CHAPTER 33
[AFTER ESTABLISHED RESET]
The cold wind continued to move through the trees.
The Child remained where he stood.
Motionless with his head lowered.
As if the threat he had just issued carried no more significance than a passing remark.
Inside the secure neural-link channel, silence lingered for several seconds.
It was Wraith who broke it first.
"I... was impaled."
Neither Lynx nor BrimJaws responded immediately.
Wraith's voice remained calm, but both agents could hear the strain behind it.
"I was impaled by some kind of creature."
A pause followed.
"A creature with massive claws."
Lynx frowned beneath his visor.
"Impaled?"
His voice carried a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
"By a creature? What does that even mean?"
BrimJaws immediately responded.
"That shouldn't be possible."
His eyes never left the Child.
"I already confirmed the surrounding ecosystem through my Verdaxian Art. There are no large predators within range. Nothing capable of posing a threat."
Lynx slowly nodded.
"And none of us moved from this position."
His gaze remained fixed on the Child.
"The Unknown-Class anomaly is still standing exactly where it was before."
Wraith took a slow breath.
"That's because..."
He hesitated.
"...I used a Sequence."
The effect was immediate.
Both agents stiffened.
BrimJaws was the first to understand.
"No."
His voice lowered.
"Don't tell me..."
Wraith answered.
"Yes."
A brief silence followed.
"The Paradox Of Mendes."
Lynx's eyes widened beneath his visor.
"Wait..."
His thoughts raced.
"That means..."
BrimJaws finished the sentence for him.
"...this already happened."
The realization settled over all three of them.
"And if you activated Paradox Of Mendes..."
His voice hardened.
"...then we died."
Wraith didn't answer immediately.
He didn't need to.
The silence was confirmation enough.
"We were wiped out."
The words felt heavy inside the channel.
Wraith continued.
"I don't know how it did it."
His attention never left the Child.
"But whatever happened, it killed three ranked Behemoths before any of us could even initiate a Release."
A long silence followed.
The weight of that statement settled heavily on both agents.
A Behemoth Of The Third.
A Behemoth Of The Fifth.
A Behemoth Of The Seventh.
Eliminated instantly.
Lynx swallowed.
"So he meant what he said."
The Child remained motionless in the distance.
"We really aren't supposed to walk out of here alive."
BrimJaws immediately pushed the thought aside.
"No."
His voice carried a newfound firmness.
"We have one advantage."
Both agents turned their attention toward him.
BrimJaws continued.
"It doesn't know."
There was a pause.
"It doesn't know this has already happened."
The realization spread through the channel.
Wraith immediately understood.
BrimJaws nodded.
"We know how the first engagement ended."
"We know it won."
"And it doesn't know that we know."
Lynx slowly exhaled.
"Meaning we can change the outcome."
BrimJaws nodded.
"Exactly."
His attention shifted toward Wraith.
"You'll need to tell us everything."
"Every detail."
"No matter how insignificant."
Wraith remained silent for several moments.
Then he spoke.
"There is something."
Both agents listened carefully.
"Before we died, I was issuing engagement orders."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And then I saw something."
"What?"
Wraith stared directly at the Child.
"I don't know."
The answer frustrated even him.
"For a fraction of a second, it felt like reality glitched."
Neither agent interrupted.
"The Child flickered."
"A single moment."
"Like a missing frame."
Lynx remained silent.
BrimJaws did the same.
Wraith continued.
"And through my peripheral vision..."
His voice lowered.
"I saw what looked like the Child's face."
The channel went silent.
"Several inches away from Lynx's visor."
Lynx froze.
"What?"
"I couldn't tell if it was real."
Wraith shook his head.
"It lasted less than a heartbeat."
"When I looked again..."
"The Child was still standing exactly where he is now."
BrimJaws frowned.
"And then?"
Wraith's response came immediately.
"Then you both died."
The silence returned.
Neither Lynx nor BrimJaws spoke.
Wraith continued.
"You were cut apart before either of you realized an attack had happened."
"And then something drove three claws through my chest."
Lynx slowly processed everything.
His expression gradually shifted.
Then he spoke.
"Wait."
Something clicked.
"Earlier you said the attack came from a beast."
"Correct."
BrimJaws immediately followed.
"But there were no beasts."
"I checked."
"The area was clear."
Lynx continued.
"And if there wasn't a beast here before..."
His voice trailed off.
"...then one must have appeared."
Wraith slowly nodded.
"That's my conclusion."
The three agents exchanged glances.
Lynx's eyes widened.
"A summoning."
The realization struck him instantly.
"But that's impossible."
"Summoning Arts belong to Therion descendants."
His voice lowered.
"The Ancient Art Of Therion."
BrimJaws looked toward the Child.
"He's an Unknown-Class anomaly."
"I doubt bloodline restrictions apply."
The possibility hung heavily in the air.
Wraith finally voiced the conclusion they had all arrived at.
"That leaves only one explanation."
There was silence.... And then —
"It copied your Art."
Lynx's stomach dropped.
Wraith continued.
"It somehow acquired your ability."
"It summoned a beast."
"And that beast killed all three of us."
The neural-link fell silent.
BrimJaws eventually broke it.
"If that's true..."
His grip tightened around his weapon.
"This just became a lot more complicated."
Lynx slowly nodded.
"It also explains why we died so quickly."
Both agents looked toward him.
Lynx continued.
"Most beasts summoned through Therion are stronger than their summoner."
"If a single summon wiped out three Behemoths instantly..."
His voice lowered.
"...then imagine how powerful the summoner must be."
Nobody responded.
Because everyone had reached the same conclusion.
Wraith finally spoke.
"Which means this thing represents a direct threat to Solaria."
