The reporter’s polished shoes glinted in the sunlight as he adjusted his tie and stared into the camera lens with a practiced smile. Behind him, the air shimmered like heat waves rising off asphalt, but the crackling yellow energy at the heart of the Domain entrance was anything but ordinary. Fractures ran through the swirling vortex, jagged like broken glass threatening to explode.

"We are live at the epicenter of today’s unfolding crisis," he announced, voice smooth and commanding. "Located in the heart of the city, this Domain has shown unprecedented energy spikes despite assurances from the DCA that it would be neutralized within two hours. Instead, the volatile readings have prompted a full-scale evacuation within a two-acre radius."

He paused as the camera’s angle shifted, capturing the trembling air and ominous glow of the Domain. The cameraman adjusted his lens, focusing on the steady flow of trucks breaching the barricades with authority. Massive vehicles emblazoned with the emblems of the four major Guilds — Pearl, Diamond, Crystal, and Obsidian — rolled toward the fissured portal, their engines growling like a storm ready to break.

"Reinforcements from all four major Guilds have been mobilized," the reporter continued, his expression grim. "This marks the first joint operation of this magnitude in nearly a decade. The last Domain to go volatile within city limits reduced an entire metropolitan area to ruin. Let’s hope history does not repeat itself today."

The camera lingered on the ominous, pulsating entrance before cutting away to the grim expressions of Guild officers shouting orders and Raiders readying weapons.

Beneath layers of concrete and steel, the dimly lit research facility reeked of stale air and burnt circuits. Monitors lined the walls, displaying grainy live feeds of the Domain. Each flicker of energy sent jagged lines of data surging across the screens, like heart monitors of a patient on the verge of flatlining.

"It’s deteriorating faster than expected," a gray-haired researcher muttered, hunched over the largest display. His eyes were sharp despite the heavy bags beneath them, his fingers tapping a relentless rhythm on the console.

"Has the core been pulled?" The tall man with slicked black hair and glasses stood with his arms crossed, eyes focused on the screen. This test wasn’t proceeding as he had initially anticipated, and his index finger tapped against his arm at an irritating pace.

The furious clicking and clacking of the keyboard keys sprinkled the stiff room. "Yes."

A harsh ringtone shattered the tense quiet. He fished the phone from his lab coat, his sigh edged with irritation. "Hello?"

"This wasn’t the plan," an angry voice snarled on the other end. "This spectacle is drawing every news crew in the city!"

"You’ll get what you were promised," the researcher snapped, fingers tightening around the receiver. His gaze flicked to a screen where a new spike of energy registered. "It is going as planned."

"You call this going as planned?" the voice hissed. "This is a nightmare liability. Do we even know if the asset has been secured?"

The researcher rubbed his temple, tempering his tone into something cold and sharp. "I’ve already informed you: Eryx Arcanis is the only Raider capable of extracting this core."

"He’d better," the voice growled. "If this fails—"

"It won’t," the researcher cut in through his clenched teeth. "We will handle it."

He ended the call with a sharp tap. His hands moved with precision, dialing another number without hesitation.

The core can only be pulled using the shadow ability, and Eryx Arcanis is the only Raider who possesses it. He must already be in possession of the core. But why isn’t he clearing the Domain and risking it going volatile? I’d calculated every possible scenario, but something is off.

His hand tightened around the phone until the line clicked as it connected.

"..."

"New directive," he said, his voice stripped of pretense. "Confirm that Eryx Arcanis has secured the Domain core. No loose ends."