[Scene 1: The Groggy Anchor and the Empty Wrist]
The violent propulsion from the Zodiac Arena deposited Team Sloth onto the serene, star-dusted floor of the Dream Weaver Observatory. The Zodiac Prism, now containing the glowing Lumina Seed, pulsed softly, a symbol of victory completely overshadowed by the trauma of the Whisper King's final, devastating prophecy: sacrifice and betrayal.
Leo Vance awoke not with a jump, but with a philosophical sigh of disappointment. He felt groggy, heavier than usual, and immediately noticed the sickening silence in his mind. The subtle, necessary hum of the Protocol was gone.
He reached for his wrist, finding it bare. His REMulator Band—the vital device that allowed him to instantly trigger lucid dreams and stabilize his Inertia—was missing. The thief hadn't stolen their energy; they had stolen his key to lucidity, preventing him from achieving Consciousness (Powerlessness).
"Data log: Anchor Status Zeroness activation probability: zero," Leo muttered, his voice raspy. He felt terrifyingly cut off from his power, vulnerable to the chaotic environment. "Someone stole my nap schedule. That's a crime against Elegant Sloth."
Astrid, still reeling from the vision of herself betraying Leo, immediately went into high-alert tactical mode. Her logic was her only refuge from the fear of the prophecy. "A focused theft immediately following the prophecy? This confirms the internal threat is active, and highly coordinated!"
[Scene 2: Astrid's Comedic Interrogation Protocol]
Astrid declared an immediate, full-scale internal investigation, locking down the entire Observatory with biometric scanners. She was determined to find the culprit's statistical anomaly before panic consumed the group.
"Fact: The REMulator Band requires proximity to the Anchor's psychic signature. Fact: The thief is one of us. State your movements, Tank," Astrid commanded, her green eyes sharp and accusatory.
Tank, bristling at the suspicion, cracked his knuckles. "Let's smash AND grab! I was guarding the boss! If I wanted it, I'd smash the lock and grab the whole Observatory! This is an insult to my loyalty and my physical power!"
"Your loyalty is not statistically verifiable, Tank. Your motive for insubordination is statistically high due to your aversion to puzzles and patience," Astrid countered, flipping his lack of patience back onto him.
Next was Lys Delmar, who was observing the situation with unnerving calm. "Lys, state your knowledge of the theft."
"The Band is gone because Consciousness cannot be bought or stolen, Analyst Laura. It must be accepted. The theft is a reflection of internal doubt—a spiritual wound," Lys whispered, her answer philosophical and utterly useless for an interrogation.
"Unusable data," Astrid sighed, frustration tightening her jaw. She watched the Void Whispers in the corner, gaining mass and strength, feeding on the rising despair.
[Scene 3: Petra's Subtle Diagnostics]
Leo, fighting the psychic sluggishness, realized he had to act as the Consciousness guide, even while paralyzed. He managed to signal Petra Vale, the Tech Wizard, who was discreetly running diagnostics from a console.
"Petra," Leo rasped, focusing his limited awareness. "I need data on psychic stealth. The thief was here and gone without detection. This isn't brute force theft; this is subtle."
"Got it, Boss!" Petra whispered back, her hyperactive energy contained. She activated a secondary Static Netcaster scan, looking for residual temporal signatures from a stealth jump. "Ooh, the thief used a super slick, low-frequency temporal distortion field. They were invisible to conventional sensors! And look—they used a piece of equipment to mask the frequency! Something non-psychic!"
Petra pulled up the data: the temporal signature was masked by a subtle, non-psychic field—a piece of gear designed to hide its wearer from logical scrutiny. The thief was highly coordinated, and they had a technological edge.
[Scene 4: The False Accusation and Splintering Trust]
Astrid finished her interrogation, her logical net closing on the most probable statistical culprit based on proximity and access to non-psychic distraction.
"Conclusion: Lulu Vance," Astrid stated, turning her merciless logic on the most vulnerable target. "Motive: Highest proximity to the asset during the jump. Method: Possesses the Candycut Bow, capable of localized, non-lethal distraction. Lulu, where were you looking when the portal closed?"
Lulu burst into tears, dropping her mini instant camera. "I was looking at the new Zodiac symbol! I didn't steal it! Let's snapshot this terrible accusation!"
Tank roared, slamming his fist onto a nearby desk, shattering a data monitor. "You leave the kid alone, Laura! Let's smash AND grab! You're letting your logic destroy the team! You're letting the prophecy win!"
The room plunged into chaos. Astrid, though logically justified, felt the terrible psychic weight of the false accusation. The psychic wound of the prophecy—you must choose your anchor—was tearing the team apart. Leo watched, the pain of the splintering trust amplifying his paralysis. The Void Whispers were gaining mass and strength, feeding on the despair.
[Scene 5: The Intimate Clue and The Unconventional Signal]
As the chaos peaked, Lulu, sobbing, bent down to retrieve her camera near the console. She looked up at the spot where Leo had been lying.
Lulu wasn't looking for evidence; she was looking for comfort. Her innocent, creative mind was fixed on the environment, seeking familiarity.
She noticed a small, seemingly insignificant detail on the polished floor where Leo's head had rested. It was a piece of debris, placed with deliberate precision.
"Leo? Look." Lulu sniffled, extending a finger toward the small fragment.
It wasn't a marble, a psychic residue, or a piece of armor. It was a piece of packaging from Leo's favorite, limited-edition cosmic caramel clusters—the exact snack that had triggered his first Inertia pulse (Chapter 1). The snack packaging was perfectly folded into a tiny, intricate geometric shape, like a paper crane.
Astrid scanned it instantly. "It's just trash, Lulu. Inconsequential data."
But Leo's mind, despite his paralysis, recognized the signal. It wasn't logic, and it wasn't fear. It was communication through comfort. Only the thief knew his specific, deeply personal snack preference and would leave such an intimate, non-verbal clue.
He managed to whisper one name, confirming the new suspect, the complexity of the internal threat, and the true nature of the thief's motives:
"The thief... is Reggie Maverick. The Navigator."
Astrid's logic immediately snapped to the terrifying fact. Reggie Maverick was the Adventurous Navigator, known for aerial dream travel and always wearing a vintage aviator jacket. His signature was his love for spicy snacks and high-speed flight. His navigator gear would be the perfect source of the non-psychic temporal distortion Petra detected. And a flyer would need to leave a message only Leo would understand—a trail of cosmic snack crumbs.
CLIFFHANGER:
Astrid rushed to the floor and retrieved the packaging. As she touched the intricate paper fold, it unfolded, revealing a complex, encrypted flight plan. The final line of the code indicated a rendezvous at an unstable nexus point: The Gravity-Defying Clockwork Tower.
They had the next location and the new prime suspect—but the Navigator was fast, and the next sabotage was already airborne.
Astrid stared at Leo, her fierce conviction battling the raw exhaustion. "He stole the band to sell your Zeroness activation sequence to the Coalition. We have to move, Vance!"
Leo managed a weak, defeated smile. He didn't use his catchphrase. He simply closed his eyes, accepting the fact that his greatest weakness—his love of comfort—had been used as a silent, invisible communication tool against him.
"Go, Laura," Leo whispered, his voice tinged with dark humor. "I'll be here. Procrastinating on my recovery."