Falling for them (love and deepspace X OC )

New Discovery

"With all this fuss, I thought l'd finally see the real deal. But these were all duds!" Simone says.

"While we didn't get an Aether Core, the mission wasn't a waste of time. We have these modified Protocores." I spoke.

The Protocore smugglers are taken away, and Simone and I return to the Hunters Association.

"Special authorization confirmed. Good job, everyone!Do your weapons or gear need to be maintained or repaired? Put them on the table.And just between you and me, Hunter's Huntin' is serving a fancy meal tonight.Don't miss out!" The little robot loudly whispers as it almost waddles to the Armory with my weapon.

"Simone, your gear's suffered some wear and tear lately. Over 65% of it has been damaged in the past two weeks.If silver didn't help you control your Evol, that number would've been higher.Seventy percent at least."Andrew is glued to his multi-screen setup. The windows flicker to life like a digital butterfly swarm.

"Look. If building a powerful weapon turns out to be a mistake, you can punsish me.Also, Lead Andrew, it's been two months already. Are there any signs of that Aether Core?I can understand why the Association hasn't told anyone about this... It can't be about saving face, no?" Simone asked.

"Alright, check this out."A rolled-up combat uniform lands on the table.We look up to see Jenna walking toward the control desk.

"Captain, what's going on?"A weird yet familiar feeling pulls at my chest. I unfold the uniform. There lies a flat, round object I recognize.

"It's a Herte Knave's head."

Simone wrinkles her nose in disgust. Without missing a beat, she snatches a pen from Andrew's desk and uses it to push the head away. She ignores the look on his face.

"How could they just leave a head? Where's the Protocore?" I asked.

Jenna finishes drinking her water and tears open a package. She takes out a bread roll. "Because there was only the head. It showed up on Faye Street without anything else. The Protocore must still be in its body, but who knows where that is.So, already you can see something's not right here."

Everyone casts their gazes on me. I slowly nod. "I can sense a Protocurve. It's similar to the one I brought back from No-Hunt Zone No.7 two months ago. But there's more to it. Is it related to the Aether Core?"

"Yes. We've detected a large ß-Protocurve on this head."

"That's a new fancy term. Captain, what's a ß-Protocurve?" Asked Simone.

Jenna takes a moment to gather herself. She stands up and the control desk flickers a couple of times. A holographic 3D map is projected from it. "Remember that incident last month? It occurred on the 8th at 9:00 A.M. Linkon Bridge's main pier disappeared from the river for 20 minutes.And on the 14th at 3:00 A.M., Rainbow Mysts appeared in Goldwood City.Specifically, they materialized in six districts within four seconds of one another.Then on the 29th, an incident occurred at 4:30 P.M. An ice cream parlor in the Ring Imperial Center was flipped, and customers on the top floor were trapped in the first floor's freezer. The Wanderers behind these have one thing in common: The Protocurve produced by their Protocores are capable of distorting space itself. We're calling this unique Protocurve a "B-Protocurve" for now.I won't get into the details of the analysis.However, after comparing it with the Protocurve produced from the Deepspace Tunnel region that's in the N109 Zone...Our current findings reveal that—"Jenna leans forward. She grips the control desk to emphasize her words. "An Aether Core is involved. Based on our observations of theseWanderers, the Intel Department and Advanced Tech Labs predict we'll observe more ß-Protocurves in the future.That's where new Aether Cores might appear." On the map with Linkon City at its center, points of interest start appearing.They are potential locations, and they're everywhere. Some are even thousands of kilometers away from the city. "Everyone, it's getting dark.Night will fall. And we all know the big guys lurking in Linkon's shadows are about to make their move." Captain Jenna revealed a lot of info today.There's another Aether Core aside from the one in my heart and the one in Sylus's eye.But it could be in any of those locations.And this Aether Core might be
incomplete, similar to how the one in my heart was at first.
It will take some time to find that AetherCore... "Our mission goes beyond just collecting Aether Cores. We also need to investigate the shady organizations that covet them for their own goals. They're essentially a ticking time bomb. We'll split up for now, but try not to alert the enemy. We don't want to make things worse. Hey, I don't know what you went through in the N109 Zone, but...This operation is a marathon, not a sprint.Don't be a hero every five seconds.
Patience is key."

After spitting out my toothpaste, I put down my toothbrush and stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.
I unearthed some interesting info in the Association's Archives today. There are also a few loose ends from my time in the N109 Zone that need to be addressed.I should first deal with what I can handle right now. So...