Chapter 582: A Legacy of Zero
Chapter 582: A Legacy of Zero
Something shifted in Veronica’s expression. Not quite hope. Not quite fear. Something in between.
"The dinner. Yes. Reyna has mentioned it approximately forty-seven times since yesterday."
"Forty-seven?"
"I counted. She’s nervous. She’s never been nervous about anything before. It’s concerning and adorable in equal measure."
"When does she want to do this?"
"Tonight. If you’re available. She suggested a restaurant in the city. Private room. No cameras. No fans. Just the two of you."
"Just the two of us. Natalia will love that."
"Miss Kuzmina is welcome to join if she prefers."
"She prefers to not see me alone with other women. But she’ll also refuse to be a third wheel on a date she considers beneath her dignity."
"Quite the predicament."
"Story of my life."
I stood. Extended my hand across the table.
"Thank you for breakfast. And for the offer. I’ll have an answer within the week."
Veronica stood and shook my hand. Her grip was firm. Professional. Nothing personal in the contact.
"I look forward to it. And Satori?"
"Yeah?"
"Whatever you decide about the alliance, be gentle with my sister. She’s tougher than anyone I’ve ever known. But she’s also more fragile than she’ll ever admit."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
I left the conference room with the folder tucked under my arm and more questions than answers bouncing around my skull.
Nel, analysis?
Veronica Cabana is operating on multiple levels simultaneously. Her stated motivations appear genuine. Her offer is reasonable. Her concern for Reyna is authentic. However, there are undercurrents I cannot fully identify. She knows things about you that she should not know. Sources of information that extend beyond public records and media coverage.
You think she has spies?
I think she has resources we have not yet identified. Caution is advised.
Caution was always advised. That was basically Nel’s default setting.
I walked through the administration building’s lobby. Students and staff milled about in various states of post-tournament exhaustion. Several people recognized me. Pointed. Whispered.
The curse of sudden fame.
The main doors opened before I reached them. Cel stepped through with Noah at her shoulder. Her pale blue hair was perfectly styled. Her expensive suit immaculate despite the early hour.
"Satori. I was just coming to find you."
"Good timing. What’s wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong per se." She glanced around the lobby. "But there’s something you should see. Privately."
Her tone sent warning signals through my nervous system.
We moved to a side corridor. Noah positioned herself to block any eavesdroppers. Cel’s expression remained carefully neutral.
"My sister received intelligence this morning. From sources within the VHC’s internal security division."
"What kind of intelligence?"
"The kind that concerns you directly." She handed me a small device. A portable holographic display. "Play the file. Volume low."
I activated the device. A blue holographic image flickered to life.
Security footage. The timestamp showed last night. Two figures in dark clothing moved through what looked like a server room. Their faces were obscured by hoods and masks.
"What am I looking at?"
"VHC central archives. Someone attempted to access restricted files approximately four hours ago."
"What files?"
Cel’s expression tightened.
"Files relating to your father. Dr. Kenji Nakano. His research. His disappearance. His potential connection to experimental projects the VHC has officially denied ever existed."
The holographic image shifted. One of the figures typed rapidly at a terminal. Text scrolled across the screen too fast to read.
"Did they succeed?"
"Unknown. Security protocols activated and the intruders retreated before extraction was confirmed. But the attempt itself is concerning."
"Why?"
"Because according to internal security records, those files have remained untouched for over a decade. No one has shown any interest in your father’s work since he vanished." Cel met my eyes. "Until now. Until you became famous. Until you displayed abilities that defy conventional explanation."
The implications settled over me like a cold blanket.
Someone was watching. Someone was digging. Someone connected my impossible growth to my father’s impossible research.
"Any leads on who?"
"None yet. The intruders were professionals. They left no traces that standard forensics could identify." She paused. "But my sister has resources beyond standard forensics. She’s investigating personally."
"Why does Seraphina care about my father?"
"She doesn’t. She cares about you. And she cares about anything that threatens the stability of the Academy she’s responsible for." Cel’s voice softened slightly. "You’ve become important, Satori. Whether you intended to or not. That importance makes you a target."
I handed back the device.
"Keep me updated."
"Of course." She hesitated. "There’s one more thing."
"What?"
"The files they attempted to access. They weren’t just research records." She took a breath. "They included classified VHC documents referencing something called Project Prometheus. A name that appears nowhere in any public database. A name my sister has never heard before despite her clearance level."
Project Prometheus.
The words triggered something in my memory. A fragment from the System. A piece of lore that Nel had mentioned in passing.
Nel?
I am searching. Please hold.
"I don’t know what that is."
"Neither does anyone else. Which is precisely what makes it dangerous." Cel straightened. "Watch your back, Satori. The tournament made you visible. Visibility attracts attention. Not all attention is friendly."
She walked away. Noah fell into step beside her. The two of them disappeared around the corner.
I stood alone in the corridor. The weight of the folder under my arm suddenly felt heavier.
Nel’s voice cut through my thoughts. Project Prometheus. I have located a reference within the System archives. It appears to be a codename for a classified VHC research initiative dating back approximately eighteen years. The project’s stated goal was the artificial induction of Aspect manifestation in adult Zeroes.
My blood ran cold.
That’s supposed to be impossible.
Officially, yes. The prevailing scientific theory states that Aspects can only manifest in early childhood. However, Project Prometheus appears to have been an attempt to circumvent that limitation through direct exposure to high-concentration Gate energy.
Like what happened to me.
Potentially. The records are fragmentary. Much has been redacted or destroyed. But the timeline aligns with your father’s final years of employment at the VHC.
You’re saying my father worked on this project?
I am saying the possibility exists. Confirmation would require access to the classified files that were nearly stolen last night.