All the reluctance Tear held toward Kyle and his position vanished the moment he displayed his strength and ended up shattering not only the barrier, but even the protective glass surrounding the weapon racks.

Those glasses were far tougher than they appeared, yet the guy broke them apart as if they were fragile shards of ice.

Tear glanced at Kyle once more as she guided them deeper into the facility.

"I’ve heard a few things about you being a rogue," she said. "What’s with the whole secretive act?"

Kyle glanced at Amanda before answering with an awkward smile. "I just didn’t know much about this whole Nightwalker thing and how everything worked. So I became hesitant about stepping into this world."

Tear hummed softly. "And you tried doing the impossible by hiding your identity in a world this advanced. How long did that last?"

Kyle barely needed time to think. "About four weeks."

Tear was genuinely surprised.

Montclair was by no means a small settlement with only a handful of PSC personnel, yet he had somehow managed to keep his identity hidden for that long.

"You’ve got yourself one peculiar guy," she casually muttered, earning a grin from Amanda.

Kyle then shifted his attention toward the displays surrounding them.

The passage they walked through was lined with vests and full-body armor sealed within glass panels, each piece levitating a few feet above the ground. Silver illumination bathed the interior of the cases, highlighting every intricate pattern and sharp edge etched into the protective gear.

"Are you a blacksmith or some kind of designer?" Kyle asked curiously, feeling things were no longer awkward enough to stop him from asking personal questions.

"She assesses, designs, and creates," Amanda answered instead. "There are probably only a few people left who can do all three on their own."

Tear huffed lightly. "Sharing ideas and delegating work always creates a gap between the original intention and the final result. When a single mind handles everything, it either becomes perfection...or an ugly failure."

Kyle somehow agreed with her, yet at the same time, he didn’t.

Having help and hearing different opinions often felt like the better option when it came to creative work. But then again, he had never considered himself a creative person, nor had he ever carried an entire project on his own to understand what it truly felt like to stand isolated while bearing all the responsibility alone.

They soon reached another door, after crossing about three hundred meters long gallery, before Tear pushed a few keys, her face was scanned only then she was granted access.

Alright, this seemed the real deal.

....

Knock

"Yes, come in," Veronica said while skimming through the surveillance reports.

The door slid open, revealing the familiar figure of the second-in-command, Timothy.

"Ma’am, I’ve received the reports you mentioned," he said before placing the documents on the table. "And indeed, there have been more and more rift appearances near the central region lately."

Veronica hummed thoughtfully. "Did you hear anything anomalous about them?"

Timothy shook his head. "Nothing similar to what you mentioned."

Veronica quietly exhaled in relief.

She hoped what they had witnessed earlier that morning would remain categorized as a rare occurrence.

What truly terrified her was the possibility that they were evolving with time.

Throughout the history of the Aether world, Nightwalkers had always possessed the advantage of learning from their mistakes. Old warriors paved better paths for newer generations, while advancing technology only strengthened humanity further.

On the other hand, the Knull Residents mostly relied on randomly appearing in random locations. Until now, that was the best they could manage.

But this sudden protective strategy they had adopted to defend the gateway...

It sent a warning signal across the entire world.

They might be learning.

They might be evolving.

And that...could never be good news.

"Commander, may I ask you something?" Timothy said, his voice carrying a rare hint of hesitation.

Veronica looked up from the file, her silvery brows lifting slightly. "Hmm? What is it?"

The man rarely showed caution when speaking his mind, which told her this probably wasn’t related to work.

Maintaining his straight posture, Timothy finally asked, "Did you know about Kyle being an awakened before Officer Ava arrived?"

Veronica stared at him for a few silent seconds before leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms.

"And what makes you think that?"

Timothy clenched his fists behind his back before honestly voicing the thought that had been weighing on him for quite some time.

"It may sound impudent of me to say this, but...I feel like you’ve been trying to protect his identity for a long time now."

Veronica tilted her head slightly. "That is definitely impudent of you."

She sighed before asking, "But well, what if I said yes? What if I told you I misused my authority to keep his identity hidden? Would you report me to the higher-ups?"

Timothy immediately shook his head. "I never intended to. My trust in you exceeds trivial matters like this."

Lowering his gaze, he quietly added, "I just...don’t want the Commander’s feelings to become an obstacle in the newcomer’s path of growth." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Veronica frowned. "What do you mean?"

Timothy spoke carefully. "Commander...I am aware that you used your connections to assign a guardian for Kyle at the academy."

Veronica’s eyes immediately turned cold. "Are you spying on me now, Timothy?"

The man kept his head lowered. "Everything surrounding him has become noisy lately. I didn’t need to pry very deeply."

After a brief pause, he continued, "All I ask is that you allow him to spread his wings on his own instead of making him rely on someone else for support."

He exhaled softly before voicing what he truly felt.

"From what I’ve observed so far, he’s someone who grows stronger when fighting alone. And as the Vice Commander of this base, I believe we may need the strongest version of him once he graduates and joins us."

Veronica massaged her brows at those words.

She had, in fact, spoken with one of her old classmates whose younger brother studied in the academy’s third year. Veronica had merely asked him to stay around Kyle for a while so he could adjust to the environment more easily.

...And also to help him understand the academy’s unspoken hierarchy, so Kyle wouldn’t constantly end up in unnecessary conflicts.

But according to Timothy, this was not a good idea since it could hinder Kyle from growing naturally.

Veronica wryly smiled after a few moments before muttering, "Well I understand your point but I feel considering all the plotting Ava had been doing recently, Kyle would need a supportive pillar too."

Timothy frowned, "Officer Ava? But why is she still going on about Kyle?"

Veronica shook her head and tilted her head to look at the ceiling, "You aren’t familiar with her enough to know what kind of woman she is." After a moment, she exhaled audibly and told him, "Though I understand your point and would refrain from being overly involved."

Timothy faintly smiled and said, "Thank you, Commander. I will take my leave now."

°°°°°°°°^

A/N:- Academy arc begins in a few Chapter and it would only last long till it’s fun. This is just to expand the world and help fortify the power scale.