The van was a capsule of stunned silence, hurtling away from the industrial sector. The adrenaline of the fight had faded, leaving behind the raw, buzzing hum of aftermath. Silas stared at his hands, clenching and unclenching them as if trying to feel the echo of the power that had let him punch through a ghost. Li Yue had her eyes closed, mentally replaying every block and strike, analyzing the flow of her Prana. Aurora meticulously logged every round fired and its effect in her tactical pad, her brow furrowed in concentration.
Kai broke the silence, his voice cutting through the quiet with analytical precision. "The Protocol held. External sensors logged the EM pulse and the concussive round. The official report is already being drafted: 'Team Helios engaged an evolving Forge-Fiend. Through coordinated fire and a precisely timed high-yield round from operative 'Artemis'—" he nodded at Aurora, "—the entity's unstable core was triggered, resulting in spontaneous disintegration.'" He smirked. "It's thin, but it's the kind of messy, unexplainable luck that happens in Gates all the time. It'll hold."
"It's not luck," Aurora said, not looking up from her pad. "It was a surgical strike. His timing was... absolute." She finally glanced at Ash, who was gazing out the window at the passing city. "Three seconds. You calculated the exact window of blindness and traversed thirty meters of hazardous terrain."
Ash didn't turn. "The Nexus provided the variables. I just executed."
"That's what I'm talking about," she countered. "The execution. That wasn't the move of a trainee. That was the move of a veteran who's done it a thousand times."
"He has," Li Yue said softly, opening her eyes. "In the Sanctum. He has fought that battle, or ones like it, a thousand times. His body knows the rhythm even if his conscious mind is still learning."
The observation hung in the air, a reminder of the vast, hidden gulf between Ash's progress and their own. He wasn't just ahead; he was on a different track entirely.
[Quest: Field Test - The Ash Protocol - COMPLETE.]
[Rewards: EXP awarded. Team Synergy +15%. Data on Prana efficiency compiled.]
[New Passive Skill Unlocked for Party: "Coordinated Strike" - Minor damage increase when attacking a target focused by another party member.]
A soft chime echoed in the van, and everyone subtly checked their private interfaces. A shared look of satisfaction passed between them. The System was acknowledging their teamwork.
The moment of post-mission clarity was shattered as Ash's personal phone vibrated—not his secure line, but the "public" one tied to his identity as the son of Sam and Sarah Cross. The caller ID displayed: Dad.
Ash's posture shifted instantly. The aura of the calm, deadly Scion vanished, replaced by the relaxed slouch of a teenager. He accepted the call, putting it on speaker.
"Hey, Dad."
"Asher! Just checking in. Your mother and I saw there was a Gate incident near your sector. You weren't anywhere near that, were you?" Sam Cross's voice was warm, laced with a father's inherent worry.
"Nowhere near," Ash said, his voice light and easy. "Heard about it on the news. Sounded messy. Team Helios handled it, I think."
"Good, good. Listen, the reason I'm calling—we have a minor situation. A last-minute dinner. With Arthur Thorne."
The name landed in the van like a physical weight. Arthur Thorne, the ruthlessly ambitious CEO of Chronos Industries. Their primary corporate rival and the man whose shadow had been looming over them for months.
Kai's eyes narrowed. Silas's jaw tightened.
"A dinner?" Ash asked, his tone perfectly calibrated to convey mild, teenage annoyance. "Do I have to? I've got a... physics study group."
"Your 'study group' can wait," Sam said, though his tone was kind. "Thorne reached out personally. Said he wanted to 'bridge the gap' between our companies, discuss future collaborations. It's a power play, son. He's testing the waters after our last merger blocked his acquisition. He wants to see if we're soft. Your mother and I need to present a united front. That includes you."
Ash let out a perfectly practiced, long-suffering sigh. "Fine. Where and when?"
"The Chronos Tower penthouse. Eight tonight. And wear the suit we got you for the Geneva charity gala. Look sharp."
"Okay, Dad. See you then."
He hung up. The easygoing pretense evaporated, replaced by a cold, calculating focus.
"The serpent invites the eagles to his nest," Li Yue murmured.
"It's not a social call," Kai stated, his fingers already flying across a holographic keyboard, pulling up dossiers on Thorne and his inner circle. "He's making a move. The question is, what kind?"
"He's heard whispers," Ash said, his gaze distant as he processed variables only he could see. "Not about the Nexus. Not yet. But our stock is rising too fast. Aethelgard Tech's 'innovations' are a step ahead of his, every time. Silas's guild is securing contracts his armed divisions can't. He knows there's a pattern he can't see. This dinner is his attempt to get a closer look. To find the source of the static in his equation."
[New Quest: The Viper's Feast.]
[Objective: Attend the dinner at Chronos Tower. Gather intelligence on Arthur Thorne's intentions and capabilities. Maintain your civilian cover. Do not reveal any knowledge of the supernatural or your assets.]
[Reward: Intel on Chronos Industries, ???]
[Failure Condition: Cover compromised.]
"We have your back," Silas said, his voice a low promise. "We'll be your eyes and ears. Kai can run surveillance. I'll have a security team on standby in a vehicle downstairs. Aurora can be your remote overwatch."
Ash shook his head. "Too obvious. Thorne's penthouse will have state-of-the-art counter-surveillance. A signal jamming field, bio-scanners, the works. Any active op will be detected. This isn't a battlefield for guns and drones. It's a battlefield for smiles and subtext."
He looked at each of them, his plan already fully formed.
"Kai, I need you to become a ghost in his machine. Not an active hack. A passive listener. Plant a dormant data-trawler in the public financial records we're required to share for this 'collaboration' talk. Something that will activate only if specific, pre-set keywords are mentioned in Thorne's private server—keywords like 'Aethelgard,' 'Helios,' 'E-Rank,' 'anomalous energy.'"
"On it," Kai said, a predatory grin appearing. "A digital sleeper agent. He'll never see it coming."
"Silas, your presence is too militant. You stay at the command center. Monitor the city-wide Awakener activity feeds. If Thorne is involved in anything shady related to Gates, I want to know about it the moment it happens."
"Understood."
"Aurora, Li Yue," Ash continued. "You're my social cover. You're both publicly known as family friends and fellow Awakeners from wealthy backgrounds. Your attendance won't be questioned. Your job is to run interference. Keep Thorne's sycophants and corporate spies occupied. Be charming, be vapid, be whatever you need to be to draw attention away from me and my parents."
Aurora gave a sharp, single nod. "I can play the bored heiress."
Li Yue inclined her head."I will be the quiet, observant guest. It will not be an act."
Ash stood up as the van pulled into the discreet entrance to their subterranean base. "Then it's settled. We play his game. We smile, we shake hands, we talk about market futures and philanthropic endeavors."
He stepped out of the van, his simple clothes a stark contrast to the immense power thrumming beneath his skin and the global empire he commanded from the shadows.
"But remember," he said, pausing at the entrance. "He thinks he's the host, and we are the guests. He is wrong."
Ash looked toward the distant, gleaming spire of Chronos Tower, piercing the evening sky.
"He is the curator of a zoo, inviting a dragon to dine with the lambs. Let's see how long it takes him to feel the heat."