The abandoned train station looked exactly as it always had from the outside.
Cracked concrete.
Rusted railings.
A faded sign half-swallowed by creeping vines.
Midnight rain slicked the deserted platform, pooling in shallow depressions that reflected little more than darkness and the occasional flicker of dying streetlights. Water dripped steadily from fractured roofing, tapping against broken tiles with hollow rhythm.
It was the sort of place people ignored instinctively.
Forgotten.
Discarded.
A relic swallowed by time.
Inside, however—
it was a different world.
The moment the hidden seals recognized their return, reality shifted.
Runic barriers shimmered softly along concealed walls before fading into invisibility. Ancient enchantments intertwined seamlessly with modern engineering as Jury's hidden headquarters awakened once more.
Soft white lights activated overhead.
Steel corridors emerged from illusion.
Holographic projectors hummed quietly to life.
The central command room brightened beneath layered systems and subdued illumination, revealing polished metal, glowing interfaces, and reinforced architecture humming with restrained energy.
The smell of ozone and warm circuitry lingered in the air.
Familiar.
Grounding.
Safe.
Everyone had returned.
The aftermath of battle still clung to them despite medical systems and automated restoration.
Elise stood near the center of the room.
Her armor had already been cleaned by Jury's maintenance arrays, the blood and frost removed with mechanical precision, yet fatigue still lingered across her shoulders.
She stood straight regardless.
Control remained instinctive.
Around the circular command table sat the others.
Ling leaned back in her chair, one leg folded over the other, fingers drumming absently against the metal surface.
Hanzo occupied his usual place near shadow rather than light, silent and unreadable.
Autumn sat with the Black Blade resting beside her, posture relaxed but never careless.
Iris watched the room with thoughtful curiosity while pale spirits drifted lazily near the ceiling, calmer now after battle.
Lisa remained quiet as always, studying residual reports streaming across translucent screens.
And against the far wall—
Isey stood.
Arms crossed.
Eyes lowered.
Quiet as ever.
If not for the fading bruises and faint exhaustion still clinging to him, he might have appeared entirely detached from the events of the night.
A translucent blue light flared above the table.
The room fell silent immediately.
Xuan the Time Merchant appeared.
Her holographic projection materialized with flawless precision.
The fall of dark hair against her shoulders.
The calm sharpness in her gaze.
The subtle distortion surrounding her silhouette—the familiar anomaly that always followed her, as though time itself struggled to keep pace with her existence.
Even as light, she carried authority effortlessly.
"Report."
Her voice remained calm.
Simple.
Elise inhaled.
Steadying herself.
And began.
She did not embellish.
Did not dramatize.
There was no need.
The truth carried enough weight.
Her voice remained clear as she recounted the mission from the moment their investigation led them toward Kuala Selangor.
The trail.
The residual demonic influence.
The early eliminations.
The density of hostile presence hidden beneath the quiet farming town.
She described the first engagements plainly.
The lesser demons.
The corrupted traces.
Then the escalation.
Hagenti.
His contingent.
The Dark Knights.
Her expression remained composed.
But those watching closely noticed the faint tightening around her jaw as memory returned.
She continued.
The confrontation.
The collapse of battlefield balance.
The pressure.
The danger.
And finally—
the turning point.
"…Crocell appeared during the final exchange."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"A second Demon Lord."
The room seemed colder.
Not physically.
But perceptibly.
Xuan's expression did not shift.
Yet Ling noticed.
A slight curl of fingers.
Almost imperceptible.
Elise continued.
She described how the balance collapsed completely.
How even weakened Demon Lords remained terrifying beyond the Gate.
How Hanzo had been pushed toward exhaustion.
How the A-ranks had struggled merely to survive.
Then—
"…Hanzo executed an extraction."
The room remained perfectly still.
"Everyone was pulled out."
A pause.
"Except Isey."
Silence settled.
Instinctively—
eyes drifted toward him.
Isey did not look up.
He remained leaning quietly against the wall.
As though the report concerned someone else.
Elise met Xuan's holographic gaze.
"Isey engaged both Demon Lords alone."
The words carried carefully measured weight.
"He did not kill them instantly."
Her hands tightened unconsciously.
"He fought efficiently."
Then—
"Methodically."
The room listened.
"Avoided every lethal strike."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Exploited every opening."
And finally—
"He defeated both Hagenti and Crocell."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Even Hanzo's natural stillness seemed denser.
Xuan spoke first.
"Explain."
Elise hesitated.
Then slowly shook her head.
"I can't."
The admission sounded uncomfortable.
"Not fully."
Her eyes drifted briefly toward Isey.
"His movements…"
She searched for words.
"His presence…"
Then—
"It wasn't something I've seen before."
No exaggeration.
No awe-filled embellishment.
Just honesty.
"It wasn't brute force."
Her voice quieted.
