Three days Later…
——
It was times like this Ren was thankful for his affliction.
He couldn't feel nervous.
Apparently, nervousness disturbed the calm—and his body rejected that kind of dissonance like oil on water. It slid right off him, leaving only stillness behind. A strange, muted kind of serenity.
He sighed and brushed past the hangers in his closet, fingers grazing fabric. His eyes scanned dull greys, soft blues, blacks—until he settled on a white and black fleece jacket. Clean lines, warm but breathable.
That'll do.
Today, he was going to the VHQ for the first time.
Registration as a Regular.
Turns out, the process was surprisingly simple. No endless paperwork like human citizenship applications. No drawn-out interviews. No months of waiting. For Virans, registration could be completed in a single day. One trip, and you were officially part of the system.
Marie—through Sami—had already submitted the sponsorship documents via the Viran platform. All Ren had to do now was input his Vira signature and collect his Viran regular pack.
He threw the fleece over his plain white shirt. Pulled on a pair of oversized black sweatpants and stepped into his Crocs—standard Ren attire, functional and unbothered.
He paused in front of the tall mirror beside the closet.
Tired eyes, ocean-blue. Hair falling around his pale face in soft, damp waves. The jacket fit well. His posture, loose but steady. Not bad.
He threw a small smile and nodded—satisfied with how good he looked.
Then he stepped out.
Aika was already in the lounge, waiting.
She leaned casually against the wall near the doorway, her head bent slightly as she flicked through her phone. The screen lit her face with a soft glow, but as Ren entered, she looked up without lifting her chin—tilting her head lazily to the side. Her gaze peeked over the rim of circular, red-tinted sunglasses.
"Took you long enough," she said, voice dry as ever.
Ren blinked.
Aika, for some reason, had dressed up too.
She wore a cropped black puffer jacket with a subtle sheen, zipped halfway up to reveal a black mesh turtleneck underneath. Slim-fit matte cargo pants hugged her legs, tucked neatly into lace-up combat boots. Her short black bob framed her face sharply, and the red lenses made her look more dangerous than usual. Around her neck hung a small necklace with two Ts joined at the middle like twin hammers.
Ren glanced at himself, then back at her.
"Didn't realize registration was a fashion event," he muttered.
"Everything is, if you do it right," Aika replied.
They headed to the elevator, side by side. The silence between them wasn't awkward—it never was. Just quiet.
The elevator dropped to the garage level with a soft mechanical hum.
Aika stepped ahead, pulled a flat black key fob from her jacket pocket, and pressed it with her thumb.
Chirp.
Across the garage, headlights blinked.
Her car lit up—sleek, matte black, low-slung and growling with restrained energy. The surface shimmered faintly, hinting at reactive panels. Razor-sharp contours ran along the hood and flanks, and the rims were turbine-forged, glowing faintly with inner Vira circuitry.
Ren's brows rose.
"Is that an Orvantis Silhouette?" he asked, half stunned. "You own an Orvantis?"
Aika gave him a look. The kind of look that translated to: You don't?
"Yeah," she replied. "Sami got it for me on my birthday."
Ren stared.
"Seriously? This thing costs more than an apartment in the lower districts. How close are you two?"
They both slid into the low seats. The interior lit up in soft pulses of violet and blue. Everything about it whispered precision.
Aika shrugged as she adjusted the steering interface.
"Well… we've known each other since we were kids. I'd say pretty close."
The console flickered to life. Ren barely felt the motion as the car pulled out of the underground lot and glided smoothly onto the road, merging with the morning traffic like it had been born to move.
Sunlight slanted across the windshield. The city unfolded around them—towers of glass and steel rising from polished streets, threaded with silver bridges.
Ren leaned back, the purr of the engine humming beneath him.
"Where is VHQ located?"
Aika steered the car into a different highway, one Ren hadn't been on before. Her hands rested lazily on the wheel, but her foot was merciless—blurring past signs, weaving through traffic. Ren was sure this speed was supposed to be illegal.
"Sector 3," she said flatly.
Ren sighed, dragging a hand down his face. Sector 3. That was going to take a while from where they were now in Sector 1. But it made sense—Sectors 1 and 2 were strictly residential zones reserved for elites. No cabs, no public transport. No offices either. Just high-end shopping malls, restaurants, and luxury housing. Most companies and commercial activity started in Sector 3.
He shifted in his seat and stared out the window as buildings thinned, replaced by broad, manicured express lanes. He couldn't help but imagine it—VHQ. A place with only Virans. More than he'd ever seen in his life. What did it even feel like to be surrounded by people like him?
