"Captain Eren." Seeing the small giant leave the room, the two soldiers in suits who had been waiting at attention snapped into a crisp salute with visible military discipline.
On the side of the corridor, a doctor and a nurse rose from a comfortable couch. "Mr. Eren." Their voices were respectful and soft.
They had co to check his daily health and collect data on his improvent, yet the timing was clearly poor for their work.
Eren returned the salute first, then turned to the doctor. "Sorry, I need to rush to a eting. If you're free, could you check on my sister? She should be available now."
"Ah, sure, no worries." The doctor and nurse looked a little disappointed, a brief shadow passing across their faces, but they did not let it show. Their second task was to examine Mira's health as well.
Eren did not linger. He turned and moved quickly along the long corridor to the floor's elevator. He slipped into the waiting cabin and pressed the top button, the one for the level where the grand eting hall was located.
The steel doors slid shut with a clean seal. The elevator rose fast, a faint hum filling the small space, and after a few seconds, a soft beep announced arrival. "Captain Eren." This ti, 4 soldiers in tactical STF uniforms saluted him, their faces still and professional.
Eren saluted back, a little awkwardly, his size and the formal gesture never quite in sync.
Though he had adjusted to his new life, finding real joy in evolving, wielding fantastical skills, and roaming a vast new world, the formality of rank, the constant recognition, and the strict military etiquette would still take ti before they felt natural.
He passed through the first line of security. Further along, every soldier he t offered a salute, and he answered each one in turn, a quiet rhythm of acknowledgnt that followed him down the hall.
At last, he reached a massive door, where two stationed soldiers took the handles and pulled, opening the way for him.
He stepped inside a very bright room. The lighting had been carefully designed to mimic natural daylight from outside, asured and balanced so that no glare stung the eyes.
The floor was covered wall to wall in a clean, luxurious burgundy carpet, the color rich and calming. The walls and ceiling were finished in a simple, non-tiring architecture, an intentional, understated elegance that kept the mind clear.
In the center stood a large oval table with exactly 34 comfortable, leather-covered chairs arranged in geotric style.
The room was not empty; as Eren entered, he t the eyes of 31 people seated in their chairs, bowed his head with an embarrassed look, and said, "Sorry, I think I am a little late."
Among those present were high-level executives like Henry Bates and 12 City Managers already seated around the table.
There were also key figures from STF and Players, including Selina and Victor.
After offering his apology in the quiet of the room, he moved to his place and found his seat near Selina and Victor. It was a little larger than the others, clearly made to fit his size, and its leather was cushioned and reinforced.
"How is your sister's health?" As soon as Eren sat, Selina asked with a gentle smile. Her deep, night-purple eyes studied him as if they could see all the small secrets behind why he was late.
"Haha, she is very good and keeps improving. She even started cooking als." Eren answered with a warm, sincere laugh, the sound easing so of the room's formality.
From his other side ca Victor's voice, low enough not to carry. "Hey..."
Victor's crimson-red eyes, bright like 2 small blood-colored orbs, fixed on Eren with intensity. He leaned close, careful not to let his whisper reach others.
"I thought you were with Commander Rhys. Where is he?"
Eren's eyes widened at once. He stood again, sudden and apologetic, and raised his hand toward the empty air behind him.
The next mont, Rhys appeared, his body still inside the exoskeleton, a deep frown visible across his face.
"Boy, see your sister all you want, but next ti, release first." The dry edge in his voice made it clear this was not the first ti Eren had forgotten him in the Sanctuary.
"Sorry, I will be more careful next ti," Eren said sincerely, scratching his hairline as he watched Rhys step out of the exoskeleton with muscle-mory smoothness, find his chair, and sit quietly.
With the last 2 seated, only 1 chair at the head of the oval table remained empty. A soft hush settled as everyone waited in silence for the man who had
called them here.
"Hey, are we waiting for Adyr?" Eren, not knowing who had organized the eting, leaned toward Victor and asked in a whisper.
It was not the first ti they had gathered like this, but seeing all the seats full was new. It seed everyone had left their duties to attend.
Of course, not exactly everyone. Dalin Ravencourt and Evangeline Ravencourt, and the rest of the Players, were not present, their status not yet high enough for a eting of this kind.
"Seems like it." Victor grinned and added, "I feel like we are about to go into war or sothing"
The last ti Adyr had called this many people, and even more, it had been for the declaration of their future. Now, summoning the newly established council like this, there had to be real weight and aning behind it.
After a long, even silence, the doors of the eting room opened again. All eyes turned to the figure entering from the corridor.
"Oh man, he was already scary, and now look at him," Victor murmured with a small, pleased smile, oddly proud for so reason.
For many present, it was the first ti seeing Adyr's new appearance. Ash-gray skin, darker hair, and 2 burning crimson eyes made him look entirely non-human now, a presence that filled the room with an alien presence.
"He looks fine." Eren nodded, showing no surprise, his tone relaxed and
accepting.
Selina did not comnt on the new look. Her gaze, steady as ever, rested on him the sa way it always had.
Without a word, Adyr crossed the room to his seat, paused before he sat, and let his eyes pass briefly over each face at the table, taking the asure of the
room before he spoke.
"First of all, let thank all of you for answering my call"
The words settled over the table and were t by soft, approving looks, a collective readiness sharpening.
"I will try to make it short, as we do not have much ti, but first, I need to be inford about so developnts inside the Beyond." Adyr's eyes moved to Eren, then to Rhys's calm gaze. "I assu you have already arrived in the Velari
region?"
Adyr already knew that, after he requested support, the newly established council had decided to send Eren and Rhys to his side.
Hearing the question, Rhys stood calmly. His eyes moved over Adyr with a keen assessnt, taking in every physical change, and then he answered. "It was not long ago we arrived. We even got into a conflict with the... what was the na... yeah, those Umbrellas. They were trying to kidnap our researchers and a girl with blond hair, so we kicked so ass."
Rhys's manner could be confusing. He had the disciplined air of a soldier reporting up the chain, yet his usual calm, almost carefree ease still colored his stance and his words, the two sides eting in a way that felt oddly natural. No one questioned his manner. It was who he was, and what mattered was his effectiveness. By far, he was the best commander in the room, a man who could lead an army.
"I see." Adyr smiled, satisfied with what he heard. Then he asked again, his face turning more serious, a clear intent behind the crimson of his eyes. "Can you brief on what our current military strength is inside the Beyond?"
With that question, an understanding began to take shape in everyone's mind about the real reason he had called them. The room changed at once, and the whole table tightened up, waiting for what ca next.
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