Vale let out a heavy sigh as he stared at his phone.
They had been eating far longer than he had realized. Time had slipped by unnoticed, quietly, almost politely. After a moment, he locked the screen and allowed his thoughts to wander once more.
'I wonder how Chrome is doing,' he thought.
The question lingered briefly before his attention shifted. Evelyn and Callum were standing up from their seats.
Vale raised a brow and followed suit, letting out a low whistle as he stretched. Ember immediately looked up at the sound. The small wyvern blinked once, then fluttered into the air, circling before settling onto Vale's shoulder.
Vale smiled faintly and reached up to pat Ember's head. Then his attention moved to the ravens cradled in his arms.
He didn't know much about raven biology, especially not when it came to creatures touched by power, but something was unmistakably different. They were larger than they had been that morning. Not by much, but enough for him to notice.
"Is their growth accelerated?" Vale muttered to himself.
Before he could think further, approaching footsteps drew closer.
Callum and Evelyn stopped in front of him.
Callum smiled warmly, while Evelyn studied Vale with a thoughtful expression.
"Can you find your own way back?" Evelyn asked.
Vale looked up at her, then slowly shook his head.
She sighed.
Before she could say anything else, Callum spoke up. "Don't worry, Eve. I can take him back. Just tell me his room number, I'll have him there in no time."
Vale tilted his head slightly, feeling a bit awkward under their attention.
Evelyn looked at him, then nodded. "Alright. His room is 1134. Make sure you get him there in one piece, okay?"
She tapped a few buttons on her wrist device, and Callum's own device chimed softly as the data transferred.
"Of course," Callum replied brightly. "I'll make sure Vale gets back safe and sound."
With that, Evelyn waved them off and headed in the opposite direction.
After a brief pause, Callum turned to Vale and let out a short breath. "Shall we go?"
Vale nodded. "You'll lead the way, I assume?"
Callum nodded back and started walking. Vale followed closely as they exited the restaurant and entered the dim corridors beyond.
Callum hummed a quiet melody as they walked. For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Callum glanced back, his wide blue eyes thoughtful.
"Oh, Vale," he said. "Would you mind if I added a special assignment to your combat class?"
Vale blinked and raised a brow. "A special assignment?"
"Yes," Callum replied with enthusiasm. "There'll be three others joining. I had something in mind, an assignment that forces all of you to work together. It could really help with team synergy."
Vale considered it for a moment, then nodded silently.
They continued walking through the dark halls of the facility, their footsteps echoing faintly. Eventually, Callum stopped in front of a door marked **1134**.
Vale stepped forward and opened it. As he turned to wave goodbye, Callum called out again.
"Oh—one more thing," Callum said. "Eve's going to test you in three days. It's more of a semi-evaluation, no grades—so don't stress too much. Just make sure you learn as much as you can."
Vale paused, then looked back at him with a gentle smile. "Thanks. I'll make sure I'm ready."
Callum hesitated.
His smile faded slightly as he opened his mouth, closed it, then finally spoke again.
"Oh, and Vale… would you mind if I taught you some things myself?"
Vale stared at him for a moment, surprised, then nodded immediately. "Of course."
Callum's smile returned, brighter than before. "Great. Meet me at the eastern cafeteria tomorrow at noon."
He turned away, waving as he walked off.
"I'll be there," Vale called back. "Thanks a lot."
Callum stopped suddenly.
Vale frowned in confusion, then, in the next instant, Callum vanished.
Gone.
Vale's eyes widened before he let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head.
'Of course,' he thought. 'He controls speed and motion.'
Callum had likely accelerated himself to such an extent that Vale's eyes simply couldn't track it.
Closing the door behind him, Vale entered his room calmly. He gently placed the ravens, whose feathers were already beginning to form, on his desk. Ember hopped down beside them, watching curiously.
Vale glanced toward the separate door leading further into his room, then turned and walked toward it, leaving Ember with the ravens as the lights dimmed behind him.
Vale closed the bathroom door behind him, leaving Ember alone in the room with the small ravens.
For a brief moment, he considered checking in on Chrome. The thought crossed his mind almost automatically, but it was quickly overshadowed by something far more pressing. He had wanted a shower since early that morning, and by now the fatigue clinging to his body made the decision for him.
'It can wait,' he thought.
He undressed methodically and turned on the shower, adjusting the temperature before stepping back. Steam slowly began to fill the room, fogging the mirror as the water heated. When the air grew warm enough, Vale stepped inside.
A satisfied breath escaped him the moment the hot water touched his skin.
He tilted his head back, letting the tension drain from his shoulders as the steady stream washed away sweat, dirt, and dried blood. The steam thickened around him, curling upward in pale clouds.
As he lowered his gaze, something caught his attention.
The implant on his left arm.
At first glance it looked the same, but something felt… off.
Vale narrowed his eyes and raised his arm closer, rotating it slightly beneath the falling water. The bone-like structure had changed. Not drastically, but unmistakably. The implant now occupied more space along his wrist, its pale surface wrapping around nearly half of it like natural armor rather than a simple augmentation.
That was new.
He reached out with his metallic right hand and tapped it lightly.
Nothing happened.
No response. No vibration. No shift.
Vale frowned slightly, then relaxed. "Huh."
He dismissed it for the moment and finished washing, scrubbing away the remnants of the day. When he stepped out of the shower, he grabbed a clean white towel and dried himself thoroughly before tossing it into a basket he assumed was meant for used clothes and linens.
His gaze drifted to his armor.
Despite everything it had been through, falling into dirt, being drenched in blood, it looked pristine. Almost untouched.
Vale picked it up, turning it slowly, inspecting every seam and surface. Not a single stain.
"…Is it because it's a relic?" he muttered.
That explanation made the most sense.
He set it aside and opened a small closet near the wall. Inside were neatly arranged rows of loose clothing. Vale selected a simple white set and pulled it on. It fit almost perfectly.
Satisfied, he brushed his teeth at the sink, rinsed his mouth, then gathered his armor and stepped back into his room.
The door opened to chaos.
Ember was happily bounding around the room, wings half-spread, while the small ravens hopped and fluttered after him in clumsy pursuit. The wyvern froze the moment he noticed Vale.
They stared at each other.
Then Ember resumed immediately.
Vale let out an amused chuckle and shook his head. He crossed the room and hung his armor neatly inside his closet before closing it again.
Sitting down at his desk, he tapped the monitor once.
The surface rippled.
Liquid metal flowed outward, pooling and reshaping itself until Chrome emerged, his body reforming into the familiar spider-like configuration.
A smile touched Vale's face. "Hey, Chrome. How was your sleep?"
"Uneventful," Chrome replied calmly. "I returned to my main body and left the drone active until you summoned me."
There was a brief silence, comfortable, but uncertain.
Then Chrome spoke again. "So… how did your meeting go?"
Vale's expression grew thoughtful. He reached for a stack of books, opening one as he considered his answer.
"…Pretty good," he said finally.
"Back to studying already?" Chrome asked.
Vale nodded, eyes scanning the page. "Yeah. I've got a test in a couple of days. I need to learn as much as I can."
Chrome moved closer, briefly reading alongside him, then shifted again, extending one of his legs into the computer interface.
Vale raised a brow as new files and articles began loading across the screen.
"These are materials that are difficult to obtain," Chrome explained. "Most standard texts do not contain this information."
Vale smiled softly. "Thanks."
He returned his attention to the book in his hands, deciding to finish it first before diving into the rare articles Chrome had prepared.