Vargas’ apartment was a stark contrast to the grimy streets Emilie had grown accustomed to. The sleek, modern design, complete with polished surfaces, ambient lighting, and plush furniture, left her wide-eyed and speechless. She trailed behind Vargas, her fingers brushing against the edges of a pristine glass table as though afraid touching it might tarnish its perfection.

  “You live here?” Emilie finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Vargas glanced back at her, a flicker of amusement crossing his features. “I don’t live here often, but yes. It’s where I crash when I’m in this sector. Federation perks.”

  She nodded slowly, still marveling at the sheer luxury of the place. The view from the window—a sprawling panorama of the city’s skyline illuminated by countless lights—was enough to make her dizzy.

  Vargas made his way to the communicator on the wall and pressed a button. “Nera, I need you here. Quickly.”

  Emilie turned to him, her awe replaced by unease. “Who’s Nera?”

  “She’s someone who can help,” Vargas said, his tone firm but not unkind. “She works for me. You’ll be safe with her.”

  The minutes passed in silence, broken only by the faint hum of the apartment’s systems. Emilie stood awkwardly near the window, her arms wrapped around herself as though trying to shield herself from the sheer foreignness of her surroundings.

  When the door slid open, a tall woman with sharp features and a commanding presence stepped inside. Nera’s eyes flicked to Emilie, softening slightly as she took in the young girl’s disheveled state.

  “This is her?” Nera asked, turning to Vargas.

  “Yes,” Vargas replied. “Her name’s Emilie. She’s been through a lot. I need you to take her in, keep her safe, and teach her how to navigate her... situation.”

  Nera approached Emilie, her expression warm but serious. “Hello, Emilie. My name’s Nera. Don’t worry, you’re in good hands now.”

  Emilie hesitated, glancing back at Vargas for reassurance. He gave her a curt nod.

  “It’s okay,” Vargas said. “Go with her. She’ll look after you.”

  With a deep breath, Emilie stepped forward, her hand trembling as Nera took it gently. They left together, leaving Vargas and Giolio alone in the apartment.

  As soon as the door slid shut, Giolio let out a heavy sigh and slumped into one of the chairs. “Finally,” he muttered, his voice tinged with relief.

  Vargas watched silently as Giolio raised a hand to his neck, deactivating the intricate mechanism of his disguise. The illusion shimmered and faded, revealing his true alien form. His violet eyes glowed faintly as he flexed his fingers, shaking off the stiffness caused by the disguise.

  “Don’t get too comfortable,” Vargas said, leaning against the wall. “We’re not done yet.”

  Giolio groaned, rolling his shoulders. “Yeah, yeah. But you try keeping that thing on for hours without feeling like your spine’s about to snap.”

  Vargas didn’t respond, his gaze drifting to the skyline outside. His mind was already racing, piecing together the next steps. Emilie was out of immediate danger, but the threads of the conspiracy he was uncovering were tightening.

  Giolio leaned back, his glowing eyes narrowing as he studied Vargas. “What’s the next move?”

  Vargas didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he tapped a finger against the wall, his thoughts distant.

  “We find out who or what set this whole thing in motion,” Vargas said finally. “And we shut it down before it spirals any further.”

  Vargas contacted Beirut, who was more experienced with demons and their unnatural disposition.

  Vargas stared at the communicator in his hand, his expression unreadable. The conversation with Beirut had been brief, yet it left him unsettled.

  Giolio, still lounging in the chair, glanced up at him. "What’s the verdict? Did he give you anything useful?"

  Vargas set the communicator down on the counter, crossing his arms. His brow furrowed in thought. "He answered my questions, but..."

  "But?" Giolio prompted, sitting up straighter.

  "But something’s off." Vargas began pacing the room, his boots clicking against the sleek floor. "Beirut doesn’t panic. He’s the type to face down a charging beast without breaking a sweat. Yet, I could hear it—subtle, but it was there. A slight hesitation in his voice, a sharpness in his tone that didn’t belong."

  Giolio tilted his head, his alien features reflecting mild curiosity. "Maybe he’s just having a bad day. You know, dealing with Federation politics, annoying dignitaries, and all that?"

  Vargas shook his head. "No. This was different. He’s hiding something, and whatever it is, it has him rattled. And that’s not like him."

  The room fell into a contemplative silence. Vargas leaned against the counter, his fingers drumming lightly against the surface.

