Spliced Den──Conduit Ward's abandoned conduit depths, twelve meters below ground level, harbors a secret workshop──has mornings untouched by outside light. The illegal power line Ella drew from the ceiling illuminates three terminals and work lamps brilliantly. Four people gathered in that light. Kaelan watched Ella's back as she moved toward the workstation, careful not to step on the bundle of cables. Her two-tone blue-purple short bob floated in the terminal's glow. She probably hadn't slept much since last night. Ella opened the quantum lattice wiring logs from Obelisk Spire──the three-hundred-twenty-meter spire tower where Pellucid Mandate's headquarters occupied the top floors, rising in Eloria's central district──across three windows. "[serious]The sensor blind spot reaches maximum between 3:40 and 3:47 AM. Seven minutes total," Ella's fingers tapped the terminal. A graph appeared. There was a section where the line dropped sharply. "[serious]If we infiltrate through the north foundation's exterior exhaust port during these seven minutes and reach sublevel three, we won't trigger any sensors. The residual noise from the magical engravings on sublevel three degrades the quantum lattice's precision, creating this blind spot," "[serious]How far can we get in seven minutes?" Soren asked with his arms crossed. His silver-white long hair caught light even in the dim workshop. His right shoulder, which Ella had operated on last night, was still wrapped in bandages. "[serious]Sublevel two easily, sublevel three depends on how fast we move. So I'll go down with Kaelan. Soren, you'll create a diversion on the surface to draw the attention of two Vitreous Guard──Pellucid Mandate's armed security force──members," "[serious]Understood," Through Lira's resonance link, Kaelan felt her presence confirming the plan. "[serious]Kaelan, please work on lowering your tension. Resonance frequency leakage correlates with your stress levels," How am I supposed to lower my tension? Kaelan thought internally. Being told to calm down while tense doesn't work──if I could calm down, I'd already be calm. Kaelan leaned over the workstation, trying to peek at Ella's screen. That instant. A short sound. *Click.* One terminal's screen went black. Then another. The third. Spliced Den became half-dark, lit only by the work lamps. Ella slowly turned around. Her heterochromatic eyes──left gold, right purple──looked at Kaelan. Her normally unreadable face was now clearly expressive. "[cold]Don't get within two meters of electronic equipment," "[scared]……Sorry, the resonance──" "[cold]I know. That's why don't get close," Kaelan retreated to the wall. All three terminals frozen simultaneously. Perfect timing for a perfect failure. A wry smile and apology mixed across his face. Ella began rebooting the terminals. Her movements were practiced. That's when Soren let out a short laugh through his nose. Kaelan looked over. He'd never seen Soren laugh before. It was only for an instant, but that was definitely a laugh. From that taciturn, unreadable warrior. Without turning around, Ella said: "[sarcastic]Soren, this isn't funny. If this happens tomorrow, we're done," "[serious]……Understood," Soren's expression had already returned to normal. But that one moment of softness wouldn't leave Kaelan's mind. --- Infiltration day. 3:38 AM. North foundation of Obelisk Spire. Kaelan and Ella stood before the exterior exhaust port. Eloria's central district at night was bright with quantum lattice neon light filling the spaces between high-rises. That brightness only deepened the shadows. The two of them were in shadow. Ella spoke quietly into her neck microphone. "[serious]Soren, can you hear me?" The small vibrator wrapped around Kaelan's neck──a makeshift communication device Ella had created──trembled faintly. A long vibration. The confirmation signal. Two minutes until 3:40. Kaelan gripped the resonance device in his pocket. Lira had told him not to be tense. But it was impossible. No matter how he thought about it, impossible. Ella hacked the exhaust port's lock open. Nearly silent, finished in three seconds. "[serious]Let's go," 3:39:45. The neck vibrator suddenly pulsed in short bursts. Early. Ella interpreted it as "speed up." Kaelan understood the same way. Both jumped into the exhaust port simultaneously. They rolled through the dark duct. After passing through the building's thick concrete, warm interior air came. Down through sublevel one, sublevel two. Ella's movements were fast. The moment Kaelan reached the sublevel two shaft entrance, the floor beneath his feet trembled slightly. The elevator in the shaft moved. ──Upward. "[scared]Wait, hold on──" *Bang.* Kaelan and Ella found themselves on top of the elevator, wedged against the shaft walls. The elevator stopped one level up. They couldn't move up or down. Ten minutes of confinement began. "[serious]Soren's diversion was early. I think there was a third Guard we didn't account for. The power fluctuated temporarily, and this happened," She analyzed the situation in a low voice, matter-of-factly. Kaelan watched her from the elevator roof, pressed against the wall. "[whispers]Can't you use your resonance to move the elevator?" "[scared]I don't know if it works on mechanical systems," "[whispers]Try it. Worst case we just fall," "[surprised]Just fall?! That's the worst case!" Ella delivered that line with a straight face, and Kaelan didn't know how to respond. Just fall. If we fall, we'll be smashed against the sublevel three concrete. That's not "just" anything. Ella felt along the shaft wall for a while, searching for wiring. She was looking for a power cable. "[serious]……Found it. Manual auxiliary circuit," Three minutes later, the elevator descended one level slowly. Below, a ladder entrance came into view. Ella looked at Kaelan. "Seven minutes lost. How much time is left