Whispered Alliances

Location: Gaia HQ – Inner Council Chamber, Midnight

Rain tapped gently against the high-arched stained-glass windows, casting multicolored ripples across the polished obsidian floor. Only a select few were gathered this late—Thea Synthesis 0, Ali Synthesis 13, and the eight members of the Octagon.

The air was dense with silence. It wasn't just the aftermath of Hikari's awakening—it was something else.

"We have cracks," Thea said at last, her voice calm but edged with tension. "And they're widening."

Sylvia crossed her arms.

"Are you saying Gaia's compromised?"

Ali answered instead.

"No. Not yet. But someone is feeding Orion information. They knew we were going to Rift Omega. They knew Hikari's weakness."

Cyg leaned forward, his expression stone.

"And we're keeping this quiet?"

"For now," Thea replied. "Until we find the source."

"What if it's one of us?" Elaine asked softly.

Thea paused.

"Then may the stars have mercy."

Location: Orion Citadel – Writhe Spire

Beneath the ever-turning black star of Orion's main tower, Coyote N'Kari, the Hollow Fang, knelt before Erebus.

"Gaia suspects a traitor," Coyote growled, his voice like dry gravel. "But they're looking in the wrong direction."

Erebus' obsidian blade, Nihileth, gleamed faintly as he turned away.

"Let them doubt each other. Paranoia is the slowest poison."

He raised a hand toward a projection of the Octagon.

"We need her. The gentle one."

"Hikari?" Coyote asked.

"No," Erebus whispered. "The wind."

Location: Gaia HQ – Observation Deck

Elaine Synthesis 7 stood atop the highest spire, where wind swirled around her like playful spirits. She stared at the moonlight beyond the clouds. Behind her, Eun-Ha approached silently.

"Couldn't sleep?" Eun-Ha asked.

Elaine smiled faintly, her hair fluttering in the breeze.

"The air feels different. Like something's shifting beneath us. Quiet, but... insistent."

"Like fate whispering."

Elaine turned toward her.

"What if someone close to us... fell out of step?"

Eun-Ha met her gaze.

"Then we reach for them. Before the wind takes them too far."

Location: Gaia HQ – Artifact Archive Room

Charlotte and Cyg reviewed encrypted mission logs while Sylvia hummed quietly, reading through a centuries-old bestiary.

Charlotte snapped her fingers.

"Got it. Someone accessed the Omega Rift data two hours before it was encrypted. A bypass."

Cyg narrowed his eyes.

"From inside Gaia."

Sylvia closed her book slowly.

"That narrows it down to less than twenty people."

Charlotte's gaze hardened.

"And at least two were in this room."

The silence that followed was colder than the wind outside.

Location: Blackwood Enclave – Secret Meeting Grounds

Meanwhile, under the dying light of a single lantern, a cloaked figure passed a sealed envelope to Seluna Thanek, Codename: Null Vesper—one of Orion's deadliest Chaos Generals.

"This is all I can give without raising suspicion," the voice whispered. "Thea suspects everyone."

Seluna smiled, her eyes reflecting no light.

"You've done well, little dove. Continue watching. Orion doesn't forget its... friends."

Final Scene: Gaia HQ – Thea's Personal Quarters

Thea stood alone, staring at a map of interdimensional fractures.

"Something isn't right," she murmured.

"You were always the first to feel it."

She turned sharply—Irene Synthesis 3 stepped from the shadows, her eyes narrowed with calm wisdom.

"You think this is beyond Orion, don't you?" Thea asked.

"It feels older," Irene replied. "Colder. As if someone is playing a deeper game."

Thea's gaze fell on the image of the Octagon—especially Elaine.

"Then it's time we played one of our own."