  "You think he’s involved?" Giolio finally asked, breaking the silence.

  Vargas exhaled sharply. "I don’t know. Beirut’s a lot of things, but he’s not sloppy. If he’s involved, he wouldn’t make it obvious. But this... this feels like more than just nerves. I need to dig deeper."

  Giolio’s glowing violet eyes narrowed. "So, what’s the play? You confront him directly?"

  "No." Vargas straightened, his expression hardening. "Not yet. If he is involved, pushing him too soon could make him close off completely or worse, tip him off that I’m onto him. For now, we watch, listen, and gather evidence. Whatever’s going on, it’s bigger than just him—and I intend to find out how far it goes."

  Giolio smirked faintly, leaning back again. "Well, glad to know the paranoia’s still intact. Makes me feel safer already."

  “There’s still the issue with Alira…”, Vargas pondered thinking about all the mysteries that seemed to surround Beirut.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Alira?”, Giolio shot Vargas an inquisitive look.

  “His wife. Don’t mind it, it has nothing to do with you.”

  I’ve known her for years. She was always the calm in the storm, the voice of reason in that man’s chaotic world. But recently..."

  He trailed off, struggling to put his unease into words.

  "Recently what?" Giolio pressed, leaning forward slightly.

  "Her quiet isn’t calming anymore," Vargas said finally, his voice low. "It’s... dangerous. There’s something behind it, something that wasn’t there before.”

  Giolio frowned, his violet eyes narrowing. "Maybe she’s just changed. People do that, you know. Even the nice ones."

  "No," Vargas said firmly, shaking his head. "This isn’t just change. This is something else. It’s like she’s someone... or something else entirely."

  The room fell into silence, the weight of Vargas’s words hanging heavy in the air.

  "You think she’s involved in whatever’s going on?" Giolio asked cautiously.

  "I don’t know," Vargas admitted. "But it wouldn’t surprise me. We have to talk to the minister. They must know more about Eitencantos and any connection with Sebastian.”

  “Now?”

  “Now!”

  Giolio grumbled as he readjusted the changer to maintain his new form.

  "I need clearance to leave the city. The area around the null pylon in the frozen lands might hold answers we can’t find here. I need access to investigate, and that kind of permission only comes from the top."

  Giolio sat up straighter, his expression turning serious. "You think the minister’s going to just hand you that kind of clearance? Especially if this involves nulls and demons? That’s... touchy territory."

  "Maybe," Vargas said, his voice firm, "but I’ll make her see reason. If this conspiracy runs deeper than I thought, we can’t afford to ignore any lead. And the frozen lands? There’s something out there. Something tied to all of this."

  Giolio hesitated before nodding. "Alright. You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. Just don’t get yourself tangled up in politics too much. People in power have a way of pulling strings you can’t always see. Trust me, take it from an adventurer."

  "Noted," Vargas said as he began gathering his things.

  Within an hour, Vargas was en route to the Capitol. The taxi sped toward the heart of the federation.

  Vargas and Giolio made their way through the grand corridors of the Capitol building, their footsteps echoing against the marble floors. The minister’s office was as imposing as ever, with its high vaulted ceilings and intricate carvings depicting the Federation's many victories and achievements.

  Giolio, still disguised as a human, stayed a step behind Vargas, his eyes darting cautiously around the room. This wasn’t his element, and the polished sterility of it all seemed to unnerve him.

  They entered the office, where Minister Valtros was seated behind an ornate desk, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders as she skimmed through a stack of papers. She glanced up as they approached and smiled warmly.

  "Investigator Vargas," she said, her voice smooth and welcoming. "It’s an honor to have you here on our humble planet. What brings you to my office today?"

  Vargas froze mid-step, his brow furrowing. "Humble planet?" he repeated. "Minister, we met nearly a week ago. You personally assigned me to investigate the situation in the city. Have you forgotten?"

  Vargas took note of her pinkie finger, a small cybernetic finger was attached to the root of the palm. Vargas remembered when he last saw her, she had zero implants.

  Valtros tilted her head, a look of polite confusion crossing her face. "We’ve met before?" she asked, setting the papers aside. "I’m sorry, Investigator, but I don’t recall any such meeting. Are you certain it was with me?

  Giolio, standing behind Vargas, shifted uneasily. Vargas, however, held his ground, his sharp eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the minister. "I’m certain, Minister. The person I saw was the exact same person I see before me today."

