Today, Chapter 14 - Unseen is released. I hope you all enjoy the continuation of the story.

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Chapter 14 - Unseen

Night fell. Shadows had smothered Brackenmoor.

Carlos’s and Lupus’s Kevlar shoes made almost no noise with each step. Custom-made boots lessened the impact of a Vastelerian’s gait, aside from the odd muffled thud.

Carlos donned black shorts and a tight-fitting shirt to merge with the shadows. To compensate, they also reduced the brightness of the lights on his visor.

Next to him, Lupus merged with the shadows in a black bodysuit. His outfit went well with the trainers he got from Carlos. Necessity dictated the contrast in their outfits, as Lupus’s snow-white attire would be conspicuous under the moonlight.

Beneath the meager streetlights, they appeared as little more than shadowy figures moving about.

Darkness held more than mere phantoms. While Carlos scanned the eastern gate for Noah, Lupus noticed something. A person stood right after the abandoned market stalls. It made no utterance.

To begin with, he took it for just another daydream, much like the arctic tundra that appeared during his run, or the Vastelerian he saw outside the library. He conjured up images intended to bring him internal warmth, yet this silhouette caused the fur on his neck to stand on end.

Although Lupus thought about leaving, his curiosity kept him there to observe the individual.

A tap on his shoulder diverted his attention. He saw Carlos had come near and murmured, “Hey, are you vith us again?”

“I’m here,” he mumbled, a faint grin appearing as his attention returned to the area behind the empty stalls.

Gone.

“Hey, um, Carlos…” Lupus started, until Noah’s voice called out from down the pathway.

“Over here,” Noah projected. This caused both Lupus and Carlos to pause before they could step into the Eastern Gate facility of Brackenmoor. They both turned to watch the reptilian creature stroll up to them.

Carlos crossed his arms. “Zere you are,” he responded. The lizard was supposed to meet them outside the Southern market twenty-minutes ago. To save time, Carlos Lupus navigated around the city centre for Noah, moving from west then south.

The lizard seemed to be aware of its tardiness. Despite his straightened posture, there was a hint of joy in his voice, “I know, I know. I lost track of time. I’m sorry, mate.”

Carlos pinched the bridge of his nose to give him time to respond, “You and Kai are awful vith time management.”

After hearing that, Noah tilted his head, confused. “I never claimed he was the reason. How did you—?”

Carlos sighed in resignation and touched the lizard’s chest with his finger. He sensed Noah’s racing heart, validating the protogen’s suspicion. “You only smile zat much because of Kai,” he said, pushing his finger further into the lizard’s chest.

“You’re not much better with Zoe,” Noah grunted and shoved Carlos back.

Carlos stumbled a step, laughing under his breath. “Tell me, vhy are you wearing ze full-body suit?” He interrogated, raising his left brow as he leaned towards the lizard. “You know zey’re only for species zat can’t camouflage in ze dark.”

“Shut up,” Noah hissed, slipping out his forked tongue towards the protogen. “It helps against the cold.”

“It’s zirteen degrees celsius,” Carlos challenged, until he thought back to the last time Noah used the weather as an excuse—back when Kai, red-faced, confessed that the lizard used it to show off his toned physique to the bat. The protogen smirked. “You vore it to impress Kai, didn’t you?”

“No,” Noah said and rubbed the back of his neck, slitted-eyes darted away. “Not exactly.”

Carlos’ eyes narrowed. “Please don’t tell me you tried to store him inside your suit again?” He stepped back, surveying Noah’s body from head to toe to check for any odd silhouettes under the suit. “Zat is way too dangerous.”

“That’s why I held back,” Noah retorted, his posture defensive prior to shifting his gaze from Carlos.

The protogen shoved him. “Hey! I’d rather not know vat you two do.”

Lupus muttered beside them, “Didn’t you walk home with Zoe in your pocket?”

In an instant, Noah hunched forward to burst into a laughter so hard that he had to brace his hands on his knees.

Carlos turned to glare at the wolf. “Yeah, I did,” he admitted with a shrug, a small smile creeping across his visor. “I know vhat my Maleńka likes.”

