“You’re playing a dangerous game, Tim. Inviting a thief into your home just to watch him fail?” She gestured vaguely at the flickering image of Noll exiting the office. “The Investigation Bureau ran a deep-scan on your guests. It came back… unsettling.”
Tim tilted his head, his smile never wavering. “Unsettling how?”
“A void,” Herling said, her voice dropping an octave. “Captain X has a service record that begins ten years ago in a border skirmish, but before that? Nothing. No birth record, no clan lineage, not even a hometown. And the boy, Noll…” She paused, tapping her finger against the glass. “He’s a ghost. We checked the birth registries of every major city, the hospital logs, the orphanage intakes. He doesn't exist. It’s as if they both simply spawned into reality the moment they stepped onto Altavian soil.”
“Ex Nihilo,” Tim whispered, sounding genuinely delighted. “Something from nothing. It’s a beautiful concept, isn't it?”
“It’s a security failure,” Herling snapped. “People don't just appear without a history unless someone—someone very powerful—has spent a great deal of effort erasing it. Or unless they aren't from Altavia, or even this world at all.”
Tim didn’t respond immediately. He stood up, walking toward the meditating Laurent Ferrum. The crystals surrounding the warrior hummed in sympathy as Tim approached, their vibrations shifting from a low drone to a sharp, crystalline ring.
“You see a security failure, Madame,” Tim said, reaching out to adjust the angle of a floating geode near Laurent’s shoulder. “I see a vacuum. And nature abhors a vacuum. It demands to be filled.”
He turned back to the transmission, where the screen was now split. On one side, the recording of Noll’s frustration. On the other, a series of tactical readouts—the data gathered from the simultaneous attacks on Genichiro, Kazan, Li, and Elara.
“The Named are predictable,” Tim continued, his voice taking on a clinical, detached tone. “They are bound by their lineage. Their magic follows a lineage of blood and tradition. I know exactly how a Yumaki will strike because I have a thousand years of Yumaki battle data. But those two?”
He gestured to the empty office on the screen.
“They are variables. X uses discipline that shouldn't belong to a Nameless. Noll uses logic that shouldn't belong to a child. They have no history because they are the first of their kind.”
“That’s what our friend said about Noll’s…” Herling paused, unable to find a word to describe such an abomination. “Weapon.”
Tim scoffed. “Friend? That’s a way to name someone without his own name.”
Herling shrugged. “Not my problem he resisted Silas’s… formatting so much. Now, our friend can’t even remember anything from his past life.”
Tim leaned back into his chair, throwing a quick look into his inner pocket, where Noll’s weapon was hidden. “That’s the Voice Hunter for you. The psychic that kills other psychics to remove competition…”
Tim let the transmission flicker out, plunging the office on the screen into darkness. He took a slow, appreciative sip of his wine, the weight of Noll’s weapon in his pocket a comforting, stolen secret.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
***
The other VIP section.
Genichiro looked around the room, mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the VIP rooms in the spire. Not only was this one of many, but this one was more secluded.
Perfect for discussions. Genichiro turned to the other three people in the room.
Kazan, Li, Elara. Four out of five. The fifth was very hard to contact, since she doesn’t leave the Percival Estate unless it’s something big.
Kazan was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, not napping, just resting. He was the only person from Clan Karyu, coming on behalf of his father too. Had other matters to settle.
Li was talking with Elara, not even flirting, as one would expect from him, but a genuine concern on his face.
Elara was not trembling anymore, even laughing at Li’s jokes.
From what she told them, she had been attacked on the same day Outpost Eleven was. A furnace Artifice struck while she was strolling through a northern village. There was no water left—every pond had been preemptively vaporized. She barely escaped, and still had to spend three days underwater afterward just to recover the moisture she’d lost.
The timing, the environment, the enemy, even the fact that they knew where she would go.
The door slowly opened. A figure in an emerald dress walked in, already annoyed.
“What’s the matter?” Bella barked. Heads immediately turned to her. “This better be important, I have stuff to do.”
