The atmosphere in the conference room was tense as the leaders of HeCaTe assembled, each taking their designated seat around the table.

Claire, the Supreme Commander, exuded a calm yet authoritative presence at the head of the table, her gaze scanning the faces of those gathered. Beside her sat Clarice, her Chief Strategist, arms crossed, ever poised and calculating.

The heads of the Investigation Units—Kuroko, Amano, Kamei, and Jurou—were scattered around the table, each displaying a distinct focus on the issue at hand: Erilith, their latest recruit, and the mysterious deep-red orb.

This orb—a relic that had nothing to do with Erilith herself but seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy—had been discovered amidst the recent chaos. To complicate matters further, Erilith, unlike other recruits, had no background that lined up. No past, no family records, no real name. She had simply appeared, first as an anomaly in Shibuya and now as a crucial yet confounding piece in their puzzle.

"We're dealing with two issues here," Claire began, her voice cutting through the silence. "One, Erilith, and two, the orb. Neither of these matters is clear-cut. We all know the disturbance around Shibuya wasn't random, and neither was finding her."

Kuroko leaned forward, flipping through a set of files. "I'm still struggling to get a clear profile on her. For all intents and purposes, she was a regular person before we found her—a part-timer with a mild obsession for anime and little else. Yet her background checks yielded... nothing. Not even a shred of data on her origins. Everything is wiped, almost as if she was erased."

Amano, who specialized in digital forensics, frowned. "We've seen cases like this before, but never so clean. There isn't a single record that hasn't been scrubbed. No family, no real name, no connections. Either she's skilled enough to cover her tracks, or someone's done it for her."

Kamei's gaze sharpened. "Are we sure she isn't some kind of plant? We could be dealing with a sleeper agent or something worse."

Clarice shook her head slightly. "She's been watched closely since the moment we found her, and from what we've gathered, she doesn't seem to know anything beyond the basics of her life. If she is a plant, then whoever placed her did it with a far longer game in mind than we've encountered before."

Claire turned her attention to Kline, who had tested Erilith personally. "Kline, any new insights?"

Kline reclined lazily in her chair, her expression one of mild amusement as she glanced at the tablet in her hand. "Oh, she's interesting, alright. Erilith isn't human—at least, not entirely. She has traits that align with demonic characteristics—horns, wings, and that tail of hers that keeps giving our equipment a run for its money. Yawn, She registered as human initially, but the minute her features appeared during our scans, the system went haywire." Her tone was almost smug, and she threw a glance at Yuka, her second-in-command, who was visibly less impressed.

Yuka, with her more analytical approach, shook her head. "That's the problem, Kline. We still don't understand what caused the equipment malfunction. You keep jumping to conclusions without definitive proof. We know she has physical abilities, but beyond that, everything else is speculation."

Kline's eyes sparkled with a challenge. "Speculation or not, the fact remains—Erilith isn't normal. And while I'd love to keep dissecting every strange little quirk about her, we have no clear indicators as to what she might be. We know she's fast, strong, and can cause tech issues just by being near it, but as for anything beyond that? Nothing definitive. Yet."

Kuroko sighed, clearly frustrated. "And then there's the orb. It doesn't seem connected to Erilith, but it's not something we can ignore. When we ran diagnostics, we found that it emitted a faint energy—something akin to a pulsing heartbeat. Some of my team even say it resembles an eye—a deep red one."

Claire nodded. "The orb's power isn't something we can quantify yet, but it has drawn attention. It's clearly not just a piece of decor." Her gaze shifted to the heads of the Investigation Units. "This artifact might be the key to unraveling what and who Erilith is."

Kline leaned forward, her intrigue piqued. "All the more reason to keep it close. We should study it further. I have a few theories, and I believe—"

Yuka interjected, clearly irritated, "Theories. That's all we've got, isn't it? Every test we've run has yielded inconclusive results. Kline, this isn't just another pet project. We need facts before we make any risky decisions."

