Halochassis

Shin led his visitors through the quiet corridors of the Librarium and into a vacant classroom tucked away at the far end of the building. The room was almost barren, containing nothing more than a worn wooden table, three chairs, and several dusty bookshelves lined with old textbooks whose pages had begun to yellow with age. 

Faint morning sunlight slipped through the tall windows, casting pale orange beams across the floorboards and illuminating drifting particles of dust in the air. The room smelled of old paper, chalk dust, and damp wood—a scent that reminded Shin too much of long hours spent studying late into the night.

Trying his best to appear calm and respectable, Shin pulled the chairs out for the two women like a proper gentleman. The legs of the chairs scraped softly against the floor, the sound painfully loud to his tense ears. He forced a polite smile onto his face, hoping that small acts of hospitality might somehow soften whatever suspicions they carried. Maybe if he acted normal enough, courteous enough, they would overlook him entirely. Maybe they would leave without digging deeper.

But his thoughts spiraled endlessly.

Why are they here anyway?

Did they discover that I was the one inside the power armor?

The questions repeated inside his skull like a hammer striking metal. Sweat gathered beneath Shin’s collar despite the cool air inside the classroom. Tiny droplets rolled down the side of his face and neck. His breathing became shallow, and no matter how hard he tried to steady himself, his hands continued to tremble uncontrollably beneath the table. He could almost hear the violent pounding of his own heartbeat echoing in his ears.

The short investigator woman observed him silently for a moment. Her hazelnut eyes were sharp and analytical beneath the shadow of her fedora, as though carefully dissecting every twitch of his body language. The brown trench coat she wore rustled softly as she crossed her arms.

“Your hand is trembling,” the investigator remarked calmly. “Relax, Mister.”

Her voice was composed and professional, but that only made Shin more nervous. It sounded like the kind of tone people used before exposing someone’s lies.

Beside her, Lireina Ashford offered a gentle smile. Her long golden blonde hair shimmered under the sunlight pouring from the windows, and her vivid green eyes carried a warmth that contrasted heavily with the investigator’s intimidating stare.

“Don’t be so nervous, Mister Rebellium,” Lireina said softly. “We are just here to ask some questions.”

“Ah… yeah. Right.” Shin let out a strained chuckle.

He slowly sat across from them, the wooden chair creaking under his weight. He tried to straighten his posture and compose himself, forcing his crimson purple eyes to remain steady instead of darting around anxiously. His lips stretched into an awkward smile that felt more painful than natural.

“So,” Shin said, clearing his throat, “how can I help you ladies?”

Lireina glanced toward the investigator beside her.

“Croft?” she asked quietly.

The short woman—Investigator Croft—gave a small nod.

Receiving confirmation, Lireina leaned slightly forward across the table. The movement was graceful, yet it made Shin instinctively stiffen. Her expression softened with sympathy.

“I know that it hurts for you to remember this,” Lireina began carefully, “but I want to ask about your deceased friend… Professor Emmanuel Gagarin.”

The moment Emmanuel’s name was spoken, Shin felt a sharp ache stab through his chest.

“About Manny?” Shin repeated quietly.

His voice nearly cracked.

“I know that what happened to your friend is a true tragedy,” Lireina continued. “My friend Qinglong has already handled the demon responsible for killing your best friend, so… I hope that brought you some closure and justice.”

For a brief moment, the classroom fell completely silent.

Shin’s fingers slowly curled into fists beneath the table until his knuckles turned pale white. His jaw tightened. A hot surge of anger rose from deep within his chest, burning hotter than the fear he had felt moments ago.

Closure? Justice?

The Celestial Warden’s lies disgusted him.

He remembered Emmanuel’s mangled corpse. The blood. The smell of burning metal and flesh that still haunted his nightmares. And now these people sat before him, repeating the polished propaganda spread across the empire as if it were truth.

Qinglong did not avenge Emmanuel.