"It was control."
A brief pause.
"And he did it without arrogance."
Ling scratched her cheek.
Nervous habit.
"…Right," she muttered.
"About that."
Xuan's gaze shifted.
Ling raised both hands.
"We might have…"
She winced.
"…undersold Isey's capabilities."
A beat.
"To you."
The Time Merchant's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Elise stepped in quickly.
"But the result stands."
Professional clarity returned.
"Two Demon Lords eliminated."
"No civilian casualties."
Her voice steadied.
"No losses on our side."
Xuan regarded her.
Long enough for tension to grow uncomfortable.
Then—
slowly—
she smiled.
"Well done."
The room relaxed slightly.
"Swift."
"Decisive."
"Clean."
Her eyes rested upon Elise.
"Excellent leadership under pressure."
Elise exhaled quietly.
Only then realizing she had been holding her breath.
"I'll have the encounter logged and distributed to relevant divisions," Xuan continued.
Her projection shifted subtly while data windows surfaced around her.
"Some details still need to be omitted nonetheless."
Then—
"Good work."
Her gaze moved.
"All of you."
And finally—
"Isey."
He looked up.
"Stay."
Dismissal followed.
The meeting dissolved gradually.
Chairs scraped softly.
Autumn rose first, retrieving her weapon while exchanging a thoughtful glance with Iris.
Iris followed, spirits drifting behind her like patient lanterns.
Hanzo vanished so quietly his departure almost went unnoticed.
Lisa left after Ling.
But Ling hesitated.
She stood near the doorway, looking between Xuan and Isey.
Curious.
Then slipped out.
The command room dimmed slightly as doors sealed.
Silence remained.
Only the two of them.
The hologram stabilized.
Xuan crossed her arms.
And waited.
The silence stretched.
Isey sighed first.
"…I'm sorry."
His voice remained quiet.
"I should've told you."
One eyebrow rose.
"Which part?"
"That I can still use my other power levels."
He looked mildly guilty.
"Just not the once-a-year one."
Xuan froze.
Her calm cracked instantly.
"What."
Isey winced.
"I didn't think I'd be using it again so soon."
Her eyes sharpened dangerously.
"You forgot—"
Her voice slowed.
"—to mention that you are still capable of operating at high S-rank output."
"I didn't forget," Isey said gently.
A pause.
"I… omitted."
"That's worse."
The projection flickered.
Xuan stepped forward.
And for perhaps the first time in months—
she looked genuinely angry.
"Do you have any idea," she snapped, "how many timelines I just recalculated in my head?"
The room hummed softly.
"How many contingencies hinge upon your limitations?"
Isey lowered his head slightly.
"I know."
Silence.
Then—
Xuan rubbed her temple.
"…You're impossible."
For several seconds she remained visibly irritated.
Then—
unexpectedly—
"Fine."
Isey blinked.
"Fine?"
"I'm not punishing you strategically."
Her tone cooled.
"But you are not escaping consequences."
He tensed.
"What kind?"
Xuan looked at him.
Properly.
Studying.
"You owe me dinner."
Isey froze.
"…A what?"
"A dinner."
Flat.
Certain.
"Proper."
"Outside."
Her finger pointed toward him.
"No missions."
"No lies."
"No disappearing acts."
He stared.
Clearly uncertain whether this constituted punishment or something far more dangerous.
Ever since learning the truth back then, Xuan had grown gradually closer to him.
They exchanged messages occasionally.
Mostly work.
Mostly logistics.
This—
however—
was new.
A casual dinner.
Their first.
"And," she added firmly, "you will dress nicely."
His ears reddened immediately.
"Xuan—"
"No battle scars."
She ignored him.
"No excuses."
"You agreed to tell me everything."
Her gaze sharpened.
"This is me collecting."
Isey hesitated.
Then sighed.
Defeated.
"…Fine."
And immediately—
her expression softened into something dangerously pleased.
"Good."
"We'll consider the matter settled."
The hologram began fading.
Then—
"Oh."
Her voice returned casually.
"And Isey?"
"Yes?"
She smiled.
Sweetly.
The dangerous kind.
"Next time you 'omit' something like that…"
A pause.
"I'll take back more than dinner."
The projection vanished.
Silence returned.
Isey stood alone inside the dim command room, staring at empty air where she had stood moments earlier.
Then he ran a hand through his hair.
And sighed.
"…I should really start dressing better."
The machinery beneath the abandoned station continued humming softly.
Quiet.
Relentless.
Preparing.
Because while the world above slept peacefully beneath rain and darkness—
Jury already understood the truth.
The future was accelerating.
And far faster than anyone outside realized.
Somewhere beyond steel walls and humming systems, midnight rain continued falling over the forgotten station.
And for the first time in longer than he cared to admit—
Isey found himself wondering what exactly counted as dressing nicely.