He woke at 3am to CV hovering over his desk.
Not the combat hover—not the wings at the activation frequency, not the compound eyes oriented toward a threat. Something deliberate.
CV was arranging things on the desk surface with the blade-edged legs moving items with the precise care of something that understood exactly what it was doing and was doing it carefully.
Zeph sat up. Watched.
CV did not acknowledge him. It continued working.
The Chrono-Spatial Beacon moved to the center of the desk. Around it, in a pattern that was clearly not random, CV placed the empty cases from the skill books he had integrated, the vessel from one of his previously integrated rune, a pen from the desk drawer—pointing, specifically, at a particular section of Marcus's map that was pinned to the wall above the desk—and a printout he recognized as the installation coordinates from the S-rank dungeon run.
CV finished. Returned to the nest. Looked at him.
He looked at the desk.
