As he reached the top floor, the shattered remains of the window came into view. He dove through, landing lightly on his feet. The room was eerily silent now, the chaotic energy from the earlier battle replaced with an unsettling stillness. The creature's blood still stained the floor, but no new threats seemed to appear. Vas quickly scanned the area, spotting the device lying amidst the debris. Without wasting a moment, he retrieved it, tucking it safely into his bag.

His mind raced. I need to leave—now. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Something about the building felt... wrong, as if eyes were watching him from the shadows. He couldn't shake the feeling that more of those things might be lurking nearby, waiting to strike.

Vas propelled himself out of the building, moving swiftly across the city skyline, disappearing into the night. By the time anyone would arrive at the scene, he would be long gone. No traces of him remained within the Sigdra building.

His exhaustion hit him in waves, every muscle in his body burning with fatigue. He needed rest, somewhere safe, somewhere he could process what had just happened and make sense of the device's data. His thoughts drifted to Madeline's place. It was one of the few sanctuaries he had left, a place where he could let his guard down, if only for a short while.

Without hesitation, Vas changed direction and made his way toward her home. The journey felt longer than it should have, his body heavy with exhaustion, but eventually, he reached her place. The familiar sight of her building brought him some relief. He landed silently on her balcony and slipped inside.

The moment he entered, his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the couch. His breath came in ragged gasps, his mind struggling to focus. He pulled out the device, holding it in his trembling hands. There was no way he could analyze the data in this state. His vision blurred, and the weight of everything began to sink in.

But here, in the quiet of Madeline's home, he could at least recover. The device would have to wait for now. Vas closed his eyes, letting the tension in his body slowly ease. For now, all he could do was rest. Tomorrow, he would unravel the mysteries hidden within the device—whatever dark secrets it held.

Two shadowy figures stood silently in the dim glow of the ancient library, their outlines barely distinguishable against the towering shelves of forgotten knowledge. The room was vast, its air thick with the scent of old paper and dust, and yet no breeze stirred, no sound broke the unnatural stillness. Before them floated a giant, ethereal orb, its surface rippling like liquid glass. Strange letters—ancient, shifting symbols that defied comprehension—slowly rotated across the orb, casting faint flickers of light onto the figures.

One of the figures, enshrouded by a thick, swirling mist that clung to their form like a second skin, stepped closer. Its robes were heavy and dark, trailing along the cold stone floor with a soundless grace. Only the faintest outline of a face could be seen beneath its hood, and even that seemed to blur when looked at directly, as if the figure was half-present, not entirely anchored in this reality. It raised its hand toward the orb, fingers long and skeletal, tracing the letters with a reverence that bordered on obsession."So..." The voice came, soft yet resonant, as if whispered from every corner of the library at once. "What do you make of him?"

The other figure, standing in stark contrast, was wrapped in shadows so deep that not even the flickering light of the orb could penetrate them. Its presence was almost imperceptible, as though the darkness itself had taken shape. When it spoke, its voice was smooth, almost melodic, but there was a weight to it, a power that lingered in the air. "He shows potential. Talent, even. But... he lacks focus. He wanders, searching for something he cannot yet name."

The mist-shrouded figure hummed in contemplation, a sound that reverberated unnervingly through the still air. "He needs more than potential if he is to survive what's coming."

"Yes," the shadowed figure agreed. "But he will find his way. Or... he will break."A silence followed, heavy and thick, as the two figures stared into the depths of the orb. Within its swirling surface, images began to take shape—flickers of moments, fragments of battles, glimpses of Vas in motion, struggling against forces far beyond his comprehension.

"If he manages to uncover the truth within that device," the shadowed figure murmured, its voice softening, "I will go to him."

The mist-wreathed figure turned slightly, though its features remained indistinct. "You? Will you truly intervene for him?"

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The shadowed figure did not answer at once. Instead, it watched the orb, its dark form utterly still, as if weighing an unspoken decision. "If he proves himself worthy," it said at last, voice barely above a whisper, yet it carried a weight that seemed to press down upon the room itself. "Only then."

The mist-shrouded figure turned back to the orb, its hand lingering just above the strange symbols. "Interesting..." it mused, a smile hinted in its voice. "If she has taken an interest in him... then perhaps this one is worth watching after all."

