Part 1
Rina's final words hung in the air of the narrow, fading alley, feeling colder than the night wind that had begun to blow. "My father."
Kael stared at her, shocked. Rina Volkov, the cold and logical elite agent, the school's ice queen who seemed untouchable by emotion, was now showing a vulnerability Kael had never seen before. Her usually flat expression was now tense, and her steel-gray eyes radiated a mixture of concern, confusion, and something Kael recognized as… sadness.
"Your father… the late maestro Vincent Volkov?" Kael confirmed, trying to connect the impossible dots.
Rina gave a curt nod, her gaze fixed on the spectral drawing on the wall. "Yes. A retrospective exhibition of his work opened to the public today at the Central Art Museum. It's the first major event since he passed away five years ago."
The drawing on the wall suddenly took on a new meaning. A little girl holding a brush, and the silhouette of a larger man. Below it, the word "Dad?". This Chroma Phantasm… was it looking for Rina's father? Or was it the echo of someone connected to Vincent Volkov?
"Agent Volkov, Mr. Vance, do you copy?" Commander Kirana's voice came through their headsets, her tone serious. "This anomaly is moving with purpose. If its destination is the museum, we must consider all visitors there as potential hostages. We have to intercept it before it arrives."
Rina seemed to snap back into her professional mode. "Understood, Commander. What are your orders?"
"Delta Team will begin evacuating the museum under the guise of a technical emergency. Your mission is to intercept 'Chroma' on its route. Maintain distance, do not provoke. Mr. Vance, we need your resonance to understand its intent. Is it aggressive? Is it aware of the chaos it's creating?"
"I'll try, Commander," Kael replied. He closed his eyes again, trying to feel the Phantasm's emotions. Longing. That was the dominant emotion he could now clearly feel after seeing the drawing. A longing so pure and deep, like a child lost in a crowd searching for their father's hand. "It… it doesn't feel aggressive. It's just… focused. Very focused on its goal."
"Alright. Move out now. We'll guide you to the best interception point," Commander Kirana ordered.
The three of them hurried out of the alley, back onto the main street that felt increasingly hollow. Lyra, who had been silent until now, walked closer to Kael's side, her blue eyes watching Rina with an unreadable expression—a mixture of vigilance and curiosity. She seemed to sense the emotional shift in Rina.
"Your father… he was an artist too?" Kael asked Rina as they jogged, following the command post's directions.
Rina was silent for a moment before answering, her eyes fixed straight ahead. "He was the greatest. His entire life was dedicated to art, to color, to painting emotion onto a canvas." There was a note of pride in her voice, but also a hint of bitterness. "I didn't inherit his talent. For me, the world is more easily understood through logic and numbers, not through colors and feelings."
Kael could feel the painful irony of the situation. Rina, the daughter of a maestro of emotion, now had to face a Phantasm that erased emotion and color, one that might have a connection to her own father.
They arrived at a large intersection that led directly to the Central Art Museum. The magnificent museum building with its white pillars was already visible in the distance. As directed, they climbed to the roof of a five-story office building that offered a perfect view of the street below.
"It will pass through this street," Rina said, pointing down. "The evacuation teams are at work, but there are still some civilian vehicles on the road. We have to stop it here."
From their position, they could see it. A strange gray fog was creeping slowly along the street, draining the color from everything it passed. Once-colorful cars turned gray, traffic lights lost their glow, and a few pedestrians who hadn't managed to escape were seen slowing down, their movements becoming stiff and aimless.
And at the front of the fog, walking with slow, silent steps, was Chroma. The little, pale-blue-haired girl looked so small and out of place in the middle of the wide road, her large brush dragging softly behind her, leaving a gray trail on the asphalt.
"She really looks like a lost child," Kael whispered.
"A lost child who can turn a city block into a still-life painting," Rina corrected, though her tone wasn't as harsh as usual.
"Kael, try talking to it," Rina requested. "Use the area's public address system. Maybe you can stop it before it gets closer to the museum."
Kael nodded. He took the microphone connected to the public speaker system, which the Order had hacked into. His hands were slightly sweaty.
"Chroma!" Kael's voice echoed in the silent streets. "Can you hear me?"
The little girl stopped. She didn't turn, nor did she look up. She just stopped walking, her head tilted slightly, as if listening.
"My name is Kael. I know you're looking for someone," Kael continued, trying to channel empathy through his voice. "But what you're doing… it's hurting people. Taking their colors and their feelings."
