I didn't speak aloud. On screen, the man kept his easy smirk, chatting away.
"...Don't worry too much. Your sister will be fine. She's adjusting," he said with a shrug. "Though I would've loved to see her mess with the mentors. She has the energy for chaos."
"Name," Siara said abruptly, her tone sharp. "You never gave it."
The man raised an eyebrow. "You want my name? Call me Virel."
"And your role?" Eron added, voice cool. "In Saurus. What exactly do you do there?"
Virel chuckled. "Oh, nothing much. Occasionally, I deliver things or carry... messages."
I was watching Kael's screen closely. He had started inching forward — subtle, like he was just adjusting his position or shifting for better light.
Virel didn't seem to notice.
"You carry messages?" Kael echoed lightly, taking another step. "So, like a delivery boy?"
"Now, now... don't belittle my job," Virel replied dryly. "I have my own area of expertise, you know."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Favian muttered. "After all, we're the ones at a disadvantage."
Kael stepped again. Now barely a meter away.
Still nothing.
"You seem to have a lot of free time," Eron said casually, "considering your group is busy inducting Garriors right now."
"Ah... didn't I just say I'm only a messenger to the higher-ups?" Virel shrugged. "No particular task today. Just observing and reporting back."
"For someone who's just observing, you're awfully chatty," Siara said, rolling her eyes. "And not in any rush."
Kael inched even closer.
"You mean that Kaelen guy isn't the head of Saurus?" I asked, testing.
"Oh, no," Virel said, sounding amused. "We're just a mentor unit. Kaelen leads us, sure. But the actual heads of Saurus? They don't descend to any world. They reside in the dimension space between parallel worlds — where the Saurus headquarters exist."
"You're quite the chatterbox," Favian snickered. "Sharing so freely."
"This isn't even classified. We're just too lazy to explain things to you earthlings most of the time," Virel smirked.
And that was when Kael moved.
He flicked the pen in his hand — just a pen — straight toward Virel's face.
In an instant, a flash of ice formed midair, blocking Virel's sight. Just a split second of cover.
Kael lunged.
Both of them hit the ground in a messy roll, the camera shaking violently as Kael's phone clattered to the pavement — angled just enough to give us a full view.
By the time the screen settled, Kael was straddling Virel's torso, pinning him down, fists curled tight, posture taut.
And strangely… Virel wasn't fighting back.
"What…?" I murmured, narrowing my eyes.
The ice-drop earrings in his ears — I noticed — were melting.
His ears had lengthened slightly, tapering into delicate, pointed tips. His eyes were wrong now — black sclera, a bright yellow iris, and a sharp white slit for a pupil. And his hands — unnaturally thin with fingers just a little too long, too flexible.
Kael was holding him down easily.
That shouldn't have been possible.
Unless…
My heart jumped.
That's it. That's the condition.
"Kael, get off him," I said quickly. "I've seen enough. I got what I was looking for."
"Huh? Okay," Kael muttered, climbing off and brushing the dust from his sleeves.
Virel sat up instantly, rage blooming across his face."What do you think you were doing?" he snapped. It was the first time his voice wasn't dripping with lazy amusement.
I didn't flinch.
"I think," I said, stepping a little closer to the screen, "you can't use your magic when we humans get too close."
He didn't answer. But something flickered in his eyes.
I kept going. "Or more specifically... you lose power when we get within a certain range. Transformation magic — that's what you used to appear more human, didn't you? But the moment Kael got close enough, your form started slipping. The ice in your earrings melted. Your hands shifted. Your eyes, your ears — all of it. You reverted."
Still no answer.
"Correct me if I'm wrong."
Virel's mouth twitched. For a moment, I thought he'd smirk again — dodge it, make a joke.
But he didn't.
He just said, quietly, "You're sharper than you look."
"If you're that angry," Eron said with a smirk, "you can go ahead and use your powers. You know, if you still can. Because it sure looks like you can't use any on humans."
Virel looked at the screen, and for once, the amusement was gone. His voice dropped, colder and heavier than before.
"You guys are funny."
Then he vanished. Just—gone. No flicker, no swirl of smoke. Kael's screen now showed empty pavement.
"Wait—where did he go?!" Kael spun in a circle, phone whipping with the motion. "He was right here a second ago!"
And that's when I heard it.
A breath.
A whisper.
"You're the one who orchestrated this... aren't you?"
Right beside me.
I screamed, heart leaping into my throat. My hand moved on instinct. I fumbled through my bag, pulled out my pepper spray, spun on my heel, and sprayed hard.
"WHAT THE—" Virel shrieked, staggering back and squinting furiously. "Why did you spray that thing in my face?! It doesn't even do anything! Just smoke!"
"Arien?!" Siara's voice crackled through the phone. "What happened?!"
"Wait," I narrowed my eyes, stepping cautiously toward Virel. "You're not feeling any burning in your eyes?"
"Burning? That?" He pointed at the lingering cloud. "That thing just puffed smoke like a dying tea kettle."
"…Oh. So that's a no."
I paused. "Okay. Can I try my taser?"
"What the hell is happening over there?!" Favian barked through the line. "I'm coming over."
"No need," I replied quickly. "I just pepper-sprayed him. But apparently, it doesn't work. So now I'm wondering if I should test the taser instead."
"You… what?!" Kael sounded torn between laughter and alarm.
"Taser?" Virel perked up like an excited kid. "Is that a magical tool? Does it have runes? Maybe an elemental focus?"
"Magic, magic, magic—" Siara groaned. "Is that the only word in your vocabulary? Ever heard of electricity?"
"We take pride in our science, thank you very much," Eron added dryly.
"Hmm… science," Virel echoed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "That's like magic, but you don't need any blessing to use it, right?"
"I will actually use the taser," I warned, pointing it at him.
"You know," Kael muttered in the background, "I kinda want to see what happens."
"Do not encourage her!" Siara shouted.
Virel blinked, still rubbing his eyes from the pepper spray. "Wait, wait—hold on. Are you seriously threatening me with your… what is that, a lightning stick?"
"It's a taser," I replied flatly.
"And it hurts," Eron added helpfully.
"I'm not afraid of pain," Virel said smugly.
"Then let's try it." I stepped closer. He stepped back.
"Wait—stand there. Keep the lightning stick on the ground. I'll pick it up and try it myself," Virel said, still keeping his distance.
"It is not a dress. Nor a lightning stick. It's a taser," I heard Favian mutter under his breath.
"Okay!" I exclaimed, placing the taser on the ground and stepping back. Virel picked it up cautiously, turning it in his hands and inspecting it like it might explode.
"Oh… you have to press it against your bottom and hit the button," Kael said, barely holding back laughter.
At this point, I was struggling to keep a straight face.
Favian was smirking. Siara had her head in her hands.
"Like this?" Virel asked, following Kael's "instructions" and pressing the button.
We waited. Nothing happened at first.
"Oh… it seems this is defective too. You know—" Virel began, but stopped mid-sentence.
He froze. Then bent over.
And violently threw up.
Uh-oh. Apparently, they don't react to tasers the same way we do.
He dropped the taser like it was cursed. I calmly picked it up.
Virel was still hunched, panting like he'd just sprinted across a battlefield. His violet buzzcut looked frazzled, and his face had gone slightly green.
"I think I saw my ancestors," he croaked.
"Yeah? What did they say?" Kael snickered.
"Your… science… sucks," Virel gasped between breaths.
I raised the taser slightly.
"Okay! Okay!" Virel stumbled back, hands raised. "I come in peace!"
"You came in smoke," I muttered.
There was a beat of silence.
Then Eron snorted. "She got you there."