At the center of the table, the green pollution crystal had fallen silent once more.
Its faint green glow slowly faded.
The hidden chamber returned to its original state.
On opposite sides of the glass, the two stood facing each other in silence.
Neither moved first.
Lucian did not deactivate Azure.
The pale blue barrier still enveloped his body.
Facet remained inside the observation room, separated from him by the thick isolation glass. Her expression remained calm throughout.
Neither of them made any attempt to approach the other.
Several seconds passed in silence.
Facet slowly shifted her gaze toward the table before looking back at Lucian.
Her attention was not focused on Lucian himself, but on the pale blue barrier surrounding him.
Moments earlier, when the pollution crystal had activated, she had witnessed the green radiance being completely blocked by Azure.
Compared with the records she had access to, this was clearly a new development.
She remained silent for a moment before finally speaking first.
"I'm curious."
Her voice was as calm as ever, betraying neither hostility nor panic.
"How did you get in here?"
Lucian made no attempt to conceal the truth.
"Azure."
Facet blinked lightly, then slowly turned her gaze toward the mechanism beside her, which had already ceased operating.
"The key."
"You didn't bring it?"
Lucian shook his head slightly.
"No."
Facet continued questioning him.
"Then how did you open the mechanical lock?"
Lucian raised his right hand.
A faint blue glow slowly emerged from his palm.
"This."
Facet stared at the gently flowing blue light.
After two seconds of silence, she finally understood why the mechanisms in the office had shown no signs of damage.
The lock cylinder had not been forced open.
Nor had it been damaged.
Instead, something else had taken the place of the original key.
Only this key was not made of metal.
It was an ability.
Facet nodded lightly.
"I see."
"No wonder."
"All the mechanical components remain intact."
"Even the lock cylinder is undamaged."
She looked back at Lucian, her tone still measured.
"It seems the records underestimated Azure after all."
The room fell silent again.
Lucian offered no response.
Facet did not continue discussing his ability, either.
Instead, she slowly raised her gaze toward the young man standing on the other side of the glass.
"Then..."
"Why did you investigate this place?"
That was what she truly wanted to know.
If Lucian had merely discovered the hidden chamber, he could have reported it to the Northveil Directorate.
He could even have waited for additional support.
Yet he had chosen to enter alone.
That meant the real target of his investigation had never been this office.
It had been the person inside.
Lucian looked at her calmly.
Without the slightest hesitation, he answered.
"Because of you."
"You've been tracking and observing Irina all along."
Facet showed no surprise.
Nor did she deny it.
She simply looked at Lucian in silence.
After a moment, she nodded lightly.
"I see."
"So your purpose..."
"Is to protect her."
The room fell silent once more.
Facet said nothing further.
She simply continued watching Lucian, as though reassessing the person standing before her.
In fact, ever since the pollution incident in Northveil had ended, the file on Lucian had grown by an entire volume.
Most of its contents revolved around a single term.
Azure.
It could stabilize pollution.
It could isolate pollution.
It could even maintain a safe zone for extended periods in a polluted environment.
These findings had far exceeded their previous understanding of the ability.
And now, she had witnessed something else firsthand.
Azure could directly substitute for a mechanical key, bypassing the mechanism and opening an entrance.
Nothing of the sort had ever appeared in their records.
Facet slowly withdrew her gaze and lightly adjusted the pristine white gloves covering her hands.
Her movements remained composed, without the slightest hint of nervousness.
She spoke calmly.
"Before I answer your questions..."
"I think I should introduce myself first."
She inclined her head slightly, her gesture as precise as that of someone attending a formal business meeting.
"Facet."
"That is my codename."
"I am responsible for records related to pollution crystals."
"And..."
"I am also the administrator of this facility."
She raised her head again, her voice remaining calm.
"Welcome to..."
"Abyss Archive!"
Lucian did not respond.
He simply watched her in silence.
Facet did not let his silence interrupt her.
"Since you've already made it here..."
"There's no need to keep certain things hidden any longer."
She slowly turned around.
Behind her, an entire wall of the observation chamber gradually illuminated.