Noah straightened up, still wheezing, and smacked a hand on Lupus’ open palm.

Then, the trio moved toward the Brackenmoor gate, their footsteps muffled against the dirt path.

As they approached the entrance, the protogen spoke to Lupus: “Outside, remain near me, only three hundred feet from ze barrier. You are not to touch any Petritan infrastructure. If you see a Petritan nearby, please alert me and step aside. Is zat understood?”

Lupus suppressed his worries. He knew returning to Petritan society would come with limitations, especially since he had yet to adjust to his new size. Despite its disheartening nature, it is the best way to ensure the Petritan’s safety. Lupus sighed and said, “I understand.”

“Good,” the protogen said with empathy. “Ve’ll be outside for seven hours, with two thirty-minute breaks.”

“Do we only stand around and watch?” mumbled Lupus.

“Pretty much,” Noah interjected, while his maw adopted a smug smile, “our size does most of the work.”

Lupus looked down at his body as he responded, “We…are going to intimidate them?” he sighed in sorrow. It was not as if he did not know his scale would discourage him. His recollection of Tyler’s first time seeing him as a Vastelerian showed that.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

Having spent an hour at the Eastern Gate facility, they were at the exit door. A remarkable door made of tungsten steel. It was taller than two Vastelerians and wide enough for one. Not even Lupus’s total career salary could cover the cost. Taxpayers are footing the bill for these measures to control the Vastelerian population.

Lupus had little to do besides watch Noah check their equipment and watch Carlos enter the door panel code. He gained emotional composure while the door depressurised. Using his left arm to hold his right wrist was the best thing he could do to appear held together. Of course, that hinged on Carlos and Noah not knowing his nervous tics.

As the gate swung open and the time came for the trio to step outside, Lupus released his grip on his wrist. His gaze followed Carlos and Noah as they moved toward the opening. Still, Lupus paused at the Petritan world’s boundary.

A quick look down at the oak-trees, which only reached his chest, reminded him why he had to live inside Brackenmoor. Just about the only thing catered for his size was the Brackenmoor gate; everything else he dwarfed. That included the Petritans, whom he hoped not to run into. He’d be recognised because he knew his former orphanage sat two miles distant. His focus remained on the task; orphanage matters went unaddressed.

After Lupus settled, he walked behind Carlos and Noah. The wolf trod around the wall’s perimeter with caution. His passing through caused some oak tree branches to snap, as expected. He worried that even walking would inflict damage. The size difference between Vastelerians and Petritans was big enough that his steps would feel like tremors to them. With no known fault-line in the area, and a Petritan society living in a mix of angst and anger against Vastelerians, he knew one step too close would create panic.

Curious about the path, he looked down to observe his Kevlar boots. Though the ground did compress and churn around his shoes, it was negligible compared to his last visit.

That comparison prompted him to recall other recollections from his previous visit to the Petritan realm. It all came back at once. Dread shattered his self-built defences, letting memories flood in.

Everything from abandoning Liam at the campsite, how the road crumbled under his weight, the way his friend’s car crumpled with the most innocuous of actions... the anger.

Last he recalled: Liam on the road’s edge, a woman ordering, “Get medics here.”

Seeing his best friend like that…

Lupus clenched his left fist, resisting the impulse to seek Liam, but what good would it do? He was too big now. Too dangerous. The only comforting thought he held onto was Carlos and Zoe’s willingness to help him find the answers. Until then, all he could do was fight his protective instincts.

Turning his focus to the terrain, excluding his orphanage. His gaze extended past the horizon to absorb the countryside.

“Are you all doing alright?” Carlos whispered back to him. Lupus felt relieved when the protogen cut him off. His attention redirected to Carlos and Noah, who began leaning against the Brackenmoor wall. Between their maws, a Petritan-sized platform and door, empty.

Lupus lingered where he stood, arms crossed, and the edge of a little smile pulling at one corner of his mouth. He nodded, whispering, “Yes,” choosing not to validate any suspicion Carlos had.

