"Well," Thalos finally spoke, breaking the silence at last. At least Tave wasn't left suspended in that awkward pause for too long.
"That's quite tricky," the Commander added thoughtfully.
Tave remained still, offering no response. He waited.
"Because the squad for the Rift, the one where Lily will be assigned, has already been formed."
So there's no more room? Tave thought quickly. He hadn't yet confirmed the expedition details with Lily, but it seemed even she might not know the final squad composition. But more importantly, was this the Rift he had in mind?
Thalos continued, as if answering his unspoken thoughts.
"We value Lily's talent very highly," he said. "Especially her affinity with water. And the Rift this squad will be attempting to conquer appears to be situated in a volcanic environment."
Got it. Tave almost smiled, but kept the expression locked behind a composed exterior.
He had been right. His instincts were dead-on about the Rift's elemental nature. And if Lily was being deployed there, it meant he'd just aligned himself perfectly with his target.
"There's good news and bad news," Thalos went on.
Tave responded only with a slow, respectful bow, placing his right hand over his chest.
"The good news," the Commander said, "is that there are still two open slots. One is for a defender."
Not ideal. That wasn't a role Tave could perform effectively, not with his current build or skills.
"And the second slot," Thalos added, "is for a scout."
Tave nearly smiled again. He could feel the edges of it tugging at his mouth, but he held it back, keeping his expression neutral.
A scout.
That role was usually given to beast tamers with high-mobility creatures, or to those with an elemental affinity suited for stealth, tracking, and shadow work. Shadow Element wielders were the most ideal, of course. But those were rare. The next best fit?
Dark Element.
In short, the role was perfect for him.
"Well, Tave," Thalos said at last, his tone returning to its calm steadiness, "with your affinity for the Dark element, I believe the scout position will suit you perfectly. We're short on effective scouts as it is."
"Thanks, Commander Thalos," Tave replied, the words spoken out of obligation rather than gratitude. Because he knew that the real weight of this conversation hadn't yet dropped. There was still the matter of the bad news.
"Though perhaps calling it 'bad news' is a little dramatic," Thalos added quickly, as if correcting himself. "It's more that… it's something not entirely under my control."
That caught Tave's attention.
Not entirely under his control?
As far as Tave knew, Commander Thalos was the one in charge of Rift Expedition squads, while his own father typically handled matters of city security and guard deployment. If Thalos was claiming he didn't have full authority here, then the answer was obvious.
"Lord Orion... and Lady Oriana are part of this squad as well."
The pieces clicked into place.
Orion and Oriana. Tave knew the names well. They were the son and daughter of Viscount Sean, the ruling lord of Deadbay City.
They weren't twins, though their names suggested otherwise. Orion was the elder, the firstborn, hailed as a prodigy with towering potential. Many believed he was destined to inherit his father's title one day and carry the weight of the city on his shoulders.
Lady Oriana, by contrast, was a different kind of force. She wielded silence with the same precision she used in speech, her strength not forged in battle, but in the quiet currents of influence. Socially. Diplomatically. Politically. She could command a room full of nobles with more ease than most warriors could command a battlefield.
But Orion… That was a different matter entirely.
He was arrogant. Difficult. Commanding, yes, but utterly resistant to guidance. A natural leader on paper, yet the kind who bred division more often than unity.
And now it all made sense. If Orion was leading the squad, then Thalos's hands were effectively tied. The illusion of control was still his, but in practice, the squad answered to the City Lord's heir.
Tave felt the shift in his gut.
So… is my chance to join this expedition nearly zero?
Even if he were to beg his father to intervene, it wouldn't change anything. His father had no jurisdiction here, not with the City Lord's family involved.
His only hope now rested with Commander Thalos.
If the man truly intended to help him, or not. The request had been made. Now, he could only wait.
Tave offered a respectful nod. "Lord Orion is clearly a capable leader, and Lady Oriana's reputation precedes her. I've heard nothing but praise for both."
Thalos gave a slight tilt of the head, acknowledging the gesture. "I'll see what I can do to make a way for you, Tave," he said. "It won't be easy, but I'll try."
"I appreciate that, Commander," Tave replied, calm and measured.
Thalos paused for a moment, then added, "And if not, there are other options. Rifts that are lower-risk, easier to enter. Have you looked at the available list? If you've found an alternative, tell me."
"Yes, Commander," Tave said. "I've reviewed the Rift list."
He needed to give an answer.
But something in his instincts stirred. A creeping sense that the Commander wasn't simply offering help, he was testing him. Probing, maybe. Trying to decipher Tave's real intentions.
Was that just paranoia? Or something deeper?
Tave didn't know for sure. But ever since awakening into this bloodline, the instincts of a hunter had begun to surface. The Shadow Wolf within him wasn't used to being the prey. It knew when it was being watched, cornered, targeted.
Whether it was paranoia or pure survival instinct, it was enough. No matter what, he had to keep his true goal hidden.
Out of the Rift options he had studied, only two had strong enough Fire Element concentrations to aid in awakening the relic he needed.
"Commander," he said, lifting his gaze with composure, "if possible, I would like to deepen my training in Dark Element affinity. For that, I'm seeking a Rift with a stronger Dark Element composition. One that suits my characteristics better."
And only one of them held the perfect combination, a Rift with a rich concentration of Dark Element, and a latent core of Fire Element beneath it.
Thalos studied him for a breath. Then nodded.
"Got it. That's a very sound decision."
He stepped forward, closing the distance, and brought one large, heavy hand down on Tave's shoulder in a firm pat. "Once again, congratulations."
Tave responded with a salute, crisp and respectful.
With that, the Commander turned and made his way toward the exit.
As the door shut behind him, Tave finally let out a slow breath.
It wasn't that he was unfamiliar with speaking to powerful people. In his previous life, as a writer, he'd met company executives, political figures, even high-profile fans. But Thalos… Thalos wasn't just powerful in status.
He was powerful in strength. A Gaia Champion. And in Deadbay City, those were few enough to count on one hand.
After that, Tave stepped out of the room as well. Just ahead, several of the other successful candidates were already engaged in conversation with squad recruiters.
Tave paused.
He didn't expect anyone to approach him, not really. But somewhere beneath that calm exterior, his ego twisted with quiet irritation.
They should be offering me a place.Every single one of them should be fighting to have me.
He clenched his jaw.
I know more than all of you combined. Damn it, you've just walked past a diamond, a real, blinding, massive fucking diamond.
And yet… wasn't this exactly what he wanted? Hadn't he just told himself to keep his knowledge hidden? To keep the truths he carried locked away until they served his purpose? There was power in secrecy, and the less others knew, the better his chances to twist that power into his own advantage.
He walked past the crowd without a glance, slipping through their circle without so much as a word. No one stopped him. No one cared. He wasn't even a thought in their minds, let alone on their radar.
And that was fine.
He didn't feel sad.
Not at all.
But screw every single one of you!