Thomas stepped out of the car. His blazer slightly neater than usual. His hair trimd and shirt tucked in. He almost looked like a respectable civilian instead of a fringe scientist known for playing with dangerous forces.
After the destruction of the last Magic experint, he had done surprisingly well. The military kept him on payroll—probably out of guilt, leverage, or both—under the vague title of "consultant." With no real job to do, he gave input on other projects and avoided causing trouble.
In short, he was thriving quietly, doing his best impression of a normal man.
But Conrad… Conrad hadn't changed.
The forr soldier stood with a hollow look in his eyes, shoulders still broad and posture straight, but sothing about him felt like it was carved out of grief.
No money or distraction could fill the void Magic had left in him. And it wasn't just Magic he had lost, it was her. Elis. The Elf who'd changed everything for him.
She was the reason he first crossed every line. The reason he'd betrayed and clawed his way toward forbidden knowledge. Then when the Magic collapsed, so did the bridge between their worlds. Losing that connection was like losing her all over again.
As the two n stood before the base, Thomas looked up with a faint, nostalgic smile.
"Well… here we are again," he said with light tone.
Conrad didn't respond. His expression was unreadable. Not cold or tense. Just blank. But his eyes burned with one clear thing, he have a purpose.
Thomas glanced sideways, sighed softly. "You're not even gonna pretend to enjoy the walk down mory lane?"
"I'm here to get back to it," Conrad said flatly. "That's all."
Thomas didn't ask "back to what." He already knew.
Conrad wasn't here for science or military rit. He didn't care what kind of weapons the governnt wanted to build. The only thing he cared about was if this new iteration of the Magic experint could let him contact Elis again.
That was all that mattered and that was everything for him.
"Alright," Thomas muttered. "Let's go, then."
They made their way through security and headed straight for General Lennard's office.
Inside, Erend was already seated. Adrien stood near the window with arms folded, and Billy leaned against the wall, spinning a pen between his fingers.
When Thomas and Conrad entered, all three n turned to face them.
Thomas hesitated in the doorway. He looked at Erend a mont longer than was necessary.
Everyone in that room knew who Erend was. A man infused with so much Magic it bent the world around him. The one who understood perhaps more than any of them, what unchecked power could do and why it should not be shared lightly.
Conrad's gaze lingered on Erend too. But his expression was harder to read. He didn't know whether to be impressed, bitter, or afraid.
Part of him still hated that Erend had been the one who made the final decision to end the Magic project, by destroying it entirely to made his point. The one who severed Conrad's only link to Elis.
Erend got to keep his power. So did Adrien. So did Billy. But Conrad? His was terminated. Cut off.
Still, he said nothing. He walked in and sat without a word when General Lennard motioned to the seats.
"Let's begin," the General said once everyone was settled. "This is just the first step. You five will be the core of the new experint team. The leads of this project under ."
Thomas blinked. "All five of us?" He glanced at Adrien and Billy. "No offense, Captain Boartusk, Sergeant Brook, but… why are you two here? I don't quite see the relevance."
Billy raised both hands casually. "No offense taken."
Adrien gave a one-shoulder shrug.
"Because both of them have Magic compatibility and in controlled conditions, they're effective. They've proven it on the field because of their experience," General Lennard answered firmly.
Thomas narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded, decided to saying nothing else. He wasn't about to argue with the General.
Conrad sat in silence. He didn't care about qualifications or roles or who deserved what. His mind was on one thing, when does it begin?
He didn't ask for now and just waiting patiently. But his grip on the chair tightened.
General Lennard leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped on the table.
"The experint will begin in one or two months. We're finalizing the preparation right now. Luckily, most of the original machine blueprints are still intact. That gives us a foundation so we've already started building."
Thomas nodded slowly. No surprise crossed his face. He'd suspected the military had kept copies of the designs even after the project was shut down.
This ti, though, he didn't feel the rush, or the hunger for breakthroughs that had once driven him. He glanced sideways at Erend, then at Adrien and Billy.
Sothing in him had changed. Maybe it was age. Maybe it was the crash from that last disaster. But this ti, Thomas understood the cost and the price of crossing certain lines.
He still believed in science and the pursuit of understanding. But not at the expense of human life or his own. Not anymore.
This ti, he would stay within the rules.
Conrad remained silent. He hadn't moved much since sitting down.
Lennard's eyes flicked toward him.
"I want to make sothing very clear," the General said, his voice harder now. "This team must operate without internal conflict. We're under pressure and our attention is stretched thin. There are real threats out there. This fuucking threats are bigger than what any of you have seen in this world. I won't have this project derailed from the inside."
He fixed his gaze on Conrad. "That includes you, Conrad. I expect no side projects. No unauthorized attempts, or personal detours. Understood?"
"Understood, sir," he said simply.
There was no emotion in his voice. Just a flat and direct acknowledgnt.
But General Lennard wasn't fully convinced. He held the silence a few seconds longer, as if waiting for sothing else. When none ca, he finally leaned back.
"I hope you really do understand," the General said.
With that, Lennard gave a final nod and stood. "Get to your duties now."
Thomas pushed himself up and glanced once more at the others before turning toward the door.
"We'll head to the factory site," he said to no one in particular.
Conrad rose beside him wordlessly following.
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