“Carlos, remember, it’s his first time leaving Brackenmoor. Cut the wolf a break, man,” Noah stepped in and nudged his elbow against the organic part of the protogen’s right arm. “Sorry, mate.”

“No, it’s okay, I promise,” Lupus responded and turned, glancing around the miniature landscape.

Noah wasn’t mistaken. He struggled to comprehend the smallness of his hometown. South of the old town, a noticeable, winding dirt road snaked onward, marked only by scattered streetlights. He needn’t look further to know where the lonely road wound to—his orphanage.

To spare himself from the reminder, before he spotted the building, his gaze flicked back to Noah and Carlos. Lupus rubbed the back of his neck, asking the pair, “Um, where do we go next?”

“We don’t, dude,” Carlos giggled to the arctic wolf. “Ve stand, or sit, and keep an eye out as ve talk. Like I told you, our size does ze rest.”

Noah looked disapproving as he grumbled, “Doesn’t it ever,” earning a comforting smile from the protogen.

The sudden edge in the lizard’s voice caught Lupus off guard. His tone sharpened. Irritation? Bitterness?

“Not all of zem,” Carlos challenged, and the lizard’s posture eased.

Lupus cocked his head and examined Noah’s face. Yet, the lizard turned its head, arms folded, refusing to look toward any Petritan settlement.

❆ ❆ ❆ ❆ ❆

The hours drifted by.

Noah and Carlos remained alert along the edge of the wall. They reclined near the wall for relaxed conversation, since no one needed to remain standing.

At first, Lupus kept to himself, believing it respectful to give Noah and Carlos space to catch up. That gave him more time to soak in his surroundings. His fingers combed through three treetops at a time with a single stroke as he looked toward his old orphanage. He sometimes thought that some part of him wished to see the building.

That silence didn’t last long—both of them kept looping him into the conversation by asking for his input. His focus drifted from the distant orphanage to the two custodians against the wall. Bit by bit, he realised they sought his input. The weight of his location faded into the background, where it belonged.

Lupus pulled his hand from the treetops, setting it on the ground to support his backward lean. He let out a quiet breath through his nose and elected to ask a question of his own. “So, how long have you been a custodian?”

Noah turned to Carlos.

Carlos rubbed the side of his visor with a finger. He explained, in that tender, synthetic tone of his, that they had been custodians together for six years since they signed up on the same day. The protogen remembered taking on three rookies during that time: two transferred to other gates, and the third, neither Carlos nor Noah spoke about.

Lupus hesitated to question what had happened to the third rookie. He shifted where he sat, being mindful not to uproot the trees that brushed against his back, and posed a different question instead. “Oh, you knew each other before becoming Custodians? Where’d you guys meet one another?”

Noah leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “We met on patrol,” he said to Lupus. “Four years ago, Carlos and I were some of the first Vastelerians to be sent on humanitarian aid missions in natural disaster zones.”

Filled with awe, Lupus’s eyes widened.

As for Noah, his visage darkened at the memory. “At night, we’d walk through evacuated neighbourhoods to clear the debris to make way for emergency services and aid.”

Noah’s voice wavered as went on, his claws began tracing up and down his legs. “During the day, we were asleep or watching Petritan’s show their appreciation for others taking credit for what we did—”

“Zey did not take credit for it,” Carlos challenged, out of respect for his friend.

The lizard grumbled back. “I know,” he replied. Across his scaly visage, a scowl emerged that revealed no other emotions other than anger or irritation. “But we carried tanks full of water, or food, or medicine. Why did we spend night hours gathering construction debris and boulders?!”

“We helped people, zat’s vhat matters,” Carlos replied, sighing. “You did vell; please remember zat.”

Noah’s claws curled against his knee, while his tail twitched in agitation. “Is it too much to ask for recognition for our service?” he replied in a frustrated voice verging on heartache.

Carlos grumbled out, “I told you once, and I’ll tell you again,” and slid a hand across the grass to meet Noah’s leg. “Don’t hang your hope on a Vastelerian being recognised for exemplary service here,” he insisted as his hand stroked down the lizard’s left leg.

