Shirou was led down a long hallway, two guards walking close on either side of him. None of them spoke. Their footsteps echoed on the polished floor, each step pulling Shirou deeper into the facility. After a short while, they finally stopped in front of a thick metallic door. One of the guards placed his hand against a circular pad embedded in the wall. Blue runes spread out from the point of contact like ripples on a pond, forming a complex circle. A soft chime rang out as the door slid open with a quiet hiss.
The room inside was far larger than Shirou expected.
Bright lights filled the space, and in the centre stood two massive white orbs, connected to dozens of wires trailing up into the ceiling and across the floor to various machines. Display panels lined the walls, blinking with data in constant motion. Shirou's eyes narrowed. He'd seen something like this before—back at Elen's training gym—but this setup was far more advanced. Everything was bigger, faster, and more precise.
On the left side of the room sat a woman in a lab coat, her eyes focused on the screens in front of her as her fingers moved quickly across a console.
The woman turned as they entered, her expression calm and unreadable. She stood from her seat and motioned toward the orb on the left. "Place your hand on the orb," she instructed.
Shirou walked over without saying a word. He pressed his hand against the surface and focused his mana into it. Immediately, he felt the device pull mana from his body.
"Faster than the one at Elen's place..." he murmured, surprised by how quickly it was scanning him.
Before he could finish the thought, the woman said, "You can remove your hand now.
Shirou stepped back, retracting his hand. "So what does it say?"
She didn't reply. Instead, she wrote something down on a small scroll of paper, rolled it up tightly, and sealed it with a glowing red mark. Then she handed it to one of the guards.
"Hey," Shirou said coldly, "you could at least tell me what it says."
The woman turned toward him and gave a small shrug. "There are procedures. I just do the readings and make the report. Nothing more. Don't glare at me like that."
She walked back to her seat and returned to her work.
The guards motioned him again.
"Where to now?" Shirou asked, his voice calm but sharp.
"Ju...Just follow," one of the guards muttered.
They continued walking until they reached another door. One of the guards opened it and nodded. "Wait inside. The Arch Inquisitor will be here shortly."
Shirou entered without a word. The door closed behind him.
The room was plain. Just a table and two chairs. He sat down and leaned back, resting slightly. Minutes passed. Then the door opened again.
A middle-aged man stepped in. He had short black hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and a sharp, focused gaze. In his hands was the scroll.
The man sat down opposite to Shirou and spoke casually, "Name's Liam. I'm the head of VSID."
As he broke the seal and started unrolling the scroll, Shirou cut in.
"The Crimson Eclipse. Who are they?"
Liam raised an eyebrow, then gave a short laugh. "I don't think you understand the situation. This isn't a conversation where you ask the questions. Your future depends on the report I'm about to file, so maybe keep that in mind, alright?"
Shirou didn't flinch.
"You know," Liam said, "you could at least nod. But staying silent works too."
Shirou's voice was steady. "Sir Lucus. Is he safe?"
Liam's expression didn't change. He shook his head. "Lucus is dead."
Shirou opened his mouth. "His daugh—"
"Also dead," Liam cut him off sharply. "And if you're about to ask about that other guy—he's dead too. Everyone in that mansion, inside and out, is dead. Except for you."
Liam leaned forward slightly. "A sole survivor. Pretty suspicious, don't you think? That's what I thought too."
He finally unrolled the scroll fully and read it. His eyebrows rose ever so slightly, then he gave a short chuckle.
"We did a full background check on you while you were unconscious. Your records said you were early Adept stage. But this—" he held up the scroll, "—says you're right on the edge of late Adept and early Ascendant. Practically a breakthrough away."
He slid the report across the table.
Shirou glanced at it. "So?"
"So," Liam said, "were you hiding your true strength? Or should I say—why were you hiding it?"
Shirou paused before replying. Everyone who knew my real level is dead... except two.
He kept his tone steady. "I didn't want to attract attention. And during the mission, I acted as early Adept because one of the other members—Archie—was also early Adept. That's all."
Liam nodded slowly, then smiled. "And who trained you, Shirou?"
"You already know," Shirou replied, eyes cold. "You did check my background, didn't you?"
Liam gave a small grin. Tch. Smart kid. Using my own line against me.
He sat back, then leaned forward again. "You mentioned Crimson Eclipse. There were two of them?"
"There were," Shirou said.
Liam pulled out a photo from a folder and placed it on the table. "This one, right?"
Shirou nodded. "Daito. He's dead."
"And the second?" Liam asked.
"Middle-aged man. Long blue hair. Water element," Shirou replied.
Liam's face changed slightly—more serious now. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small collection of photos, and sorted through them. He selected one and placed it in front of Shirou.
Shirou's eyes narrowed. "That's him."
Liam's tone dropped. "So, it really was him…" He folded his arms. "That explains it. You're lucky. He let you live on purpose. That's what he does. Leave one survivor to spread the story."
Even though Liam's theory was wrong, Shirou didn't say anything.
"He's not just some thug. He kills for fun. One of the worst Crimson Eclipse members alive."
Shirou asked, "His name?"
Liam nodded. "He goes by Adrian Poseidar."
"Poseidar?"
"We think it's a clan name he made up. No records of a Poseidar clan exist. None that we know of, anyway. And his control over water is something… different. Something we've never seen from any other water elemental user."
Liam locked eyes with Shirou. "I wouldn't go after someone like him if I were you. You won't stand a chance. He's Sage level.
Shirou didn't reply. He simply stared at the photo. His fist clenched slowly under the table "sage huh..".