Chapter 10: Echoes Beneath the Surface

The fluorescent lighting in the Guide Recovery Wing of Zarek Technologies buzzed softly, a calm contrast to the chaos of the previous hours.

Juno Fletcher sat on the padded recliner, one arm slung over her eyes as she tried to slow her breathing. Her body ached, not from wounds, but from something deeper. The corruption had dug its fingers in more than she thought.

Across from her, a C-rank Guide murmured gently, placing cool fingers against Juno's temple. Streams of soft, golden light pulsed from the Guide's hands, slowly reducing the spike in Juno's readings. Her corruption levels were high, but not critical. Still, it was enough to warrant guided stabilization.

"Focus on your breathing," the Guide instructed. "In through your nose... slow... out through your mouth."

Juno grimaced but followed suit. "I'm fine. Just a scratch."

"A scratch doesn't come with a 72% corruption spike," the Guide said evenly.

Nearby, Alexander Hawke stood with arms crossed, keeping a watchful eye on his partner. He didn't interrupt, but his posture was tight with concern. When Juno finally opened her eyes, she caught his gaze.

"Stop looking at me like I'm about to combust," she muttered.

"You're not allowed to combust until I say so," Alexander replied dryly.

A few meters away, Ari Winters sat on the floor with her back against the wall, sipping water while a recovery drone patched a split in her armor. The mood was subdued, tense. They had won—but something about the fight hadn't settled right with any of them.

Minutes later, Evelyn Zarek entered the wing, accompanied by Quinn Reyes and Ava Halloway. The hallway seemed to fall silent as they passed through.

"Briefing in ten," Evelyn said. "Team debrief. Conference Room Three."

Rowan sat on the edge of one of the conference tables, arms folded as he watched the data projections on the screen. His mind was still in field mode, sharp and alert. Lucian stood beside him, pale and unusually quiet. The rest of the team filed in gradually, battle-worn but focused.

"That was a clean operation," Evelyn began once everyone was seated. "The rift was sealed, the corruption contained, and zero civilian casualties. That's a win in any book."

A few nods and tired murmurs of agreement followed.

"However," she continued, "something occurred post-closure that demands attention. Quinn?"

Quinn tapped the display. A series of graphs and pulse lines lit up the screen.

"We picked up an anomaly shortly after the rift was sealed. A corruption spike... not from the rift, but from within Zarek Technologies."

Rowan turned sharply toward Lucian, already feeling the shift in his energy. Lucian's head lowered, one hand at his temple.

"Lucian?" Rowan asked quickly.

"It's nothing," Lucian replied, though his voice sounded off—strained.

"No," Evelyn cut in. "It's not nothing. Show them."

The screen flashed again, displaying a corruption signature overlaid with a temporal sync pattern.

"This is the rift's closing signal," Quinn said. "And this—" he tapped again, highlighting another signal—"is Lucian's corruption spike."

"They match," Ava added quietly. "Down to the second."

Lucian's hand dropped from his temple, but the tension in his shoulders didn't ease.

"What does that mean?" Rowan asked, frowning.

"It means," Evelyn said, her eyes narrowed, "that Lucian's corruption didn't just respond to the rift—it was entangled with it."

A long silence followed. Even Juno, who never sat still, stilled completely.

"Are we saying he's… linked to the rift somehow?" Juno asked. "Like, psychically or something?"

"Possibly," Quinn replied. "But it's more than that. The energy signature of Lucian's corruption mirrored the rift's internal activity."

"And when the rift closed," Ava said gently, looking at Lucian, "your levels changed."

Lucian's expression was unreadable. Rowan could feel the shift in him—a subtle hum, like tension in the bones.

"This has happened before," Lucian said finally, voice low. "After the previous rift. I thought it was just aftershock."

Rowan's eyes widened. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Lucian shrugged. "Didn't seem relevant."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "It's more than relevant. If Lucian's corruption is resonating with the rifts—"

"Then he might be the key to understanding what's causing the surges," Quinn finished.

After the meeting, Lucian collapsed into a chair in the Guide Observation Chamber, head tipped back, eyes closed. Rowan hovered nearby, silent, but his presence radiated tension.

"I'm not a conduit," Lucian muttered. "I'm not."

Rowan crouched down in front of him. "I know. But we need to figure out what's happening to you."

Lucian opened his eyes, meeting Rowan's gaze. For once, there was no armor in his expression—just fatigue and flickers of fear.

"I can feel them," he whispered. "When the rifts open. Not just the energy. Something else. Something… aware."

Rowan's breath hitched. "Have you always felt that?"

Lucian shook his head slowly. "No. Only since the last major surge."

Rowan sat beside him. "Then this isn't just corruption anymore. This is connection."

Lucian didn't answer, but his fingers curled into the armrests.

Rowan reached out, placing a hand on Lucian's chest. "Let me try."

He closed his eyes and focused. The Guide link sparked between them—Rowan's ability reaching past the surface layers of corruption and brushing against the chaotic energy coiled inside Lucian. It pulsed, like a heartbeat—but it was uneven. It echoed.

Rowan gasped, eyes flying open. "That… that wasn't just you. That felt—external."

Lucian didn't speak. He didn't need to.

They were both starting to understand: Lucian's corruption was syncing with something on the other side of the rift.

Something not of their world.

Internal Conflict

Later, Evelyn convened a smaller meeting with Quinn, Ava, and a few senior tacticians. Rowan sat in, unwilling to be sidelined.

"Lucian's corruption may be a beacon," Evelyn said bluntly. "Or worse, a bridge."

"We don't know that," Rowan snapped. "What we know is that he's stable. I'm keeping him stable."

"You're doing your best," Quinn interjected calmly. "But if this connection strengthens, you may not be enough."

Rowan stood. "Then give me the tools to be enough. Don't treat him like a threat. Treat him like a signal."

"Signals attract things," Ava said softly. "Sometimes the wrong things."

The room quieted.

Evelyn finally spoke again. "We monitor him. No field deployments. No combat. Not until we understand the nature of this connection."

Rowan swallowed hard. "He won't like that."

"Then help him understand it's not punishment," Ava replied. "It's protection."

"And if it's more than that?" Rowan asked. "If we're missing something and this isn't just corruption?"

No one had an answer. But the question lingered in the room like static in the air.

Later that night, Rowan found Lucian on the rooftop garden, sitting on a bench under a canopy of synthetic starlight. The city blinked far below, alive and unaware.

"I'm off the roster," Lucian said without looking up.

"Temporary," Rowan replied.

Lucian scoffed. "Tell that to Evelyn."

Rowan sat beside him. "Lucian… I felt it. What's inside you—it's not just corruption. It's something bigger. I want to help you. Not as your assigned Guide. As someone who gives a damn."

Lucian turned to him, something fragile and raw in his gaze. "I don't want to be the enemy."

"Then let's figure out how to fight whatever's trying to turn you into one."

For a long moment, there was only the sound of artificial wind rustling leaves.

Then, quietly, Lucian asked, "What if I'm not strong enough?"

Rowan smiled sadly. "Then I'll be strong enough for both of us."

He reached for Lucian's hand. And for once, Lucian didn't pull away.

The night held them in stillness, uncertain and trembling on the edge of something unknown. But in that moment, they were together—and that was enough.