Kline smirked, leaning back, obviously unbothered by Yuka's critique. "Oh, Yuka, sometimes you're too cautious for your own good. Risks yield results, you know. And if we don't dig deeper, we'll be left chasing our tails."

Claire cut in, her tone authoritative. "Enough. Dr. Kline, I expect both you and Dr. Yuka to cooperate. Continue your research on both the orb and Erilith, but no risks that aren't calculated. We're not here to indulge in scientific curiosities. We need answers."

Kamei chimed in, "If Erilith has any connection to this orb, she might not even know it herself. From what I've seen, she's as bewildered by her situation as we are. If she has some hidden agenda, it's incredibly well-buried."

Amano, who had been silent up until now, raised an eyebrow. "Or she's been programmed to forget. We can't overlook the possibility of memory manipulation. We're dealing with powers that go beyond the typical."

Clarice nodded thoughtfully. "Then we continue to observe. If she is connected to the orb, it may only be a matter of time before we see more signs."

Claire looked around the room, her expression grave. "In the meantime, I want tight surveillance on Erilith. We won't introduce her to any established unit yet, especially not Unit 5. We can't risk letting her influence or harm anyone in her immediate vicinity."

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Jurou, a composed figure with a more global focus, adjusted his tie, his tone diplomatic. "That may be wise. The orb may have nothing to do with her, but she's unpredictable. Until we understand her better, keeping her isolated will reduce risks."

"Agreed," Claire replied. "Kline, you have permission to run your diagnostics, but carefully. We're looking for concrete evidence on what she is and, if possible, where she came from. And Kuroko, keep your team focused on the orb—this 'eye' might have more information than it's letting on."

Claire's eyes narrowed, her tone cutting through the room like a knife. "Now, on to the next topic," she said, dropping any pretense of formality. "The recent... incident with our high-profile transfers: B1, A2, and A26. All gone. And all of it timed right alongside B24's attempt."

The room went silent, tension thickening. The fact that three high-level detainees had vanished in unison was more than concerning—it was a direct affront to the organization's entire security protocol.

Kuroko's hand tightened around his pen, his usually composed demeanor visibly rattled. "I'm starting to think this wasn't a random breakout. Whoever orchestrated this either has inside information or somehow managed to sync their movements with the Tokyo branch transfer schedule."

Claire nodded, her gaze intense. "They did. B1, A2, and A26's escape patterns suggest a level of coordination that we can't ignore. Either we're dealing with an external threat sophisticated enough to access our logistics... or we have a leak."

Amano, head of Unit 2, leaned forward, fingers tapping against her chin. "What about communications leading up to the transfer? Were there any suspicious signals, encrypted or otherwise, that could have hinted at a breach?"

Kamei of Unit 3 shook his head, frowning. "None. But with the level of tech we're seeing out there, anyone with the right equipment could have cracked into our systems for a brief period without leaving much of a trace."

Kline, who had been quiet until now, spoke up, almost disinterestedly but with an unmistakable glint of curiosity. "It's not outside the realm of possibility that someone with knowledge of our exact protocols had a hand in this. But B1, A2, A26... they were all held in unique containment structures. To bypass those would require near-flawless timing and a detailed understanding of each of their containment weaknesses."

Claire took a deep breath, weighing their words. "Agreed. And considering the timing, we're either dealing with multiple inside accomplices or an external party with access to confidential data. Kline, Yuka," she addressed both, "I want every piece of data scrubbed, every anomaly noted. We need to understand how they orchestrated this."

Claire's gaze turned steely as she assessed the team. "We need this breach contained before it spirals further out of control. Kamei," she directed toward the head of Unit 3, "you and your team are to launch a full investigation. I want you to dig into every detail surrounding the transfers from Tokyo—security logs, transport arrangements, internal communications, everything. Find out if this was an inside job, and if it was, identify our leak. No stone unturned."

Kamei gave a curt nod, his voice firm. "Understood, Commander. We'll begin immediately. Unit 3 won't stop until we have answers."

