The heavy oak doors of Valerius’s private study groaned shut, sealing the four of them inside. Elma had slipped in behind the trio, her presence barely a whisper in the wake of the giants.

  Valerius turned, his bearing softening instantly. “Little jewel,” he said, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Do you need something?”

  Elma straightened, meeting his gaze. “I want to stay with you.”

  A deep, proud laugh rolled from him. “Then come,” he said, every ounce of delight in her presence clear.

  He hoisted her up with a grin, settling her into a massive velvet chair as if she were a spectator at a play.

  She had never known Hephryx was Awakened. No. He wasn't. But here, in the close quarters of the office, his presence was unmistakable. It was wrong. It didn’t pulse with the steady rhythm of a normal Aegis; instead, five distinct fields overlapped, clashing and vibrating with uncoordinated malice.

  Nina began with the practiced grace of a diplomat. “I hope your journey wasn’t too taxing, Hephryx,” she said, her voice smooth and even, hiding any trace of impatience.

  "Not at all," Hephryx replied, his smile unwavering. "We encountered a single Rift, but your guilds handled it almost instantly. The efficiency of the Altheris border guard is... commendable."

  He turned his gaze toward Nina, his eyes like polished glass. "And how is D—67? I hope she hasn't fallen short of your expectations."

  "She has been surprisingly efficient," Nina said.

  Elma’s jaw tightened.

  Efficient.

  Valerius leaned back, his eyes narrowing. "I heard that you’d stopped producing those soulless puppets. What are you up to now? Collecting more Remnant scrap?"

  Hephryx laughed lightly, a sound like dry parchment rubbing together. "I am doing what I have always done, Valerius. Fighting for humanity. Only... more efficiently this time."

  "How so?" Valerius asked, crossing his arms.

  Hephryx leaned back slightly, folding his hands in his lap.

  “I have spent years studying the Remnants,” he said. “They all had a lever. A need. Once essential for evolution. Now… a liability.”

  Hephryx clasped his hands together.

  “Levers the Tide can pull. Love. Fear. Happiness. Incentives the mind invented to keep the organism moving.”

  Nina tilted her head slightly. "And the solution?"

  Hephryx leaned forward slightly in his seat.

  “The solution is not stronger bodies. It is stronger minds. A human who seeks no joy, who needs no validation, who forms no attachment… is a human the Tide cannot break.”

  Valerius’s expression hardened. "I think humanity is fine as it is."

  Hephryx laughed softly, as if realizing he had revealed too much of the "god" behind the curtain. "I am building something that embodies this, Valerius. A Resonant the Tide cannot corrupt because it has nothing left to touch."

  He can make Resonants now?

  "Are you sure it’s resistant?" Nina asked, her voice sharp with skepticism.

  "In theory?" Hephryx's smile widened. "I am ninety percent positive it will be... once it is finished."

  Elma’s chest tightened. The words sank into her like stone. All her life as D—66, every thought, every sacrifice, every shred of herself had been honed to meet his vision, to be what he demanded. Yet, it was that very striving, that need to please, that he despised.

  All this time, I’d been chasing his approval, and he’d given just enough to keep me hungry for it.

  A hollow ache spread through her, swallowing pride, hope, even fear. For the first time, she felt the vast emptiness of being a tool, knowing she had been designed to fail his ideal.

  And yet, beneath that void, a strange flicker of freedom stirred. Elma couldn’t explain it, but inside, the storm had eased, leaving her mind astonishingly clear.

  Valerius leaned forward, his massive frame casting a shadow over the desk. "I see," he said, his voice dropping into a register that signaled the end of pleasantries.

  He paused, letting the weight of the silence settle. "Then have you heard about the attack on my house?"

  Hephryx’s brow furrowed in a display of perfect, clinical confusion. "An attack on your house? I must have been very immersed in my work to not have noticed. My apologies, Lord Valerius. Was there much damage?"

  "Indeed," Valerius replied, his eyes never leaving the Architect's face. "One of the attackers... was one of your creations."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Hephryx was silent for a beat, his smile remaining pinned in place like a butterfly in a display case. "I’m sure you know I don't keep any of them anymore. I only used to sell them. They are tools, Lord Valerius. Once sold, the craftsman is no longer responsible for the work they do."

  "Well, we’re not accusing you, Humphrey," Nina said smoothly.

  For a fleeting second, the Architect’s smile faltered.

  Humphrey… was that his real name?

  "Since you made them," Nina continued, ignoring the flicker of annoyance in his eyes, "I’m sure you’d recognize the buyer. A record of the transaction, perhaps?"

  "Well, you seem to overestimate my memory. I have made hundreds. Thousands, if you count the prototypes," Hephryx said, regaining his composure.

  "He wore green. Carried a serrated blade," Valerius added.

  "I know many that fit that description. Do you have a body?" Hephryx asked.

  Valerius’s jaw tightened. "I don't think the face would be recognizable."

  Elma closed her eyes, fighting the urge to rub her temples. Her father had smashed Nagin’s head before anyone could identify him.

  "Well, that’s unfortunate," Hephryx said, his voice dripping with faux sympathy. "I can’t guarantee I’ll get the right one without his face. Without a visual, it's just a ghost in green."

  Elma let out a long, weary sigh.

  "His name is C—05 Nagin," she said.

  The silence that swallowed the room was absolute.

  Nina’s brows lifted slightly. “Oh?”

  "He told me," Elma continued, her eyes shifting to meet Hephryx's. "Right before I crushed his ribs."