in the sensor blind spot?" Kaelan calculated. Seven minutes minus seven minutes equals zero. "[scared]……Cutting it close?" "[serious]Let's go," Ella grabbed the ladder. Kaelan followed. --- The moment Kaelan's feet touched sublevel three, his resonance device trembled. On its own. Without Kaelan doing anything. He looked at the walls. The floor. The ceiling. The entire wall surface had something embedded in it. Quantum circuit wiring──the lattice pattern of Eloria's current technology──and something completely different, traces of magical engravings, melted together and solidified. The two had merged into a single structure. Deep in Kaelan's nervous system, something felt pulled. (This is──) Lira's voice came through. "[gentle]The traces are genuine," Lost Core──the primordial magical source that maintained balance between both worlds──was truly here. That certainty flowed directly into his nerves through the resonance link. Not words. Evidence. Kaelan waited for the next words. Footsteps echoed from the darkness at the back of the room. "[cold]You came," Director Caspian Mourne──Pellucid Mandate's Director, forty-seven years old──stood alone. No weapons. No subordinates. Just standing. Kaelan froze beside Ella. This was the first time he'd seen Mourne's face directly since the ambush at the observation tower ruins. His expression hadn't changed──the face of a cold rationalist. Not angry. Not intimidating. Just processing information. "I knew you would come here," Mourne took a step forward. About five meters between them and him. "[serious]Join me in pursuing Lost Core," Kaelan couldn't say anything. "[serious]The Veil──the Membrane──isn't a natural phenomenon. It's a power that those who intentionally triggered Convergence tried to control and failed. Pellucid Mandate is researching the means to control it. You're a resonance compatible. Your ability can be the key," Mourne's voice was low, matter-of-fact. Not a threat. Not persuasion. Just facts laid out. "[serious]Alone, you'll be consumed by the Membrane in two years. Join me, and you'll survive," Kaelan had no answer. It didn't sound like a lie. That was the most terrifying part. There was no obvious deception in Mourne's words. Untrustworthy, yet undeniable. Ella grabbed Kaelan's sleeve beside him. "[serious]You don't need to answer now. But we're getting out of here," Mourne looked at Ella. He seemed about to say something when── Lira's voice came. "[serious]Kaelan. The Membrane here is thinned to its limit. Activate the device──at the specific frequency, now," Simultaneously, Ella's fingers moved. She pointed her terminal toward Mourne and ran something. "[serious]Communication terminal blocked. Ten seconds," Kaelan gripped the resonance device. He assembled the frequency Lira specified in his mind. This was a matter of sensation. Not theory. He activated it. One point on the wall changed. The concrete became a different texture there. Like a membrane. Thin. There was space on the other side, that's what it felt like. "Ella, go first," Ella looked at Kaelan for just a moment, then jumped through. Kaelan moved to follow──and looked back at Mourne. Mourne didn't pursue. "[cold]When we meet next time, bring me an answer," Kaelan said nothing and jumped through. --- When they emerged in an alley several blocks from Obelisk Spire, Soren was already there, watching Kaelan and Ella. "[serious]You're late," "[sarcastic]Your diversion was fifteen seconds early," "[serious]There was a third one. Miscalculation," Soren made an unusual excuse. Kaelan heard those words while remembering the ten minutes in the shaft. All four gathered in one place. The alley was close to Conduit Ward, and the low hum of ventilation fans echoed distantly. Kaelan opened Lira's resonance link. "[serious]What you sensed there was real, right?" "[gentle]It was real. However──Lost Core is no longer at that location. It was transferred several days ago," No one spoke for a while. "[serious]Where was it transferred to?" "[serious]I believe it's at the second or third coordinate in the Membrane Navigator's records. However, those two coordinates' encryption hasn't been broken yet," Kaelan exhaled deeply. They'd pursued. They'd arrived. But it wasn't there. Someone had moved it first. --- Back at Spliced Den, as the four settled in their respective places, the workshop lights had returned to their usual orange. Ella looked at Kaelan. "[serious]Your resonance on sublevel three today was pretty strong," Kaelan thought for a while before answering. "[gentle]I was scared," Ella's eyes moved slightly. Just a hint of surprise. "[surprised]……You're honest," Kaelan gave a wry smile. No point in posturing. Soren sat down beside Kaelan. He slowly rotated his arm, checking his right shoulder's movement. Kaelan waited to see if he'd say something about Mourne's proposal, but Soren said nothing. Just sat there. That silence was Soren's answer, Kaelan understood. Lira's voice came through. "[gentle]You did well tonight," "[sarcastic]We didn't get anything. How is that doing well?" "[gentle]Everyone is safe. That's tonight's achievement," Kaelan measured the weight of those words for a moment. On the workstation wall, a single map fragment was pinned. The first coordinate──Obelisk Spire sublevel three──with the decrypted coordinates written in. The marker for where Lost Core had been. Now an empty coordinate. Beside it, Ella had already started analyzing the second encryption on her laptop. "[curious]When are you sleeping?" "[serious]After we find Lost Core," "[gentle]I'll help," Ella answered without turning around. "[sarcastic]Help from two meters away from the electronics," Kaelan held back a laugh and moved to the wall. The workshop was quiet, only the sound of terminal cooling fans and the low hum of distant conduits. Mourne's words remained at the bottom of Kaelan's mind, refu