After the class, Kaelen decided to go to the Academy library.
He wanted to learn more about armors—how different people had engineered their ten parts and what unique abilities they had added to their systems to complement their Ribbons.
But as he sat among the ancient data-stacks, he began to feel a gnawing hunger.
He usually didn't eat at this time, so he tried to ignore it, focusing instead on blueprints of Gauntlet-Stabilizers and Boot-Thrusters.
He did not know that this wasn't a normal craving.
The hunger didn't start in his stomach; it started in his mind.
The oily red and crystalline Redveil anchored in his brain was starving, and it wanted to eat more than just calories.
The Emergency Call
His eyes kept drifting toward the reinforced steel casing of the floor-lamps.
Redveil was no longer whispering; it was pulsing.
Every metallic object in the room felt like a scent to a starving predator.
Kaelen's "thick" Ribbons were vibrating beneath his skin, reaching out instinctively to graze against the desk's alloy frame.
Terrified by the sudden urge to literally bite into the furniture, Kaelen retreated to a private room and dialed his parents on a secure, encrypted line.
"Mom, something is wrong," Kaelen panted, his round face pale with sweat.
"Redveil... it's not just calculating anymore. It's hungry. It's pointing out every piece of Star-Silver and Titanium in the building. I feel like if I don't give it metal, it's going to start eating me."
Lyra's face appeared on the screen.
Her professional mask slipped, revealing pure maternal panic.
She knew the "Neural Anchor" was a fragment of a Void Whale, but she hadn't expected the hunger to trigger so early.
"Stay calm, Kaelen. Do not touch any unrefined metal," she ordered.
"I need to call your grandfather immediately."
The Edge of the Universe
The scene shifted across the stars to the Veyron Fortress, a massive station anchored on the literal edge of the known universe.
In a room made of dark, gravity-dense stone, a man with shoulders as broad as a mountain stood looking into the abyss.
This was General Valerius Veyron, Kaelen's grandfather.
The holographic projector flickered to life.
Valerius turned, his gaze softening only slightly.
"Lyra, my daughter," his voice was like grinding tectonic plates.
"Is Alrin treating you properly? If that boy is giving you any trouble, I'll leave this post and teach him a lesson he won't forget."
"Father, Alrin is fine," Lyra managed a small smile despite the stress. "But we have a situation with your grandson."
Lyra explained the situation—the thickness of the Ribbon, the three extra slots, and the hunger for precious metals.
She finally confessed the truth of Redveil's origin: that it was a major cluster of Void Whale neurons.
Valerius stayed silent, his gaze returning to the Void.
"The beings of that level are never satisfied, Lyra," Valerius commanded.
"They do not exist to 'be'; they exist to 'consume.' If you have placed a fragment of a Void Whale into the boy's mind, you have given him a beast that must be fed. But listen to me: Feed it."
"Father, won't that make the entity stronger?"
"Only if he eats with his mouth," Valerius replied.
"He must use his Ribbon to assimilate refined metals. If he 'eats' through the Ribbon, the metal becomes the cage that keeps the AI in check. The more metal he consumes, the stronger his ten-part armor will be."
"This is a blessing in disguise; it is a good way to build a body capable of holding a mesh of higher level powers. Also, increase his diet more and add food to increase bone density and muscle mass. It will help his body grow taller and more powerful."
The Secret of the Ancestors
After the communication cut out, Valerius Veyron didn't move.
He stared into the darkness beyond the universe's edge.
He knew what the Federation believed: that the Void beings wanted to devour their galaxy.
But Valerius knew a deeper, darker secret.
The Veyron Ancestors—the ancient founders of their line—were deep in the Void, far beyond the Aegis Fortress.
"They think the hunger is the enemy," he whispered to the silence.
"They don't realize the Sovereigns are just the scouts. Our ancestors are hiding the truth to keep the galaxy from falling into madness. There is a threat in the deep Void that makes even a Level 500 Sovereign look like a shadow."
He looked back at the holographic file of his chubby grandson.
"Eat well, Kaelen. You're going to need every ounce of that mass when the things our ancestors are watching finally wake up."
The First Feeding
Back at the Academy, Kaelen received a courier package: a box of High-Grade Chrome-Osmium Slugs.
Following his grandfather's guidance, Kaelen sat cross-legged and released his thick Crimson Threads, wrapping them around the metal.
[ASSIMILATION COMMENCING,] Redveil hummed, its voice finally turning from a growl back into a cool melody.
[METAL PURITY DETECTED. ALLOCATING TO SLOT 13: ARMOR FIELD STABILIZATION.]
Kaelen felt a surge of warmth.
The metals were being broken down and stored.
As the metal vanished, the "fat" on his arms felt denser, harder—less like soft tissue and more like a sheathed weapon.
His bones began to hum with a new, heavy vibration as the nutrients and metals worked together to reshape his foundation.