[HQ – Oversight Division| 5,791 km away | ~15 Minutes Before Lucan's Notification]
A red-tier sync alert triggered across the main interface.
Inside HQ's Oversight Division, a quiet hum filled the space—servers adjusting, monitors refreshing, systems catching up to something none of them had seen in decades.
A technician frowned. "We've got a sync ping from —Sector G-7. Direct Vein-link through one of our devices."
Director Selene stepped forward. "Classification?"
The monitor glitched—then locked onto a glowing red signature.
[Vein Sync Detected]
[Tier Identified: 0 — Unregistered]
[Lineage: Unknown | Cross-Reference Match: VALID]
[Sample ID: V-Δ-One]
[Match Confirmed – 50% | Dormant Sample Timestamp: 24.3 Years Ago]
She froze.
The face on the screen wasn't a surprise. Not really. But the system's reaction was.
The junior analyst beside her read the confirmation window. "Tier-Zero?"
"Nirvenn doesn't register below Tier-2." Selene said. "We've never seen a live Tier-1. Not in this region."
"It's him." she said softly. "The baby."
The senior officer beside her blinked. "Baby…? Wait—is that the sample from the Forbidden Zone incident?"
She gave a small nod. "He was only a baby. We weren't sure if they survived. Or if they even stayed."
Another tech pulled up the flagged profile. "Sync confirms his name: Lucan Vale."
The room fell silent.
Another tapped the keyboard, linking the name to Nirvenn's public database. A brief delay—then a series of civilian logs filled the screen: enrollment records, financial aid, part-time work clearance, medical entries.
"He's a university student. Enrolled at Ardis University in Sector G. No disciplinary flags. Works part-time on weekdays. And…"
The officer hesitated. "He was abandoned at age five. Lives with an elderly man listed as his grandfather. No verified parents record. Nothing about where the grandfather came from either."
Selene's eyes narrowed slightly. "Pull visual logs. Compare his photo to the original encounter footage."
As the images appeared side by side—baby in arms, grown man now—she didn't need the software to confirm the match.
It's him.
A younger officer, clearly newer to HQ, frowned. "Why didn't we search the system for the name 'Vale' back then? Couldn't we have found him sooner?"
Selene turned to him. "Are you insane? After what happened, no one dared. He warned us after wiping out our highest combat-tiered units without breaking pace. Even The Council told us to stand down and we obeyed."
She gestured toward the monitor. "Besides, 'Vale' isn't rare. There are millions of families using that name across Nirvenn. We also didn't expect him to use his actual name."
Another officer across the room spoke up. "Backlogged Fold scans from that year—Class X danger zone timelines shows the mentions of a warrior with the same combat pattern. Recordings tagged him as 'The Vale.' Rumors say he hadn't been seen in over 10,000 years."
Selene looked at the timeline overlay. "Well, that fits. One year on Nirvenn equals ten millennia over there."
She tapped a few commands.
[Message: Sending to ID: Lucan Vale]
[Phrase: If you want to know the truth about your parents—come.]
[Coordinates: Encrypted, Host-Only Access]
She paused before confirming. "This isn't protocol, but… we owe him this."
The officer glanced at her. "Do we tell him what we know?"
Selene shook her head. "No. Not yet. We are offering the truth. If he wants it, he'll come. If he doesn't… he still deserves the choice."
[Back in the present, with Lucan.]
Lucan sat at the edge of his bed, the glow from the watch dimming to standby. The message still pulsed in his mind like a second heartbeat.
If you want to know the truth about your parents—come.
It felt surreal. Like some twisted birthday prank from the universe.
First the awakening. Then the Zerons. Now… this?
He rubbed his face with both hands, elbows on his knees, trying to make sense of it all. His head wasn't hurting, but his thoughts were scrambled—like puzzle pieces from different boxes jammed into one frame.
Too much. Way too much for one day.
"You okay?" Lyra asked softly from the doorway.
Lucan exhaled, still staring at the floor. "It's my birthday. I thought the worst thing I'd deal with today was turning twenty-five and burning instant noodles."
Lyra gave a small smile but said nothing.
"I want to go." he said finally. "I need to. But Grandpa—someone needs to be here."
Lyra nodded. "You could ask Mr. Kion to help. He's nearby and trusting."
"Yeah, I know, every couple of weeks. He used to play chess and chat with grandpa before we moved here."
Lucan sighed and added. "Maybe I'll message him later."
Lyra leaned on the doorframe. "Think about it. You've got time. I'll get dinner started."
He pushed himself up. "I'll help."
She raised an eyebrow. "Birthday boy shouldn't cook."
