Vale looked out through the massive windows, his eyes widening as his body went rigid.
'How? So fast?' he asked himself.
Filling the entire span of glass stood a colossal white wolf, so large it nearly blotted out the sky beyond. Chimera.
She had come for him.
The enormous beast lowered her head and bared her fangs, a silent display of fury directed at the room beyond the glass. Power rolled off her in waves, thick enough to feel even from this distance. Every conversation ceased. Staff members froze mid-motion, hands hovering over consoles, eyes locked in stunned disbelief at the massive wolf looming just outside.
No one moved.
Rikin exhaled slowly as the weapons and threats surrounding him were withdrawn one by one.
"Phew," he muttered lightly, rolling his shoulders as if nothing extraordinary had just occurred.
With a casual wave of his hand, the thunder he had summoned dissipated. The lightning bolts hanging in the air flickered, then vanished entirely. Vale did not notice that Alexandria herself had stopped them mid-flight. His focus was fixed entirely on her.
Rose looked at the massive wolf with unmistakable sorrow in her eyes. It was easy to understand why. From what Vale had gathered, she had raised Alexandria herself. Seeing her now, reduced to a feral form, even in recovery, must have been deeply painful.
After a moment, Rose shifted her gaze toward Vale.
"Go on," she said softly, offering him a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.
Vale met her gaze and immediately saw through it. He did not comment. He simply nodded and stepped away from the table.
As he moved, a voice stopped him.
"Hey, kid."
Vale paused and turned slightly.
Callum looked at him, his expression uncharacteristically gentle. He offered Vale a warm, reassuring smile before speaking.
"Stay safe."
Vale returned the smile, small, but genuine, and nodded once.
Then he turned back toward the towering white wolf and continued forward, each step carrying him closer to Chimera.
With every step Vale took closer to the window, Chimera's posture shifted.
The tension in her massive frame gradually eased. Her bared fangs slowly disappeared behind closed jaws, and the rigid arch of her back relaxed bit by bit. By the time Vale stood directly in front of the reinforced glass, the colossal white wolf no longer radiated raw fury, only guarded curiosity.
They were separated by mere inches of transparent barrier.
Chimera tilted her head, her enormous ears twitching slightly as she studied him. Vale mirrored the gesture without realizing it, his expression conflicted, uncertain. Almost immediately, Chimera mirrored him in return.
A quiet murmur rippled through the room.
Long, silent moments passed as everyone watched Vale and the wolf communicate without words, no gestures beyond subtle movement, no sound beyond the steady hum of the facility. And yet, something unmistakable was happening.
Finally, Vale turned away from the glass and faced the others.
"…Should we go outside?" he asked.
The question caught everyone off guard.
Several people exchanged surprised glances, clearly unsure whether they had heard him correctly. The silence that followed was brief but heavy.
Then Tharion shrugged.
"Yeah, sure," he said casually, already moving toward Vale as if the decision required no further thought.
Others followed almost immediately.
"Yeah, should be fun," Callum added with a grin as he joined them.
Evelyn sighed deeply, rubbing her temples, but stepped forward as well. Yuki's lips twisted into an unmistakably excited grin as she followed. Within moments, most of the group had gathered beside Vale, leaving only a few still seated at the table.
Callum glanced over his shoulder toward Barbatos. "You're not coming?"
Barbatos leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.
"I already know her well enough," he replied calmly. "You all should have that opportunity too."
Vale nodded, then turned toward Eskar.
"Eskar," he said, catching the boy's attention. "You wanna come too?"
Eskar shook his head. "No, tha-"
"Go, child," Samuel interrupted firmly.
Eskar blinked, eyes widening slightly, then nodded and moved toward Vale without another word.
Samuel turned his gaze to Vale. "Do not worry," he said gently. "I shall take care of your ravens."
Vale bowed his head slightly. "Thank you."
As he straightened, Ember fluttered over and landed neatly on his shoulder, wings ruffling as if in agreement.
They made their way down toward the exit platform.