For some reason, the thought made his heart beat a little faster.
He turned to Aika.
"What's VHQ like?"
Aika exhaled, blowing air through her nose like someone answering a question she wished didn't exist.
"Loud. Unstable. Pretentious. Full of annoying people."
Ren raised an eyebrow.
"… Right."
Aika glanced sideways at him, eyes half-lidded behind her red-tinted sunglasses.
"Anyway," she muttered, "I'm only gonna say this once. When we get to VHQ, stay close to me. Keep your chin up. And don't act or speak without thinking."
Her voice was casual, but the undertone was serious—sharp, even. It landed.
There was silence for a beat. The kind that made Ren's thoughts feel louder than the car engine. The earlier excitement in his chest dulled just a little.
***
Half an hour later, the car arrived in Sector 3. The city grew noisier here—more crowded, more alive. People filled the sidewalks, bundled in winter jackets, most with their eyes glued to their phones. There were more shops and department stores here. A lot of offices and businesses began in this area too.
Cabs passed by, along with a few Skyline Glides—long, slender vehicles that traveled both on rails and in the air, suspended from taut overhead cables. After picking up passengers, they would glide forward on the road for a short stretch before the cables engaged, lifting them smoothly into the air.
Ren just kept watching the city, taking everything in.
They drove for nearly thirty minutes before turning into a section that seemed cut off from the rest. Large walls, the size of nearby skyscrapers, began to rise from the earth. Not only were the walls tall—they were long too. Ren was sure they drove for another twenty minutes before they finally saw what looked like massive gates.
As they neared the gates, the synthetic voice in the car spoke:
[Arriving at VHQ. Access granted.]
Then, the massive gates began to rise upward.
Ren was a bit stunned. It turned out your signature was scanned as you neared the gates, granting access only to Virans.
Once inside, the roads widened into clean, multi-lane causeways.
Ren's jaw dropped. VHQ wasn't just a building—it was a city of its own. It looked… different. But also strangely out of place."
The first thing Ren noticed was the density of Vira. It was everywhere—radiating from both the people and the environment. As others passed by, he could feel their distinct signatures pressing against his senses. Many of them carried Vira so vast, it made his own feel small by comparison.
There were many different sections here. Large buildings and car parks were lined with expensive cars. The outer area—where they were now—was busy. Ren could see a lot of people—kids and parents, many glued to their phones. Above, a few people floated through the air, though not many. Most used hoverboards.
He also spotted what looked like Arenas—huge structures scattered across the cityscape. It was noisy, chaotic even. Cheering rose from different directions, mixed with the sharp cracks of things breaking… and what sounded unmistakably like explosions.
Above one of the Arenas, high in the sky, he caught a glimpse of someone hovering—suspended in the air as if weightless, a sword in hand, pointed dramatically downward.
Further down, roads led to another section with large buildings in the back. However, that area looked more secure—as if restricted. The deeper in you went, the larger the buildings, and the fewer the people.
Aika didn't go that way. She turned into a larger street.
Ren's jaw dropped again.
Trees. There were trees in here. Lots of them. They even passed small lakes. Ren could see a park up ahead. A massive screen stood near it, displaying changing information every few seconds. He saw things like:
- Division of Investigation: First trial in two months for Black Sigils.
- Division of Execution and Sanction: Second trial in six months for Null Judges.
Then it changed again:
Hellshade from the Embermaw Clan has made it to the Top Ten Rank of Shapers.
A picture of someone appeared on the screen, though the face was hidden. The man wore a white mask, with the name Hellshade written in black on the forehead.
Another alert appeared on the screen. This one made Ren frown.
- Five Virans from Protocol Umbra and fifteen regulars lost their lives to three Stage 2 Aberrants, yesternight.
Pictures of the deceased appeared. The Virans from Protocol Umbra all wore white masks with a single name written on the forehead in black, red, or blue. The regulars were not displayed.
Ren turned to Aika, who was leaning her head on one hand, supported by the window.
"What is Protocol Umbra? Is that a division?"
Aika shook her head.
"No. But it's made up of people from different divisions and clans. It's Protocol Umbra that hunts and kills Aberrants."
A beat.
Then she continued,
"It doesn't matter what division a Viran is in. Virans who can handle themselves are invited to join Protocol Umbra. That way, if an Aberrant shows up somewhere, nearby members are immediately notified and can move in to neutralize it."
She drove into a car park. The engine turned off.
Ren looked around. They were in front of a towering building. A large sign on the path leading up to it read:
CIVIL AFFAIRS
Both of them got out. Aika pocketed her hands and spoke.
"Follow me. I'll lead you to registrations."