Silence. Chroma didn't respond.
"Let me help you," Kael said. "Tell me who you're looking for. Maybe we can find them together."
Just then, Chroma slowly raised her head. Her empty, gray-blue eyes stared straight towards the building where Kael was, as if she knew exactly where he was hiding.
She raised her brush.
Part 2
"She's going to attack!" Rina warned, immediately pulling Kael back from the roof's edge.
Lyra was already standing in front of Kael, her fists clenched, her eyes glowing with a protective blue light. "Don't touch Kael."
But Chroma didn't launch a destructive attack. She swung her brush in a wide, circular motion. Gray spectral paint shot from her brush, not as a projectile, but as a thin wave that spread rapidly. The wave hit the building they were on.
There was no explosion. No vibration.
But Kael felt it immediately. A powerful wave of apathy washed over them. Suddenly, his tension disappeared. His worry vanished. The motivation to do anything felt completely drained. He just wanted to sit still and do nothing.
"Kael, don't let it affect you!" Rina's voice was strained. Kael saw Rina gritting her teeth, fighting against the same effect.
However, there was one person who seemed immune. Lyra.
Her strong, focused emotions for Kael acted like a shield. "This feeling… is unpleasant," Lyra growled. "You! Stop!"
Without waiting for an order, Lyra leaped from the roof. Her nebula dress fluttered as she landed lightly on the street, a few dozen meters from Chroma.
"Lyra, wait!" Kael tried to shout, but his voice felt heavy and devoid of energy.
At the command post, Commander Kirana watched with tension. "Agent Volkov, what's happening?"
"A negative emotional wave. Very strong. It's crippling our motivation. Subject 'Lyra' seems to be resistant and is now engaging 'Chroma' directly!" Rina reported, her breathing slightly ragged from the mental struggle.
On the street, Lyra stared at Chroma. "You hurt Kael. I will not forgive you."
Chroma just looked back at Lyra with her vacant gaze. She raised her brush again.
Lyra didn't wait. A colossal Nebula Scythe appeared in her hands in a flash of cosmic light. "Stop now, or I will force you!"
This was the worst-case scenario. A Nova-class Phantasm versus another Nova-class Phantasm.
"Lyra, don't!" Kael shouted, trying to muster the last of his willpower. He had to stop this.
He forced his legs to move, holding onto the roof's ledge to support himself. He looked down at the fight that was about to begin. A fight between the girl who had sworn to protect him, and another girl who seemed to be just a desperate, lost child.
Chroma swung her brush. A gray slash shot through the air, transforming into dozens of sharp energy blades aimed at Lyra.
Lyra didn't back down an inch. With a single, elegant yet brutal sweep of her giant scythe, she created a cosmic slash that not only destroyed every one of Chroma's energy blades in mid-air but also continued speeding forward, forcing Chroma to take a step back. "Is that all you've got?"
She dashed forward, her scythe ready to strike.
"No... stop..." Kael murmured. He had to get down there. He had to get between them.
He glanced at Rina, who was still struggling to stay focused. He couldn't rely on her right now.
There was only one way.
Ignoring the apathy that was pulling him to give up, Kael climbed over the safety railing on the roof.
"Vance, what are you doing!? That's dangerous!" Rina exclaimed, shocked by his reckless action.
"I have to stop them!"
Kael didn't jump to his death. He knew that would be suicide. But he saw something. A large awning on a lower floor. If he could land on it, he could cushion his fall.
With sheer determination, he leaped.
The wind rushed past his ears as he fell. For a moment, the world seemed to slow down. Below him, Lyra and Chroma froze, both surprised by the human suddenly falling from the sky.
Kael landed hard on the awning, which tore from the impact but managed to break his fall. He rolled and tumbled into a pile of trash bags next to the building, landing with a painful but non-fatal thud.
Groaning in pain, Kael got up. He was now on the same street as them, right between the two confronting Phantasms.
"Stop... right now..." he said, his breath ragged. He looked at Lyra, then at Chroma. "This fight... won't solve anything."
Lyra looked at him with worry and a hint of guilt. "Kael! Why are you here? It's dangerous!"
Chroma just stared at him, her brush still raised, her expression still empty, but Kael could feel a tremor of confusion from within her.
The world around them was still gray, and the feeling of emptiness still pressed on the soul. But in the middle of that monochrome canvas, there was now a single point of focus. Kaelen Vance, standing as an impossible mediator.