Vale glanced around, then frowned slightly. "So… how are we getting down?" he asked.
Callum laughed.
Without answering, he tapped a command into the wrist pad on his arm. Instantly, the reinforced windows began to split apart along hidden seams, retracting outward and upward. The room seemed to expand all at once as open air rushed in.
Callum turned back to Vale, flashing him a wide grin.
"By jumping, of course."
Before Vale could protest, Callum sprinted forward and launched himself out of the opening, disappearing over the edge.
Vale's eyes widened.
Caesar whistled appreciatively before following. One by one, the others leapt out after him, each controlling their descent with their own abilities, some slowing themselves, others gliding or teleporting in flashes of light.
Soon, only Vale and Eskar remained.
Vale stepped closer to the edge and looked down.
The ground was far below, at least eighty meters, maybe more. His stomach twisted uncomfortably.
"I… don't like this," he muttered.
"You alright?" Eskar asked quietly.
Vale forced an awkward smile. Chimera, now outside, tilted her head again, clearly puzzled by his hesitation.
"Yeah," Vale said quickly. Then he glanced toward the elevator shaft behind them. "…I'll just take the elevator."
He turned and began walking toward it.
"He."
Vale stopped.
Eskar pointed at his back. "Get on."
Vale blinked. "What?"
"Get on my back," Eskar repeated.
Vale hesitated. "Are you sure?"
Eskar nodded.
After a brief pause, Vale walked back. Eskar crouched slightly, allowing Vale to climb on and hold tight.
"Have you done this before?" Vale asked nervously.
Eskar thought for a moment. "Nope. Never."
Vale stiffened.
Before he could say anything else, flames erupted from Eskar's hands and feet. In an instant, they shot forward, then sharply downward.
Ember screeched and was thrown from Vale's shoulder by the sudden acceleration, flapping wildly to regain control.
Vale's heart raced as the ground rushed toward them at terrifying speed.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
Just before impact, their descent slowed abruptly.
Vale felt the motion shift. He opened his eyes to see Eskar now hovering calmly, flames pulsing gently as they descended the final meters before touching down.
Vale exhaled shakily.
Eskar released him, and Ember quickly returned to Vale's shoulder, hissing angrily at Eskar.
Eskar shrugged and stepped aside.
Vale leaned back against a nearby tree, catching his breath. "Thanks," he said.
"Don't mention it," Eskar replied indifferently, closing his eyes and crossing his arms once more.
Chimera padded backward and lay down in front of the gathered group, her massive form settling into the earth with surprising gentleness.
Vale spotted Callum speaking quietly with Evelyn and began walking toward them, but he was intercepted halfway.
Levianthe wrapped him in a sudden, warm embrace.
"Brother Vale! Thank you for this research opportunity!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
She released him just as quickly and moved toward Chimera, examining the colossal wolf's fur with unrestrained fascination.
"Sorry about that," Caesar said as he approached.
Vale chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, it's not a problem."
Caesar smiled, then turned his attention toward Eskar. His expression shifted, becoming serious.
"You should challenge him to a duel," Caesar said suddenly. "Might help release some of the tension between you two."
Vale stared at him, stunned by the suggestion.
"Why would that ease the tension?" Vale asked.
Caesar looked at him for a moment, then explained calmly, "I heard about the whole situation. He's angry because you defeated Nym, right?"
Vale nodded.
"Well, here's the thing," Caesar continued. "Her ability perfectly counters almost everyone, except you in close-quarters combat. By challenging him, you'd be showing that the gap between the two of you isn't as wide as he believes."
Vale blinked, surprised.
"You'd be proving that you're closer in strength than he thinks," Caesar added after a brief pause. "And who knows, maybe it'll help build some kind of friendship as well."
Vale stood there for a moment, stunned. The more he thought about it, the more Caesar's words made sense.
He shifted his gaze toward Eskar, who was leaning silently against the trunk of a nearby tree.
Vale hesitated.
Then, taking a steady breath, he stepped forward, ready to challenge him properly.