Leila watched her brave little team of rookies file out of the conference room, the blast doors shutting behind them with finality.

“It was the Sin of Pride, wasn’t it?” She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

The description James had given them fit what they knew of the S-ranker to a t, and it was just like him to stroll through America as if nothing could bother him.

“We must first confirm a few things, but it’s safe to assume it was him.” The Director answered, looking much grimmer now that there was no need to keep up the facade.

“I think this is one of the very few instances we can be grateful that that man was around.” Marcus rumbled as he smoothed his mustache.

Just the thought of what might have happened to the kids had they met the Arachne by themselves… It sent a shiver down Leila’s spine.

I have lost dozens of comrades to the unending tides of monsters, but I genuinely don’t know what I’d do if they were killed. I’m self-aware enough to recognize I have truly gotten attached.

“Yes, it would have been a disaster on more fronts than just losing a promising team, as much as it would have hurt us. Had the Arachne been allowed to set up for much longer, we might have had a repeat of the early days.”

Leila clenched her jaw. The Director’s words brought back memories she much preferred to stay buried in the recesses of her mind.

“We might have had to saturate the area with artillery. Just call it a loss and glass it entirely. It wouldn’t be worth the loss of life necessary to retake it.” Her mentor mused, seemingly thinking of the exact same episode she had.

“Well, while it’s too soon to call it a complete victory, I doubt the Sin of Pride would leave the job half done, so I think we can avoid discussing the complete devastation of a stretch of domestic soil.” Was the Director’s answer as he stood up, walking over the windows to observe the hustle and bustle of Manhattan below them.

“How did he know, though?” Leila asked after a moment of silence as they all contemplated what could have been. While she was grateful the worst hadn’t come to pass, she had no idea how the usually reclusive man had learned of such a situation when even the AA’s devices hadn’t noticed anything.

“Sloth might have told him. She would definitely know if she cared to turn her gaze away from the Mariana Trench.” Marcus answered. He might very well be correct, but Leila didn’t think they should immediately shelve the problem by taking the most straightforward explanation as good.

Noticing that she wasn’t convinced, the large man added “You think he might be getting more involved. But why now, after all this time?”

She shrugged. “I’m not privy to his thoughts, but it seems to me that we’d commit a mistake if we simply ascribed his actions to Sloth. She might be the mastermind behind their group, but she’s also very much preoccupied with other things. I doubt she has the time to scout the American countryside for every little variation in expected mana levels.”

The Director hummed in agreement “That’s good thinking. Assuming is what got us into this mess in the first place, after all. Better to be safe than sorry.”

Marcus snorted, making the room shake. “What got us into this mess is that the Special Ops are only good at frontal assault. Best people in the world if you want to capture or kill someone, but ask them to do anything else, and they fall apart.”

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This was an old argument of his, as he had very little faith in the supernatural branches of the military after the mess they made in the early years of the Apocalypse. However, Leila felt it was a bit too harsh “It’s not really their fault though. The rangers used the proper equipment, it’s just that no one could have anticipated an Arachne being there. I’m not saying this incident has no culprits, mind you, but assigning the blame so widely only means we’ll have no one to point to in the end.”

Having worked with the Special Ops in the assault on the Golden Sun, and more than that, having been the one to conduct the preliminary investigation, Leila was well aware of just how many things those bastards had their sticky fingers on.

She understood the military men were spread thin and had to focus on the big players, so some situations could and did slip through the cracks. “In the end, the Golden Sun Guild is the one who was messing with the mana levels in dungeons to gather better materials. There was some negligence on others’ part, but the fault lies squarely with them.”

“True, it's just…” Marcus sighed, a heavy sound full of past frustrations. “We got too close this time. All of this could have been avoided.”

The Director turned from the window, his face calm and composed. “Perhaps, but it wasn’t. All we can do now is ensure this doesn’t happen again. Improve our scanning and detection methods, investigate how the Arachne managed to avoid detection, and learn from this. It’s not often that we get to put our hands on one of their nests. The Sin of Pride might have taken the body, but we should be able to find some interesting information.”

Leila nodded. “I’ll try to pry as much as possible from the kids, see if they remember additional details.”

“As for Pride… This is really not for us to handle. Washington will decide what to do with this information, even if I suspect they’ll simply share it with the loyal Guilds, make sure the S-rankers on our side know what to expect.” The Director added in a serious tone.

The three sat in silence for a few moments, each lost in their thoughts about the future and the potential developments this incident could spur.

Finally, Leila broke it. “Do you think Towers will go hunt for him? At this point, it might be better to leave Pride be. Even though he has gotten his hands on a Shard of the Aby-”

“ENOUGH!” Marcus roared, mana spilling into a visible corona. “Do not pronounce that name here! This place is secured only as much as you can trust the bureaucrats to keep their noses to themselves.”

Chastised, Leila apologized “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” It wasn’t often that she needed to admit her faults, but in a room with just her mentor and the Director, she could do it. It was true that she had almost said something dangerous, after all.

“Yes, let’s avoid names and speculations that might cause unrest, especially here.” The Director seconded with a stern look. His mana surged momentarily, as though to neutralize the effects of Marcus’ outburst, ensuring that no trace of their conversation was left lingering in the room's energies.

“You are right, though.” Marcus said, visibly pulling back his energy as he took a deep breath. “Towers and his group might seek him out if they learn of this. As it is, the situation is too volatile. An S-ranker with that thing is not a situation we want to handle lightly.”

“Towers was always too much of a goody-two-shoes. Since he has been forbidden from entering The Caldera and the Chinese have been relatively quiet outside their borders, he has been itching for a big win.” The Director commented, taking a sip of his water “Still, he’s not stupid, for all that he presents himself as a meathead. Even if he can find Pride, and that’s a big if, he’s not likely to attack him on sight.”

Leila considered the possibility of those two monsters fighting for real and shuddered. An S-rank Awakener was not just a stronger A-rank, after all. They were existences on a different plane entirely, and the difference between the two highest ranks was closer to that between A and C.

Those two going at it would be like several nuclear bombs going off at the same time.

We can’t really ignore Pride getting his hands on a Shard, but it might be better if Towers doesn’t find him. The consequences of their fight… Better not to think about it.

The Director spoke up again, bringing Leila back from her dark thoughts. “For now, our course of action will remain internal. Let’s clean up our backyard first, improve our surveillance, and understand where we went wrong. We might be able to use the Arachne’s presence to increase the surveillance on other Guilds’ dungeons, even though they were not directly involved with the Golden Sun.” A satisfied smile ghosted on his features, there and gone so swiftly that it might have been her imagination. Leila, though, knew the man too well. Even in the depths of despair, he would always find a way to eke out a small victory.

“And the rookies?” She queried, her mind shifting back to her students. “Should I brief them on the situation? James at least should know who is keeping an eye on him.”

Marcus and the Director exchanged a brief glance, a nonverbal communication passing between them. After a pause, the Director nodded. “Inform them all, but keep it limited and controlled. They are still young and unseasoned. There is no need to throw them into the deep end of one of the planet’s greatest crises just yet.”

“And caution them on the extreme confidentiality of this matter.” Her mentor added, his tone gruff but concerned. She knew he also had a soft spot for the kids.

Leila nodded, standing up “Alright, I need to get a handle on the situation on the ground first. I’ll inform you if I find anything worthwhile.” That said, she left the room, sinking into the shadows pooling at her feet.

She had a job to do.