Tyler, Tansy, and Rose were quietly waiting inside a large meeting hall.

The room itself was circular, with a long metallic table placed at the center. Soft white lights illuminated the ceiling while giant digital screens displayed maps of different sectors across Libria.

Several members of the Embers organization were already seated around the table.

Some wore military uniforms.

Others wore formal suits.

And at the far end of the room sat a group of researchers wearing white lab coats.

The atmosphere felt strangely tense.

Tyler lazily leaned against his chair while observing everyone silently.

Meanwhile, Tansy and Rose looked noticeably nervous.

Ariel sat beside them calmly, though her eyes occasionally drifted toward the researchers across the table.

Those people clearly belonged to a different faction within the Embers.

And unlike Ariel...

They weren’t looking at the girls kindly.

To them, Rose and Tansy were not simply children.

They were supernatural anomalies.

Living research subjects.

If Ariel and Lady Veena hadn’t interfered earlier, those researchers would have probably dragged the girls into laboratories already.

The silence continued for several more minutes.

Then—

The hall doors suddenly opened.

Tansy and Rose instantly stood up.

A middle-aged man and woman hurried inside anxiously.

The moment their eyes landed on the two girls, visible relief appeared on their exhausted faces.

"Mom!"

"Dad!"

Both girls rushed forward almost at the same time.

The parents tightly hugged their daughters without hesitation.

For a moment, nobody in the room spoke.

The mother’s eyes became red while the father continuously patted the girls’ heads as though reassuring himself they were truly alive.

"We were so worried..."

"You girls scared us to death..."

Rose hugged her parents tightly while trying not to cry.

Tansy also quietly buried her face into her mother’s shoulder.

Even some Embers members inside the hall became emotional watching the reunion.

After all, in Libria, families being torn apart by war, rebellion, and the Capital was painfully common. Most of the members of Embers are previous citizens of destroyed Sector 16, after all.

Moments like this were rare.

Unfortunately... Not everyone shared those feelings.

The researchers sitting across the room merely watched coldly.

Some even looked annoyed. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

To them, emotional reunions were meaningless compared to the value of studying supernatural powers.

Tyler noticed several of them quietly whispering among themselves while staring at Rose and Tansy.

Their eyes looked less like scientists...

And more like hungry wolves.

Then suddenly—

The doors opened once again.

This time, everyone in the hall immediately stood up.

Even the arrogant researchers quickly lowered their heads respectfully.

"Bwahaha! What a wonderful family reunion!"

A playful female voice echoed throughout the room.

A woman wearing a white rabbit mask casually walked inside.

Despite her relaxed tone, the atmosphere instantly became heavy the moment she entered.

"Greetings, Council Elder," everyone said respectfully.

Tyler narrowed his eyes slightly.

Council Elder from the Council of Elders.

One of the highest authorities within the Embers organization.

The masked woman slowly removed her rabbit mask.

Tyler blinked.

"...Old Lady Veena?"

Rose and Tansy also looked shocked.

The old woman grinned proudly.

"What? Surprised?"

Tyler finally understood.

No wonder Ariel earlier said that nobody would dare touch the girls as long as Lady Veena supported them.

Because she wasn’t merely an old woman living quietly in Sector 11.

She was one of the rulers of the entire Embers organization.

A true powerhouse hiding in plain sight.

Tyler suddenly recalled another thing Ariel mentioned earlier.

Her husband.

The second major supporter behind her faction.

Which meant—

The doors opened once more.

A tall man wearing an old worn-out lab coat walked inside casually.

The moment Ariel saw him, her calm expression instantly disappeared.

She practically jumped toward him.

CRACK. CREAK.

Several people inside the room twitched hearing the terrifying sound of bones nearly breaking.

"You’re going to crush me to death," the man complained helplessly.

"Hahaha!"

Ariel laughed loudly before finally letting him go.

The man rubbed his shoulders helplessly while smiling warmly at her.

He looked surprisingly ordinary.

Messy hair.

Unshaven face.

Wrinkled coat.

But what drew everyone’s attention immediately was his right arm.

Or rather—

The lack of one.

His entire right arm had been replaced by an advanced robotic prosthetic glowing faintly with blue energy lines.

Everyone in the room bowed again.

"Greetings, Council Elder Alan."

Tyler quietly observed the man.

So this was Ariel’s husband.

Alan Runner.

One of the top leaders of the Embers.

Alan looked around the room casually before his eyes landed on Tyler.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! So you’re Tyler."

He walked directly toward him and extended his robotic hand.

"I heard quite a lot about you from my wife."

Tyler shook his hand calmly.

"Hello, Mr. Alan."

"I’m one of the idiots who spent years trying to solve Carbonyx extraction," Alan said shamelessly.

Several researchers awkwardly coughed hearing that.

