The teleportation activated with a flash of bluish energy.A moment later, they all appeared again in Zarion. In front of them, the President was giving instructions to a group of Heroes preparing to depart on another mission.
"One moment, excuse me," he said, raising a hand to pause the conversation.
His gaze immediately shifted to Kairo, Xavier, and Chack, who were carrying Darek's lifeless body.
"What happened?" he asked with a frown. "Isn't that Darek, the Rank A in charge of the base on Dinamus? How did he die? And the others?"
Xavier stepped forward. His voice was tense, still shaken by what they had lived through.
"Sir, Darek fell to a creature… a strange shadow. It faced all of us. It killed Kairo in front of me and left me on the brink of death. But then… something happened that I still don't understand..."
The President raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Enough. This is not the place."
His gaze hardened. The order was clear.
"Come with me. This must be discussed in private."
Before entering his office, he activated his wrist communicator.
"Medical team, level one. Recover the body of Hero Darek. Have it transferred with the utmost respect to the identification and post-mortem care wing," he paused briefly and added in a grave tone, "Contact his family. Let them be informed immediately. In person. No automated messages."
A light blinked on the device. Confirmation received.
The President opened the office door and gestured for them to enter. Once inside, the door closed with a soft magnetic hum.
Only then did he allow himself to exhale. He turned toward them, arms crossed, his expression hardened.
"Now... I want you to explain everything. From the beginning."
Silence filled the room as the Heroes recounted what had happened. Xavier explained each detail with seriousness: from the ambush, to the appearance of the shadow, the massacre of the team and his own death… even Kairo's fall.
When he finished, the President didn't respond immediately. He walked slowly to the window overlooking the city, hands clasped behind his back, immersed in tense silence.
"I see..." he finally murmured, without turning around. "A shadow capable of taking down a Rank A effortlessly..."
He turned slowly, locking eyes with Xavier and the others.
"From what you've told me, this isn't just any threat. This is something only a Rank S group could face."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"What concerns me is not only the strength of that creature, but that it killed Darek right in front of you… and that Xavier is here, alive, to tell the tale. That has never happened before—not in any recorded mission. But what truly shocks me… is that Kairo was dead. And now he's here. Alive. That has never happened before—not in any recorded mission."
"I don't understand it either..." Kairo murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Xavier clenched his fists, uncomfortable under the President's piercing gaze.
"I don't know how we survived, sir," he admitted. "It was... something beyond my comprehension."
The President nodded slowly, deep in thought.
"Then this changes not only our perception of threats, but also of what can happen on the battlefield. We're going to need all the information we can get."
He approached his desk and sat down, not taking his eyes off the Heroes.
"I'll send a specialized team to analyze Darek's body. We need to know if there's any biological, magical, or technological trace related to that shadow. And I repeat: contact his family. Let them know the truth firsthand. No cold reports or automated statements."
He looked up, concern etched into his features.
"For now, I'll send a Rank S squad to Dinamus. Their mission will be to investigate the area and eliminate that shadow if they find it."
He frowned.
"But what truly worries me is the possibility that this isn't an isolated case. If that creature exists… others might too. An entire species, perhaps. And I highly doubt they originated on Dinamus. We've been operating there for over two years without similar reports. This is new. And extremely dangerous."
Kairo looked away, swallowing hard.He knew the President was right. That shadow wasn't a lone anomaly. It was just one of many. Members of an incredibly powerful species.
The Creator had revealed it to him.But he couldn't share that information. Not yet. Doing so would mean exposing his bond with Him… something that had to remain a secret.