The orange hue of the setting sun bled through the office windows, casting a warm glow over the polished wood floors and scattered scrolls.
Vel stood by the window. His gaze was unfocused, mind turning over pieces of the puzzle they'd been assembling over the past weeks. Clues, trails, whispers—nothing had yet formed a full picture, but the image was starting to take shape.
Behind him, Darius sat hunched at the long table, a dozen documents spread across its surface. The faint scratching of quill against parchment was the only sound in the room for a long moment.
Shin stood nearby, hands behind his back, posture perfectly straight. His eyes were on Vel, waiting for the last of the day's orders.
"Shin," Vel said finally, his tone calm but commanding, "activate our informants across the city. Any hint of strange activity, I want it logged and tracked."
Shin gave a sharp nod. "Understood. I'll have the cells moving before nightfall. Do you want the full network activated?"
"Prioritize the trade routes," Vel replied. "If they're still moving people or materials, it'll surface there. Use the harbor lines, black market routes, and the inner-city merchants. Start there."
"Got it."
Darius raised a hand slightly, eyes still scanning the scroll in front of him. "Some of these documents... they mention coded deliveries. Numbers instead of names, encrypted destinations. It looks like they were funneling captives through legitimate merchant lines to avoid suspicion."
He tapped a parchment with his quill. "I'll cross-reference these shipping codes with old route maps. If we're lucky, we can trace the movement patterns and find out where they were heading."
Vel nodded once. "We're closing in. Slowly, but surely."
Shin turned to leave, but hesitated at the threshold. He looked back, expression thoughtful.
"There's one more thing. About Shuri."
Vel tilted his head. "What about her?"
"She's requested permission to examine the victims herself. She believes direct observation may help her develop an antidote or at least find a stabilizing agent for their condition."
A brief pause. The warm light caught in Vel's eyes as he considered it.
"Fine," he said. "Let her do it. But make sure Bella is present with her at all times. No exceptions."
"Understood," Shin replied with a respectful bow. "I'll inform both of them and arrange for proper oversight."
Without waiting for further dismissal, Shin stepped out into the dimming hallway, his footsteps quiet but purposeful as the shadows of dusk swallowed him.
Back in the office, silence returned.
Darius remained buried in his work, eyes darting across old parchment as he pieced the puzzle together with practiced precision. His quill scratched against the paper, making small notes, tying timelines and routes into a coherent thread.
Vel pushed off from the window, stretching slightly. He paced toward the table, glancing over Darius's shoulder.
"I'll go meet with General Vhan personally," Vel said, his tone cool. "I want to be there for the interrogation. Maybe there's still something we can pry loose from those bastards."
"Mmh," Darius responded, not looking up. "Might be worth it.."
Vel smirked faintly at the remark, but said nothing else. He turned on his heel and strode toward the door.
Darius didn't notice his departure, too immersed in the patterns and fragments on the desk before him.
Army base.
Evening had settled across Algora, the city cloaked in a curtain of blue shadows as the last light faded behind the stone towers. The wind was dry and cool, rustling banners and lanterns that lined the outer walls of the military stronghold—one of the few places in the capital where the tension was thick enough to feel in the air.
Vel approached the fortified entrance casually, his hands in his pockets, hood down, emerald hair catching the flickering torchlight. A pair of soldiers stood at the gate, one posted on duty and the other nowhere in sight. The remaining guard eyed Vel suspiciously as he stepped closer.
"I'm here to see General Vhan," Vel said, voice calm and firm.
The guard straightened, eyes narrowing. "State your name and business."
Vel tilted his head. "Are you new?"
"…How'd you know that?"
He sighed. "Let me guess—you've been assigned here for about a week?"
The soldier blinked in surprise. "Five days… yeah."
Vel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Right. I'm the Guild Master of Algora. I need to speak with the General. Now."
The young guard squinted. "You? Guild Master?" He looked Vel up and down. "You look like a teenager. You got any proof?"
Vel patted his coat, checking the inner pockets, then the sides. His expression remained relaxed—but there was a faint twitch in his brow. "…I might've left it back at the office."
"Then I can't let you in, sir. Orders are strict. No ID, no entry."
"Of course they are…" Vel muttered under his breath.
Before the situation could get any worse, another guard hurried back around the corner from the barracks wing, adjusting his belt.
"Sorry, I had to hit the washroom—" he began, then caught sight of Vel. His face paled slightly. "Guild Master Vel! What are you doing out here?"
Vel raised an eyebrow. "Waiting for your friend to stop questioning me."
The second guard looked at the younger soldier, mortified. "Are you serious? You didn't recognize him?"
"He—he said he was the Guild Master, but he looked too—"
"This is Vel! He's on every personnel report!"
The rookie saluted quickly, bowing low. "Forgive me, sir! I—I didn't mean any offense!"
Vel waved it off. "You did your job.."
The senior guard straightened and added, "General Vhan's already been informed. He's expecting you. First floor, third door on the left."
Vel gave a lazy nod. "Appreciate it."
Inside, the fortress soldiers moved with discipline and silence. Vel made his way down the hall, stopping in front of a heavy iron door labeled "Room 3."
He knocked once, then pushed it open.
General Vhan stood at a desk, poring over a map with pins and markers scattered across it. The battle-hardened commander looked up, his face like weathered stone—calm, unreadable.
"Vel," Vhan said. "Didn't expect you to come yourself."
"I need more information from those bastards. I want to know where the trade point is—where they're selling the kidnapped people."
Vhan stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. "Fine. Follow me."
They descended a tight stone staircase into the basement prison. Torches cast trembling shadows along the stone walls, and the stench of sweat, blood, and mold was thick.
At the end of the corridor, Inside the second holding cell, two men hung restrained to wooden cross-like structures. One was the bandit leader. The other—the man responsible for organizing the kidnappings. Their faces were bruised and swollen, dried blood clinging to their mouths and chins.
Vel grimaced. "What the hell have you done to them?"
Vhan stepped in beside him, arms crossed. "This is the only way they talk. We tried civil manners. Civil doesn't work on filth like this."
Vel narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. "Can you at least ask them about the delivery point? Where is the trade happening? That's all I need."
The General glanced at one of the soldiers stationed nearby. "Open the cell. And bring a steel rod."
The guard saluted and moved quickly.
Vel stayed silent as the cell was opened. He watched Vhan step inside, watched him pick up the rod, and saw the way the prisoners flinched as the General's shadow passed over them.
The first crack of metal against flesh echoed through the basement. Vel's jaw tightened.
A second blow. A pained grunt from one of the prisoners. Another question. No answer.
Vel turned away. "I'll wait upstairs. If they say anything useful, tell me there."
Without waiting for a reply, he strode back up the stairs, the sounds of screaming and steel growing fainter with every step.
The sun was gone now. The sky outside had turned deep indigo, the stars just beginning to show.