bright white armor trimmed with gold, his posture confident and composed.
They spoke cheerfully to one another as they exited, until the blond man noticed Vale standing beside Barbatos.
Callum tilted his head in confusion.
"Vale?" he asked. "Why are you here?"
Evelyn's expression mirrored his confusion, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied Vale. Vale scrambled to think of an explanation, but before he could speak, Barbatos stepped in.
"If I may," Barbatos said confidently.
Both Callum and Evelyn shifted their attention to him.
"You remember how we notified you about Chimera's improving condition," Barbatos continued.
Callum nodded.
"Yeah. I figured you finally found a way to transfer your energy to her. Am I wrong?"
Barbatos smiled faintly.
"Yes. You are."
He paused, briefly glancing at Vale, who looked away awkwardly.
"This is the boy who transferred his energy to Chimera and healed her."
Callum's eyes widened. He raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth as if to speak, then closing it again as his expression grew increasingly conflicted.
Silence settled over the room.
Vale glanced toward Evelyn.
Her expression was no longer confused, it was furious.
"He, Barbatos," she said slowly, her voice tight with restrained anger. The shadow beneath her feet stretched unnaturally across the floor as she stepped forward.
"How the hell did you let a kid walk straight into something that dangerous?"