  The Architect was in genuine, unscripted shock. He knew his creations better than anyone. He knew the mental blocks. He knew the Silence Protocols. Nagin would have chewed his own tongue into paste before revealing his designation.

  “It’s true,” Valerius said evenly. “She held him on her own.”

  "Hahaha!" Valerius’s laugh broke the tension like a cannon shot. He slapped the desk, looking at Hephryx. "Well! There you have it."

  Hephryx didn't laugh. He didn't even smile. He remained silent for a full minute.

  He stared at Elma with a look that made her skin crawl. It was the look that always came before unrelenting suffering, the cold precision of someone who could not tolerate being confused.

  Then, the mask slid back into place. His smile returned, though it felt thinner, more fragile than before.

  “Quite the promising young lady,” he said, his voice smooth as silk. “A memory like a steel trap. I would expect nothing less.”

  He paused, the smile lingering.

  “Not after all those… sacrifices.”

  Silence followed.

  Valerius did not respond.

  Neither did Nina.

  The message was clear enough. The subject was not one Hephryx was welcome to linger on.

  Hephryx inclined his head toward Elma. “Still,” he added, “for a four-year-old to extract such information from one of my units, something even the Strategoi have failed to do. That is unprecedented.”

  Hephryx brought a hand to his chin, his long fingers tapping rhythmically against his jaw.

  “If it was indeed Nagin…” he murmured. “I remember the transaction clearly. I sold that unit to the Teal Herons.”

  The words hung in the air. Valerius looked off for a moment, the tension in his jaw betraying his thoughts.

  "Teal Herons?" Elma repeated.

  “Scavengers. Mercenaries. Filth that nests outside the Dome of Veraxys.” Valerius explained.

  "Are you sure?" He stood up, his massive frame looming over the desk.

  "Quite sure," Hephryx replied, his gaze unwavering. "They had the coin. I didn't care what they did with him as long as the ledger was balanced."

  Valerius leaned back, the leather of his chair creaking under the tension. "I hope you know, Hephryx... I don't tread well with lies."

  "I wouldn't dare, Lord Valerius," Hephryx said, his voice a whisper of feigned sincerity.

  "Good."

  Nina stood up, her movements sharp and final. "I’ll escort you to the gates, Hephryx. I wish to discuss something with you."

  As the Architect turned to leave, his eyes lingered on Elma, a look both acknowledging and noting, a quiet registration she could feel in her bones.

  The door clicked shut, leaving Elma and her father in the heavy silence of the office.

  Valerius sank back into his seat, his massive frame appearing to shrink as he let out a long, weary sigh. Across from him, Elma was stretching her aching legs, the micro-tears in her muscles pulsing with a dull throb.

  "What do you think?" he asked, his voice gravelly.

  Elma looked at him, her green eyes flat and unblinking. "I think they should die."

  "Tracking them is not easy," Valerius admitted, rubbing his face with a calloused hand. "Outlaws like the Teal Herons live in the cracks of the world."

  Elma's mind raced. Even if Hephryx was telling the truth, the Teal Herons couldn't have known about the manor’s hidden entrance on their own. Lea must be the local link. But if she told Valerius about the maid now, his protective fury would likely result in the execution of every servant in the Altheris household to "root out the rot." She couldn't afford that collateral damage yet.

  Valerius stood up, the chair scraping harshly against the floor. "But it's not impossible," he growled.

  "Where are you going?" Elma asked, her voice sharp.

  "To search for them," Valerius said, reaching for his heavy traveling cloak.

  "You just arrived from the shore," Elma reminded him.

  Valerius laughed, a dry, proud sound. "A Lion doesn't need to rest when there's blood on the wind."

  As he approached the door, Elma lunged forward, her small hand catching the thick fabric of his cloak. "Don't go," she said.

  The logic was screaming in her head: Decoy. If Hephryx or a hidden benefactor wanted Valerius out of the manor, providing a target like the Teal Herons was the perfect bait. Leaving now was a tactical error.

  Valerius stood still for a moment, looking down at the small hand clutching his coat. A faint smile returned to his face. "I must," he said softly.

  He gently pried her fingers away and stepped out into the hallway, his heavy boots echoing like a death knell.

  Elma followed him into the corridor, her eyes scanning the shadows. There, standing like a silent sentinel near the archway, was Thiyya. The warrior immediately fell into step behind Valerius, her Aegis humming with the readiness of a weapon unsheathed.

  Elma lunged forward again. She caught the cold, interlocking plates of Thiyya’s armor. The metal bit into her small palms, but she didn't let go.

  "Then she stays," Elma declared.

  Valerius stopped and turned, his laugh filling the narrow hallway. He looked at his elite guard, then back at the small girl holding onto her like a stubborn burr. "Thiyya, you seem to have been claimed."

  "What?" Thiyya asked, her brow furrowing. "My place is at your side, my Lord."

  "Very well," Valerius said, his eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and a strange, newfound respect for Elma’s persistence. "Thiyya, stay here. If it makes the little jewel feel safer."

  "Done," Thiyya said.

  Valerius gave a final nod before leaving.

  The heavy thud of the front gates echoed through the stone corridor, signaling the Lion’s departure.

  Elma looked up at Thiyya, who stood like a monument of gold against the faint light filtering through the windows.

  Thiyya wasn’t a Strategoi but she was as close as it gets. Her power was undeniable. With her anchored at the manor and the increased numbers of the alloys, the manor was as safe as it could be.

  Without another word, Elma turned and began walking toward the servants’ quarters. It was time to hear Lea’s part in this, willingly or otherwise.