They were now inside the dorm.
Agent Kael sat on the floor with his back resting against the side of the bed, a crinkled bag of chips lying open on his lap. Every now and then, he reached inside and grabbed a handful, casually tossing them into his mouth.
Across from him, Denver sat on a chair beside the small table, holding a rolled pie in both hands. She took small bites, chewing quietly while staring ahead.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
The room was filled only with the faint crunch of chips and the soft rustle of wrappers. The silence wasn't awkward, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. It was the kind of silence that lingered when two people were thinking about something they hadn't said yet.
Despite how it looked, Denver hadn't invited Agent Kael into her room out of kindness or sympathy.
No.
There was a reason, a very specific one.
Agent Kael had been working for the WGR for years. If anyone might have information about the people within the organization or the powerful figures connected to it, it would be him.
And right now, there was only one person Denver wanted to know about.
Zen.
That bastard was famous, yet somehow very little real information about him existed. The more she searched, the more it felt like everything about him had been carefully hidden behind layers of reputation and rumors.
Denver took a large bite of the rolled pie, chewing slowly. Then she suddenly shot a sharp glance at Kael. The look was obvious. Kael noticed it immediately.
He paused mid chew and raised one eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.
"…What?"
Denver swallowed the pie, crossed her arms, and leaned forward slightly in her chair. Her eyes were filled with curiosity, but there was also a hint of irritation hidden behind them.
"What's so special about… this Zen guy?"
Kael didn't answer right away.
Instead, he casually reached into the bag again, grabbing another handful of chips as if the question wasn't particularly urgent.
He chewed slowly, thinking or maybe just stalling. Then a few seconds passed before he finally spoke.
"Do I really need to explain that?" Kael replied.
Denver frowned slightly.
"I know he's strong and popular."
She paused for a moment, choosing her next words more carefully.
"But there's something I want to know."
Her eyes sharpened as she stared directly at him.
"Who exactly is he?"
The room fell quiet again. This time, Kael stopped eating. He slowly lowered the bag of chips onto the floor and looked up at her. For a brief moment, his expression was unreadable.
Agent Kael let out a quiet sigh.
It was clear that Kael didn't enjoy answering questions like this. Talking about people like Zen wasn't something he did lightly. To him, it probably felt like revealing sensitive information to someone who was still, in many ways, a stranger.
But to Denver's surprise, he actually spoke.
"Well…" Kael began, rubbing the back of his neck as he searched for the right words. "Most people only know Zen as that strong, popular guy. The celebrity type."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But in reality… he's more than that."
Denver leaned forward slightly, listening closely.
"Becoming a master at such a young age," Kael continued, "he managed to shake the entire hierarchy of the Zen Clan."
Denver frowned.
Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion.
"How can a kid threaten the hierarchy of the entire Zen Clan?"
Kael glanced at her for a moment before answering.
"Because becoming a master in the Zen Clan isn't just about strength," he explained calmly. "It means you're a potential candidate to become the next head of the clan."
Denver's eyes widened slightly.
"So you're saying..."
"Yes," Kael interrupted. "Anyone who becomes a master is automatically considered part of the succession pool."
He shifted slightly against the bed, his tone becoming more serious.
"But Zen isn't your typical master."
Kael's gaze drifted toward the floor as he added,
"He's a direct descendant of Miyamoto… the current head of the Zen Clan."
The name lingered in the air for a moment. Then Kael continued.
"But then again… Zen isn't the only master in that clan."
Then something clicked in her mind. Her eyes widened slightly.
"That would mean-"
"Yes," Kael cut in before she could finish.
He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, his gaze steady and serious now.
"But having a lot of competitors is exactly the problem." His voice lowered, losing its casual tone.
"In a clan like theirs, power isn't just respected, it's contested. And when multiple heirs stand at the same level, the easiest way to secure your position…" he paused briefly, "…is to remove the competition."
Denver's fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the chair.
"So the best way to win," Kael continued, "is to eliminate as many competitors as possible, especially the ones with an advantage."
The words settled heavily in the room, Denver felt a chill crawl up her spine. To her, it sounded insane. Why would they kill their own kind just for power?
