The successful, if minor, operation against the Static Runners injected a new, palpable energy into the nascent Ember Knights. The acquisition of the data-chips, particularly the older, heavily encrypted ones, became the immediate focus for Shift and Elara. For days, the Epsilon control room was filled with the quiet hum of their combined efforts, Shift's Phase Spider Anima a subtle web of light around her console as she delicately probed the ancient encryptions, while Elara's voice, patched in from her remote station, offered rapid-fire analysis of data structures and potential decryption algorithms. Roric oversaw their work with his usual intense focus, occasionally offering a surprisingly insightful suggestion that hinted at a deeper knowledge of Old Republic tech than he let on.
Kai, meanwhile, threw himself back into training with a renewed sense of purpose. Reaching Level 3 and unlocking "Dermal Plating Manifestation (Basic)" felt like a significant step. His Draconic Affinity of 8 made the power within him feel more responsive, less like a wild beast and more like a powerful, albeit still untamed, current he could begin to direct. His Draconic Energy Reserves, fully restored by the level-up, were a precious resource he was determined to manage more efficiently.
His sessions with Lyra in the shielded chamber became less about basic sensory awareness and more about the conscious, controlled manifestation of his draconic traits. "Your scales are not merely armor, Kai," Lyra instructed, her voice a calm anchor in the sterile room. "They are an extension of your draconic essence, a physical manifestation of your protective intent and your connection to the Shadow Wyrm power source. To control them is to begin to understand the deeper nature of what you are becoming."
He practiced for hours, learning to summon the obsidian scales not in a panicked, all-over eruption, but in targeted patches – across his forearms for blocking, over his knuckles to add a hardened edge to a strike, even a thin, almost invisible layer across his torso for core protection. It was exhausting. Each conscious manifestation, however small, drew upon his Draconic Energy. The System meticulously tracked his progress: [Dermal Plating Manifestation (Basic – Rank 1) – Training Log:]
Successful Localized Manifestation (Forearms): 7/10 attempts. Average Anima Energy Cost: Moderate-Low.
Successful Targeted Manifestation (Knuckles): 5/10 attempts. Average Anima Energy Cost: Moderate.
Sustained Partial Torso Plating (10 seconds): 2/5 attempts. Average Anima Energy Cost: High.[System Feedback: Control improving. Energy efficiency requires significant refinement. Recommend continued practice focusing on minimal effective coverage for desired protective outcome.]
Breaker, his own Gorgon Anima slowly recovering, continued to drill Kai in human-form combat. With Kai's new Dermal Plating skill, their sparring sessions took on a new dimension. Kai could now consciously harden parts of his body to absorb or deflect Breaker's powerful, if still somewhat clumsy due to his injury, blows. "Better, kid!" Breaker grunted after a particularly jarring exchange where Kai had managed to manifest scales on his blocking arm just in time. "You're learning to anticipate, to use that weird hide of yours. Still fight like a cornered sump-rat sometimes, all instinct and flailing, but there's… something there. Something dangerous."
Kai's school life remained a carefully maintained facade. He was quieter than ever, his mind often replaying Lyra's instructions or analyzing his sparring sessions with Breaker. Leo's attempts to draw him out, to recapture their old easy camaraderie, were met with polite but distant responses. The guilt of his secrecy was a constant ache. Sera Kaelen continued to be an enigma. He'd see her in the old gymnasium, her solitary training sessions a display of breathtaking human skill. She never approached him, but he often felt her cool, appraising gaze on him, a silent challenge that spurred him to push harder in his own training.
One afternoon, during a break in his System-guided "Draconic Presence" practice (he was trying to project the aura with more subtlety, less overt intimidation), Roric summoned him to the control room. Shift and Elara were there, their expressions alight with a shared excitement. "We've done it," Shift announced, her voice tight with triumph. "Elara's pattern-recognition algorithms, combined with my Anima's ability to sense residual energy signatures in the data structure… we've cracked the primary encryption on one of the Old Republic data-chips from the Static Runners' cache."
"And?" Kai asked, his own heart quickening. Elara brought up an image on the main holo-display. It wasn't schematics or financial ledgers. It was a complex, interwoven series of what looked like genetic code, interspersed with unfamiliar scientific symbols and notations. "It's… biological research data, Kai," Elara said, her young voice filled with awe. "Extremely advanced. It appears to be a fragment of a larger research project concerning… Anima manipulation at a genetic level. Not creating MODS as the Corporation does it now, through catalysts or traumatic awakenings, but… designing Anima traits, stabilizing wild manifestations, even attempting to suppress or neutralize specific Anima expressions."
Roric leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. "Pre-Collapse Anima engineering. The MODS Corporation would pay a king's ransom for this, or kill to suppress it if it contradicts their official narrative of Anima origins." [System Intel Update: Decrypted Data-Chip (Old Republic – 'Project Griffin' Fragment) contains theoretical research on Anima gene-splicing and controlled Anima expression. Potential applications: Understanding of Anima mechanics, development of Anima nullification technologies, or (HIGH RISK) attempts at artificial Anima alteration/creation. Data is incomplete but highly valuable.]
"Project Griffin," Kai murmured, reading the designation the System had provided. This was huge. This was dangerous. "This changes things," Roric said, his voice a low hum of excitement. "This isn't just about credits anymore, Kai. This is about knowledge. Power. The kind of power that can truly reshape the city." He looked at Kai, a new, almost reverent light in his eyes. "Your Draconic Power Source, Kai… it's an anomaly, a wild card. This Old Republic research, it might hold the key to understanding what you are, perhaps even how to control it, to refine it beyond what even Lyra can teach you."
The System immediately added: [SYSTEM ADVISORY: Old Republic 'Project Griffin' data may contain protocols relevant to Draconic Power Source stabilization and evolution. However, direct application of ancient, incomplete research carries extreme, unpredictable risks. Recommend thorough analysis by qualified Faction assets (Shift, Elara) before any consideration of practical application to Host System.]
"But it also means," Roric continued, his tone becoming graver, "that if Cerberus, or Apex, or any other major power even suspects we possess this kind of information, Epsilon will become ground zero for a war we are not yet equipped to fight." The weight of their discovery, the sheer magnitude of its implications, settled heavily on Kai. The whispers in the wires had led them to a secret that could elevate The Ember Knights to unimaginable heights, or utterly destroy them. His journey into the shadows had just taken another, far more perilous, turn.