  Valtros’ expression softened into an apologetic smile.. "I apologize if I’ve caused any confusion," she said. "Perhaps you met with one of my aides? Or someone acting on my behalf?"

  "No," Vargas said firmly. "It was you. Exact same appearance, except you didn’t have the finger when I last saw you”

  Valtros looked at her cybernetic pinkie and laughed, “Ha, then that was definitely not me. I lost my finger during the Siege of Rhys a century ago.”

  “A century!” Giolio exclaimed, surprised at the statement, Vargas shot him a look to keep quiet.

  “Yes, my body responded quite well to the expansion treatments”, Valtros answered with amusement, before turning to Vargas. “It was impossible to have met me just a week ago. For the past month I have been off-world attending a high-level Federation summit. My ship arrived here two days ago. Whatever meeting you had, it wasn’t with me."

  The room seemed to grow colder. Vargas felt a chill run down his spine as her words sank in. He exchanged a quick glance with Giolio, whose usually sharp eyes widened with alarm.

  “Fine, I guess I have been so swamped with work, my memory has failed me”, Vargas assured in order to not raise any alarm.

  “Yes, that seems to be the case. You investigators are always facing off against the dangers of the universe. Perhaps you should also consider expansion treatment. ow, how can I assist you today?"

  Vargas exchanged a brief glance with Giolio, who gave a barely perceptible nod. Something was wrong, and they both felt it.

  "I need clearance to leave the city and investigate the area surrounding the null pylon in the frozen lands," Vargas said, his tone professional but firm.

  Delvara’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she composed herself. "The null pylon? That’s a rather remote and desolate area. What interest does it hold for your investigation?"

  Vargas stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "I believe it’s connected to the recent events in the city. The disappearances, the demonic activity—it all points back to the pylon. I need access to confirm my suspicions."

  Delvara studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she nodded. "Very well, Investigator. I’ll authorize your clearance. But be cautious—those lands are treacherous, and the pylon itself is an enigma even to us."

  "Understood," Vargas replied.

  As they turned to leave, Vargas couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Giolio leaned closer as they exited the office. "That was... unsettling," he murmured.

  "Unsettling doesn’t even begin to cover it," Vargas muttered. "That changeling must have infiltrated deep into the government. It is going to get a lot more dangerous”.

  “I mean I was able to do it with this shitty changer, a demon could have accomplished it quite easily. This planet’s defenses are quite poor, you know”

  “That’s the problem…This is not some random planet in the outer fringes of federal territory. It is part of the stargate system.”

  “Stargate system?”Giolio had more questions now.

  “I just could not figure out why all this was happening on Triton. I mean sure a null pylon is dangerous technology, but nowadays a lot of planets have them in order to control the magical phenomena and unregistered Awakened. These pylons are probably much more accessible than the one in the frozen wasteland of Triton.”

  Vargas continued,” I did some more digging on some documents and found out that Triton is part of the stargate system. Planets in multiple galaxies and star systems that form a ring around the Great Maw”.

  “Oh I know that, it's a Randiran bedtime story. The maw was formed during the War in Heaven, a sort of permanent gateway into the divine realm. It covers almost a fifth of the entire known cosmos. It's also where the dead bodies of the old gods lay.”

  Vargas scoffed at Giolio’s explanation, “Mortals can’t kill gods, that goes against the very nature of our existence. The Maw is where the seal of the gods is located, preventing them from exerting overwhelming influence on the mortal realm. If someone is trying to mess with the pylon they could potentially undo the seal.”

  Giolio's usual levity vanished as Vargas explained the stakes. "You're telling me this isn’t just about Triton anymore. It’s about the damn seal? The one holding the gods back from turning us all into puppets?"

  "Exactly," Vargas said grimly. "If that seal were to break, the balance between the mortal and divine realms would shatter. Awakened would lose control of their abilities—or worse, become vessels for the demons. Entire galaxies could be obliterated by divine wrath. It wouldn’t just be a war; it’d be annihilation."

  Giolio rubbed his temples, clearly trying to absorb the gravity of the situation. "Okay, but why tell me all this? I was your enemy just a few days ago”.

  “If the seal could be undone just like that, we would be swarmed with demons several millennia ago. This is not about humanity anymore, the fate of the universe is at stake.”