But deep down… she already knew the answer., because humans were like that. Selfish. Hungry. Always reaching for something higher, even if it meant stepping on others to get there.
She looked away for a moment, her thoughts unsettled. Then Kael spoke again, his tone firm this time.
"So don't even think about getting back at him."
Denver glanced back at him.
"You'll only get yourself killed in the process."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Denver scoffed lightly, trying to brush off the weight of his words.
"Wouldn't the other masters be grateful if I beat up that bastard?" she said, half joking.
Agent Kael only looked at her indifferently his gaze flat, almost dismissive, like he was watching a child reaching for something far beyond her grasp.
For a moment, he said nothing. Then he let out a quiet sigh.
It wasn't loud, but it carried weight fatigue, disbelief… and a hint of resignation.
He raised a hand and ran it through his hair, pushing it back into a neat slicked style, a habit that seemed almost automatic whenever he was thinking too much.
"I guess you're not wrong…" he muttered.
There was a brief pause, his eyes shifted back to her sharp, grounded, and unwavering.
"But are you sure you can beat Zen?"
The question wasn't mocking. It was honest.
Kael tilted his head slightly, studying her.
"I hardly see that happening," he continued calmly. "Even I, just a mundane human can handle someone like you."
The words landed harder than any blow. Denver didn't respond.
She couldn't.
It felt like something sharp had been driven straight through her chest, enough to leave her breathless. Because he wasn't lying, that was the problem. He wasn't trying to insult her, he was just stating the truth.
And the truth… hurt more than anything else making her fingers curled slightly against her lap.
"Weak."
The word echoed in her mind.
She was weak. Far too weak, how could she even think of standing against someone like Zen? How could she aim for something so high… when she couldn't even stand firmly where she was now?
All she had were big words and empty confidence with no power to back any of it up.
Silence filled the room.
The faint crinkling of the opened chip bag on the floor. The soft hum of electricity from the dorm lights. The distant murmur of voices from other rooms down the hallway.
Then Kael broke it.
He pushed himself up from the floor in one smooth motion, brushing off the crumbs clinging to his pants. Small pieces of chips fell to the ground as he dusted himself off, his movements casual like the conversation they just had meant nothing at all.
"It's already late," he said.
His tone had returned to neutral.
"I should head back."
Denver blinked, as if snapping out of her thoughts. She turned her head toward the small clock on the wall. The hands had moved further than she realized. Time had slipped past quietly, unnoticed.
"Oh… right," she murmured.
Her voice felt smaller now.
"Um… get home safe."
Kael didn't respond with words. He simply gave a short nod as he turned toward the door, his steps steady and unhurried. The handle clicked softly as he opened it, the faint noise of the hallway seeping in for a brief moment.
Then the door closed. And just like that, he was gone.
The room fell into silence again. But this time, it felt heavier.
Denver remained where she was, unmoving, her gaze drifting back to the ceiling. The faint light above cast soft shadows across the room, stretching along the walls like quiet, watchful figures.
For a long moment, she simply stared. Thinking or perhaps… trying not to.
"I still have a session tomorrow," she murmured to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "I should get some sleep."
She turned her head slightly, her eyes landing on the bed. And for a brief second her body tensed. A chill ran down her spine as the memory surfaced uninvited.
That nightmare.
The suffocating darkness. The pain. The feeling of losing control… of something else taking over.
Her fingers twitched.
She swallowed.
"…It was just a dream," she muttered under her breath, though the words didn't sound convincing even to her own ears.
Forcing herself not to think any further, Denver shut her eyes tightly and let her body fall back onto the bed. The mattress sank softly beneath her weight, the faint creak of the frame breaking the silence for just a second.
She pulled the blanket slightly over herself, curling just enough to feel grounded.
"No nightmare… no nightmare… no nigh-"
Her thoughts began to blur.
The tension in her body slowly melted away, exhaustion finally claiming what her mind had been resisting.
Her breathing steadied. The world around her faded. And one by one, her thoughts unraveled into nothingness until there was only silence.
By the time the last fragment of worry slipped away…
Denver was already asleep.