Then, turning to Kuroko, head of Unit 1, she continued, "Kuroko, I need Unit 1 on tracking duty. I want eyes on B1, A2, and A26. If they're hiding within range, locate them. Monitor any patterns or anomalies that could lead us to their trail. Use whatever resources necessary to get me results."

Kuroko's sharp eyes glinted with determination. "Consider it done, Claire. Unit 1 will begin the tracking process immediately."

Ivan, who had been listening with his characteristic composure, finally chimed in, his tone laced with skepticism. "And B24, let's not forget. It's unlikely they all just chose the same time to bolt without a deeper link. I'm not saying it's a definitive answer, but perhaps we consider the possibility that Erilith's arrival—on that very same day—could be connected."

Claire's gaze snapped to him, and a flicker of agreement passed between them.

"Noted," she said. "In the meantime, strengthen all holding protocols and increase surveillance, especially for high-profile transfers. I don't want a repeat of this fiasco." She paused, casting a pointed look at each unit head. "And I want answers, quickly. Dismissed."

As the others filed out of the room, Ivan lingered, his sharp eyes tracking Claire's movements. Once the door clicked shut, he stepped closer, his tone low but direct.

"Claire," he began, "I've been thinking about Erilith. She's clearly not ordinary, but we're keeping her on the fringes. That's not going to give us the answers we need."

Claire's eyebrow arched slightly, signaling she was listening. Ivan continued, his voice unwavering. "I'd like to place her in Unit 5. They're all green, yes, but that's exactly why it could work. She wouldn't be able to hide among experienced agents, and we'd get a better idea of her capabilities."

Claire didn't respond immediately, considering Ivan's suggestion with her usual calculated focus. It was clear Ivan wanted more than simple observation; he wanted to understand Erilith's strength, to measure her potential—and, if necessary, her threat—himself.

Behind them, Kline, who had been idly flipping through her notes, looked up with a glint in her eye, clearly amused by the turn in conversation. "Putting her in Unit 5 already? Ambitious, Ivan," she chimed in, smirking. "But before you throw her to the wolves—or newbies, in this case—let's give her a real test."

Ivan's gaze shifted to Kline, a hint of reluctance there. "Testing her could backfire if it's not handled right, Kline. I don't think she fully understands what she's capable of yet."

"That's exactly the point," Kline said, her voice full of barely restrained excitement. "Strength, speed, agility, endurance—I want to know her limits. And I know you do, too. If she really has a demonic constitution, there could be more than what we've already seen. She malfunctioned the scanner without even knowing it, Ivan. That's not a coincidence."

"Strength tests alone aren't enough," Ivan said, though he seemed to be warming to the idea. "I want to see her reflexes, her control under pressure. If she really has raw power, that could either be a blessing or a curse for us."

Kline's grin widened. "Why stop there? I'd say we set up a battery of tests. Not just physical capabilities, but perception—let's see if her instincts are as sharp as her reflexes. We should also test her reaction to different stimulus types, see how her body and mind adapt." She tapped her fingers on her notebook thoughtfully. "And I'd like to measure that strange energy she carries. There's something else going on beneath the surface."

Claire listened to both of them, her expression unreadable, but she finally nodded. "I agree that we need to assess her. We'll put Erilith through these tests, with you both overseeing the process. Ivan, if she can handle it, Unit 5 will be her next step. Kline, I want thorough data—don't leave anything out."

Kline's eyes sparkled with a flash of excitement. "I'll be ready," she said, standing up. "This will be... enlightening."

As she left, Ivan folded his arms, looking back at Claire with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "If she turns out to be unstable... you know what that could mean for HeCaTe."

Claire met his gaze, unflinching. "That's why you'll be there, Ivan. If Erilith is a danger, you'll be the first to know."

As the meeting adjourned, the leaders dispersed, each bearing a piece of the enigma that was Erilith and the orb. The questions remained, and with them, a rising sense of unease. HeCaTe had brought her in under Claire's orders, but what they had yet to discover would either secure their power or unravel it in ways they couldn't yet foresee.