"You're being reassigned."
Kael blinked. "That doesn't sound optional."
"It isn't."
The woman slid a new plate across the counter.
Kael picked it up, turning it slightly in his hand as he read the engraved text.
Human Unit: Kael
Rank: Unassigned
Skill: Unknown (Active)
He stared at it for a moment, then looked back up.
"…Unknown?"
Lyra stepped closer. "They cannot classify your ability."
"That feels like a problem."
"It is."
Kael exhaled slowly, running his thumb across the surface of the plate. "So I went from weakest to… undefined."
"Yes."
"…That doesn't feel better."
"It is not meant to."
Across the room, movement caught his attention.
The wolf-type Beastkin stood near the edge of the guild, his expression no longer amused. He was watching Kael now with a level of focus that hadn't been there before.
Behind him, his contracted human remained still, but his gaze was just as sharp.
Kael shifted his stance slightly.
"…I've officially upgraded to being watched," he said under his breath.
Lyra didn't deny it.
Further back, Darius stood with his arms crossed, observing the situation with the same calm intensity as before. Unlike the others, he didn't look surprised.
If anything, he looked as though something had just been confirmed.
Kael looked back down at the plate in his hand.
"Unknown," he repeated quietly.
Something about that didn't feel temporary.