With that cryptic remark, the figure dissolved, the mist evaporating into nothingness, leaving the room colder and darker than before. Only the faint sound of footsteps echoed through the endless rows of books as the second figure—still cloaked in shadow—turned and walked away, disappearing between the towering shelves. The darkness swallowed it whole, and within moments, it was as if neither had ever been there at all.The orb flickered once more, its letters swirling in a final, unreadable dance before it dimmed. Silence returned, heavier than ever, as the library stood once again in its forgotten stillness.

Unaware of the watchful eyes upon him, Vas lay on the couch, trying to relax. His muscles ached, his body bruised and battered from the harrowing encounter earlier. He had just started to drift into a state of weary calm when the front door swung open, and the sound of footsteps broke the quiet. Madeline returned from work, Lily in tow, and the moment they laid eyes on him, they both screamed in unison.

"Vas, what the hell?" Lily was the first to find her voice, rushing over to him. "If I'm the one training with the monster you call your grandmother, then you're the one who looks like you've been to hell and back!"

"I kinda was," Vas replied, his voice weary but laced with a wry smile. He pulled out the device from his jacket and held it up for them to see. "I need some help going through this," he said, looking toward Madeline.

Madeline crossed her arms, her eyebrow raised. "Didn't I give you that for the little mission I assigned you?" she asked, a slight smirk playing on her lips.

"Yeah, but I didn't need it for that, so I, uh... used it for my own purposes," Vas admitted with a shrug.

Madeline sighed, but there was a glint of amusement in her eyes. "Alright, I'll help you. But," she added, her gaze narrowing as she looked at his torn clothes and the bruises peeking from under his shirt, "what about your wounds?"

"Not much to say," Vas said, shifting uncomfortably. "I just need some rest and to hide these from my family, at least the bleeding ones. Bruises are pretty standard with the way I train."

Madeline grabbed the device from him and headed towards her workbench. "I'll decrypt the data and hand it back to you soon."

Vas leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes for a moment before turning to Lily. "How's the training going?"

"Horrible," Lily groaned, flopping down beside him on the couch. "She's way too strict, and meticulous about every little thing."

Vas chuckled softly. "I figured. Have you heard her stories from the war?"

"Some," Lily mumbled, staring at the ceiling.

"She broke enemy lines by herself, formed an elite unit that's still influential today... She's one of the Novas," Vas said, emphasizing the title.

"Novas?" Lily asked, turning her head toward him.

"All of them came out of the war—the one that started decades ago. It nearly tore humanity apart, the Thousand Day War. That's the name most people know, anyway."

"And your grandmother calls it something else?"

Vas nodded. "She calls it the Hidden Heresy. According to her, there were things going on behind the scenes—nasty stuff with Anima and Amrita. She and her team weren't just fighting battles; they were disrupting whatever those people were trying to do."

Lily frowned, her mind clearly trying to piece everything together. "But what does that have to do with her training being so brutal?"

"She holds everyone to the same standards she had for her soldiers back then. To her, training isn't just about physical conditioning; it's about preparing you for war. She wants you to be as refined as those elite soldiers."

Lily sighed heavily and flopped her arm over her face, muffling a groan. "I'd rather your grandpa train us. Or at least watch over us again."

"You wouldn't say that if you knew him," Vas said, smiling ruefully. "If you think my grandmother's standards are high, his are impossible."

Lily raised her arm enough to peek at him. "Why do you say that?"

Vas leaned back, his eyes distant. "Long ago, he told me that my grandmother used to frustrate him beyond belief. He thought she was careless, sloppy—even though she was one of the best. According to him, she didn't measure up to his bare minimum." He paused, letting out a tired chuckle. "Honestly, I think my grandpa holds everyone to insane standards."

Lily stared at him for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Great. Just what I needed—more impossible expectations."

"Don't worry," Vas said, patting her shoulder. "You'll survive. You just have to remember to breathe. It's what keeps me alive living with them." He flashed a tired grin.

"Yeah, sure. Easy for you to say," Lily grumbled, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "I swear, your family is a nightmare."

Vas only smiled knowingly, leaning his head back against the couch. "You have no idea."