The silence was the strangest part.

After the wild sounds of the Grey Fells and the screaming from the Chimera nest, the silence in the safe rooms felt very loud. The ASTF team was put in clean, comfortable rooms. Their mood was a mix of being super tired and quietly proud.

He sat on a soft couch, holding a steaming mug of sweet, warm liquid. Vanessa was beside him. She was usually full of smart energy, but now she was quiet and watching.

She hadn't left his side since he'd woken up.

Across the room, Jax was carefully sharpening a knife, but his usual rough manner was missing from his movements. He looked up at Jonah, and their eyes met.

"Never thought I'd say this, alchemist," the old Hunter grunted, a hint of something like respect in his eyes. "But you earned your keep out there. Your lab-coat magic ain't half bad."

Titus, who was standing like a statue by the reinforced window, gave a slow nod of agreement.

"Your assets performed beyond expectations."

Coming from the two most skeptical members of his team, the praise felt more real than any official commendation. They weren't just a unit anymore; they were a team.

Before Jonah could respond, the door hissed open and Seraph stood there, her combat gear replaced by a formal uniform. Her face was grim.

"Jonah. With me," she commanded. "It's time for the debriefing."

_______________________________________

The debriefing room was designed to make you feel small. It was a dark, circular chamber with a massive holographic table in the center. Seraph stood on one side, and Jonah took his place beside her.

With a soft hum, a high-fidelity hologram of the Headmaster flickered to life at the head of the table. His ancient eyes, sharp and intelligent, seemed to look right through Jonah.

"Sergeant. Jonah," the Headmaster's voice boomed, filling the room.

"Begin your report."

Seraph gave a concise, military overview of the mission. The infiltration, the discovery of the nursery, the final battle. But when she got to the part about the Broodmother, she paused and looked at Jonah.

"The details of the target's nature… are best explained by the one who communicated with it," she said, ceding the floor.

Jonah's throat felt dry. He took a deep breath, the weight of the Broodmother's memory settling on his shoulders. He began to speak, his voice quiet but steady. He told the Headmaster everything.

He described the creature's immense intelligence, its tragic history, the flashes of memory from Station Chimera. He recounted its plea, its sorrow, its fierce, maternal desperation to protect the only legacy it had left.

"She wasn't just a monster, Headmaster," Jonah said, his voice gaining a sad authority. "She was a victim. A survivor. And in the end, she gave me a gift. A promise. She passed her essence to me willingly."

When he finished speaking, the room became very quiet. The Headmaster's hologram did not move. His face showed nothing. For a long, tense minute, the only sound was the soft hum of the projector.

Jonah felt like his entire soul was being weighed and measured.

Finally, the Headmaster spoke, his voice low and thoughtful.

"An essence of that power, willingly given… It is more than just a prize, Jonah. It is a responsibility. A national-level treasure."

Before he could continue, the heavy door to the debriefing room slid open with a sharp hiss, unbidden.

A woman stood in the doorway. She was tall, with sharp features and hair pulled back in a severe, military bun. She wore an immaculate grey uniform that was different from Seraph's – less a soldier's attire and more the uniform of a high-ranking government official. But it was her eyes that held Jonah's attention. They were the cold, calculating eyes of a career bureaucrat, and they were fixed on him.

"Sergeant Seraph," the woman said, her voice clipped and devoid of any warmth. She stepped into the room as if she owned it. "I am Colonel Valerie Boris, of the Bureau of Elite Development. This operation is now under our jurisdiction."

Seraph's entire body went rigid.

"Colonel. This is a classified military debriefing."

"And I have the highest level of clearance," Boris replied smoothly, her cold gaze never leaving Jonah. She gave a dismissive nod towards the Headmaster's hologram. "Headmaster. A pleasure."

The Headmaster's face didn't change, but his eyes became dangerously calm. *"Colonel Boris. To what do we owe this unexpected interruption?"*

Colonel Boris smiled, a humorless expression. "The Chimeras, as I'm sure you're now aware, were a product of a failed government project. One that fell under the Bureau's purview. As such, all assets and data recovered from the mission including any and all biological samples, fall under the Bureau's authority."

Her meaning was crystal clear. Her eyes flicked to Jonah, and for the first time, she addressed him directly.

"That means the essence you acquired, Mr. Jonah. The Bureau will be taking it into our possession for… safeguarding and analysis."

The words were like a death sentence to the promise Jonah had made. They would take the Broodmother's legacy, her soul, and they would dissect it, turn it into another weapon, another experiment. They would learn nothing. They would betray everything.

Before Jonah could even think to protest, Seraph moved.

In one swift motion, she stepped directly in front of him, physically blocking Boris's path. Her posture was no longer that of a subordinate, but of a she-wolf protecting her cub. Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword, her eyes blazing with a cold, protective fire.

"That will not be happening, Colonel," Seraph's voice was low and dangerous.

Boris raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Are you obstructing a direct order from a superior officer, Sergeant?"

"I am executing my duty as a field commander," Seraph shot back, her voice like ice. "The essence was acquired during a military operation under *my* command. Furthermore, it is not a 'sample.' It has fundamentally bonded with my asset's unique Class. It is a part of him now."

"Your 'asset' is a child who has stumbled upon a power the government needs to control," Boris countered, her voice dropping, becoming as sharp as a shard of glass.

"And you will go through me to get to him," Seraph promised.

The air in the room was quickly filled with tension. The government bureaucrat and the military field commander were locked in a furious standoff. It was a battle of jurisdictions, of loyalties, of two powerful women fighting over the fate of the boy who stood between them.

The Headmaster's hologram watched it all, his face pale, his silence more powerful than any weapon. The vultures had arrived, and Jonah was the prize.