The lizard glanced away, his throat tightening.

“You need to learn to recognise yourself, dude. It’s healthy,” the protogen whispered over, and his hand retreated as he looked back to Lupus. “Truth is, it vas a lonely job because of its strict limitations and constant oversight. “Everywhere ve went vas a ghost town, but I’m grateful to have had Noah by my side.”

The wolf’s jaw dropped, both from disbelief and awe. He did not know Vastelerians could step beyond the wall, or that they would send them to help places ravaged by storms, fires, or floods. “I never knew. You both did that—that is incredible. That is honorable.”

For a moment, Noah said nothing as he exhaled and stood up. When he crossed his arms, he muttered, “With all due respect, you did not know.” His tone didn’t carry anger, but it was blunt enough for Lupus’s ears to droop. “Neither of us asked for gratitude for our service. We helped so many people, and the government kept it secret.”

After Noah finished, Carlos’s gaze fell to the ground. Body language communicated more than speech. They both offered the world their efforts and watched it go unacknowledged. An act that could have altered how the Petritans viewed the Vastelerians. Still, those same cliché insults continued: beasts, kaiju, and monsters.

“I’m so sorry—”

Noah shook his head. “It’s not your fault. It is what it is,” he said and glanced toward Carlos. “I’m going to take my break. I’ll be back in thirty.”

As Noah swung one foot over Carlos’ legs, the protogen replied, “Alright, but before you go, can we agree zat not all Petritans are like zat? You are dating one, remember?”

Noah’s gaze softened just a little, a hint of a weary smile tugging at his scaled lips. “I know,” he whispered. “It doesn’t mean I don’t wish what we did was common knowledge,” he added and walked towards the gate entrance.

After the lizard disappeared behind the door, Carlos slanted closer to Lupus. He asked the wolf how he was feeling being outside Brackenmoor and if he’d like to join him in sitting against the wall.

With great care, Lupus shuffled over to rest his back against the wall, leaving behind a small escarpment of unearthed soil in his wake. “It’s weird, but I’m doing okay,” he confessed to the protogen.

Carlos rested a hand on the wolf’s thigh. “You’re doing vell so far. Every custodian takes time to adjust. Ease into it,” he breathed toward the wolf.

Knowing that the protogen had given everything without appreciation had disturbed him. The wolf’s brow furrowed as words rose in his throat. He turned his head toward Carlos and whispered, “Does it bother you?”

Carlos’s visor tilted.

Lupus pressed his fingers into the dry soil, the grit gathering under his claws. He explained that they both gave everything to help Petritans, and the Petritans rewarded them with hate.

“Zeir comments don’t define us,” Carlos whispered, his gaze remaining steady. “My parents told me a saying from back home: Ze best asset is a clean conscience.”

The wolf looked up. His lips parted, but he only managed a whisper of doubt. “... And if they never see it?”

Carlos didn’t hesitate to respond. “We did ze right thing. Zat’s enough for me.”

Lupus nodded back and looked toward the orphanage. His fingers clenched the dirt.

Carlos’s voice came softer this time, as if he already knew the answer. “You recognize zis place, don’t you?”

Lupus’s ears jolted up. “... How do you know that?” he asked, voice low but rattled.

Carlos didn’t answer. He ran his palm across the wolf’s left thigh.

Lupus looked toward the orphanage. A sight that made his chest tighten and his ears hang low.

Carlos’ hand stilled. “I’m observant. You’ve looked everywhere but zat abandoned that building. Vat is it?”

Lupus didn’t answer. His gaze stayed locked on the faint rectangular shape at the end of the winding dirt road. Years had passed since he had visited the area, though it remained in his thoughts.

“If you vant to go closer,” Carlos whispered, “ve can if it vill help you.”

It had been over five years since Lupus last set eyes on the building, yet the indivisible chains binding him to it remained. He had hoped to leave it behind, bury it, and treat his Ascendant growth as a fresh start. He was wrong. No matter if he was a Petritan, Vastelerian, or an Ascendant, the label of orphan overshadowed them all. Inside, Lupus felt unprepared to confront the site where those memories lived.

