Chapter 24: Unseen Consequences

Calen was devastated. In a single night, he had hurt both women he had longed for in his dreams, and he hadn’t even meant to. He hadn’t done anything wrong. And then there was that note... What if Rion was in danger? He was his friend, and had helped him more than anyone else in Aeris.

He had to put aside his concerns about his love life for the night. In the morning, he would find Livra and try to leave with her. As for Sienna, he would reach out to her later—Sienna would be fine on her own, she always found a way to get by.

Without further hesitation, Calen grabbed his coat and his things, along with his levitation equipment. He had to get to the LCC as soon as possible.

After a long way, Calen finally arrived at the grand entrance of the facilities. But when he got there, he was met with an unexpected scene. The area was completely cordoned off, with numerous police patrols scattered around, taking notes and talking to various people.

Among them, Calen spotted Administrator Fin Valtheris and his right-hand woman, Tessa Elmein, speaking with what seemed to be high-ranking police officers from Aeris.

"Valtheris!" Calen shouted. "What happened here?"

"Lower your voice, kid," Administrator Valtheris snapped. "We have enough problems without you making a scene. In fact, what are you doing here tonight? You’re off-duty, aren’t you?" His voice was as cold as the night itself.

"Well, I… I received a message, sir…" Calen stammered.

"What kind of message?" Tessa interrupted. "Explain yourself, Mr. Ardyn."

"It doesn’t matter now. Is Rion alright?" Calen asked, his voice full of urgency.

"Huh, seems like you know something about what happened tonight, Mr. Ardyn," Tessa remarked.

"What do you mean?" Calen responded, his heart racing.

"Your companion Rion has been accused of murder tonight," Tessa's voice was calm, but her words struck like daggers in Calen’s mind.

Those words pierced through his brain like swords. Calen couldn’t comprehend the situation.

"The security cameras caught Rion entering the LCC facilities tonight without authorization, even though it wasn’t his shift," the secretary explained. "He headed into the deepest parts of the radiation core and then disappeared. In addition to this, an unidentified body was found at the entrance of the center. It appears it were impaled with a spear, and it’s head was severed to make identification more difficult. The prime suspect is Mr. Rion. The police believe he may be connected to the events of the festival night. Furthermore, he was likely going to cause another incident at the LCC tonight, and a passerby must have witnessed it. Rion, having nothing left to lose, killed the person and fled."

"You at least seem to know your companion was here tonight... should we consider you an accomplice as well?" Tessa continued in a monologue that seemed to implicate not only Rion, but Calen as well.

"Enough, Tessa," Administrator Valtheris interjected, his voice low and firm. "You’re going too far. Any explanation Mr. Ardyn needs to provide will be given in my office first thing in the morning. Understood, Calen?" Valtheris said sternly.

Calen, doubtful and in disbelief at the accusations, responded, "Yes… sir…"

Tessa clicked her tongue in frustration and shot a glare at Calen.

"Now, leave. If you don’t want to be involved in more questions, Mr. Ardyn," the Administrator added coldly.

Reluctantly, Calen accepted and walked away with slow, heavy steps, heading back to his home.

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The pale glow of dawn bathed the floating remnants of an ancient region once unified by solid ground. Now, these fragments drifted beneath Aeris, tethered to the great island by crumbling debris and forgotten history. They served as a haven for hermits and outcasts, far removed from the bustling core of the floating metropolis. Among these desolate islets, Tessa descended in a levitating elevator, her face impassive despite the turmoil of the previous night.

The sun caught the faint lines beginning to etch her otherwise striking features—subtle reminders that youth had long since slipped away. Reaching the ground, she walked a short distance before entering a decrepit building whose exterior hinted at ruin. But inside, the space was an intricate nexus of cables, machinery, and glowing monitors—more a laboratory and nursery than a home. This hidden enclave housed a fragile occupant: Ava Lyssan.

The frail, skeletal girl lay suspended in a levitating bed, ensnared in a tangle of wires and machines that sustained her feeble existence. The rhythmic beeping of her monitors punctuated the room like a grim metronome, counting the seconds of her tenuous life.

“Is it done?” Ava’s voice was weak yet brimming with a sinister authority that belied her delicate appearance.

“Yes, ma’am,” Tessa replied, her tone steady. “As you may have heard, Kael Torson has also been eliminated.”

“I know,” Ava said, her hollow eyes betraying neither satisfaction nor regret. “Auren reported it earlier.”

Tessa hesitated but pressed on. “However, I could only manage to deal with Rion. It seems Torson’s interference was critical in delaying the other boy’s arrival.”

Ava’s expression didn’t waver. “I’m aware,” she replied curtly, extending a frail hand in a gesture that commanded Tessa to place her in her levitating chair. With practiced care, Tessa obeyed, maneuvering Ava’s fragile form into the chair as silence fell between them.

“You’ve failed, Tessa,” Ava began, her tone devoid of anger. “But I am not foolish enough to think it was entirely your fault. The bird from Lady Miren’s flock is not as useful as she promised. At this point, Elenora Miren and her scheming kin, along with that pompous fat merchant Rykesh Farlin, have outlived their utility. I’ve woven my webs of destruction through their hands for two years now, but their ambitions are predictable, their avarice insufferable. It’s time to cast them aside.”

Ava’s lips twisted into a chilling smile, and a dry, rasping laugh escaped her—a sound so cruel it seemed to mock death itself. “Let them destroy each other, Tessa. Prepare the stage. Their greed will do the rest.”

“As you command, ma’am,” Tessa said, her voice steady, though a trace of unease flickered in her eyes. She stepped behind Ava, guiding the levitating chair forward as they disappeared into the dim shadows of the laboratory.

The faint sound of Ava’s malevolent chuckling echoed long after the pair had vanished.