I Evolve 10,000 Times Faster

The sirens started at dawn.

They weren’t the normal city sirens that hummed through the Capital during minor emergencies. These were deeper and louder, that vibrated through the walls and floors of the hotel like a warning from the city itself.

Renna fell off the couch.

"What is that? Why is it so loud? I was sleeping, having a good dream about a beach, there was sand and everything, and now there’s screaming."

"Martial Law sirens," Emric said, already on his feet as he pulled on his jacket. "That tone means a city-wide lockdown. All gates are sealed, transit is suspended, and nobody gets in or out."

Lyra stood by the window, looking down at the street. Military vehicles were speeding past, their lights flashing as armed soldiers in black armor set up checkpoints at both ends of the block.

"It’s the gem," she said quietly. "The Emperor found out."

Holden sat at the small kitchen table, drinking coffee as if the world wasn’t ending outside. He’d been awake for an hour already, having landed on the hotel roof at two in the morning, stored the Asura gear, and showered off the rain. The Divine-Spark Gem was safely tucked away in his System Inventory, and somehow, he felt remarkably well-rested for someone who had robbed the Crown six hours ago.

"Probably," he said, taking another sip.

Maeve was already at her screens. Her fingers moved quickly across her tablet as she pulled up emergency broadcasts and police scanner feeds, her face pale but focused.

"Confirmed. The Royal transport arrived at the bunker at midnight. The guards reported that the cargo was intact during the handoff, but when the Quartermaster opened Vault C, Case Seven, the Divine-Spark Gem was gone. Three bags of gold were missing too."

"Oops," Holden said.

"The Emperor was notified at four in the morning. Apparently, he ordered an immediate city-wide lockdown." Maeve pushed her glasses up. "He’s blaming the riots. The official statement says the gem was probably looted during the chaos."

"Convenient," Lyra said.

"Very. But he’s not just locking down the city. He’s sending Inquisitors to search every hotel, safehouse, and building that might be sheltering Vanguard students."

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Open up! Royal Inquisition! This is a mandated search under Martial Law authority!"

Holden set his coffee down.

Lyra’s hand drifted toward her spear leaning against the wall near the door, while Renna grabbed her bow. Emric stepped in front of Maeve, his shield ready on his arm.

"Easy," Holden said. "Let them in."

Renna stared at him. "Holden, those are Inquisitors. The Emperor’s personal attack dogs. They’re not here for a friendly chat, they’re here to..."

"I know what they’re here for. Open the door."

Emric hesitated before moving to the door and unlocking it.

The door didn’t open but exploded inward.

BANG!

Four Royal Inquisitors stormed into the suite, dressed in black combat gear with red insignias on their chest plates. Their faces were hidden behind angular helmets with narrow visors, and each carried a shock-baton and sidearm.

Two big dogs followed them into the room.

They weren’t normal dogs. The Aura-Hounds were bred by the Royal Inquisition to track magical items, and they were almost the size of small horses. Their sleek black fur barely moved as they walked, while faint blue light glowed from their eyes. Their noses twitched constantly as they sampled the air for traces of enchanted energy.

"Tear this room apart!" the lead Inquisitor barked. "Search every bag, every drawer, every pocket. The hounds will find the gem!"

The Inquisitors spread through the suite, pushing Emric out of their way as they searched. One knocked over a lamp while another pulled open the desk drawers and dumped their contents onto the floor. A third headed straight for the bedrooms.

The Aura-Hounds moved with them, noses working furiously as they searched the room. One entered the living area and suddenly stopped.

Its ears perked up and its nostrils flared.

Renna’s grip tightened around her bow as the hound slowly turned toward the couch. Its glowing blue eyes fixed on her before it took a step forward, revealing teeth that were far too long for any normal dog.

"Um, Holden?" Renna said quietly. "The dog is looking at me. Why is the dog looking at me?"

The second hound caught the scent too. Both animals focused on the living area, growling under their breath as they moved closer.

The lead Inquisitor smiled beneath his visor. "The hounds never miss. Search that area. Something’s there."

