Ren Takeda's exhaustion was a tangible presence in the room, mirroring the weary relief of the gate-managing onwatchers. He dragged a hand down his face, letting out a long, shuddering sigh.
"Squad Alpha." he called, his voice cutting through the fading chatter like a honed blade. The squad immediately snapped to attention, a ripple of respect even extending to those outside their ranks.
"Good work bringing Theon back." Ren continued, his voice slowly straining as his teeth started to grind against one another, the meeting with the higher-ups was stressful enough without Hughes getting on his nerves. "Now go and take a well-deserved break." He said, his tone suggesting that the last part wasn't a request but an order, teetering on the edge of a threat.
"YES SIR, GREAT LEADER COMMANDER!" Hughes boomed, his grin splitting his face, clearly relishing Ren's barely contained irritation. "SQUAD ALPHA WILL NOW SEE THEMSELVES OUT, SIR!" He signaled the rest of the squad with an exaggerated sweep of his arm, urging a quick escape. It was abundantly clear he gave precisely zero credit to Ren's "authority."
As they exited, Hughes threw a casual arm over Rufe's massive shoulder, steering him decisively toward the bar. His high spirits and boisterous demeanor were infectious, and the rest of the squad followed suit, chuckling as they vanished from sight.
The other employees exchanged knowing glances, a silent consensus of sympathy for their worn-out boss. Ren let out another, deeper sigh. Hughes was truly taking years off his life ever since he'd been forced into "corporate"—it felt like a deliberate, mocking reminder of what once was.
Ren straightened, shaking off the lingering frustration. "Thank you all for your quick response to the emergency," he addressed the remaining employees, his voice a touch softer now, weary but appreciative. "You are dismissed."
Once the room cleared, Ren turned his focus to Theon. His expression shifted to something more serious, his voice dropping to a gentler tone. "Theon, we need to talk. Come to my office."
Theon nodded, his mind already racing. He followed Ren down the familiar hallways, the walls closing in around him as the gravity of the situation settled over his shoulders.
Ren gestured for him to sit once they reached his office. "Firstly, I'm glad you're safe," he said, the relief in his voice genuine, a raw edge of emotion Theon rarely heard. But his tone quickly grew more serious, the light in his eyes dimming. "Now, tell me what happened."
"After the rift appeared, I found myself in the middle of a forest." Theon began, sticking to the cover story he had prepared. "I fled from treetop to treetop, barely managing to fight off the zombies that attacked. I managed to survive by pure luck."
He paused, making sure to infuse his voice with a humble weariness before continuing. "I found an old cabin with a hidden bunker. Most of the defenses were decayed, but it was secure enough to keep the zombies out."
Ren listened intently, nodding occasionally as Theon recounted his fabricated tale.
Ren's sharp gaze never wavered as Theon spun his tale. Theon could feel the weight of his scrutiny but pressed on. "There was food and water inside, enough to keep me alive. But the most important thing I found was a library. The books inside described something called 'Lu.'"
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Lu, but he nodded for Theon to continue.
"Through following the methods listed in the book I was able to feel the flow of Lu within my body and slowly felt it strengthen myself and gave me enough power to contest the zombies. Once I was confident enough in my strength, I started venturing out. Looking for a way back."
Theon then slid over one of the two spatial rings he possessed, the metal cool against his palm. He had carefully hidden the Ouroboros ring and his other spatial ring before this meeting. Inside the ring he presented to Ren were some of the Lu crystals he had found as well as several weapons from the Sylivan Empire's armory.
"Besides the Lu methods, I also found this ring."
Ren swept his Soul Lu over it, clearly impressed by what was inside. Some of the weapons were of the highest quality Spectra had and the Lu crystals were of a surprisingly high quality. Ren gave a slow, deliberate nod, then gestured for Theon to continue, his usual composure now subtly shaken.
"One day, while exploring, I stumbled upon a dome of complete darkness." Theon continued, his voice steady. "No animals or zombies would approach it, it was as if the world itself rejected its existence. When I touched it, I found myself back here, in front of Uncle Hughes and the others."
Ren considered the story in silence, his expression unreadable for several long moments. The air in the office crackled with unspoken thoughts. Finally, he spoke, his voice calm but carrying an immense gravity. "From what we observed, the rift appeared directly on top of you," Ren began, leaning forward slightly, his penetrating gaze locking onto Theon's. "It's likely that you were pulled in before it fully stabilized, ejecting you outside the designated zone."
He paused, a grim line forming on his lips. "You got quite lucky."
"How a rift usually works is that it creates a portal of sorts from our world to the zone. If the rift placed you somewhere far from the zone, we may have never found you again."
Ren leaned forward, his gaze piercing, his voice dropping to a low, grave tone Theon had rarely heard. "Theon, listen carefully. This goes beyond a fortunate return. What you encountered—the existence of a world beyond the zones of the rift—is knowledge that will become increasingly dangerous to possess." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
Ren let out a tired exhale, running a hand through his hair.
"For now, just paint yourself lucky and tell no one of what happened. Just tell them that instead of space, time hadn't stabilized, leading you to drift in the rift all the way until you appeared in front of Dominic. Remember: You do not know of the worlds beyond the rifts. I'll tell you when the time comes, but for now, and especially for the near future, it is very sensitive information."
Theon nodded, absorbing Ren's explanation. "I understand," he replied.
Ren's expression softened just slightly, a small smile breaking through his stern demeanor. "I'm glad you made it back, Theon." he said warmly. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, I will go over everything properly."
"Thank you, Uncle Ren." Theon replied sincerely, rising to leave.
Ren smirked, a hint of his usual light-heartedness breaking through. "Yeah, you brat." As Theon reached the door, Ren's voice called after him, softened by a mix of regret and affection. "And don't forget to take your pill. Though you might not believe it, I planned on telling you all of this when you turned seventeen anyway."
After a warm shower, the kind of luxury that felt like a distant memory from his time on Serenera, Theon collapsed onto his bed, muscles loosening under the soft mattress. Reaching into his bedside drawer, he pulled out a small pill, the same one he had taken every night since he had become Ren's pupil
Gulp.
He swallowed it, the action so ingrained it required no thought. Its purpose had always been a silent command from Ren, a simple routine. But this time, something was profoundly different. As the pill dissolved on his tongue, a fine, warm energy, like liquid sunlight, began to unfurl within him. It was a subtle, pervasive heat that coursed through his veins, up his neck, and settled gently behind his eyes. A profound sense of comfort, a stillness he hadn't known was missing, bloomed in the space between his thoughts, a quiet calm settling over his mind.
Deep within, in the silent, swirling expanse of his soul sea—a realm he only vaguely perceived, a place of instinct and unseen currents—the pill's essence began its work. It drifted like a benevolent current through the churning waters, seeking out the subtle, jagged tears that marred the seabed of his being. Invisible threads of light began to weave, mending wounds, stitching together the frayed edges of his very essence. Slowly, the turbulent waves subsided, the agitated depths growing serene until not a single ripple disturbed the mirror-smooth surface of his soul.
Back in his room, Theon blinked his eyes open, feeling a strange but powerful sense of renewal. He tried to recall the cultivation technique Aricaz had left him but exhaustion from the past month weighed too heavily on him. Before he could even attempt to resist, his body gave in, eyes shutting, surrendering to the long-overdue need for rest.