The Special Support Section had endured countless threats, but nothing could compare to the gut-wrenching fear gripping Lloyd Bannings at this moment.
KeA had seemingly disappeared.
Returning from the wilderness with the victims they had managed to evacuate, Randy had told them that KeA had gone off on her own about a hour ago and they hadn't been able to locate her.
The thought alone was enough to make his hands tremble, his breathing uneven as he sat in the SSS conference room, staring blankly at the evidence board filled with hastily pinned notes, maps, and leads. The Children of Shadows had seemingly moved faster than anyone had anticipated, striking while the SSS was still recovering from the raid on the abandoned facility.
It had been just last night—KeA had been at the SSS building, helping Tio analyze the data they had retrieved. Then, in an instant, she had vanished. The security systems had been jammed, and by the time they had regained control, KeA was gone. No signs of forced entry, no recorded footage of where she had gone. It was as if she had simply vanished into the night.
And Lloyd hadn't been there to stop it.
It seems obvious the Children of the Shadows had taken her away, though for what end they still didn't know. Despite investigating them for seemingly the last few weeks, they hadn't gotten much information on this splinter group beyond their origins and where they were seemingly located and the MO.
The SSS was in turmoil. Elie had been working tirelessly, coordinating with the Bracer Guild and the Crossbell Guardian Force to track down leads. Noel and Dudley were searching the city, questioning informants. Wazy had called in favors from his Dominion contacts. Even the Empire had been alerted, with several members of Class VII like Fie Clausell and even Machias Regnitz promising to keep a eye out if they had found her.
Lloyd soon sighed as suddenly a trail of steam soon touched his face. He looked down and saw it was a cup of coffee that had been brewed and given to him by Elie.
"You need to keep your energy up, even if you are the one heading the search for KeA," Elie said to him. "It wouldn't do anyone any good if you are tired."
"I know… I am just worried about her, what if this ends up being liked last time?" Lloyd wondered.
Before Elie could assure him that wouldn't be the case, soon Tio interrupted them.
"We found something." She said as she lead both of them over to her computer.
Tio's analysis had finally decrypted a portion of the files they had recovered. What they revealed was chilling.
The Children of Shadows had learned of KeA's origins—her latent connection to the Sept-Terrion of Zero. They believed that by using her power, they could artificially recreate fragments of a lost Sept-Terrion.
"They want to make their own divine relics…" Lloyd muttered, scanning the documents.
"Or something close to them," Elie corrected. "If they succeed, there's no telling what kind of power they'll create."
Noel entered the room, breathless. "We have a lead! One of our informants reported seeing strange activity near the ruins of an old temple in the Mainz Mountains. High-level orbal interference, masked airship landings… it matches the cult's M.O."
Lloyd stood up immediately. "Then that's where we're going."
Elie nodded. "Randy and Tio can you meet us there?"
"Sure." Randy said to her. "We will make sure that everyone is settled here before we can join you guys."
"The bastards that took KeA away from us are going to pay." Tio said. "I will make sure of that."
As the SSS mobilized, Lloyd forced down the guilt still gnawing at his heart. There was no time for self-doubt.
KeA was waiting for them.
And he would tear through whatever stood in his way to bring her back.
Meanwhile, deep within a hidden facility beneath Crossbell, KeA sat on the cold stone floor of a dimly lit chamber.
Strange symbols lined the walls, pulsating faintly with an eerie glow. At the center of the room, an intricate mechanism loomed, its structure resembling the ancient devices she had once seen in the Phantasmal Blaze Plan.
A figure in a hooded robe stood before her, speaking in a voice laced with reverence and obsession. It unnerved her to no end.
"You are the key," the figure murmured. "The final piece needed to restore what was lost."
KeA narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not going to help you."
The figure chuckled, unfazed. "Oh, but you already are."
With a gesture, the machine behind him hummed to life, its components shifting as energy crackled through the air.
KeA gasped as she felt something pull at her, as if something deep inside her was being forcibly drawn out. A swirling, golden light emerged from her body, gravitating toward the machine as began to glow with great power.
The hooded figure watched in awe. "Even in fragments, the power of the Sept-Terrion remains unmatched… not even the Crois family could draw out your true potential!"
KeA clenched her fists. "They're trying to use me to create artificial Sept-Terrion fragments?!" She thought.
She grit her teeth, summoning every ounce of resistance she had. She wouldn't let her powers be abused like this once again.
A surge of energy erupted from within her, shattering the flow of power. The machine sputtered, and the golden light faded.
The cultist staggered back, momentarily stunned.
KeA smirked. "Looks like your creepy science project isn't working out."
The figure soon regained his composure, undaunted by her taunts. "You may resist, but in time, the truth of your existence will overcome you, and you will fulfill your destiny. Nothing can change that."
KeA scowled but said nothing. She needed to bide her time—Lloyd and the rest of the SSS will come for her. She knew that.
She just needed to have faith.