Chapter 18: Shadows Beyond the Screen
The deeper Cassandra delved into the tracker's data, the more disjointed it became. The veil left behind too many false trails, as though every breath of theirs warped reality around it. Soul signatures scattered in strange patterns, never staying still—phasing in and out like echoes in a haunted mirror.
She pulled her hands back from the scanning crystal, sweat beading her brow.
"It's no good," she said, frustrated. "Every reading corrupts after a few hours. It's like they're... aware of the surveillance itself. Like they're playing with us."
Karen paced beside her in the lab's glowing corridor, the Abyss pulsing faintly at her back.
"So we hit a dead end?"
"Not necessarily," Cassandra replied. "I didn't want to, but we may have to escalate this to the Ikemba family directly. We're dealing with operatives who are skilled enough to veil their very soul presence. That's not just technique—it's legacy knowledge. Ancient Soulborne lineage stuff. Some of the old monsters my family keeps locked behind red seals might know something."
A low, calm voice cut through the air behind them. "And here I thought I told you not to come here alone."
Karen spun, reflexively reaching for her blade. Cassandra tensed, but quickly relaxed.
Joshua Ikemba stepped from the shadows at the edge of the room, arms crossed. His black Soulborne coat hung loosely around his shoulders, his presence calm but unmistakably dominant.
"You've been following us?" Marie asked, a little shocked.
"Of course," Joshua said flatly. "You're students poking around high-level Veil activity and using restricted Ikemba tech on top of it. What kind of instructor would I be if I didn't trail the reckless ones?"
He gave Cassandra a look—half admonishment, half approval. She met it with defiance.
"We weren't just playing rebel. You know I'm right. The Veil is actively stalking Karen. We're not equipped to face them head-on. Not as we are."
"Maybe," Joshua replied. "But going to the family means politics. It means attention we may not want."
"Well then, what about the Academy?" Marie cut in. "They're trained. Organized. This is a threat to their students."
Jim frowned and shook his head. "The instructors are mostly Master Soulbornes. Even if they cared, they'd only be able to stall a High like Voth at best. Dean Elandra and Head Instructor Horace are the only High Soulbornes stationed here, and they're… let's just say preoccupied. With the Tribunal absent, everything's bottlenecked."
Joshua narrowed his eyes slightly at Jim's tone, a subtle tension in his jaw.
Jim immediately caught the expression. "Ah, sorry—I meant no disrespect, Instructor Joshua."
Joshua's gaze softened. He waved it off with a quiet breath. "No offense taken."
He walked to the table, looking over Cassandra's interface and the flickering ghost trails across the display. The hollowed echo of Voth's presence loomed faintly in the background data.
"I suppose it makes sense now," he said finally. "The Veil is moving with confidence because they know the Spirit Tribunal is gone."
"Gone?" Karen asked, surprised.
"Out of Soul Island," Joshua clarified. "They were summoned to the Ethereal Plane weeks ago—only a few of us know. It's classified, but I trust you all by now. Without them watching the shadows, the monsters are getting bold."
Cassandra stepped forward. "Then let me do what I said before. Let me reach out to the family."
Joshua hesitated.
"Kamharida would know how to mask our intentions. Rose could provide resources without official oversight. Even Sonia—if she knew the reason—might lend tech."
There was a long pause.
Then, finally, Joshua nodded. "Alright."
Everyone looked at him.
Joshua's voice was quiet. "The Ikembas are fragmented—but they're still one of the last lines between Soul Energy and oblivion. If we're going to move against the Veil… it's time we stopped treating this like a schoolyard fight."
Karen felt a chill run down her spine—not from fear, but from the dawning understanding that whatever came next… they were no longer just students.
They were walking into a war.
....