Aurora Covenant did not intend to become famous.
Unfortunately, the internet disagreed. By the third day after the first gate cleared, the entire world seemed to have an opinion about them.
Inside Aurora Covenant headquarters, the common area was a scene of practiced normalcy. Garrick was focused on breakfast, Orion was buried in a book, and Seris was quietly preparing tea. At the center of the room, Kairos was trying to control a small swirl of wind above his palm, while Kaida's fingers flew across three separate screens.
Then Mira burst in, holding a tablet like a weapon. "You guys need to see this."
No one looked up.
"Guys," Mira tried again. Still nothing. She dramatically climbed onto the couch, practically hovering over them. "GUYS."
Lucien finally looked up, his expression wary. "...What."
Mira spun the tablet around. The screen was playing a video—high-quality drone footage of the S-rank gate battle. Specifically, a shot of Lucien cleaving through a massive monster, his radiant wings flaring behind him. Someone had added dramatic orchestral music and heavy slow-motion effects.
Orion blinked at the screen. "...Why is there orchestral music?"
Mira scrolled. "Wait, it gets better."
The next clip showed Garrick standing immovable in front of the collapsing stone guardian. A bold caption flashed across the bottom: THE WALL OF KOREA.
Garrick stopped chewing. "...I don't like that."
The next clip featured Mira summoning Peaches, with the caption: LOCAL CHAOS WITCH SUMMONS DEMON WOLF.
"Hey, apparently I'm a chaos witch." Mira giggled.
Orion glanced over. "That's surprisingly accurate."
Next came Kaida opening a massive shadow veil. The caption simply asked: IS THIS A FINAL BOSS??
Kaida didn't even look up from her typing. "...Flattering."
Mira scrolled again, her eyes gleaming. "Oh wait, Orion, you're trending too."
Orion looked mildly annoyed. "...Why."
She showed him the screen. It was a clip of him calmly firing arrows. The caption read: THE INTROVERT SNIPER.
Orion sighed. "That's unfortunate."
Mira looked around the room dramatically. "Guys. We're viral."
Lucien rubbed the bridge of his nose. "...Of course we are."
Kairos hesitated before speaking up. "...There's one about you too."
Everyone turned toward him. Kairos carefully rotated his phone to show them. The clip showed Lucien and Nox entering the gate together, hand in hand. The caption read: THE STRONGEST AWAKENER AND HIS STRATEGIST. Below it, another caption teased: ARE THEY—
Lucien turned bright red. "Stop."
Mira let out a scream. "I KNEW IT."
Nox reached out, took the phone, deleted the video, and handed it back. "No."
Mira leaned toward Lucien, her grin widening. "You're blushing."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Garrick looked between them, genuinely confused. "...I thought everyone knew."
Lucien choked. Seris quietly hid a smile behind her teacup, while Orion didn't look up from his book. "...Statistically obvious."
Kairos stared at the floor, mortified. "...I regret showing that."
__
Upstairs, Nox escaped to the quiet of the strategy room. The city stretched out beyond the windows, looking almost normal in the morning light.
Lucien entered a few minutes later. "You ran away."
Nox didn't deny it. "They're loud."
Lucien leaned against the table, his expression softening. "...They're happy."
Nox turned the silver shard slowly in his hand. "They won't stay that way."
Lucien watched him for a moment. "You always think ten steps ahead."
"That's my job."
Lucien hesitated. "...You held my hand."
Nox didn't look up. "It was efficient."
Lucien stared at him. "That was not efficient."
Nox finally glanced up. Lucien had his arms folded, a small smirk playing on his lips. "You're terrible at lying."
Nox didn't respond, but Lucien just smiled. "Good thing I trust you anyway."
__
Across the city, inside KAMB headquarters, Cassian Verity was watching the same viral videos. He had the audio muted, watching the silent footage of the guild members over and over. Lucien, Kaida, Garrick, Seris, Orion, Mira, Kairos.
And finally, Nox.
Cassian paused the video and zoomed in. The authority data still refused to resolve. System classification: Unregistered.
Cassian tapped the screen. "Really interesting."
Behind him, Director Cross entered the room. "You're studying them again."
Cassian didn't look away. "They are statistically unusual."
Cross folded his arms, looking grim. "They're politically inconvenient."
Cassian considered that for a moment, then replied calmly, "Both statements can be true."
Meanwhile, across the world, more governments watched the same footage. More analysts studied the same names. More awakeners began to realize something unsettling: the strongest guild on Earth wasn't under anyone's control.