The air in the junkyard still slled of smoke and scorched tal.
The earth trembled occasionally from the aftershocks of the explosion, but the pulsing divine magic that had threatened to consu them was gone.
What remained was faint, almost harmless, little more than a residue clinging to shattered fragnts of the device.
Lucius stood in the center of it all, his hands behind his back, watching the others carefully scavenge.
They moved slower this ti, far more deliberate. Nobody wanted to risk setting off another reaction. Jamie barked quiet orders to the scavengers, telling them which shards to touch and which to leave alone.
Mira bent low over a broken piece of crystal, her expression sharp as she brushed ash off its surface and wrapped it securely in cloth.
Even Luna and Verus, usually restless, were silent and cautious, moving only when Mira told them it was safe. Their earlier recklessness had been burned out of them by the explosion.
By the ti the sun had begun to dip, the team had secured as much as they dared. Lucius signaled for them to retreat.
"That’s enough. Let’s not test our luck."
No one argued. They moved quickly, leaving the ruined junkyard behind them, each carrying packs filled with salvage that might one day tell them who had planted such a dangerous device.
The journey back to base was quiet. Everyone kept throwing glances at Lucius, as though waiting for him to speak.
But he said nothing, only walked with the sa steady pace, his gaze locked forward.
Once they reached the Dawn settlent and the salvage was placed in secure storage, Lucius finally dismissed the others.
"Keep updated on the research. I want results as soon as possible. If this was a test, we need to know what the next step will be."
Jamie nodded, Mira gave a soft
"Understood."
And the others dispersed. Only Luna and Verus lingered, shuffling their feet.
Lucius turned his eyes on them. Both stiffened, bracing for the storm.
But his words were calm, almost too calm.
"Go back. Rest. I don’t have the patience for excuses right now. Also, I’m disappointed in your decisions today.
His eyes sharpened, cutting through their silence.
The quiet weight of that sentence landed harder than any scolding could.
Luna’s face twisted, anger flashing in her eyes.
Her fists clenched like she wanted to strike the wall, or perhaps Verus, but she swallowed the urge. With a sharp turn, she stalked out of the room, her boots echoing down the hall.
Verus flinched under Lucius’s gaze, then bowed his head and hurried after her without a word.
When the door finally closed, silence filled the office. Lucius leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his temple.
"That little outing almost ruined everything. Too many pieces at risk. Too many I can’t afford to lose yet."
He muttered to himself.
The window creaked open. A shadow slipped inside without sound, but Lucius didn’t bother reaching for his weapon.
Belphegor, the Demon King of Sloth, stretched leisurely as though he had simply taken a stroll.
"Is that really the only reason you look so sour, little scher? Because your toys nearly broke?"
Lucius shot him a sharp glance.
"If you ca here to waste my ti with nonsense, leave."
Belphegor smirked, sprawling across the edge of the desk as though it were his own.
"No fun, no fun at all. You’ve gotten so stiff lately. You should relax, maybe sleep for a hundred years like ."
Lucius’s silence was enough to make the demon sigh dramatically, covering half his face with his hand.
"Fine, fine. No gas today. I ca to warn you. My brothers have started to move."
His tone shifted, becoming heavier.
Lucius’s eyes narrowed.
"Because of Verus."
Belphegor nodded slowly.
"They’ve sensed him. His power stinks of us. It won’t be long before they begin sending hounds to sniff him out."
Lucius leaned forward slightly.
"You’ve already seen them, haven’t you?"
Belphegor’s lazy smile vanished.
"I felt one of my brother’s lackeys near your little junkyard. Strong enough to make stir from my nap. By the ti I went to greet them, the trail was gone. Too late. Whoever it was, they weren’t just sniffing. They were testing."
The words settled like stone in the room.
Lucius’s jaw tightened, but his voice remained calm.
"Then I suppose the ga has truly begun."
Belphegor tilted his head, watching him closely.
"Still so composed, even when you’re cornered. Tell , are you worried for your little pawns, or for yourself?"
Lucius didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the corner of the room, where a faint blue glow flickered into existence. His system had updated, new lines of text forming in his vision.
[New Mission Available]
[Investigate the movents of the Demon Kings. Prevent Verus’s identity from being exposed. Failure will result in catastrophic loss.]
Lucius read the words carefully, his face betraying nothing.
Belphegor chuckled, sensing the shift in the air.
"Your little whisper-box is already pulling your strings again, isn’t it? Don’t you ever wonder if you’re the one playing the ga... or just another piece on the board?"
Lucius finally looked back at him, eyes sharp as steel.
"It doesn’t matter. As long as the ga ends with on top."
Belphegor grinned lazily, leaning back until he half-disappeared into the shadows.
"I’ll be watching. Try not to bore , Lucius."
The window creaked again, and the demon king was gone, leaving the office in silence once more.
Lucius exhaled slowly, his eyes returning to the glowing text of the mission. The pieces were moving faster now.
Verus’s secret was no longer safe, and every step they took from here would be under the eyes of monsters far worse than General Ryan.
He closed his eyes for a mont, letting the weight of it settle. Then he opened them again, sharp and cold.
There was no ti for rest.
’Ugh, I am gonna get so busy because of this.’
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