Vale took one final look at the woman standing before him. Though her features were distorted by the roaring whirlwind of flames spiraling around him, he could still see her clearly enough, brown hair lifting unnaturally in the heated wind, pale skin untouched by the fire that licked at her form and vanished as though swallowed whole.
His eyes widened as he tried to step forward, forcing himself against the wall of fire. He barely moved an inch before the woman raised her hand. With a single, sharp snap of her fingers, she spoke one word.
"Go."
In an instant, a massive wave of flames surged outward and engulfed Vale completely. Fire consumed him, filling his vision, his lungs, even his thoughts. He struggled desperately, fighting against the inferno with everything he had, but it was useless. The heat overwhelmed him, and at last, the world went dark once more.
Vale drifted through the void, weightless and numb. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, silent and cold. A single thought echoed in his mind.
'Alexandria Rosemary?'
The name lingered uneasily.
'Was she related to Miss Rosemary?'
He didn't know. There were no answers in the dark, only the slow pull of unconsciousness. Vale closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift.
Time passed. How long, he couldn't tell.
Eventually, sensation returned.
He felt something soft beneath his hands, fabric, familiar and worn. His brow furrowed faintly just before a low, recognizable growl reached his ears. Sluggishly, he opened his eyes.
A small, pale wyvern hovered over him, eagerly licking his face.
Vale blinked, eyes widening as he slowly looked around. He was back in his room. Everything was exactly as he had left it, the furniture, the lighting, the faint hum of electronics. No fire, no forest, no woman.
His heart thudded.
'Was it a dream?' he wondered as he pushed himself upright.
Before he could dwell on the thought, a soft sound reached him, tiny, high-pitched chirps coming from his desk. Vale froze, then stood, his movements slow and uncertain as he crossed the room.
"So… it wasn't a dream?" he murmured.
A metallic voice answered him.
"It was not, no."
Chrome emerged from behind the computer, his lens glowing faintly. Vale turned to the robot, his expression conflicted and weary.
"Chrome?" Vale asked, taking a seat. "What happened?"
Chrome was silent for a moment. Then he turned and activated the computer. The screen flickered to life, rapidly filling with files and data logs.
"I have been wondering the same thing," Chrome said. "So I searched the database, this is what I found."
Files labeled Chimera flooded the display, medical analyses, energy readings, containment reports.
"Take a look for yourself."
Vale leaned forward, eyes widening as he scrolled through the documents, carefully reading each one. The more he read, the heavier his chest felt.
"They knew," he said quietly, leaning back in his chair. "They knew Chimera was dying."
He stared up at the ceiling, his jaw tightening.
The reports detailed everything, how over the past few months, Chimera's abilities had become increasingly erratic, far beyond what was normal, even for someone who already lacked control. Worse still, her body had begun to deteriorate at an alarming rate, as though time itself was accelerating for her alone.
Vale's eyes narrowed.
'But how?'
Her energy had always been unstable, yes, but not lethal. At worst, it should have hindered her, slowed her down. It was never meant to kill her. Yet somehow, it nearly had.
'Why?'
No matter how he turned it over in his mind, one conclusion remained. Something else had interfered, an external force manipulating her abilities.
Vale covered his face with his hands and sighed deeply.
"I'm too tired for this," he muttered, leaning back against the desk.
His gaze drifted to the small black chicks resting there. As Chrome spoke again, Vale gently reached out, lightly brushing each of them on the head.
"My systems were likely shut down due to Chimera's instability," Chrome explained. "However, they recovered shortly before you left the enclosure. Whatever occurred seems to have corrected the issue."
Vale's eyelids drooped as he listened.
"Really?" he asked. "What did you see?"
Chrome paused, his lens dimming slightly.
"There were numerous animals present," he said. "Confirming my hypothesis that Chimera functioned as a kind of monarch to them. However… there was also a dark wolf. It showed strong attachment to you while you were unconscious."
Vale's eyes snapped open.
"Chrome," he said sharply, "where is that wolf now?"
Chrome shook his lens slowly.
"I do not know. It vanished while I was analyzing Chimera's collapsed body."
Vale exhaled, disappointment heavy in his chest. He closed his eyes.
