The crater still smoked.
Rubble groaned as the heat slowly bled from shattered streets. The scent of scorched metal and ionized air lingered. Civilians crept back out, drawn by awe, confusion and fear.
Then… the air shifted again.
Not with fire or thunder.
But with precision.
Three unmarked, matte-black drones coasted silently overhead, invisible to all but the trained eye. Their lenses pulsed red, scanning thermal signatures and radiation levels left in the wake of Dævd's Sovereign Cut. From rooftops, nano-cloaked operatives watched, still as statues.
And then came the convoy.
No sirens. No logos. Just quiet authority.
Three armored hovercrafts slid into the outskirts of the district, flanked by motorcycle sentries in dark gear. The vehicles hissed as they lowered, releasing boots onto the ground, organized, efficient, and cold.
From the lead vehicle stepped a tall woman in a gray trench coat, black gloves, and mirrored visor shades. Her voice crackled through a secure commline.
Agent Rena's voice cut through the comms, sharp and composed.
"Confirming impact radius. Retrieve all residual samples immediately."
She stepped forward, eyes narrowing as she stared at the scorched crater glowing faintly in the aftermath.
"Mark the energy source, Aetherian Anomaly, Class X."
The wind shifted. Her coat rippled behind her as she turned toward the horizon.
"The subject is on the move. Begin forward pursuit."
"I want eyes on him before he leaves the continent."
Her tone left no room for hesitation.
The operatives around her sprang into motion. Drones lifted from their carriers, wings buzzing like wasps as they soared into the clouds. A sleek, black transport hummed low above the field, its scanners sweeping for lingering traces of the Aetherian anomaly.
"Tracker systems locked. Estimated trajectory: northeast," one agent reported through the headset.
"That matches the projected evac point," Rena muttered. Her sharp eyes flicked to the screen on her tablet. "He's not hiding. He's heading somewhere."
A pause.
"No… someone."
A subordinate approached, holding out a holopad, then a sharp buzz crackled through Rena's earpiece.
"Ma'am. We have a visual on the target."
The operative's voice was steady, but beneath the calm was tension, like staring down a lightning storm from miles away.
On the holopad before her, the faint silhouette of a figure tore through the clouds, trailing arcs of residual energy too foreign to classify. Rena's eyes narrowed.
"Don't lose sight of him."
Agent Rena stepped away from the edge of the blast zone, the scorched earth beneath her boots still warm. Her coat billowed as the wind picked up, carrying the distant wail of sirens and the static hum of lingering energy.
She tapped her comm. "Initiate clean-up protocol. I want every trace scrubbed, scorch marks, debris, local surveillance, wipe it all."
Around her, Division-7 operatives moved with surgical precision, scanning, salvaging, and sealing off the perimeter. Drones buzzed overhead, their lenses flickering with data collection.
Rena's voice cut through the channel again, sharp and cold.
"I want no witnesses. If anyone saw what landed here, I want their statements sealed and their memories scrubbed. This doesn't reach public ears."
She turned toward a waiting officer.
"I need a hovercraft, stat! Something fast, quiet, and durable. I'm heading after him."
The officer nodded and sprinted toward the transport relay.
Rena adjusted the gloves on her hands, eyes fixed on the charred horizon where the "Aetherian Anomaly" had vanished.
"God save us all."
Across the city, quiet figures moved, sweeping rubble, retrieving shattered tech, bagging flecks of scorched Branded tissue. A new kind of shadow had arrived.
And unlike the chaos of Kael's forces… Division-7 didn't make noise.
They left no mess.
Just questions.
And a promise to find the answers, no matter what world they came from.
The wind howled against his ears as Dævd soared through the night sky, breath still ragged, his limbs pulsing with residual energy. His hoodie was torn across one shoulder. Lucent Grave, sheathed now across his back, hummed faintly, almost as if it, too, were catching its breath.
The lights of the city blurred beneath him.
He kept his gaze ahead.
