King Kadavar / Arika POV—Courtyard, Medical Bay
Morning had already taken the courtyard by the time Yuri brought Kaodin back inside the medical bay.
Low sunlight slipped between the bamboo stands beside the medical wing, breaking into fractured orange bands across the grass-field, stone-paved walkway. Wind moved through the stalks in uneven pulses, collapsing and reforming their shadows like a slow, breathing organism. It was quiet in a way only institutional mornings ever were—controlled, temporary—and, as if the King and Arika both knew by instinct, never meant to last.
Kadavar stood at the edge of the courtyard, Arika beside him.
His posture was elegant by habit, the bearing of a man shaped by years of harsh discipline and extensive combat. Yet the morning light betrayed what that stance concealed—dark swelling around his eyes, fatigue etched deep enough to suggest a willful neglect of his own health, endured so his ideology could be reinforced within his people.
He lowered his zipped jacket slightly, reached into the inset pocket beneath it, and drew out his familiar gold-framed spectacles. Sliding them on with practiced ease, he turned his gaze toward Arika.
He was about to speak—
when a soft, repeating rhythmic ping echoed from his arm-interface, the curved surface hugging his wrist as a muted green indicator pulsed steadily along its matte edge.
He tapped the interface once, silencing the alert, his gaze narrowing as he scrolled through the clustered notices. Arika remained still, waiting, reading his expression rather than the delay.
"And Commander—before dawn, the night shift flagged anomalous heat signatures at Noir Chapel," Kadavar said. "Multiple sources. Sustained. Footage confirms demon-lord goons relocating something elsewhere as we lost tracking on their heat signature."
He paused.
Arika gave a single nod. Her eyes shifted—not to him, but to the empty space ahead, fragments already aligning. Night shift. Heat spike. Movement. She had meant to raise it hours ago. The boy's incident had stolen that window.
Kadavar continued before she could speak.
"However, there was also an unfamiliar civilian moving within the same perimeter. Her movements were observant, yet she was unkempt and clearly unprepared for the danger ahead—still, she pressed on and deliberately infiltrated such a hostile area. If she were there for loot, she would be nothing more than a fool. But from what I observed, she was calm, calculated, and acted with intricate intent, lacking only one underlying element: experience. That alone rules out a common scavenger. And if one ventures there not for profit, but for knowledge, then there is only one plausible explanation—a specialist physicist."
A specialist, Arika concluded silently. Physics. Or bio. No one else walked into Noir Chapel unarmed.
"You mentioned the boy was asking after someone," Kadavar said. "A doctor."
"You will retain oversight of the two visitors," he added evenly. "That authorization remains unchanged."
Arika did not move. She listened.
"You will take the boy with you," Kadavar continued. "I'm almost certain that, if my assessment is correct, she is the one he has been looking for. And I want to know what truly compelled the boy to jeopardize himself for a stranger—a physicist, no less."
A brief pause.
"Assemble your team. Procure what you need. Take the opportunity to eliminate the demon-lord scum occupying Noir Chapel before they jeopardize our civilians. You may assess both the boy and the captured civilian as the operation unfolds."
As soon as the King finished issuing the order, Arika responded without delay.
"Sir—and regarding Nyla's arm implant, per your authorization," she said evenly. "I have already procured an SAI PS-Λ (Lambda) Stabilization Arm. The specifications match her operational profile. It should fit her with only minor recalibration after testing."
She allowed herself the faintest curve of a grin—not pride, but closure.
"It is not a replacement," Arika added. "But it is an elite-grade unit. The least we can offer in return for her assistance—and proper compensation."
"The procurement authorization will be routed to your arm-interface later today," she concluded. "Directly from the Order."
Kadavar nodded once, accepting the decision without comment.
Almost immediately, he activated his arm-interface again. A new cluster of urgent signals had already stacked in priority—enough to draw him back toward the office without further delay.
Arika inclined her head once. "Understood."
Kadavar's eyes did not linger on her. Instead, he shifted his focus, frowning slightly as his gaze settled on the fully lit screen along his arm. His fingers moved with practiced command as he quickly opened a joined secured private channel, flagged for priority delivery.
A voice dispatch followed.
"Yes. People—confirmed meeting. I'll be back at my office within ten—no, give me fifteen. I'll stop by the restroom first. If you arrive early, wait outside my office."
Each recipient, one by one, returned an earnest acknowledgment.
The King then turned his gaze back to Arika, if only for a brief moment.
"I'll excuse myself first, Commander. Report to me if there's anything else."
She responded immediately. "Yes, Your Majesty. I'll handle matters here and report back promptly. Rest assured."
A simple grin crossed her face as she brought her right hand to her chest in a precise, silent salute while Kadavar stepped past her. He acknowledged it with a slight incline of his head, already moving on—toward the tower spire, and toward other unresolved matters involving a young boy whose mysterious power had begun to entangle fate itself.
Arika let out a small sigh as the King disappeared from sight, the electric unicycle already speeding away. Almost immediately, an emergency-tagged notification from Yuri flashed across her interface. Her eyes widened as she skimmed the details, and she broke into a quick run toward the medical bay entrance.