"I feel useless just sitting around."
"And I feel responsible for making sure you don't explode in the kitchen." She turned before he could argue again. "Take the L, Lucan."
He sighed in defeat and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
He wasn't physically tired—his body still hummed with that strange post-awakening energy—but his mind was worn thin.
He didn't even realize when his eyes closed.
"Lucan."
His eyes fluttered open to Lyra's voice. The room was darker now, the warm scent of food drifting in from the hallway.
"Dinner's ready." she said gently.
He sat up slowly, groggy but grateful. The air felt heavier than usual, but maybe that was just his own head.
When he stepped into the dining area, the table was already set—three plates, clean and quiet. Lyra was placing down the last dish. Grandpa was already seated, reclined as always.
The three of them ate in near silence. No small talk or no tension, either.
Afterward, Lucan helped his grandfather toward the recliner, gave him his medicine and adjusted the blanket over his legs.
The old man nodded off minutes later, just like always.
Lucan stood there for a moment, watching his breathing—steady, peaceful.
Both of them cleaned the table and start doing dishes.
Lucan finished drying the last dish and set it down with a clink. He wiped his hands on a towel.
She stepped back into the kitchen, tying her hair into a loose knot.
"Hey." Lucan said, voice low but steady. "Stay here tonight."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
He shrugged. "We'll head out tomorrow, right? Might as well rest here."
Her expression softened, and without a word, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
It was a tight, warm hug—brief but full of something.
"Yeah." she whispered. "Let's hope for the best. I'm always with you."
Lucan didn't reply. Just held the moment a second longer before exhaling and looking for his phone again.
"I should probably call Mr. Koin. Text feels… I don't know. Too casual for this."
"Good call." Lyra said, stepping aside.
The two of them went upstairs to Lucan's room. He grabbed his phone from the desk, sat down at the edge of the bed, and stared at the screen for a moment before finally making the call. He tapped on the contact. The line rang twice before a familiar, weathered voice answered.
"Lucan! You okay, son?"
"Yeah, Mr. Kion. Everything's fine. I, uh… I need a small favor. I've got a university-related thing, kinda sudden. Need to leave town for a few days. Could you stay with Grandpa?"
There was a small pause.
"Of course." Mr. Kion said. "Just send me the location. I'll be there around ten tomorrow—with Maenah and Drosh. Grandpa likes the dog."
Lucan smiled faintly. "Thanks. Really."
He hung up and turned back to Lyra. "He's in. Said he'll be here by ten with his daughter and their dog."
"Nice." Lyra said. "Drosh will keep Grandpa company better than we ever could."
Lucan chuckled, but then his expression shifted as he remembered something. "By the way… how are we getting there?"
Lyra smirked. "Funny you ask. I was about to say something interesting earlier, but that HQ message interrupted me."
She raised her own watch and tapped it lightly.
"This little thing? It's more than just a tracker. Hold your thumb on the screen for five seconds."
Lucan did it without question, and after five seconds, the screen pulsed and displayed a silver crest with a scanning ring.
"That's your Vein pass. Show it to any major transit counter, flight desk, or interzone gate, and they'll treat you like a VIP. First-class access, zero charges. Even private escort if you ask for it."
Lucan blinked. "Seriously?"
"Dead serious. And once you tap the coordinates, the Vein gives you auto-navigation. No guesswork. It'll tell you where to go and what to do."
"Oh, like this?" Lucan said, grinning, about to tap the coordinates.
Lyra immediately reached over and gave him a light knock on the forehead.
"No, dumbass. Not now."
"Ow—okay, okay!" he laughed. "I was just messing with you."
"Sure you were."
Lucan yawned and stretched his arms, then walked over to the corner of the room and pulled out the folded futon from beneath the cabinet. He gave it a quick shake, laid it out on the floor, and grabbed a spare pillow and blanket from the shelf.
"Anyway, futon is set and you can crash on the bed."
Lyra raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Why don't you sleep in the bed with me?"
Lucan's face turned red instantly. "Wha—shut up." he muttered, grabbing a pillow and tossing it at her.
It hit her square in the face.
"Hey!" she grinned. "Try to control that throw. You're not the same guy anymore, remember?"
Lucan rolled his eyes, half-laughing as he flopped down on the futon. "Just go to sleep before I aim with a book next time."
Lyra tossed the pillow back onto the bed, plopped down with a satisfied sigh, and flicked off the lamp.
The room fell into silence—comforting, familiar, and full of unspoken thoughts.
For the first time that day. Lucan let his mind go quiet.
Tomorrow, they'd leave.
But tonight… they slept.
[End of Chapter 6]