Shades

In a lightless, obscure corner of the astral plane, three mysterious silhouettes gathered in absolute silence.

"Wow~"

Floating before them was a screen made of residual energy, displaying the smoldering remains of what used to be a closed domain.

"They destroyed another curse~"

The first to speak, with a smooth and bewitching voice, was the silhouette of a woman with fox ears and a tail, who released a dense cloud of smoke from her pipe.

"This happened because they didn't follow orders! It was a controlled test! An experiment under constant surveillance!"

The one who shouted with rage, mixing a melodious tone with hints of pure madness, was the silhouette of a woman wearing a white lab coat.

"That subject... that incompetent baby... He ruined my beautiful synthetic creation! A model designed specifically for collecting Cursed Energy, thrown straight into the trash because of his own narcissism!"

She flailed her arms in frustration while glaring at the data dissipating in the air.

"Calm... The fluctuation... has passed... Breathing... helps..."

The third figure to intervene, with a slow, deep, and broken voice that sounded simultaneously male and female, was the most grotesque entity of the group: a massive floating eye wrapped in shadow that blinked unhurriedly.

"You're right. There is no use getting worked up over the loss of a defective specimen."

In response, the woman in the lab coat took a deep breath, adjusting her glasses in the dim light as she abruptly regained her composure after listening to the ocular being.

"Who... was it...?"

To which he immediately asked the floating eye, turning its massive pupil directly toward the fox silhouette.

"I'm not sure who it could have been; they blocked absolutely every attempt to find out from this side~"

However, she responded completely calmly, oblivious to the situation.

"Did you get zero information?! It took us weeks to set up the proper distraction scenarios! I kept the Shrine Maidens busy in the northern sector and redirected the exorcists' patrols so no one could trace the location of that circus."

But upon hearing that answer, the scientist exploded...

"Well, I wouldn't say it was a total waste~"

But in spite of this, keeping her calm, the fox only smiled at him in response.

"Spit it... out..."

Because of that, the stubborn eye urged her to move.

"Apparently, the culprit who broke in and pulverized the structure possessed divine powers~"

Thanks to that, the revelation was pronounced with amusement.

"Divine powers? Then it must have been a high-level exorcist... Could it have been Armando? He is one of the few capable of shattering a tracking seal of that caliber without leaving a clear Energy signature."

In the darkness their conversation continued...

"It's a possibility. Either way, we lost a valuable collection source today~"

... As the morning light lit up the horizon... The shadows spread...

"That is irritating, irritating, irritating, truly irritating! My synthetic specimens require gestation time!"

... But at that time no one was yet aware.

"Not... not... yet... the... time..."

The floating eye slightly dimmed its light, sending a wave of calmness that echoed in the minds of both women.

"We must wait in the shadows until everything is ready~"

In response, the fox smiled enigmatically...

"I know!!"

To which the scientist in response he exclaimed, snapping her fingers before turning around.

"Finally the pieces start to fall into place~"

And with that, the three silhouettes vanished into the darkness one by one, leaving the astral space empty as if nothing had ever happened there.