Carlos offered a sympathetic smile as Lupus shook his head. He removed his hand from the wolf’s thigh. Then, they heard the gate open and Noah stepped outside.

Carlos stood up as Noah’s footsteps echoed across the ground. “Did I miss anything?” Noah asked, slitted eyes flicking between them.

Both Lupus and Carlos shook their heads in unison.

“Alright. By the way, Ryan’s on route,” Noah exchanged a knowing glance with Carlos, then leaned his back against the wall with a sigh. Noah followed suit, settling beside him, with the Petritan platform between them.

Lupus doubted what Carlos had done and questioned who Ryan was. Rising, he witnessed a raccoon exit, clad in a doll-sized imitation of their custodian's attire.

“‘Bout time I can have my break,” the finger-tall raccoon projected up, earning an eye-roll from Noah and a snicker from Carlos. “Ugh, sorry ‘bout that. I’m here now, at last,” he exhaled, holding onto the platform’s yellow railing.

From above, Carlos leaned to the side to glance down at Ryan. When the nanites rippled away, showcasing the protogen’s maw, his mouth pointed away from the raccoon.

“No problem, ziomek. I’m thankful you’ve been looking into zis for me,” he comforted in a warm voice beneath the modulation of his synthetic tones. “It means a lot.”

“You’re fortunate I have a career in tech,” the raccoon maintained. “If not, someone might have wondered why I’m looking into our newest custodian.”

That brief exchange left Lupus puzzled, but he elected not to intrude on what might be a private conversation, even if he believed it involved him.

“Huh?” Carlos’ digitised left brow arched. “Since ven have you cared about being caught?”

Ryan glanced back at them before shutting the door to answer, “Because people learned that Petritan custodians assisted the Vastelerian protest.”

“Are you holding up alright?” he whispered, offering a finger to the Petritan’s snout. “Zat sounds tough.”

Ryan nuzzled Carlos’ fingertip. “I can handle it,” Ryan mumbled, shifting the weight of his bag on his shoulder. “As far as the officers are concerned, I’m asking for a status report on the Custodian, Mister Kintsugi—”

On cue, Lupus waved to the little raccoon.

“Hello there, big guy,” the raccoon called up, raising a tiny paw. “Glad to meet you. Carlos spoke high of you.”

“Thank you, Ryan,” the protogen whispered. “Zis will be my only ask. I’m not putting you in danger.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” he reiterated with a wink. “I will be fine.”

Carlos chuckled under his breath, mindful not to create an unnecessary breeze at the raccoon. “You said zat wven you snuck over to my quarters during deployment,” he shot the raccoon a pointed look.

“Quarters?” Ryan cocked a brow and crossed his arms to give him a similar pointed look. “The Army gave you an old circus tent to sleep in.”

Noah and Lupus snickered.

Carlos’ pixelated eyes became crescents that locked onto Noah. “You slept in the circus tent too, lizard. Remember?” He grunted and moved his visor closer until it clipped the platform railing, mouth beneath it.

“Because I was checking in on my pals, Zilla and Windows,” Ryan defended.

Even though Lupus didn’t catch everything, he knew a thing or two about soldier nicknames. Discovering Zilla’s identity as Noah proved simple; Windows, therefore, had to be the protogen. What caught the wolf off guard was that the protogen wasn’t called ‘toaster’, unless that name was an inside-joke between Carlos and Alex.

Noah snorted, the corner of his mouth pulling into a coy smile as he tilted his head Ryan’s way. “Indeed, Ranger,” he replied, stretching out the nickname for two additional seconds.

“Ugh,” Ryan scoffed with an eye-roll away from Noah, “Fight me, Zilla.”

Noah’s nostrils flared, and he arched a single, scaled brow. “Don’t tempt me, toy ranger.”

Realisation struck Lupus. He assumed Ranger was a nod to the Lone Ranger, a reference to the raccoon’s masked fur pattern resembling the iconic fictional gunfighter. No, it was short for toy ranger, and to Lupus’s surprise, Ryan didn’t flinch at the comparison.