“Were you attacked?” Genichiro asked, moving closer. “Around a week ago, by something that could neutralize your abilities.”
“Ah, it’s about that…” Bella shook her head, looking around everyone in the room. Her eyes stopped at Elara.
“Heard about the scandal.” She smiled, crossing her hands and imitating a concerned look. “Everyone had to restrain the whole Clan Carolus to prevent them from making a headline out of you four.” She scoffed. “At least I retained my pride.”
Li slammed his hand onto the table. Kazan stiffened. Elara’s face changed.
“And you think that makes you better than anyone else? And why were you not targeted? Maybe you are the mole.”
Bella’s face didn’t change, instead, she became smugger.
“Baseless accusations. Especially for a new Clan’s head. How many do you have under your command again? Ah, right, a big, fat null.” She looked at Elara. “And you. Why did you think it was a good idea to sneak around just to stroll around the village? Of course you would be attacked!” She turned her head to Kazan. “No words for you, you probably wanted something like that to happen.”
Her hand moved to her chest, her head high, proud of herself.
“I, for example, am not leaving the confines of Percival estate, unless it is something serious. Which is why I am still untouched.”
“Is that why you are so lonely lately?” Genichiro’s voice was calm. Bella, on the other hand, had her hand twitching, before her face returned to the composure she had.
“Way to go… did you learn it from the chicken in your blade?” Bella muttered. “You are lucky our fathers are friends.”
“Yet you and Mizuki aren’t.” Genichiro’s voice didn’t change. He completely ignored the remark about Tengu, even though it screamed in his ear about teaching her a lesson. “Why?”
Bella smiled, looking back into Genichiro’s eyes. “Who cares about her? She is not on the list, doesn’t have a Nexus-Blade, and is stuck on the edge of Altavia. She is nothing.”
“If those are the criteria for your judgment, then you failed as a person.” Genichiro replied, already leaving the room.
Bella sighed. “If that’s it, I got to go.” She didn’t wait for anyone, just quickly moved through the door.
She moved across the labyrinth that is the spire, moving along the halls of the west part.
“Bella.” A heavy and stern voice called as a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. She recognized it, her father, Torus.
She turned back, smile present, voice heavy.
“Yes, father. Do you want something.” She said, relaxed. This old man was past his prime. Ever since he lost his wife. Just a matter of time before he bestows her the position of a Clan Head. And then…
“I am leaving, you stay here on my behalf…” he didn’t wait for her answer, instead, turning back and leaving.
“Wait!” Bella called out. Torus stopped, not looking back. “What about the Name bond?”
Torus sighed. “I couldn’t care less about that.” And continued.
“Crazy…” she murmured, moving forward, before stopping dead in her tracks. The person who stood before her was a Nameless boy in a suit that actively fought him.
Their eyes met. Just for a fraction of a moment, they looked at each other, before both of them moved along.
***
Same location.
Emma was laughing unusually loud. So loud, in fact, that Noll nearly thought someone could hear her.
“What’s so funny?” Noll hissed at her.
“It’s…” she coughed from laughing so hard. “It’s just… you two could have at least had a conversation!”
Noll tried to ignore her, unsuccessfully, and move forward.
"She is nothing."
The Coordinated Attack: We learned that Genichiro, Kazan, Li, and Elara were all hit by perfect counters:
The Villain's Intel: Tim Kris knows X and Noll are "ghosts."
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Silas ("The Voice Hunter"): A psychic who wipes memories and hunts other psychics? This explains why the "friend" can't remember their past.
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Tim has the Blaster: He confirmed it's in his inner pocket. That means Noll has to pickpocket a Clan Head in the middle of a party. No pressure.
Emma's Laugh: Why did Emma find Noll and Bella passing each other so funny?
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Theory A: They are related (unlikely).
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Theory B: They are opposites (The boy with no name vs. The girl obsessed with names).
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Theory C: Emma knows something about Bella's future that Noll doesn't.
Next Chapter: Noll returns to the party. Mizuki is still waiting. And the main event of the ball is about to start.
If you hate Bella already: Leave a comment!