"We found many alternative methods," Alan continued, "but the energy output was tiny. Honestly, I expected the genius who solved it to be some old monster researcher."

His eyes narrowed teasingly.

"Not some young brat."

Tyler calmly replied,

"I’m an old man in my heart."

The room briefly became quiet.

Then Alan burst into laughter again.

"Hahaha! Good answer!"

Even several tense researchers forced small smiles.

Only Tyler himself knew he wasn’t entirely joking.

Compared to these people, his mental age and experiences truly belonged to another world.

Soon afterward, the emotional family reunion finally ended.

Tansy and Rose’s parents were escorted outside to safer residential quarters within the hidden base.

Once the doors closed—

The real meeting began.

And surprisingly...

It was extremely short.

Lady Veena casually sat at the head of the table while spinning her rabbit mask lazily in one hand.

Then she spoke.

"We cannot send Tyler to the main research center."

The room instantly became silent.

One of the researchers smiled.

Ariel frowned, "But Council Elder—"

"The Capital has begun searching aggressively across Libria," Veena interrupted calmly. "Several outer hideouts have already gone dark."

Her playful expression disappeared completely.

"We are entering Hibernation Period."

The atmosphere instantly became heavy.

Even Tyler noticed everyone’s expressions changing.

Hibernation Period.

The Rebels’ emergency survival protocol.

During this period, every hidden base across Libria would completely shut down external operations.

No movement.

No missions.

No contact.

Everyone would remain hidden underground until the Capital’s surveillance weakened again.

Essentially—

The entire Embers organization would disappear from the surface world temporarily.

Veena crossed her legs casually.

"As for the girls..."

Her eyes briefly glanced toward Rose and Tansy.

"We’ll discuss their situation after Hibernation Period ends."

The researchers immediately looked dissatisfied.

But nobody dared interrupt her.

"For now," Veena continued, "Tyler, Tansy, and Rose will remain under house arrest inside the local research facility."

Rose blinked.

"...House arrest?"

"You’ll have full access to the facility’s equipment and resources," Veena added casually. "Just don’t wander outside."

Tyler remained calm.

Honestly, this arrangement was already far better than he expected.

Then one of the researchers in a white coat hesitantly raised his hand.

"Umm... Milady..."

"Yes?"

"If they’re taking over the research facility..."

He looked troubled.

"...where exactly are we supposed to work?"

Before Veena answered—

Alan casually spoke first.

"Go help them."

The researchers froze.

Alan grinned.

"Or leave them alone. Your choice."

The room instantly became awkward.

At that moment, everyone finally understood what had happened.

The new guy—

Tyler—

Had just received control over an entire research facility along with its resources.

And judging by Alan and Veena’s attitudes...

Nobody intended to oppose that decision.

Several researchers looked visibly frustrated.

Some instinctively glanced toward the empty seat belonging to their own supporting Council Elder.

But that seat remained empty.

Which told them everything they needed to know.

There would be no help for them today.

---

Meanwhile, somewhere deep within the Capital—

Aruna was being whipped mercilessly.

CRACK!

The sound echoed throughout the massive silver chamber as another strike tore across her back.

She was chained to a metallic pillar, her body already covered in blood and wounds. Yet nobody inside the hall showed even the slightest pity.

Above the chamber floated a magnificent golden throne.

The King sat upon it lazily.

The throne itself hovered silently in the air, surrounded by glowing rings of energy. Everything about it screamed superiority and absolute authority.

But the King’s expression remained bored.

As though the brutal punishment before him was nothing more than a routine performance.

Since Aruna had been the official overseer of Sector 11, she was held responsible for the recent disaster involving the contestants and the appearance of supernatural powers.

Whether she truly deserved the blame didn’t matter.

Someone had to suffer to pacify the King’s anger.

CRACK!

Another scream escaped Aruna’s mouth.

Her body trembled violently before finally collapsing unconscious.

A silver-coated medic calmly walked forward and injected a glowing liquid directly into her neck.

Almost instantly, Aruna’s wounds began healing rapidly.

Her eyes snapped open again in pain.

Then—

The beating resumed.

The chamber once again filled with screams.

Meanwhile, the King simply stood up from his floating throne.

Without even sparing Aruna another glance, he turned around and began leaving the hall.

As he walked away, his eyes briefly landed on a silent woman standing near the shadows.

Her skin was entirely silver.

The King stared at her for a moment before finally leaving without saying a word.

After his departure, another man slowly approached the silver-skinned woman.

"Your descendant, Ariel, was spotted during the kidnapping of the contestants," he said quietly.

The silver woman remained expressionless.

"That’s why the King wants you to find them."

Silence filled the chamber.

The woman slowly looked toward Aruna’s tortured figure.

Her metallic eyes reflected the blood-covered floor coldly. She was the same woman who had brought Carbonyx into this world. She was the same woman who hosted the last game.