Interlude 2

A familiar white-haired man with electric blue eyes stormed down a lavishly polished wood hallway gilded by glowing green veins like lines. Just before reaching a massive door at the end of the hall, he paused and forced the scowl off his face in favor of a neutral expression. With a shuddered intake of breath, he pushed the door open and strode in.

Barely anything was visible inside in the dark room, contrasting the over-the-top hallway. Still, he knew where to look as faintly glowing veins met straight ahead, drawing his attention to a desk and a pair of glowing green eyes. With a force of will, he stilled his trembling body as those eyes drilled into his very soul.

After several long seconds, which felt like an eternity to him, the owner of those eyes broke the silence. “Tell me about this woman you failed to retrieve.”

Alex straightened his back and clasped his hands behind his back. “Sir! We responded to a reported lightning Changed sighting in Port Alberni. The subject turned out to be a variant capable of overpowering my lightning despite our strength difference. We pursued her through Port Alberni’s dungeon, but despite our best efforts, she escaped.”

Before he could continue, the deep voice of the green-eyed man interrupted him. “Fascinating. A variant all the way out here. You did well in reporting her to your superiors.”

Despite the praise, Alex winced because something about the man’s tone sent a shiver up his spine. Still, he smoothed his discomfort to continue. “We encountered some misdirection from the locals, but with the help of my commanding officer and another team, we tracked her down outside China Creek. However, yet again, she eluded our grasp with the help of a traitor named Joe Walker. He used previously unreported illusion magic to help the subject escape.”

“Yes, I am aware. We will properly punish him once we apprehend him. I have sent an investigation team to Port Alberni to avoid such a thing from happening again.”

Alex sent a silent prayer to Port Alberni but kept his face neutral to avoid a similar fate. “My commanding officer took over the operation after her second escape and deployed the navy stationed in Victoria and Port Angeles to create a blockade, but they failed to account for the subject’s ship. However, they sent an Anti-Changed team to the ship. I was not privy to the details past this point as I was on my way here to debrief you, my lord.”

Silence descended on the dark room for over a minute, with Alex trying his best to remain still at attention.

A deep, commanding voice devoid of emotion broke the silence. “You are dismissed. Report to your commanding officer for further orders.”

Alex gave the man a deep bow of his head before performing an about-turn and leaving the room.

The moment the young Changed left the room, green light exploded from the man behind the desk, momentarily revealing him. Sparks of green lightning danced along his tanned skin accented by green veins, not unlike Elysia’s. However, unlike Elysia, he had deep green hair of the same shade as his eyes, which appeared natural despite its unusual color.

As fast as it came, the light vanished with the dim glow of green veins as the only evidence the man still resided in the dark room.

His voice deep voice tinged with rage broke the silence as he muttered to himself. “To think Urus would interfere with our business. Mezo is one thing, but to actively block a young elemental from us? Maybe it’s time to bring the council in. We must secure the young elemental under our umbrella. That overgrown turtle has no right to what is ours by birthright.”