Plans

"I still don't understand how the Council expects to achieve this," Maxwell muttered, exhaling a weary sigh.

"I don't understand what you mean," Norvilla replied, his gaze fixed on the lab below as repair drones swarmed over the wreckage.

A young girl lay unconscious and restrained, her body limp from the tranquilizers.

"These specimens were meant to be cannon fodder. But with them gone, I see no hope of reclaiming Sector 22 from the Tridaqs," Maxwell said, retrieving another cigarette from his pack. He held it up toward Norvilla in a silent offer.

"Stop smoking on the job, idiot," Norvilla scoffed. He raised a finger, and in an instant, a thin bolt of lightning crackled through the air, aiming straight for Maxwell's cigarette.

But with a reflex bordering on impossible, Maxwell tilted his head just enough for the lightning to merely graze the tip, igniting it instead of knocking it away. He grinned.

"Well, thanks for the light."

"Tsk. Lunatic." Norvilla shook his head. "You should already know this—the only reason those pests haven't breached Sector 25 yet is because they fear we might actually possess the Codex."

Maxwell's smirk faded into a frown. "So the Council is banking on these… 'things' to retrieve the Codex?!" His voice rose in disbelief. "It's only a matter of time before the Tridaqs realize we don't actually have it. What then?"

"I'm not the Council, mind you." Norvilla crossed his arms. "But we can't keep losing soldiers on Elysium—it's only weakening us. Sending Alpha-2 was a mistake, and because of that, we lost Sector 22. If we lose any more soldiers, we'll lose the war. We need an alternative to retrieve the Codex."

"Alternatives, you say?" Maxwell let out a humorless chuckle. "Alpha-2 was one of the strongest leagues we had, and they couldn't even get past the 30th floor. What makes you think these newly force-awakened weaklings will fare any better?"

"How many are there?"

"Over ten million."

"You're telling me not even one of them will be able to ascend past Level 31?" Norvilla arched a brow. "Them being weaklings isn't even a problem. They'll grow stronger with time—the game-like system in Elysium ensures that."

Below, the final stone was installed into the repair tube.

"…You have a point," Maxwell admitted begrudgingly. "But what if they refuse to do as they're told?"

"Don't worry about that." Norvilla's lips curled into a smirk. "It has been taken care of..."

Maxwell frowned. "…What?"

Norvilla tapped the watch on his wrist. "Bring in the packages."

The elevator doors slid open, and multiple massive metal containers were transported into the chamber.

Maxwell narrowed his eyes. "What are… those?"

Norvilla stepped forward, resting a hand on one of the crates. "What will make them obedient." With a quick motion, he tapped a control panel, and a small compartment slid open. Reaching inside, he retrieved a tiny bottle.

Maxwell's eyes flickered to the glass container. Inside, an insect twitched.

"…What is that?" he asked.

Norvilla smirked. "Something from the Magic Engineering Department of the Academy." He held the vial up to the dim light.

"I call it… MCD."

"What does that stand for?" Maxwell asked, his eyes narrowing.

Silence.

The man didn't reply—just tossed the bottle at him.

Maxwell caught it, inspecting it. Then his expression shifted, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"No way…" he stammered. "A nanochip implanted into an anta?"

"…Well, let's just say those kids are geniuses," the man finally spoke, walking over to another box. He tapped it, and—just like the previous one—a hidden compartment slid open. From within, he retrieved a sleek device. It was stark white.

Maxwell's breath hitched. "Wait… don't tell me—that's the Molecular Electro-Titronic Assimilator?"

"META Watch, we just call them META watch," Norvilla corrected flatly. "They arrived straight from MagicTech Labs. These were developed specifically for this project. They're synchronized with the MCDs which should be implanted in their chests." He exhaled, "They only have ten years to retrieve the Codex. If they fail, the META Watch will activate the MCDs… and they'll die instantly. It doesn't matter how powerful they become in that time."

Maxwell's lips pressed into a thin line. "I see… But ten years? Can we really hold out against the Tridaqs for that long?"

"That shouldn't be your concern," Norvilla said dismissively. He turned, walking toward the massive observation window, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze settled on the chamber below, where a girl was being lowered into the main tube. "Since we successfully extracted the core of the Blue Star—"

"Earth," Maxwell corrected.

"Whatever you call it," Norvilla muttered. "With that power in our hands, we should be able to fend off those pests until one of our specimens retrieves the Codex. And once that happens… we can finally erase them from existence."

A silence settled between them.

"Sighs,"

Maxwell exhaled slowly before giving the command.

"…Commence Process: Awakening."

A series of levers were pulled. Machinery hummed to life. And once again…

The circle of torment began.