It was not a screen.
Instead, it was lined with rows upon rows of specially sealed archive cabinets.
Each cabinet door bore a different identification number.
Inside, various pollution crystals could be faintly seen, each stored in its own container.
Green.
Gray.
Dark red.
Deep blue.
Every type was stored separately.
Lucian's gaze shifted slightly as he took in the sight.
Facet noticed.
"What we preserve here," she explained calmly, "are not samples."
"They are records."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Every type of pollution generates its own record."
"The time of occurrence."
"The range of its spread."
"Its characteristics."
"The methods used to deal with it."
"The final outcome."
"Everything is documented and preserved."
"Pollution crystals are merely one part of the archive."
She slowly turned back toward Lucian.
"The purpose of this archive..."
"Is to record."
"To record this era."
"And to record pollution."
The room fell silent again.
Lucian finally spoke.
"So..."
"You've been observing Irina all this time..."
"Simply to preserve a record?"
Facet nodded lightly.
"To be precise..."
"Not just her."
"Anyone capable of influencing the age of pollution will be entered into the archive."
"Irina is one such person."
"And so are you."
The two remained where they were.
Facet did not elaborate further on the archive's contents.
Instead, she looked back at Lucian.
"Now..."
"It's your turn to ask a question."
Lucian did not hesitate.
He asked directly.
"Why have you been tracking and observing Irina?"
Facet looked at him in silence.
After a moment, she answered slowly.
"Observation."
Once again, it was just two words.
A simple answer, almost entirely devoid of elaboration.
Lucian frowned slightly.
"Just observation?"
Facet nodded lightly.
"Nothing more."
Her voice remained calm.
She offered no defense and made no attempt to dress up the truth.
As though observation, to her, was nothing more than an ordinary part of her work.
She continued.
"We record her."
"We record how she handles pollution."
"We record the changes that occur after each activation of her ability."
"We record changes in her physical condition."
"And we record every response the Northveil Directorate makes when confronted with pollution."
She paused for a moment, her gaze settling on the green crystal at the center of the table.
"She is an extremely important entry in our archive."
"And one of the most valuable subjects we currently have."
Lucian watched her and asked slowly.
"Why?"
Facet raised her head again.
"Because she can manage pollution."
"Not destroy it."
"Not flee from it."
"But control it."
"Contain it."
"Stabilize it."
"This means..."
"She represents a possibility."
Her gaze remained calm.
There was no fanaticism in it, much less any sense of worship.
"Pollution already exists."
"That is a fact."
"Since that fact cannot be changed..."
"How humanity chooses to confront pollution..."
"Has become a new subject of record."
"Some choose isolation."
"Some choose lockdown."
"Others choose elimination."
"But she..."
"Chooses management."
Facet paused briefly before continuing.
"So..."
"We want to know what she is capable of."
"And we want to know where her limits lie."
The room fell silent once more.
Lucian remained quiet for a moment before asking another question.
"The pollution crystal incident in Northveil..."
"Was that also part of the observation you mentioned?"
Facet shook her head slightly.
"Correct."
Her answer was as direct as before, without the slightest hesitation.
"That incident was not orchestrated by Abyss Archive."
"Someone released the pollution."
"We simply arrived on the scene."
"And recorded what happened."
She looked toward Lucian, her voice never wavering.
"If the pollution spreads..."
"We record it."
"If the pollution is contained..."
"We record that as well."
"The archive does not stop updating..."
"Simply because the outcome is different."
Lucian finally understood.
The organization before him was unlike any faction he had encountered before.
They did not seek to rule.
Nor did they seek power.
They were nothing like those who acted for personal gain.
They simply stood to one side, quietly watching everything unfold.
And then...
They recorded it.
Facet slowly turned her attention back to Lucian.
For the first time, a faint trace of interest appeared in her otherwise composed eyes.
"That day..."
"We recorded Irina."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"And we recorded you, too."
Her gaze settled on the Azure barrier that had yet to dissipate.
"Lucian Jace."
"Your name..."
"Has also been entered into Abyss Archive."