The VTOL's thrusters let out a final, pressurized hiss as the landing gear bit into the reinforced asphalt of the Sector 9 private airfield. Unlike the pristine, white-marble aesthetic of the Upper Sectors, Sector 9 was a city of perpetual twilight—a sprawling metropolis of towering skyscrapers wrapped in flickering holographic advertisements and tangled power lines. The air was different from the other sectors.
As the 10th Division stepped off the ramp, they were met by a sight that demanded respect. Five figures stood in a loose, tactical formation, their dark uniforms embossed with the heavy, silver crest of the 9th division.
At the front stood Kross, a massive boy whose shoulders seemed wide enough to block a doorway on their own. Next to him was Kahn, who looked like a playboy , and Jace, who was tapping rhythmically on a tactical tablet. Behind them stood the two girls: Sora, who leaned against a crate with a sharp, observant gaze, and Lyra.
Lyra had been looking at her boots, checking her gear, but when her eyes traveled up to meet the group, they locked onto the young man in the center of the 10th. Elias walked with a new kind of aura, his silver eyes catching the neon glow of the city.
Elias raised a hand in a casual wave. "Hello. HYD (How you doing)?"
The effect was instantaneous. Lyra's face, usually a pale porcelain, flushed a deep, frantic crimson. Her breath hitched, and she suddenly found the concept of language to be an unsolvable puzzle.
"...em...I'm....I..f....." Lyra stammered, her hands twitching as she tried to adjust a collar that wasn't crooked.
Sora rolled her eyes, stepping forward to save her teammate from total social collapse. "She meant it's nice to meet you," Sora said with a smirk, throwing an amused glance at Elias. "Ignore her. She's been reading the news reports about the 'Rookie of the Month' all morning. I'm Sora. Let's get moving , the entire 9th and 10th division followed.
Hotel Azure
The 9th Division led them to Hotel Azure, a high-rise sanctuary that functioned as a neutral ground for elite operatives. It was luxury wrapped in a Faraday cage, designed to keep out the prying eyes of corporate spies.
Once everyone had settled into their assigned rooms, the group gathered in the executive lounge. The door hissed shut, and Dr. D, the Vice-Captain of the 9th, stepped into the center of the room. He didn't wear a lab coat here; he was dressed in a sleek, dark tactical vest, his eyes sharp behind thin-rimmed glasses.
"Listen up," Dr. D began, projecting a holographic map of TƎll Industries—the monolithic skyscraper that served as Baldwin's throne. "Baldwin doesn't just run a company; he runs a fortress. To get to the source of the serum, we need to be inside his internal network. That means we don't kick the door down—we walk through it."
He pointed to the staffing roster. "Elias, Rook, and Renji. You three have the physical builds for the Tier-1 Security detail at TƎll. You'll be stationed in the main lobby and the secondary labs. Lyra, you'll be working as a corporate attendant. Your job is to plant localized 'bugs' on the executive floors."
Nyx leaned back on a velvet sofa, her feet on the coffee table. "And what about me? Where's my fancy uniform?"
Vela, who was currently mid-bite into a neon-blue energy bar, didn't even look up. "You can't work a regular job, Nyx. Your 'vibe' is basically 'I'm going to rob this place.' You'd get fired in ten minutes for scaring the interns."
The room erupted into a rare moment of genuine laughter, even the stoic Mikasa letting out a small huff of amusement.
Dr. D cleared his throat, pulling the focus back. "Nyx, Mikasa, and Sora—you three are the 'Shadow Unit.' You'll be in the vents, the rafters, and the blind spots. Your only job is to follow Baldwin. If he sneezes, I want to know the velocity of the droplets. The rest of you—Jaxen, Sloane, Kaelen, and the 9th boys—you'll be on the streets, gathering intel from the local informants. We move at dawn."
As the meeting adjourned, the weight of the mission settled over the 10th. In his room, Jaxen was obsessively checking the tension on his gear. "Sector 9 feels wrong," he muttered to Sloane, who was busy organizing her medical vials. "It's too quiet. A guy like Baldwin doesn't just leave the front door open for 'new security' unless he's looking for someone."
"We have to trust the plan, Jax," Sloane replied softly. "And we have to trust Elias. He's different now."
In the room next door, kaelen sat on the edge of his bed, his hand tracing the edge of the thick scar on his chest. He looked at his reflection in the window, the neon lights of the city cutting across his face. "I'm ready," he whispered to the empty room. "I can do this,I can ".
renji was in the hallway, practicing his draw speed with his tactical gloves. "Hey, Rookie!" he called out as Elias opened his door. "Don't trip over your own feet tomorrow. I'm not saving you twice."
Elias just smiled, a quiet, confident expression that made Renji grumble and turn away.
Feeling the need for air, Elias stepped out onto the wide, glass-enclosed balcony that overlooked the shimmering sprawl of Sector 9. The city was a sea of blue and purple light, with flying transports darting between the spires like bioluminescent fish.
He wasn't alone. Lyra was standing at the far end of the railing, her dark hair whipped by the high-altitude wind. She looked peaceful, the frantic blushing from earlier replaced by a gloomy reflection.
"What are you doing?" Elias asked, his voice low and steady.
Lyra jumped slightly, her hand flying to her heart. "Oh! Elias. I... I didn't see you." She took a breath, turning back to the horizon. "I'm just checking the view. It's beautiful... the stars..."
Elias walked up to the railing, looking up out to sky,
"Yeah, I guess so," Elias murmured. "The bright light in the universe"
"Is it true?" Lyra asked suddenly, her voice barely a whisper. "What they say about the Black Sun? That you stood in the center of it and didn't burn?"
Elias looked at his hands. He could feel the faint hum of his Resonance, he remembered how his body evolved .
"I didn't do it alone. My team... they gave me the chance to stand there. In this world, you don't survive the fire by being strong. You survive by having people who won't let you turn to ash."
Lyra looked at him, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and something deeper. "The 9th... we're built on logic. We're built on the 'Titan' philosophy of being immovable. But looking at you... it feels like you're not just immovable. You're inevitable."
Elias turned to her, the neon light catching the silver in his eyes. "Tomorrow, we find out if Baldwin thinks the same thing."
While the soldiers rested, the masters of the game were already in position.
High above the building on the jagged, needle-like peak of the Sovereign Spire, three figures stood against the gale-force winds. Their capes snapped in the air like black wings.
Drakye Void stood in the center, his arms crossed over his massive chest. To his left, Liora adjusted her visor, her eyes scanning the city below. To his right, Shadow, the Captain of the 9th, seemed to bleed into the darkness itself, his form flickering like a glitch in reali
ty.
"We've got him"
Liora whispered.