Not just flying, fleeing the weight of what had just happened.
Rukorr was gone. Burned into the ash of memory.
But the words stuck.
"Kael sent me to break you, and drag back your corpse… And I won't leave this planet till I do!"
That wasn't a hunt.
It was a declaration.
A war drum.
And the rhythm hadn't ended.
He landed quietly behind Lila's home, boots touching the garden path with a soft thud. The house stood dark, but not asleep. Light flickered faintly behind one of the curtain windows. The scanner orb hovered silently above the doorway, as if awaiting him.
The door opened before he could knock. Lila stood there, eyes scanning him head to toe. No words yet. Just concern masked behind her usual iron calm.
Dævd stepped inside, the weight of the fight still hanging on him like dust. He moved past her, into the kitchen, setting Lucent Grave gently against the wall. For a moment, the silence between them stretched, heavy, unspoken, uncertain.
Then Lila's voice broke it, quiet but cutting through like a needle through cloth.
"You're bleeding."
Dævd glanced down, then touched his jaw absently.
"It's not mine," he murmured.
She exhaled, not with irritation, just fatigue. The kind that sinks into bone. Crossing the room, she opened a drawer and retrieved a medkit, the motion familiar.
"Sit. Talk," she said simply.
He hesitated, then obeyed, shoulders stiff, eyes distant.
Lila knelt in front of him, dabbing at the faint slash along his jawline. The antiseptic stung, but he didn't flinch. Finally, his voice surfaced, low and rough.
"There's more coming."
"There was someone waiting," Dævd said, his voice low, jaw tight. "A Branded. Strong. Too strong for a first attack."
Lila's hands stilled. "Kael sent him?" He nodded once, eyes shadowed.
"He called me prince… Said they knew where I was."
She froze, her fingers hovering just above the wound. The air between them shifted
"Then it's started," she whispered.
Dævd didn't respond. His fists clenched in his lap.
"I thought we'd have more time," he muttered.
A heavy silence fell over the room. Outside, the distant wail of sirens pierced the stillness, but none approached. Not yet.
Then, a low hum filled the air. Hovercrafts descended outside the house in formation. A flood of piercing blue floodlights spilled through the windows. Seconds later, the front door blasted open with a sonic thud, and Division-7 operatives stormed inside, clad in reinforced armor, rifles raised and glowing with charged plasma.
Dævd shot to his feet instinctively, his aura flaring. His hand opened and with a sudden, sharp crackle, Lucent Grave flew to his grip, lightning humming along its edge. He staggered, still weakened, but stood firm, ready.
Lila stepped in front of him calmly, one hand raised. "Don't," she said softly, her voice like steel wrapped in velvet.
The soldiers froze mid-step, uncertain. Then, Boots echoed down the corridor.
Agent Rena entered the room, trench coat billowing behind her, eyes sharp and unreadable beneath her visor. She scanned the scene in an instant and said with commanding calm,
"Stand down."
Her gaze locked with Dævd's. Cold. Calculating. And intrigued.
Agent Rena stepped further into the room, her boots silent against the tiled floor. The tension didn't ease, only shifted, sharpening into something quieter, older.
Her eyes met Lila's.
A beat passed.
"Long time no see," Lila said, calm but unreadable.
Rena's expression didn't change at first. Then, slowly, a smirk pulled at the corner of her lips.
"I should've known you'd be involved in this," she said, voice cool with a trace of amusement. "Wherever weird shit turns up… you're not far behind."
Behind them, Dævd lowered his weapon. The lightning faded. He exhaled once and sheathed Lucent Grave, the blade locking into place at his back with a quiet click. He looked from one woman to the other, wary.
"You know her?" he asked, voice low. Lila didn't look at him, her gaze never left Rena's.
"I did," she said.
Rena's smirk faded.
"…Still do," Lila added softly.
The room felt colder somehow at the sound of it.
Dævd could feel it, a shift, subtle but real.
Whatever peace I had left… it's gone now.