Ryan smirked, arms crossed. “I’m waiting.”

“Alright,” Noah muttered, pushing his weight off the wall to turn towards the Petritan platform. “Remember, you asked for this.”

Lupus took a step forward, but Carlos’s firm hand against his chest stopped him. The wolf hesitated, watching as the lizard raised one arm and extended his pinky finger to nudge into the raccoon’s chest. Although gentle, it was enough to cause Ryan to stumble back.

“H-Hey!” he shouted back. In faux recoil, he rubbed his chest. “What the hell?! That wasn’t a fair fight!”

The lizard’s smile faltered. “You’re right,” Noah whispered, and his grin returned—bigger. “My pinky finger is stronger than you.”

Carlos let out an exaggerated groan. “Alright, alright—ve get it, you’re both beautiful. Anyway, shall ve address ze issue?”

The protogen stepped in, running a hand across Lupus’ shoulder as he did. “Have you got an update for me?” they asked, their voice calm as Ryan reached into his satchel.

“Right, right,” Ryan said, already rummaging through his satchel. “All I discovered was an article about an Ascendant in London by Mister Douglas Fletcher.”

Lupus’ fist tightened at his waist upon hearing his name. His visage remained neutral, but tension coiled in his jaw. ‘Of course it’s him,’ the thought growled inside him.

“Can you read it aloud, please?”

The raccoon pulled a folded piece of A4 paper and began smoothing it out. Once he cleared his throat, Ryan began. “‘Ascendant Terror on the Outskirts,’” he read aloud. “By Douglas Fletcher.”

Lupus stood still, shoulders stiff as steel rods. He didn’t look at the raccoon, but he listened.

“Reports confirm that a rogue Arctic Wolf Ascendant, by the name of Lupus Kintsugi, grew to a devastating size without warning in the Thistlewood National Park,” Ryan read.

The wolf’s jaws tightened.

The raccoon kept reading, slower now. “Damage along the eastbound road is still being cleared. Without the brave work of local officials, this wolf would have struck London.”

“During what authorities are terming ‘a violent psychological episode by an Ascendant’, an innocent civilian was taken.” Ryan flipped the A4 sheet, continuing onward. “While they testified to not knowing any Ascendant in London, they informed authorities that the Ascendant ‘found it hard to stay in control’”."

Relief should have flooded his chest. Afterall, Liam was alright and unharmed. That ought to suffice, yet contentment soured when his friend felt compelled to testify that he ‘struggled to keep control’.

He trusted Liam wouldn’t put him in a difficult situation. The most probable explanation is Douglas took a snippet of Liam’s comment to twist the narrative.

“I…,” mumbled Lupus.

That single, cracked syllable wall he could manage. The trio noticed.

Ryan folded the paper. “That’s all it says,” he added. “I could not find the name of the civilian, but yeah…they are safe. I checked Brackenmoor plus Thornfell registries for Arctic Wolves; nothing.”

Lupus’ mind split down the middle inside his head, torn between anger and relief. The article was wrong. The author manipulated how they paraphrased Liam’s comment. Feeling the anger that came with hearing Douglas’s name was nothing new, but it still stung.

Despite the circumstances, Liam remains safe.

Lupus exhaled through his nose. The wolf stepped forward toward the platform's edge. His eyes stared down at the folded paper in Ryan’s hand.

The raccoon glanced up at him. “I don’t know if it helps,” Ryan said to him, “but…I’m sorry.”

Lupus didn’t know why, but Ryan felt compelled to offer an apology. “Shush, it’s alright. I know you don’t know me, but…” he bent down until his snout was on par with the railing.

He felt his heart pound from the pain of being the sole arctic wolf, reinforcing his lifelong sense of loneliness. The orphanage’s proximity offered no comfort. Despite the overwhelming circumstances, a single ray of hope remained: Liam was unharmed.

Lupus’ eyes glistened under the crimson warning lights above. A single tear formed at the corner of his eye, but it did not fall. It clung to his eyelids as he whispered, “Thank you.”