Chelseven, 93rd Azureway Road.A beautiful and secluded villa sits in a white veil.It's impossible to tell whether the building is surrounded by mist or flowing clouds.The signal jammer Viper gave me allows me to silently scale the back wall and enter the courtyard.
The trees' shadows cast diagonal lines across the grass and meticulously trimmed shrubs.The wrought iron fence enclosing the entire space resembles a carefully crafted prison.What exactly does Viper want me to see..Walking around a tree's shadow, I notice a familiar figure standing in the center of the garden.

"Miss, you're visiting me."He smiles, seemingly unperturbed by my sudden appearance.

"It's nice to see you again, Kevi."I respond with a grin that holds an equal amount of warmth to his smile. "Is this your new home? Is everything okay?"

"The Professor said I'd finish my coursework here. He thinks I'm talented, but I still have much to learn."As I move closer, I find that Kevi is holding a brightly colored bird in his hands. "I found it in the garden."He pinches its talons and watches the small bird struggle. "If I break its wings, it can stay here forever. It will die very quickly, though.The Professor said if we damage the bird's neuromuscular system, it won't be able to fly. But it will believe it can.Slowly, it'll get used to its life on the ground. The bird will then forget that it's supposed to fly."

A bone-chilling voice, tinged with childlike innocence, sends a shiver down my spine.

"Kevi, who is the Professor? What's he like?"

"I can't tell you. You're not my family."

Family, huh. "Do you remember Mia? After the Fleet found you, did something happen? Can you tell me?"

"My sister... She's dead.The Professor said it's wrong to be sad. I shouldn't be sad.I'll have a lot of brothers and sisters. And I'll be strong...I've always believed... When you lose a loved one, you're supposed to be sad.But Miss, I don't feel that way at all...Should I be sad?"

Kevi's fingers inadvertently relax, and the bird uses this opportunity to flap its wings and soar into the sky.He lowers his head, tears falling onto his hand. A confused expression appears on his face again.I touch his shoulder, ready to speak comforting words. But a faint mechanical noise catches my attention.

"System error. Attempting a second reboot. The primary personality is attacking the Control Program."

My gaze flickers to a thin metal bracelet on Kevi's wrist. It emits a faint blue light.

"No... No... It shouldn't be like this!"

"Kevi, are you okay? Can you hear me?"But no matter how many times I call his name, Kevi doesn't respond. He stands still.

"I... I... I shouldn't be... I shouldn't forget..."His sentences are fragmented. It's as if some program is taking over his mind.

"The chip... Rereading... Inputting memory...In the blink of an eye, his gaze focuses on me again"

Before he can wipe away his tears, he smiles at me, and slowly shakes off my hand on his shoulder.

"Miss, you're visiting me. That's good.It's time for you to go. The Professor will be here soon."

My chest tightens all of a sudden.Is this what Viper wanted me to witness? Did he want me to see Kevi being manipulated to the pointwhere his memories are being rewritten?mCould the Fleet be behind this? Or maybe...Someone's coming!As the sound of footsteps draws closer, I jump over the wall and hide in the bushes.

"Did something happen, Kevi?"

"It's nothing. The bird just flew away."

The composed, slightly exhausted voice speaks again. "I see you're struggling to restrain the fragmented consciousness that isn't yours.
Those memories, emotions, and feelings don't belong to you. Don't let them consume you."All of a sudden, the air goes still. Then —

"Was that girl, Mia, also part of your plan?"My heart races all of a sudden.From just beyond the wall, I hear Caleb's voice. "She didn't show any signs of transformation. So why?"

"You're overthinking it.For normal people like her, we don't need to get too attached.Letting your emotions run wild and blaming yourself for every little mistake...
It will only hold you back.

"silver"Caleb is here? It feels like I've been splashed with cold water. A chill runs down my spine as I try hard to stay calm.

"How is everything going on your end?"

"soon be done with clean-up. As for the salvaging process, we'll pick up the pace.The plan will be starting again. You must ensure she doesn't interfere with it.
Otherwise, I won't be able to keep this a secret for much longer."

"She won't."

Stepping outside the gate to the garden, Caleb senses something. He stops in his tracks and turns around.
All the windows lining the corridor reflect the reddish sunset as they converge at a single point.

"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing."

The fleeting figure appears to be a trick of the light. He averts his gaze, observing the layers of fog which cover the outer wall.

"If that day truly comes, and she discovers everything..."

"I'll keep her hidden. She'll be in a place where no one can find her"

Despite my "extended leave" status, my urgent message doesn't raise any eyebrows among my colleagues in Special Operations.After requesting support regarding Kevi's condition, I also informed Captain Jenna of my deduction that the Spatium Core Fragment had likely fallen into the Farspace Fleet's hands.In response, she repeatedly emphasizes Skyhaven's complex situation and would rather miss an opportunity than allow me to attempt a risky reacquisition mission.I promised multiple times not to act rashly.Soon enough, Andrew's search yielded preliminary results.Unsurprisingly, looking up "Farspace Fleet" and "mind control chips" gave no results.

"Of course... I understand"
As I end the call, the clamor of traffic fills my ears. Above me, interwoven orbital tracks gleam like flowing streams of stars.The bustling scenery around me feels surreal.The moment I stop focusing on work, all the thoughts l've been pushing down start to rise up.
Caleb wasn't just aware of the Farspace Fleet's actions. He also might have... been involved in this scheme.
Could his consistently vague whereabouts and highly classified "cleanup" be part of it?And what happened to the siblings was definitely not an "accident" as the Professor claimed.One thing's for certain: Even if Mia's death was an accident, the Fleet deliberately took Kevi.
The Fleet must be using some kind o"chip" to control Kevi and Joseph. They probably have goals that extend beyond obtaining Aether Core fragments.I lower my gaze and notice a metallic glint from my pocket.
The necklace I had gifted Caleb still adorns my neck. Amidst the chaos these past few days, I forgot to return it.And in my coat's hidden pocket is a new stealth monitoring chip I brought from Special Operations. Just in case...Forgive me, Caleb.After a few minutes, I finally pull out my phone and dial Caleb's number.

"Hey."

"What's up?"

"Nothing really. I just wanted to tell you my extended leave from the Association is ending. I'll be heading back to Linkon soon."

"Has a date already been set?"

"No. I've been in Skyhaven for a couple of days and got caught up in all sorts of things. I haven't had the chance to properly spend time with you.When will you be free? Is right now good?"

"Sure. I'm ready when you are. Do you have a place in mind?"

I look up. A nearby tower-the Aerospace Center-looms over me, its spire piercing the sky. Moonlight gently shines over it.

It used to be Caleb's stomping ground back when he worked at the Deepspace Aviation Administration.
The serene scene changes as holographic advertisements dance among the clouds.
"Head over to the Sunset Promenade on the Aerospace Center's outer ring to witness a Type la supernova thousands of light years away!"

"I heard there's a supernova today. It's not every day we get to see that, right? Let's check it out.Meet me at the Sunset Promenade in an hour."