The observation chamber of the Dark Stonecutting Sector was silent but filled with tension. Rows of ethereal screens floated before the evaluators, showing EVP readings, mental records, and projections of the rooms where the recruits faced their trials. A thick fog filled the corners of the room, slightly distorting the view, but the mood there was one of absolute attention.
Specter crossed his arms in front of the main projection, his eyes analyzing every tiny energy variation with surgical precision. He was used to seeing talents crumble under the weight of their own past, but what he had witnessed with Choi Eun-kyung or rather, what he had failed to fully understand was causing him an unsettling discomfort.
"This EVP projection…" he murmured, almost to himself. "It is not compatible with the level recorded up until the beginning of the Sector. This is a rupture, and a major one."
"This is not just a mere rupture, Specter," said a calm voice, coming from the darkest corner of the room. Shrouded in a shroud of black mist, the observer stood motionless. He was one of the Four Primevals, the silent pillars of the Order of Erebus, but his identity was sealed even here among the elite evaluators.
The mist around him pulsed faintly, as if breathing. None of the others dared speak to him directly. Specter nodded. "That's right… but it's as if something beyond herself has manifested. A deep layer, buried beneath layers of control."
One of the other evaluators, an analysis agent named Riven, whispered, "I've never seen someone confront their very essence with such internal violence… and yet rise up so brilliantly."
Everyone turned back to the frozen image on the central monitor, Choi Eun-kyung standing in the center of the room, enveloped by a lilac aura that still echoed even after the test was over. Her eyes were steady. But there was something ancient about them, as if she carried eons within her.
"She said something at the end," Riven said. "But the systems didn't pick up the sound. Her brain frequency spiked so sharply that it interfered with external reception for milliseconds."
Specter frowned. "Something she said… just to herself. Or to someone inside her." He turned to the cloaked Primeval. "Do you think we should keep her under prolonged observation, my lord?"
There was a brief pause before the mist around the Primeval stirred subtly. "No, that's not necessary, Specter," the voice whispered like smoke scraping against glass. "She'll be useful sooner than you think."
And then, in the silence that followed, the Primeval received a message that was nonverbal, but clear as the wind's touch before a storm. A direct mental transmission, coming from only one possible source, the leader of the Order of Erebos. "Choi Eun-kyung has demonstrated her aptitude. Starting today, she will receive her first field mission. Details will be communicated only to you. The mission is confidential and strategic. Prepare the way."
The Primeval remained silent for long seconds after the message. The room seemed to freeze, as if the air was waiting for an order to move. Finally, he spoke. "Choi Eun-kyung will be deployed now."
The other evaluators looked at each other, surprised. "External mission? But she has just left the second phase of the Dark Sector... not to mention that it has been less than 2 days since she joined the Order of Erebus," Riven murmured, almost as a veiled complaint.
"Direct order, coming from the podium," said the Primeval. "No objections will be accepted."
Specter said nothing immediately. But his mind, sharp and suspicious, was spinning quickly. Leadership does not move idly... something much bigger is at stake.
He turned to the screen one last time. The image of Choi Eun-kyung or whoever she really was remained there, like a luminous scar on the darkness.
The entire ordeal room had dissolved. The organic metal walls had receded, revealing the dark corridors of the Umbra Nexus. Seraphina walked with firm steps, her eyes still dazzled by the echoes of the past. The cold light bathed her face, but it did not hide the intensity in her eyes or the fatigue that burned beneath her skin.
As she turned one of the curved corridors, she came face to face with Vladimir Kaine again, who was waiting for her, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. He looked her up and down, the fresh cut on his eyebrow still bleeding slightly.
"You took your time, did you?" he said, with a sarcastic half-smile. "Were you busy reliving traumas or just enjoying a luxurious nervous breakdown?"
Seraphina stopped in front of him, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry if I didn't end my ordeal by screaming and smashing everything in sight like a rabid primate."
Kaine exclaims, a little annoyed. "Maybe because you don't have the courage to face what's inside. I got straight to the point."
She stepped forward. "Or maybe you're just an impatient fool with a martyr complex. The loudest aren't always the ones who feel the most, Kaine."
He smiled, that crooked, defiant smile that made others want to punch him or join him in battle. "You'll see. But in the end, I came out first. As always."
Seraphina took a deep breath, the rivalry between them silently flaring up. But even with the sparks, there was something else: a symmetry in their scars, a similarity in their unspoken pain. Rivals, yes, but of a kind only the true survivors understood.
Before anyone could add more barbs, a hooded figure emerged from the shadows ahead, his steps meticulously measured. Specter. "Enough, you two, now!" His voice cut through the air. "We've assessed enough for today."
Kaine backed away slightly, but without letting his guard down. Seraphina kept her gaze steady.
Specter looked directly at Seraphina and then spoke. "Choi Eun-kyung. You are dismissed for today. Orders from above."
"Dismissed? But for what reason?" Seraphina frowned slightly in suspicion.
"Mandatory rest," Specter added. "Tomorrow, you will receive your first field mission. Prepare yourself. It will be real."
Silence fell for a moment. Kaine raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Mission already? How interesting, Choi..." he murmured, with a hint of suppressed envy.
Specter turned and disappeared down the opposite hallway, not waiting for an answer. The decision was final.
Seraphina stood still for a few seconds. Then, with one last look at Kaine, who was watching her with a mixture of challenge and curiosity, she turned and headed for her quarters.
The room was minimalist, almost Spartan. The gray walls were plain, and the lighting was cold and constant, with no windows, no clocks. It was easy to forget the time here.
Seraphina closed the door and walked over to the table where the EVP containment ring still rested next to a small encrypted transmitter. She sat down, took a deep breath, and activated the hidden channel.
The holographic screen flashed with static, until a hooded figure materialized: Elysian. Or as she always recognized him, Oblivion Sage. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice calm, analytical but filled with something deeper than concern, connection.
Seraphina nodded slightly. "Yes. The ordeal was... deeper than I expected." Elysian watched her closely, but didn't ask for details. He knew she would tell him what she wanted in her own time.
"They've assigned me to a mission tomorrow. First field operation. Still under the identity of Choi Eun-kyung." There was a brief silence.
"It's early," he said, looking around as if calculating dozens of variables at once. "They're testing your limits… or trying to bait you."
Seraphina clenched her fists. "The Primeval was present. But he didn't reveal his identity. The mist around him… seemed to respond to my presence."
Elysian frowned slightly. "Whoever it is, don't underestimate them. And never reveal your true name, Seraphina. They haven't heard you yet… and it needs to stay that way."
Seraphina agreed completely, knowing that the less the Order knew, the better their chances of remaining without reinforced surveillance. "Yes."
Elysian then added after a moment of reflection. "Depending on the nature of the mission, it may be the ideal time to observe the movements of other targets, infiltrate data... or leave a seed for the Ruins."
"Understood." Her voice was firm, but heavy. "They think they molded me. Little do they know that I am sharpening the blade."
Elysian with a slight expression of satisfaction, like a teacher seeing his student get the best grade. "Sleep, Seraphina. Tomorrow will be the first act of a more dangerous game. And you know how to play."
The transmission died. Seraphina leaned back in her chair, her eyes on the ceiling. She was tired. But not broken. Not in the slightest. Here, in the metallic silence of the Umbra Nexus, she felt the world begin to shift, and that when the board turned, the name "Choi Eun-kyung" would not be remembered. But Seraphina Chaos… would become the legacy that would swallow up every pillar of the old world that remained of the Order of Erebos.