The elevator ascended in a smooth, gravity-defying surge. In the old days, Kaelen would have been relegated to the freight lifts, breathing in the fumes of industrial coolant and refuse. Now, he stood surrounded by gold-leafed panels and a soft, melodic hum that seemed to vibrate in tune with his new [32.19] SV.
When the doors hissed open on the 14th floor the "Critical Recovery" wing the air was different. It didn't just smell clean; it smelled expensive. It was infused with high-grade Aether-vapors designed to accelerate cellular regeneration, a luxury reserved for those whose Social Value contributed "meaningfully" to the city's GDP.
Kaelen found Ward 7. Inside, Lyra lay suspended in a glass cylinder filled with viscous, pale-blue nutrient fluid. She looked so small, her skin almost translucent, her dark hair fanning out like silk threads. But as Kaelen stepped toward the pod, the System in his mind didn't offer a congratulatory chime for his arrival. Instead, it erupted in a jagged, violent crimson alert.
[WARNING!]
[TARGET 'LYRA' STATUS: CRITICAL CORE-VOID DETECTED.]
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: THE TARGET'S NATURAL SPIRITUAL CORE HAS NOT FAILED DUE TO MALNUTRITION. IT HAS BEEN PROFESSIONALLY HARVESTED.]
Kaelen's hand froze on the glass. The word harvested echoed in his mind, colder than the rain outside. "What do you mean, harvested?" he whispered, his voice cracking.
[EXPLANATION: SPIRITUAL CORES ARE THE BIOLOGICAL ENGINES THAT PROCESS SOCIAL VALUE. LYRA'S CORE WAS REMOVED VIA SURGICAL EXTRACTION. HER BODY IS BEING KEPT ALIVE BY THE POD, BUT HER 'VALUE-CAPACITY' IS CURRENTLY ZERO. WITHOUT A CORE, SHE IS A PERMANENT NULL.]
The door behind him slid open. A man in a pristine white lab coat entered, flanked by two floating medical droids. His SV hovered at a solid [28.5], and his name-tag read: Dr. Aris, Chief of Bio-Ethics. He didn't look at Kaelen; he looked at the holographic tablet in his hand, his expression one of bored practiced empathy.
"Ah, you must be the brother," Aris said, his voice a smooth, practiced baritone. "I see the debt has been cleared. Quite an... unexpected windfall for a Null. However, I must be frank. Your sister's condition has deteriorated. Her core has 'collapsed'.A tragic side effect of her genetic predisposition. We will be transitioning her to the 'Organ Donor' ward by dawn to maximize her remaining utility."
Kaelen turned slowly. The violet light in his eyes wasn't just glowing now; it was swirling like a miniature nebula. "Collapsed?" Kaelen's voice was a low, dangerous rasp. "My System says it was harvested, Doctor. It says someone reached inside her and stole her soul."
Aris froze. The boredom vanished from his face, replaced by a flicker of genuine, sharp-edged fear. He masked it quickly with a sneer of professional arrogance. "Your 'System'? Don't be absurd. You're a slum-dweller with a lucky credit-chip. Cores fail every day in the Lower Districts. It's simple biology. Now, leave, before I have Security recalibrate your Value for making defamatory statements."
[NOTIFICATION: SSS-SKILL 'SHATTER-POINT EXTRACTION' — TARGET LOCKED.]
[EXTRACTION TYPE: MEMORY MAPPING (COST: 5.0 SV)]
Kaelen didn't punch him. He didn't shout. He simply stepped forward and placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder. To the medical droids, it looked like a plea for mercy. To Dr. Aris, it felt like his brain had been plunged into a vat of liquid nitrogen.
"Tell me the truth," Kaelen commanded.
[MEMORY EXTRACTED: 'THE MIDNIGHT TRANSACTION'.]
[IMAGE FOUND: Dr. Aris in a darkened hangar, handing a glowing blue orb Lyra's Core to a man in a black suit wearing a golden 'V' pin.]
[IDENTITY CONFIRMED: THE VANE FAMILY.]
Kaelen let go. The doctor collapsed to his knees, his eyes rolling back in his head as the mental intrusion left him reeling.
"The Vanes," Kaelen hissed. Julian Vane, the boy whose ankle he had crushed earlier. They hadn't just bullied him; they had treated his sister like a spare part for their own ascension. Julian's high score wasn't earned. It was built on Lyra's life.
[YOU HAVE STOLEN SKILL: 'ANATOMICAL PRECISION' (RANK: C).]
[YOU HAVE STOLEN ASSET: $12,000 (HUSH MONEY FROM ARIS' PRIVATE ACCOUNT).]
[CURRENT SV: 27.19 (DEDUCTED FOR MEMORY MAP)]
"Keep her alive," Kaelen said to the semiconscious doctor. "If she dies before I get that core back, I won't just steal your Value, Aris. I'll steal your heart while it's still beating."