"So… you're gone too, huh?" he murmured.
At that moment, Ember fluttered over and landed softly on the wooden desk, tilting his head as he curiously inspected the chicks. Vale watched with a faint, gentle smile.
Ember was far larger, easily five times their size, yet the wyvern handled himself with remarkable care, lowering his head and keeping his movements slow, as though fully aware of how fragile they were.
Vale leaned sideways in his chair, his gaze drifting toward the door of his room. The moment he looked at it, his mood darkened further. What had once been clean, reinforced steel was now stained a deep charcoal black, the surface warped and scorched as if it had been dragged straight through a furnace.
He clicked his tongue quietly and turned to the small wyvern.
"Ember?" he asked, carefully keeping the irritation out of his voice. When the wyvern's attention shifted toward him, Vale lifted a hand and pointed at the door. "What is that?"
Ember tilted his head, considering the question with unsettling innocence, then spat a small burst of flame directly at Vale's chest.
Vale didn't even flinch.
He exhaled slowly. "Never mind."
Turning away, he focused on the three raven chicks perched together on the desk. They were unnaturally quiet now, dark feathers puffed up as they huddled close.
"So," Vale muttered, more to himself than to them, "is there anything special about you three?"
He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses, letting his awareness sink beneath the surface of the world. The moment he brushed against their energies, his body stiffened. His chair creaked as he leaned back sharply.
"You have got to be kidding me," he groaned. "Why does everything happen in a single day? Why me?"
Each of the chicks carried power, real power. Not latent, not dormant. Active.
One radiated a sharp, flowing presence, like cutting air currents whipping through open skies. Another exuded something cold and unsettling, an almost negative energy that bent perception and shimmered like a half-formed illusion. The last emanated warmth, not heat, but a steady, vibrant force, crackling faintly beneath the surface.
Chrome tilted his frame, his lens flickering.
"What is wrong, Vale?" he asked.
Vale dragged his hands down his face, exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders. He glanced at Chrome through his fingers.
"They're all Visorians," Vale said flatly.
Chrome froze.
Then, suddenly,
"No way! Really? That's incredible!"
Vale turned toward him, staring as though the robot had completely missed the gravity of the situation.
"Yeah," Vale said dryly. "Sure. Incredible. Why are you so excited?"
Chrome had already moved toward the desk, deploying a small scanning device as he spoke.
"Oh. Right. I guess you wouldn't know," he said. He paused briefly, then continued, his voice carrying unmistakable enthusiasm. "If you're correct, these are the first recorded raven-species Visorians in history."
Vale's eyes widened slightly at that.
Chrome continued, his tone shifting into rapid analysis. "It makes perfect sense now. Why none have ever been documented, I mean. It's a miracle they survived their first trial at all, those usually seem to occur within a day of birth."
Vale exhaled slowly, understanding settling in.
"Yeah," he murmured. "That does make sense."
He looked back at the chicks, his gaze sharpening.
"But then why did all three survive?" he asked. "That shouldn't be possible."
Chrome fell silent, processing. After a moment, he responded.
"I don't know," he admitted. "It truly is extraordinary. In rare cases, when one succeeds, others may follow, especially in twins. But this…" He paused. "This feels different, more deliberate."
The scan finished with a soft chime.
"Results confirmed," Chrome said. "One is linked to the Wind Plane, one to the Illusion Plane, and the third to the Energy Plane."
Vale raised an eyebrow.
"Why don't you call them by their official names?" he asked tiredly.
"Because you don't know those yet," Chrome replied immediately.
Vale shrugged, neither denying nor confirming the statement.
His attention drifted to the computer screen, where the clock read early morning. Despite that, his body felt heavy, far heavier than a simple lack of sleep could explain.
'Is it exhaustion… or is it what I did to Chimera?'
He sighed deeply. He didn't know. And at the moment, he didn't have the strength to find out.
Vale pushed himself to his feet, intent on returning to his bed.
That was when a knock echoed through the room.
He froze.
The sound came from the steel door.
"Who is it?" Vale called out.
No answer came.
Frowning, he approached the door and wrapped his hand around the handle. It was still warm, burned smooth and dark beneath his fingers. He pulled it open.
Vale's eyes widened in surprise.