It had been nearly a week since the party in Trinix Square, and Eve found herself restless again. While her training had intensified—faster drills, sharper energy focus, even mock combat scenarios—she couldn’t help feeling like she needed to prove herself in a more tangible way. Not just to the instructors—but to herself. And on a more practical note, she also needed to start earning some money if she was going to build a life here.
She reached out to Courtney, her government liaison from the Portal Security Division.
Their conversation had been quick but polite. Eve asked if there was any way she could join a low-tier security patrol—something small, something manageable, just to begin earning money and get a feel for what real fieldwork was like. Courtney, ever efficient, told her she’d file the request and follow up within the next few days.
When the assignment came through, Eve felt a thrill shoot through her chest.
She would be accompanying Arel on a recon patrol just outside one of the containment zones bordering a minor void exposure site. It wasn’t gmorous, but it was real. And it was happening.
The morning of the mission, Eve packed her gear meticulously. The gloves Nyra gave her fit perfectly now, their energy nodes helping her emute her lightning abilities in a controlled and precise manner. She also packed the baton she’d been using in training. The weapon, once foreign in her hand, now moved with a fluidity that surprised her. As she strapped it into pce, a knock sounded at her door.
Arel leaned in with her usual bright grin. "Ready to be a badass today? Transport’s waiting. Let’s go."
The two of them made their way through the sleek corridors of the Academy’s operations wing, eventually arriving at the nding ptform where transport awaited. Eve’s boots clicked softly as she walked, her nerves building beneath her calm expression.
What she didn’t expect was to see Levi already standing beside the transport, arms crossed, speaking quietly with Kael.
Arel froze for a half-second, then gave a sheepish ugh. "Okay, plot twist. I didn’t think he was going to be here."
Eve looked between her and the two men. "He’s coming with us?"
Arel scratched the back of her neck. "Apparently. This was supposed to be a basic recon near the edge of the void zone. These patrols usually rotate between junior operatives. I picked this one so we could ease you in. I had no idea Levi would tag along."
As if on cue, Levi turned and began walking toward them, his expression unreadable as always.
Arel added under her breath, "Normally, he only joins high-stakes missions, given his abilities and experience."
"Just making up service time," Levi said as he stopped beside them. "I’ve got hours to log before the next rank review. Nothing more."
Arel raised a brow but said nothing.
Eve gave a small nod, her voice steady. "Understood."
Kael gave her a subtle nod and a faint smile, his eyes briefly meeting hers with quiet curiosity.
Without another word, the team began to board the transport. Before stepping inside, Levi walked to the back of the vehicle and retrieved something from a storage compartment—sleek double Sais with a distinct gleam of modified alloy.
He handed them to Eve without ceremony. "Nyra's been working on these," he said simply. "She caught me on the way over and asked me to pass them to you for this mission. Said they might suit your style."
Eve took them carefully, the cool metal familiar yet new in her grip. She gave a nod of thanks, sensing the weight of trust in the gesture.
They boarded the vehicle- a Strider-css recon hauler. It hummed faintly with core energy, the glow of its undercarriage casting faint light across the paved campus grounds outside the Academy. A driver sat inside already, running st-minute diagnostics on the console.
Eve sat beside Arel, clutching the safety rail lightly as the skyline of Caelux receded behind them.
The mission hadn’t even begun, and already, she could feel the shift.
Something about this day was going to be different.