Maeve hadn’t moved from the couch. She remained seated with her tablet in her lap, looking completely calm. Beneath the tablet, however, her thumb found a small button along its edge.

She pressed it.

A faint hum filled the room, almost too high-pitched for human ears to notice. The Aura-Hounds, however, heard it clearly.

Both animals froze.

One sneezed violently and shook its head. The other whimpered before dropping onto the floor and pressing its paws against its ears. The blue glow in their eyes flickered as their focus disappeared.

The lead Inquisitor turned toward them. "What’s wrong with the hounds?"

One dog stumbled sideways and bumped into the wall while the other began spinning in a confused circle. Their noses were still working, but whatever they were sensing no longer made any sense.

The sound-wave disruptor had scrambled their sensory processing, turning their magical tracking ability into nothing more than static.

"They’re... disoriented," one of the Inquisitors said. "I’ve never seen them do this."

"Must be the residual energy from the Spire," Maeve said calmly, adjusting her glasses. "My brother and his team just cleared an S-Class dungeon. They’re probably still saturated with Abyssal residue. It could be interfering with the hounds’ senses."

The lead Inquisitor walked over to Maeve until his visor was inches from her face.

"You know a lot about hound mechanics for a little girl."

Maeve looked up at him. "I know a lot about everything, sir. It’s a burden, really."

The Inquisitor stared at her for several seconds. Behind him, the hounds continued wandering around the room, bumping into furniture and looking increasingly useless.

"Search the rest of the building," he finally ordered. "These rooms are clean. Move out."

The Inquisitors filed out, dragging the whining hounds behind them.

Renna let out a long breath. "Oh my god. I thought we were done for. I thought the dogs were going to find it, then they’d arrest and kill us. I really don’t want to die now. I have so many things left to do."

"Nice work, Maeve," Lyra said.

Maeve shrugged as she set her tablet down. "I built the disruptor last month. It uses a sound frequency that targets canine olfactory nerve clusters. I figured it might come in handy eventually."

"You built a machine specifically for confusing dogs?" Emric asked, looking impressed despite himself.

"I build lots of things. Most of them just haven’t been useful yet."

Holden stood from the kitchen table and walked over to the main screen on the wall. The emergency broadcast had switched to a live feed from the Royal Palace, where Emperor Regis stood behind a podium looking like a man who hadn’t slept all night.

"Last night," the Emperor said, his voice shaking with barely contained fury, "a thief infiltrated a Royal transport and stole one of the Kingdom’s most precious artifacts, the Divine-Spark Gem. A treasure that belongs to the Crown and the people of this Kingdom."

He paused, allowing the words to settle.

"The riots that have plagued our city were not spontaneous. They were planned and carried out by agents of the Vanguard Academy, all working to destabilize the Crown and weaken the Kingdom from within. The theft of the Divine-Spark Gem is the final proof of their treachery."

The screen cut to footage of the riots, then to footage of Holden holding up the control-rune at the Spire before returning to the Emperor.

"Therefore, by the authority vested in me as Emperor of this Kingdom, I hereby declare that all Vanguard Academy students currently within the Capital are stripped of their Academy immunity. They are to be arrested on charges of treason, conspiracy, and theft of Royal property."

His eyes seemed to burn straight through the camera.

"Execution is authorized upon resistance."

The feed cut to a news anchor who looked like she was struggling to keep herself together.

The hotel suite went silent.

Holden remained still in front of the screen.

The warm, sarcastic light that usually lived in his eyes was gone. In its place was something much colder, something that had been building ever since a dagger was driven into his chest, ever since an assassin hunted him down at the outpost.

"Nobody comes in my room," he said quietly.

Everyone looked at him.

"I need two hours alone. Guard the door."

"Holden," Lyra started.

"Two hours."

He turned and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Lyra stared at the door before looking back at the others.

"What is he going to do?"

Maeve picked up her tablet and started typing again. "Whatever it is, I think the Royal Family is about to find out why they should’ve left us alone."

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