His hand slowly settled upon the hilt of his weapon.
"And no matter what happens here..."
His voice hardened.
"...we have to find a way to neutralize it."
Then suddenly...
A voice interrupted them.
"So you all survived."
The effect was immediate.
All three agents froze.
None of them had spoken aloud.
Yet somehow the Child had responded to a conversation taking place entirely through their neural-link.
The Child slowly lifted his head a fraction.
Not enough to reveal his eyes.
Just enough to make the movement unsettling.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Interesting."
His attention settled upon Wraith.
"An Art capable of reversing an established chain of cause and effect."
Then shifted toward Lynx.
"And an Art capable of manifesting creatures stronger than its wielder."
The smile widened slightly.
"So that's how you survived."
Silence settled across the clearing.
The Child's hand slowly moved toward the weapon at his waist.
Metal scraped softly against its sheath.
"You know..."
The blade emerged another inch.
"I underestimated the three of you."
The sound of steel continued through the forest.
In a slow, deliberate but measured pace.
The blade finally cleared the sheath completely.
"...which means I may have to take this a little more seriously."
Wraith's instincts seemed to scream the same warning:
Either move first.....Or die again.
---
[S.C.U.L.A.A.R.S — OPERATIONAL PERSONNEL DOSSIER]
CLASSIFICATION: RESTRICTED
ACCESS LEVEL: BLACK
AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY
---
AGENT DESIGNATION: WRAITH
Rank: Behemoth Of The Seventh
Ancient Art: Kairos
Bloodline / Ancestry: Descendant of the Ancient Kingdom of Kairos
Release Classification: Non-Calamity Class
Operational Status: Active
Art Overview
The Ancient Art of Kairos grants advanced manipulation over the flow of time. Through specialized Sequences known as Commands, the user can reverse, halt, or potentially accelerate temporal events within designated parameters.
Known Commands
First Command — Paradox Of Mendes
A temporal reversal sequence capable of undoing events that have already occurred. The duration reversed determines the Command's recovery interval before reuse.
Second Command — Graveyard Of The Damned
A temporal suppression sequence that completely halts the flow of time within a designated area.
Third Command
Unconfirmed. Believed to involve temporal acceleration.
Strengths
Exceptional combat intelligence.
Extremely high perception radius.
Advanced consciousness extension.
Proficient swordsman.
Capable of Double-Step and Triple-Step techniques.
Highly adaptable during high-risk engagements.
Temporal Commands significantly reduce operational casualties.
Weaknesses
Lower durability compared to practitioners of equivalent rank.
Commands consume substantial Divine Energy reserves.
Temporal recovery intervals create exploitable windows during prolonged combat.
Threat Assessment
Extreme Threat
National Strategic Asset.
Release authorization subject to government oversight.
---
AGENT DESIGNATION: BRIMJAWS
Rank: Behemoth Of The Fifth
Ancient Art: Verdaxis
Bloodline / Ancestry: Descendant of the Ancient Empire of Verdaxis
Release Classification: Non-Calamity Class
Operational Status: Active
Art Overview
The Ancient Art of Verdaxis grants advanced manipulation and reinforcement of plant life. The user may transform portions of their body into enhanced botanical structures while simultaneously controlling surrounding vegetation.
Release
The Throne Of Thorns
A Release that grants dominion over surrounding vegetation, dramatically increasing control, reinforcement capabilities, regeneration, and environmental influence.
Strengths
Exceptional regenerative capabilities.
Extremely high durability.
Superior Divine Energy reinforcement.
Environmental sensory perception through vegetation.
Enhanced physical performance under sunlight.
Effective frontline combatant.
High resistance to conventional damage.
Weaknesses
Limited Divine Energy reserves compared to higher-ranked Behemoths.
Incapable of utilizing Commands.
Vulnerable to Divine Energy-enhanced fire-based Arts.
Extended engagements gradually reduce effectiveness.
Threat Assessment
Significant Threat
Recommended for containment operations and direct combat deployments.
---
AGENT DESIGNATION: LYNX
Rank: Behemoth Of The Third
Ancient Art: Therion
Bloodline / Ancestry: Descendant of the Ancient Kingdom of Therion
Release Classification: Non-Calamity Class
Operational Status: Active
Art Overview
The Ancient Art of Therion specializes in the summoning and manifestation of mythical beasts and creatures. Summons are constructed through Divine Energy and operate under the user's command.
Release
The Beast Of Heathen
A Release that summons powerful war-beasts possessing enhanced combat attributes and destructive capabilities.
Strengths
Capable of summoning creatures stronger than the user.
Adaptable summon selection based on terrain and mission requirements.
Can inherit specific attributes possessed by summoned entities.
Effective support and battlefield-control specialist.
Summons can compensate for deficiencies in direct combat capability.
Weaknesses
Limited Divine Energy reserves.
Powerful summons require substantial energy expenditure.
Loss of control possible during Divine Energy depletion.
Physical performance heavily influenced by active summons.
Incapable of utilizing Commands.
Lower-ranked compared to most strategic assets.
Threat Assessment
Moderate Threat
Suitable for reconnaissance, support operations, and controlled engagements.
---
S.C.U.L.A.A.R.S DOCTRINE
All agents are required to adhere to the following engagement protocol:
Contain if possible.
Capture if feasible.
Neutralize if necessary.
Terminate only as a last resort.
---
SPECIAL NOTICE
Unknown-Class Anomaly Designation Supersedes Standard Doctrine.
Upon confirmation of an Unknown-Class entity:
Containment is not required.
Capture is not required.
Neutralization is optional.
Termination is authorized at operator discretion.
Survival of personnel takes priority over acquisition of intelligence.
---