Time seemed to stretch thin within the glowing confines of the study. Kaelen continued pleading with Ray to let her out. Her voice grew increasingly desperate, while Ray remained a silent, sorrowful statue by his desk. Rina watched from outside the barrier, her confusion mounting with every passing second.

Suddenly, without a sound or flicker of displaced air, a figure materialized directly beside Ray. Clad in the same dark, non-reflective gear as the figures Ray had summoned earlier, the Shadow Guard seemed to coalesce from the ambient gloom. Rina let out a sharp, startled gasp, stumbling back a step. Kaelen, couldn't suppress a jolt of genuine shock, Her eyes widening in disbelief at the silent, impossible arrival.

The Shadow Guard ignored the reactions, bowing slightly to Ray. Its voice was a low, toneless whisper, audible only to Ray within the study.

"Lord Croft, we have searched Adept Thorne's assigned quarters and the surrounding areas. There is no sign of her. She is missing."

Ray's expression didn't change, but a subtle tension entered his posture. He gave his orders, his voice quiet but carrying undeniable authority.

"Expand the search,"

he commanded.

"Check infirmaries, libraries, common rooms. Alert Sergeant Svane immediately. Report back immediately if she is found. Kaelen could be injured or..."

Ray did not continue his sentence as he did not want to consider such a possibility. The Shadow Guard gave another silent bow and vanished as instantly as it had arrived.

Kaelen listened to Ray’s quiet, authoritative commands to the vanished Shadow Guard, orders to search for Kaelen Thorne, orders given with the assumption that she was missing and potentially injured. The implication was immediate and absolute: Ray had known all along. The entire performance, the tears, the countersign, the feigned weakness, had been utterly useless.

A long, slow sigh escaped Kaelen’s lips, the sound not of her feigned distress, but of simple, profound weariness, perhaps even tinged with a hint of grudging respect. The hostile tension in her posture eased slightly, replaced by a kind of resigned curiosity. The Kaelen mask didn't just drop; it dissolved.

K looked at Ray, Her expression now unreadable but no longer actively performing. K’s voice, when she spoke, was the same crisp, gender-neutral tone Ray had heard before K's capture, stripped of all artifice.

"Since when?"

K asked, the question quiet, direct, and holding the weight of a game finally acknowledged.

Ray didn't answer immediately. He simply observed the figure trapped within his runic cage for a long moment, noting the subtle shift from the desperate Kaelen persona to this calmer, more analytical operative. The air of resigned curiosity was far more interesting, and perhaps more dangerous, than the previous hostility.

Finally, Ray spoke, his voice quiet but carrying the weight of a formal negotiation.

"I will answer your question,"

he proposed, meeting K's unreadable gaze,

"if you also answer my question."

K considered the proposition, a thoughtful expression momentarily replacing the blankness. Then, a small, wry smile touched her lips.

"Deal."

K agreed easily, leaning back slightly against the invisible barrier, looking suddenly comfortable despite being trapped. K then added, with a hint of Kaelen's playful tone returning, though the voice remained neutral,

"Ah, ah, ah... but ladies first, wouldn't you agree?"

She tilted her head slightly.

"Since when did you know?"

Ray paused, his expression unreadable. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze seemed to turn inward, his mind flashing back to the critical moments just after K as Kaelen had taken the antidote...

(moments ago)

Gratitude shone in Kaelen's eyes.

"Thank you. Your diagnosis… it confirms I have the correct counteragent right here ."

With slightly trembling fingers, Kaelen opened the ornate wooden box. Inside, nestled on dark velvet, was a single, small vial containing a pearl-like liquid. She uncorked it without hesitation and swallowed the contents in one quick gulp.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Ray immediately focused his senses, activating the Serene Cultivator’s Aetheric Perception and Aetheric Purity Assessment skills. The world shifted. He watched the bright, cleansing signature of the antidote rapidly dissolve the dark tendrils of the Veridian Nightshade within Kaelen's form. The process was incredibly fast, a testament to masterful alchemy.

Within moments, the poison signature was gone entirely. Kaelen's own natural Aether flow began to reassert itself, stabilizing, strengthening... and Ray saw it. As her signature returned to its baseline, a jarring, discordant note vibrated beneath the surface, a subtle flicker of chaotic energy almost perfectly masked but undeniably present. It was the exact same faint, alien resonance he had perceived beneath the flawless disguise of the Rina impostor in the alley.

He cross-referenced it instantly with the Aetheric signature of the real Kaelen Thorne he had recorded during her sparring session; the signatures did not match. Others wouldn't see it, but to his enhanced senses, it was as clear as day.

