The Bureau's underground command chamber pulsed with holo-screens showing mana signatures across West Astra City.
Inspector Varron Creed stood in the center of the room, hands behind his back, staring at one particular screen.
A blinking point of light.
Charles Reyes.
A rookie agent approached nervously.
"Sir… his signature hasn't changed in 24 hours. F-rank Bishop. Completely harmless."
Creed didn't blink.
"…Harmless."
He replayed the earlier scan recording:
blue waves of mana trying — and failing — to read Charles.
BEEP — BEEP — ERROR — BEEP.
Creed narrowed his eyes.
"Harmless people do not break my scanner."
The agent swallowed.
"Sir, perhaps the device was malfunctioni—"
Crack.
Creed crushed a scanning crystal in his hand.
"It was not malfunctioning."
Every agent in the room fell silent.
---
The Rift Incident Review
A giant screen replayed today's footage:
A Shard fragment fleeing the corrupted host
A sudden purification blast
And Charles Reyes appearing on the scene before Bureau forces
One female analyst trembled.
"Sir… all evidence suggests the purification occurred BEFORE our team arrived."
Creed stared at the screen.
"Correct."
The analyst hesitated.
"But… an F-rank Bishop can't purify Shard corruption. That's high-tier holy power."
The room stiffened.
Someone whispered:
"Is he using… a relic?"
"Or is he possessed?"
"Or an unregistered awakened?"
Creed raised a hand. Silence returned instantly.
"No relics detected. No possession signs. No external mana signatures."
He tapped the screen, focusing on Charles's silhouette.
"His mana… disappears. Reappears. Changes density. It's unnatural."
The analyst nodded.
"He could be hiding his rank."
Creed looked at her.
"No. He's hiding everything."
---
The Shard Impact
Another screen replayed the Shard's descent onto the training field.
BOOOOM.
Then…
The moment the Shard creature BOWED to Charles.
Several agents gasped.
"It… recognized him?"
"A Shard bowing? That's impossible!"
Creed zoomed in on the frame.
Charles.
The Shard.
A moment of silent acknowledgment.
The room whispered in fear.
"Sir, should we classify him as a potential Shard Host?"
"Or a corrupted individual?"
"Or… a Sovereign Candidate?"
Creed spoke coldly:
"He is something we do not understand."
---
The Contract Shockwave
The sensors suddenly beeped loudly.
[Unidentified Bond Formation Detected]
[Riftborn Familiar Contract — Unregistered]
[Location: Residential District Beta]
The point of light pulsed again.
Charles Reyes.
Creed's eyes sharpened dangerously.
"…He forged a contract."
Several agents jumped from their seats.
"T-That's illegal! Riftborn cannot be tamed!"
"Only demons or corrupted hosts can bond with Shards—"
Creed answered without turning:
"Incorrect."
The room froze.
Then he turned to them, eyes cold and precise.
"A Shard only bonds with someone whose soul it recognizes.
Not corruption. Not weakness."
He stared at the glowing point.
"It chose him."
The analysts exchanged uneasy glances.
Someone whispered:
"Sir… shall we detain him?"
Creed's answer was immediate.
"No."
Everyone froze.
Creed stepped closer to the screen, voice low.
"…We observe him."
A beat of silence.
"From a distance."
Another agent hesitated.
"But why? If he is a threat—"
Creed cut him off.
"If he is what I think he is… detaining him would start a war."
A cold wave spread across the room.
---
The Revelation
The sensors registered something new.
A faint energy reading.
Divine.
Holy.
And something else—
Rift.
The combination made every alarm in the chamber flicker.
One agent stammered:
"S-Sir… this resonance pattern… It doesn't exist in any database."
Another whispered:
"It's not holy… not demon… not human…"
Creed stared at the screen.
"…Unique."
He finally turned to the central console and typed a command:
[CLASSIFY INDIVIDUAL: CHARLES REYES]
[STATUS: UNKNOWN ENTITY]
[THREAT RATING: OBSERVATION LEVEL A]
[PROTOCOL: DO NOT APPROACH WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION]
One agent gulped.
"Sir… what does this mean?"
Creed's eyes remained fixed on Charles's blinking marker.
"It means," he said quietly,
"…Charles Reyes is not to be touched, provoked, or hunted."
Every agent stiffened.
Creed's tone lowered to a chilling whisper:
"Because if he is what the Shard thinks he is…"
He turned off the screen.
"…our city may need him."