CHAPTER 132: PROVEN SHIELD

The briefing room was a world away from the Headmaster’s office. It was like stepping into another country, another time.

Far below the main Academy, in a secret sub-level, the air was cool and clean. There were no grand city views here. There were no desks full of old, leather-bound books. The walls were just gray, bare metal. The only light came from a humming holotable that stood in the middle of the room.

Captain Seraph stood before Jonah and Vanessa. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest. Her face was as hard and unyielding as the reinforced walls around them. The weight of the coming war had settled on her. It had sharpened all her edges, leaving no room for softness.

"The Headmaster has laid out the stakes," she began. Her voice was crisp and direct. "The Genesis War requires a dedicated, permanent team. As of this moment, the Anomalous Species Task Force is being officially reactivated under a new designation: Omega."

ASTF-Omega.

Seraph’s sharp eyes fixed on Jonah. "Your role is Threat Specialist. You are the core of this entire operation. You find the enemy, you analyze their creations, and you tell us how to break them. You are our weapon."

Her eyes then shifted to Vanessa, who stood calmly beside Jonah. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her posture straight and ready. "You are our Runic Engineer. You counter their magic, you break their security, and you build the tools we need to stay one step ahead of them. You are our intelligence."

Jonah nodded. The title, Threat Specialist, settled over him with a strange feeling. He looked at Vanessa, who gave him a small, reassuring glance. They were a team, just as they had always been. But now they were stepping from the safety of their workshop into the cold, beating heart of a secret war.

"That covers intel and analysis," Seraph continued, her voice never changing its tone. "But we need a frontline. We need muscle. We need someone who can hold the line when everything goes wrong. We need a shield." She paused, letting the silence hang in the air for a long, heavy moment. "And for that, there’s only one choice."

Jonah and Vanessa didn’t need to ask. They both knew who she was talking about. There was a sense of rightness to it, a feeling that this was how it was always meant to be.

HISS-THUD.

The heavy, soundproofed door at the far end of the room slid open with a loud hiss of air. A figure filled the whole doorway.

Draven walked in.

He wore a set of dark gray combat armor. Its surface was scuffed and practical, not shiny or decorative. It was the armor of a man who fought, not of a man who dueled for show. He moved with a grounded confidence that he had never had before. There was no surprise on Jonah’s or Vanessa’s face. His presence here felt natural. It felt necessary.

He came to a stop beside them. The three of them now formed a solid line. He gave a sharp, respectful nod to Seraph. He was ready for orders.

Seraph addressed the now-complete team. Her voice rang with a new authority in the small room. "Draven has proven his loyalty twice over," she stated. Her tone was firm, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind. "Once in the Dragon’s Tooth, and again in the arena. His position as Heavy Assault is now permanent."

Draven’s gaze moved from Seraph and settled directly on Jonah. His face was grim and serious.

"They tried to kill you twice," Draven said. His voice was a low rumble. He took a half-step forward. His armored form became a solid wall between Jonah and the door.

"There won’t be a third time," he promised. His voice was firm and serious. "Not while I’m still here."

Jonah met his gaze. He saw no hint of the arrogant, spoiled boy who had once looked down on him as a scrapper from the Undercroft. He saw a soldier. He saw an ally. He saw the man who had thrown himself in front of a deadly blast without a single second’s hesitation. There was nothing more that needed to be said between them. Jonah gave a slow, deliberate nod of his own. It was an acknowledgment. It was an acceptance. A silent thank you.

Seraph watched the exchange between the two boys. A rare hint of something that looked like pride lit in her eyes. The team was officially solidified. It was the core group that had walked into the Bureau’s kill box and come out the other side, stronger. They had been strangers then. Now, they were a unit. They were bound by shared trauma and forged by a trust that could only be earned in the face of death.

"Alright," Seraph said. Her voice pulled them back to the mission at hand. The moment of reflection was over. It was time to get to work. "Now for our first directive."

She activated the holotable. A simple line of text appeared in the glowing light.

OPERATIONAL STATUS: GHOST

"We have zero official backing," she explained. Her tone was as sharp. "To the rest of the world, ASTF-Omega does not exist. The Headmaster will deny our existence if we are captured. We cannot call for reinforcements. We cannot expect any support from the Academy or the military. We will operate in the deepest shadows. Is that clear?"

Three voices answered clear and firm. "Yes, Captain."

"Good," Seraph said, as a complex 3D map of city systems and corporate power grids filled the table, showing a tangled network of potential targets. "The Bureau has many hidden facilities and shell corporations throughout the capital. A direct attack on all of them is impossible. We need a precise lead.

Her finger, armored in a black glove, traced a path through the holographic data. It moved past financial districts and government buildings. It finally landed on a glowing node in the city’s forgotten industrial sector.

"Our mission is simple," she said. Her eyes met each of theirs in turn, and they saw a fire of determination burning in her gaze. "Find the first trace. Find the lab where they analyzed Jonah’s blood."