A wave of ice-cold terror, primal and absolute, tried to surface. The face in front of him wasn't Kaelen; it was the boogeyman from Kaelen's stories, a legendary operative with 100% success rate, and he had just willingly let it into his home. His heart hammered, his breath caught in his throat, Ray activated the Stoic Assassin’s ‘Emotion Detachment’ skill, Ray felt like a switch flipping in his mind, a wave of absolute, chilling calm washing over the rising tide of fear. The terror didn't vanish entirely, but it was instantly suppressed, pushed back behind a wall of cold, emotionless glass. His pounding heart slowed to a steady, controlled rhythm.

With the paralyzing interference of raw fear neutralized the cold, hard logic of his internal council took command.

Detective: "Signature match. Alley impostor confirmed. The entire rescue, the poison story... all of it was a setup. It's K."

Courtier: "Objective identified: Infiltration via feigned vulnerability. Assess host capabilities and security protocols. Brilliant... and diabolical."

Veteran: "Immediate threat confirmed. Operative is hostile, highly skilled, and currently feigning weakness within the primary secure location. Protocol dictates immediate neutralization or containment."

Conman: "Hold up, you trigger happy fool! We can't just jump K now, we are not her match! K believes we bought the act. We play along. Lure her into the study... yeah, the study. Where our little surprise is waiting. We need to show K that we still bought the act. Let them think they are still in control right up until the cage door slams shut."

The suppressed terror was transmuted, forged in the space of a heartbeat from a paralyzing poison into the cold, sharp fuel for the performance of a lifetime. Ray processed the rapid-fire analysis, his mind racing. The Conman's plan was risky, but it was their best chance. He subtly adjusted his posture, maintaining the facade of relief and concern.

Ray saw Kaelen now sitting up, thanking him, reiterating the urgency about K being trapped at the observatory.

He looked towards the main door, then back at Kaelen who was resting, pale but alert, on the couch, and Rina who hovered nearby.

"Svane isn't back yet,"

Ray murmured softly but just loud enough for everyone to hear his tone, a feign sense of urgency.

"The time limit Kaelen mentioned is critical. We need a faster, more specialized response than just the Sergeant."

Without waiting for a response, Ray walked decisively towards the main door of the suite. He opened it and stepped out into the quiet, empty corridor, pulling the door open and stepped outside. He looked left, then right down the deserted hallway, confirming their solitude. He took a single, deep breath, centering himself in the stillness.

Then, speaking clearly into the quiet air, his voice unnaturally loud in the silence, he uttered the phrase:

"Sanctuary Protocol."

The shadows deepened. Not gradually, but instantly, coalescing from the ambient gloom at the edges of Ray's vision. Eight figures materialized without a sound, resolving into solid forms clad in dark, non-reflective gear that seemed to swallow the faint light. They moved with an unnerving, synchronized silence, taking positions around Ray in a loose, protective semi-circle. Each figure gave a brief, curt bow, a gesture of absolute, impersonal deference.

"There is an imposter,"

Ray stated quietly, his voice devoid of childish inflection.

"The operative known as 'K' is inside my suite disguised as Kaelen Thorne, which makes the real Kaelen possibly in danger. Your primary mission: locate and secure Kaelen Thorne."

There was a fractional pause. The lead Shadow Guard, though its face remained hidden, seemed to hesitate. Its toneless whisper held a hint of programmed resistance.

"Lord Croft, our prime directive under this protocol is your extraction and security. Leaving you while the identified threat 'K' remains in your proximity contradicts standard procedure..."

Ray met the guard's unseen gaze, letting his Command Aura flare with cold, undeniable authority.

"The Sanctuary Protocol grants me operational command in this crisis,"

Ray cut in sharply.

“My assessment is that securing the potential hostage is paramount to resolving this situation. The impostor inside is contained for now. I will assign two operatives,"

he designated at two shadow guards with a subtle nod,

"will remain cloaked near this suite for intelligence relay and also insure my safety. That is sufficient for my immediate security within this controlled environment. Those are your orders. Execute."

The subtle resistance vanished instantly. The authority granted by the protocol, amplified by Ray's own force of will, was absolute. The six designated guards gave a single, synchronized nod and dissolved back into the shadows. The two that remained, blended to a deeper patch of darkness near the corridor wall.

(back to the present moment)

Ray returned his focus to the present, to the figure of K trapped within the glowing runes. K was still watching him, that wry, curious smile playing on K's lips, waiting for an answer.

"Not long," Ray replied, his voice deliberately vague, offering nothing.

K's smile didn't falter, K's eyes gleaming with analytical interest.

"How?"

K pressed, clearly intrigued by how Ray had seen through the flawless disguise.

Ray ignored the question, cutting off K's attempt to regain informational control.

"My turn,"

he stated firmly. He met K's gaze, his own expression hardening, his voice dropping as he asked the only question that truly mattered.

"Is Kaelen alive?"