The air in the modest apartment was thick with tension, softened only by the scent of home. Noct sat across from his mother and Selene, sunlight pouring in through the open windows, too warm for how heavy the room felt. His jacket—the Shroud of the First Silence—hung on a nearby hook, its frost-runes dormant.
His mother, eyes wet, clutched his hand as if he'd vanish again.
"I thought you were dead," she whispered.
"So did I," Noct murmured. He stared down at his hands. "I don't even know how I survived at first. The unknown Labyrinth... it's not like any place on the map. Every floor felt like it was designed to break me. I only lived because I kept moving. And because of Mia and Ellen."
Selene leaned forward, watching him closely. "Do you remember what happened the day you fell?"
Noct paused, frowning. "Not exactly. It's like my memories are… clouded. I remember the roar of the labyrinth gate, the panic, someone yelling my name—and then falling. Then silence. After that, just survival."
Selene nodded solemnly. "That day changed everything. A lot happened over the last year. The Coalition doubled its military effort, guilds rose and fell, and most of your classmates formed their own guild."
Noct looked up, his voice quiet. "Except for one."
Selene's eyes softened. "Rael. She didn't join them. She went her own way."
Noct nodded slowly. "She's the only one I can still see clearly in my memories."
"As for what happened during that day... you'll need to ask your former classmates. Only they know the full story."
Noct stood, his hands clenching. "Then I'm going to the Argent Dawn. I need to hear it from Eira's mouth."
Meanwhile — Edge of the forest
Rael sprinted across the broken ruins, blood smeared across her shoulder. Her mission had gone sideways the moment she'd been detected downloading the Creed's data. Her breath came in sharp bursts, and her eyes were scanning every shadow.
A flicker—a shape.
Lucien Smith.
He appeared from the dusk like a nightmare stitched from logic and silence. Dressed in white and grey, with a crown of wire looping around his temple, his eyes burned with cool detachment.
"You were quite the elusive thread, Rael," he said, voice calm.
Rael raised her arms, strings of charged aether pulsing from her fingertips. "I got what I needed. You're not stopping me."
Lucien tilted his head. "A pity. I was curious how your thoughts danced. Let me watch."
He activated his ability.
Cognitive Overclock.
Suddenly, Rael's thoughts fragmented, her mind slipping across false memories, echoing thoughts, and self-doubt. Her body staggered, instincts sluggish.
As her rushed towards her blade in hand he slashed at her, but she managed to dodge.
Her thoughts were a mess yet she was still able to focus on the fight even if it were just a little.
"What's wrong,is your mind feeling a little heavy."as he continued to slash at her.
She used her threads to hold back the blade from slashing her but he still managed to wound her left shoulder.
Their fight continued for a while with Rael getting cut countless times but still managing to fight back but it was useless Lucien used his ability to predict her attacks and counter all of them.
"It is useless to fight against me, with a weak mind such as yours,you are unworthy of witnessing the birth of our new world."
As he used his ability again to hijack her brain, he staggered from overuse of his ability.
Rael clenched her head in pain as her mind was being taken over.
But she wasn't untrained. With effort, she grounded herself, bit into her lip until she bled, and focused on the strings she had pre-woven thanks to that one moment of him losing focus.
Lucien stepped into a trap—one lined with reflective string and illusionary resonance.
Rael whispered: "Persona Swap."
Her clone burst forward.
Lucien turned, confused just long enough for the trap to trigger. Strings converged on him, slicing, tightening.
With a screamless flash, he collapsed, his body twitching in silence.
Rael dropped to her knees, the world spinning. She activated her distress beacon, breath rasping. "Extraction... now."
Train to Argent Dawn Guild – Next Morning
Noct sat beside Ellen and Mia, the train gliding over the glistening tracks toward the Argent Dawn outpost. Mia tapped her foot rhythmically while Ellen stared at the horizon.
"What are you gonna say to her?" Mia asked.
Noct's gaze didn't waver. "The truth. That I want answers. And I'm not leaving until I get them."
Back in the apartment – Selene's Room
Selene sat alone in her old room, her fingers tracing the grooves of her desk.
Something didn't sit right.
Noct mentioned Mia and Ellen.She remembered the names—but not from Coalition training rosters.
Using her rank, she logged into the secure database. As she searched found something that baffled her
Her eyes narrowed.
"How can there be no data on them " she whispered.
As her screen showed [ No data on found ]
Her gaze drifted to the window.
Then to the frost-rune jacket Noct left behind.
Something was coming.
And it wasn't just answers.