The air inside Elohans Tower grew more sterile the deeper He went in. The walls and most decorations and furniture was made out of titanium or ceramic coated stainless steels; both Materials that the Old World primarily used in the medical field. Even today they were often used.

But Elohan used those materials because they are easy to clean, so easy to keep sterile, and because titanium was anti magnetic, which was also why all of his subject’s enhancements were alloyed with titanium; just as his own. Especially nowadays where those terrorist groups were on the rise, it was helpful, almost needed, to have extra protection.

A voice rang out next to him, the kind of voice that made his skin crawl. «Sir,» it drawled, so sweet yet irritatingly smug.

Cain resisted the urge to groan. He sighed inwardly instead, steeling himself before turning to face the source. «Alice,» he acknowledged with a curt nod, his tone flat, devoid of any warmth. «Still a maid, I see.»

«Still a grumpy cat, I see,» Alice shot back, with a smirks, her metallic fingers clinking softly as she clasped them together.

He bit back the urge to scowl. He hated that smirk, hated the way she always managed to get under his skin. He quickened his pace, hoping to outdistance her, but Alice matched him step for step, her prosthetic legs whirring softly with every step she took.

Without warning, she pinched his cheek. The touch was warm—too warm—and it sent a shiver of irritation down his spine, and spoke; «But that is why we like you Cainy~» she cooed with a voice people used when they talked with their pets or little Children.

He sighed, again only Inside his head, and swatted Alice's Hand away with more force than necessary. «Don’t you have maidy Things to do?»

Alice pulled her hand back and shrugged, unperturbed. «I thought so too, but Elohan called me here. Just as he did you apparently.»

Cain nodded absent mindedly. If Alice had been summoned alongside him, it could mean one of two things: either Elohan had another task for her entirely, or she was finally getting the promotion she’d been working tirelessly for. Despite his personal dislike for her, Cain was honest enough to admit that she deserved it. He had sparred with Alice many times, and while he always came out on top, he couldn’t deny that she was a skilled and formidable opponent. Her proficiency in combat was only matched by her irritating persistence.

«Why are you here,» Alice asked and tilted her head, studying him with those unnervingly bright blue eyes. Her gaze was as sharp as her tone was casual, a reminder that despite her playful demeanor, she missed little.

Cain met her gaze, noting how the artificial light gleamed off her metallic limbs. She was taller than him, a fact that always irked him slightly, though he’d never admit it. Out of everyone in Elohans inner circle — Cain was surprised she got in there If He was honest —, Alice had the most outside enhancements. Both of her hands and both of her legs from hip down, were prosthetic. «I mean, normally you get your orders through a message, don't you?» She added.

«You’re right,» Cain said. «But if it's urgent, Elohan always calls me to give me the order in person.»

Alice nodded thoughtfully, though her expression remained neutral. Cain could see the gears turning in her mind, though. She was like him; always analyzing, always calculating. It was one of the things that made her so dangerous—and so annoying.

They finally reached the massive doors of Elohan’s chamber, two towering slabs of the same dark obsidian as the rest of the tower. The blue lines that crisscrossed the surface pulsed rhythmically, almost as if the structure was breathing. The air here was cooler, tinged with the faint scent of ozone, like the calm before a storm.

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Cain’s gaze lingered on the pulsating lines that ran across the surface of the doors. They were mesmerizing, almost hypnotic, the steady rhythm acting as the towers' very own Heartbeat. The cool air brushed against his skin, sending a faint shiver down his spine. The scent of ozone, sharp and electric, hung in the air like a promise of something ominous. He exchanged a glance with Alice, who stood beside him with her usual composed demeanor. The hum of the tower’s machinery reverberated through the walls, a low, constant drone that rang in Cain's ears.

The doors slid open with a smooth, silent motion, revealing the vast expanse of Elohan’s chamber. The room was a masterpiece of geometric precision, a perfect circle with walls that arced seamlessly into a high, domed ceiling. The floor was a mosaic of polished titanium, the blue lines forming intricate patterns that converged at the center, where Elohan’s throne sat like a monument to some ancient, unknowable power.

