Kael did not rush.

  He stood at the riverbank where lightning had struck and knelt slowly.

  His gloved hand brushed the scorched earth.

  He closed his eyes.

  Suppression Field retracted fully.

  He didn't need it here.

  Storm residue lingered thick in the air.

  Two signatures now.

  Not one.

  Stolen story; please report.

  He exhaled.

  "So they resonated."

  From inside his coat, he removed a thin crystalline device.

  It shimmered faintly.

  He pressed his thumb against its surface.

  A projection unfolded.

  A masked figure appeared in pale light.

  Voice distorted.

  "Report."

  Kael stood.

  "The vessel has stabilized prematurely."

  Silence on the other end.

  "And the anomaly?"

  "Confirmed."

  Another pause.

  Then:

  "Level?"

  "Ten. Storm-affiliated evolution."

  The projection flickered.

  "Impossible."

  "Not anymore."

  The masked figure leaned slightly forward.

  "You are authorized escalation."

  Kael's eyes sharpened.

  "Containment relics?"

  "Two additional units en route. Interception squad dispatched from the southern pass."

  "How many?"

  "Three. Levels twenty to twenty-four."

  Kael nodded once.

  "No collateral restrictions?"

  "Minimal."

  The projection faded.

  Kael slipped the device away.

  He looked toward the distant hills.

  "You complicate my work," he murmured.

  Then he began walking again.