Willow wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. The Director of the Player Society was here, presumably waiting for them. She knew enough of Hana’s past to know that Director Seah was a founding member of the Phoenix Clan, but the entourage of fully-armed knights felt… wrong.

A voice interrupted her thoughts, “Hello, miss?”

The woman standing before was well dressed, not as well dressed as Seah whose statuesque figure was striking, but very much office formal. It was at odds with the wilderness they were standing in.

“My name is Eunice, I am an analyst at the Player Society.”

The last statement was phrased almost like a question. It was a strange feeling, as if Willow could tell this woman didn’t pose a threat. Or at least, that’s how she felt in the moment.

“You’re here with Director Seah.”

Eunice coughed. “Yes, I came here with her. But I have no official duties here today.”

The expression on Willow’s face was one of confusion.

“That means I came here with her, but I’m not with her. At least, not today.”

“Then why are you here?” Willow asked. “In fact, why are any of you here?”

It took everything she had not to react to the hostility in Willow’s voice. She could [read] Willow’s profile, but that felt too invasive. Instead, Eunice took a breath.

“The director was sent here with a message,” she answered finally. “And she requested I join her. Just to observe.”

“I’m here at the director’s request,” she answered finally. “Just to observe.”

“Observe,” Willow repeated back. She thought for a second and wondered where she’d seen this woman before. She hadn’t been at the Seokrak Outbreak, but her face was familiar.

Willow’s eyes widened when she realized.

“You’re the technomancer.”

Eunice smiled. “I’m a technomancer. But for the time being, at least in South Korea, I am the technomancer.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Willow thought back. The technomancer was the newest class that had been discovered just three years ago. Rumor was that other countries had discovered the class years earlier, but kept the secret of how the class was unlocked to themselves. It wasn’t until a scholar had unlocked the specific combination of stats and skills to unlock the class. Right now, anyone could choose the technomancer class, but Eunice Park was the first.

The revelation worried Willow. The technomancer was a new class and a few years ago, the player-sphere was buzzing with rumors. Some said that the class allowed plates to manipulate and use electronic devices. Others said that it allowed players to technologically enhance themselves. Of course, no one knew what to make of it because there was only one in the country and the Player Society had been tight-lipped about class details.

“You said the director was sent here with a message?” Muho interjected. The Guildmaster had limped his way over, driven by curiosity. Willow looked at the scores of injuries and haphazard bandages.

“Yes,” the technomancer replied. “She’s probably delivering it now-”

“No,” he interrupted, again. “You said that someone sent the director here. Who has the authority to order the Director of the Player Society?”

***

Hana wore her emotions on her sleeves. And it was obvious for all to see just how she felt to see Seah here. And if that weren’t enough…

“Why the hell are you here?”

Jinyoung raised an eyebrow, surprised by the hostility. He’d gotten the feeling that relationships had soured in his absence, but it was still a shock to see just how badly things had gotten between these two. Especially since the last time he saw Seah, she was comforting Hana.

“I’m here to deliver a message,” she responded, holding up a phone.

The recording was scratchy and it took a few seconds before a man’s voice was audible.

“This is Survey-three. We’re blocked in and.. [kkrzt] not good. We’ve lost contact with the other teams and [krzzt]... assault team. The northern barony has completely [krazzt] and we rec… [krrzzt]. Survey-two went off-comms four days ago and [krzzt]... I repeat, do not… [krrzzat]”

There was additional static and the telltale sounds of armed battle before the recording ended.

“Seah, what is this?” Jinyoung asked. “If a survey team was ambushed, then you need to send in backup.”

“We sent in one survey team three months ago up north,” Seah explained. “The northern barons have been out of communication for a year now and the borders are overrun. We lost contact with survey-one and sent in two teams after them. This was the last message we got from survey-three two months ago.”

“That means, you’re going to close the border, aren’t you?” Hana asked quietly.

Seah nodded.

Hana turned to Jinyoung. “If a region has been overrun, the Society sends in up to three survey teams. If the teams find that the area cannot be saved or if the teams don’t report back, the region is blocked off.”

Jinyoung held up a hand. “Okay, that all makes sense. But what does this have to do with me?”

Seah and Hana exchanged looks. A tense silence hung in the air until Seah sighed.

“This isn’t about you, Jinyoung. That voice you heard belongs to Seunghyo.” Seah shot a look at Hana who only turned away in response. “Hana’s husband.”