Elohan himself was a study in contrasts. At first glance, he appeared to be a strikingly handsome man in his mid-thirties, with sharp, symmetrical features that seemed almost too perfect to be real. His skin was a smooth, flawless olive tone, and his hair, a deep obsidian black — that was tied back into a sharp ponytail that reached just past his shoulders, the style giving him an air of disciplined elegance — gleamed under the chamber’s soft, ambient light. His eyes, a piercing shade of blue, had a depth that was both unsettling and captivating.

He wore a sleek, dark robe that flowed like liquid metal, its edges catching the light and reflecting the room’s pulsating blue patterns. The robe was open at the collar, revealing a hint of the body beneath—smooth, perfect, yet without any sign of the machinery that lay hidden within.

Despite his human appearance, there was something in Elohan’s demeanor, in the way he moved and spoke, that was distinctly not human. His eyes, for all their beauty, held a coldness, an unyielding precision that spoke of the machine within. The way he sat, the way his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne, was too deliberate, too calculated to be natural.

Cain’s mechanical eye flickered slightly, adjusting to the ambient light, and he couldn't help but notice the subtle shift in Elohan’s gaze as it locked onto him, those piercing blue eyes calculating, assessing.

«Cain,» Elohan’s voice was smooth, almost melodic, but it carried an underlying edge that demanded attention. «You and Alice came promptly. As expected.»

Cain sighed inwardly. It was always like this. Straight to business, as if Cain and Alice were just tools to be commanded, not individuals with lives or thoughts of their own. A part of Cain bristled at the slight, but he buried the irritation beneath layers of practiced indifference. He wasn’t here for conversation.

«The Anti-Radiator,» Elohan said, his voice smooth and resonant, yet devoid of warmth. «It has been found.»

Cain’s attention sharpened. They had been hunting that device for weeks, ever since it was stolen from an outpost in the Wasteland. The Anti-Radiator was vital—a piece of advanced technology capable of stabilizing radiation levels in the most contaminated zones. Without it, entire sectors could become uninhabitable, even for the Ascended. The theft had been a blow, and the search for it had consumed every available resource. And now, after all the false leads and dead ends, they finally had a location

«Where?» Cain asked, his voice more clipped than he intended.

Elohan’s gaze flickered ever so slightly. Cain knew that His tone had not gone unnoticed. «A village near the Eastern Ruins. A group of scavengers is holding it. They are primitive, but resourceful. You will assemble your troup and retrieve the device. You will not fail.»

There it was—no room for error, no allowance for complications. Elohan’s commands were absolute, his expectations clear. Cain bit back a retort. Failure was not an option, not when it came to Elohan. The God’s displeasure was something no one, not even an Ascended, wanted to endure.

«You will take Alice with you,» Elohan continued, his tone brooking no argument. «Her skills will ensure success. The mission is too important for you to undertake alone.»

«As you command,» Cain replied, keeping his voice steady, devoid of the frustration bubbling beneath the surface.

Elohan’s expression didn’t change. He simply leaned back in his throne, the light catching the edges of his dark robe, making it shimmer. «Do not disappoint me, Cain. You have until sunset.»

The words were final, a dismissal without the formalities. Without another word, Elohan turned his attention back to whatever data streamed across his vision, leaving Cain and Alice standing in the center of the chamber, already forgotten.

As they exited the chamber, the doors closing silently behind them, Cain’s thoughts churned. Elohan hadn’t even bothered with a proper greeting, hadn’t acknowledged their presence beyond what was necessary to give his orders. Typical, Cain thought bitterly. To Elohan, they were little more than instruments, and his demands were all that mattered. The weight of those expectations pressed down on him, mingling with the unease that always followed a conversation with Elohan.

Alice walked beside him, her expression unreadable, her mechanical limbs moving with that effortless grace that always unnerved him. She was efficient, flawless—everything Elohan valued. Cain wondered what she was thinking, or if she even thought at all. But he pushed the thought away. There was no time for doubts or distractions. They had a mission to complete, and failure was not an option.

The stolen Anti-Radiator had to be retrieved, and Elohan’s orders executed to the letter. Cain clenched his metal hand, feeling the familiar hum of the servos. Whatever awaited them in the Eastern Ruins, they would face it and ger the device Back.

Elohan demanded nothing less.