“Name.”
Etzel stared at Saeva.
For several seconds, he said nothing. The little spirit was still looking at the convergence point on Halven’s map. Not afraid of it. Not exactly. Repulsed by it. As though something there offended a rule she could feel but couldn’t explain.
Etzel followed her gaze. “My name?”
Saeva didn’t answer. Her wings tightened against her back.
Renn’s voice came through the communicator. “What did she say?”
Etzel kept watching the map. “She said the center is waiting for a name.” A pause. “Whose?”
Etzel exhaled. “I’d really prefer not to find out.”
DK stood beside him. “You will.”
Etzel looked at him. “Sometimes friends are supposed to lie.”
DK’s expression didn’t change. “No.”
“You’re becoming very difficult since getting that armor.”
Then Etzel’s communicator went black.
He blinked. Tapped it. Nothing.
“Halven?”
Halven checked his own device. “Mine works.”
One of the C-Ranks lifted hers. “So does mine.”
Etzel took out his personal communicator. Dead. Not low battery. Not damaged. Simply dead.
His smile disappeared. Something burned against his chest.
Etzel reached inside his jacket and pulled out his Hunter ID. The card was hot. Very hot. The identification surface flickered.
ETZEL DEYMAR
The letters vanished. Etzel stopped moving. New text appeared.
VALIDATION PENDING
The room became quiet.
“Renn.”
No response. Of course. His communicator was dead.
Halven raised his own. “Renn, Etzel’s Authority identity just changed.”
Static. Then: “What changed?”
“His card says validation pending.”
Silence. A longer silence. “That’s impossible.”
Etzel looked at Halven’s communicator. “We’ve used that sentence a lot today.”
“Give me ten seconds.”
Etzel opened his System. Unlike the Authority equipment—it answered immediately.
STATUS UPDATE
[Etzel Deymar]
[Level 13]