Nobody did.

Because the people truly responsible were still walking freely beneath the protection of titles, fame, and hero worship.

Shin forced himself to remain still, but his fingernails dug painfully into his palms beneath the table. The anger boiling inside him threatened to spill onto his face at any second.

It’s not the demon who killed Manny! It was Qinglong himself!

The thought roared inside Shin’s head like a raging wildfire, so intense that he almost blurted it out loud. His chest tightened painfully, and for a brief second he imagined himself slamming both fists onto the table and exposing everything—the lies, the cover-up, the corruption hiding behind the shining image of the so-called Heroes.

But reality crushed that impulse almost immediately.

If he accused Qinglong openly, he would not survive long enough to prove anything.

The Celestial Wardens stood above nobles, armies, even kings. Ordinary people worshipped them like living saints. A nobody scholar accusing one of the empire’s greatest heroes of murder would simply disappear overnight. Shin could already picture it: arrested, silenced, branded insane—or worse, executed quietly in some forgotten prison cell.

So he swallowed his fury.

The bitterness tasted metallic in his mouth.

“Yeah,” Shin muttered quietly, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “May his soul rest in peace.”

Lireina lowered her head respectfully for a moment. Meanwhile, Investigator Croft wasted no time moving forward.

“Now,” Croft said as she reached into her trench coat, “let’s get to the point.”

The investigator placed a thick folder on the wooden table with a dull thud. Dust stirred slightly upon impact. Shin’s eyes immediately drifted toward the documents as Croft opened the folder with practiced precision.

Across the cover page were the markings:

HC-01

Most of the contents beneath were violently obscured by thick black ink, entire paragraphs drowned in redactions. The sight alone made Shin uneasy. 

Croft slid the folder slightly toward Shin.

“Professor Gagarin worked under Empyrea’s Magical Research Program,” Croft explained, her hazelnut eyes never leaving Shin’s face. “And we believe they were developing some kind of weapon created from demons and dragons.”

As she spoke, the faint rustling of paper echoed through the quiet classroom. Outside the windows, distant voices of students could barely be heard drifting through the Librarium halls, making the tense atmosphere inside feel even more isolated.

“They were developing a magical armor,” Croft continued, tapping one finger against the document. “Called the Halochassis.”

The moment Shin heard the name, his heartbeat skipped.

“You know of this?” Croft asked.

Shin forced himself not to react.

Every instinct screamed at him to look away from the folder, but he maintained eye contact instead. His face remained calm despite the storm raging inside him. He could feel sweat trickling slowly down his back underneath his clothes.

“First time I’m hearing it,” Shin lied smoothly. The lie came out surprisingly naturally.

Croft’s lips curled upward into a small smirk. “Stop lying right in front of us, Shin Rebellium.”

The investigator leaned back slightly in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. The leather of her gloves creaked softly.

“We know that you have knowledge about it,” she continued. “Professor Gagarin was your best friend from the academy.”

Shin remained silent.

“And,” Croft added with growing amusement, “we also know about your side job.”

The color drained from Shin’s face instantly. His body froze. A cold sensation crawled up his spine like icy fingers.

“What side job?” Shin asked carefully.

For a terrifying moment, he thought they had uncovered everything—that they somehow knew he was the one piloting the Halochassis armor. Images flashed violently through his mind: blue flames erupting from the armor’s boosters, shattered battlefields, dead adventurers, burning steel.

Croft smiled knowingly.

“You’re a private investigator.”

The pressure crushing Shin’s chest loosened slightly. He quietly exhaled through his nose, careful not to make the relief obvious.

I thought I was finished…

Croft continued speaking, completely unaware of the panic she had just caused.

“A few moments before Professor Gagarin’s death,” she said, “you met with him in a local café. Is that correct?”

Shin nodded cautiously. The memory resurfaced vividly in his mind—the smell of roasted coffee beans, Emmanuel’s exhausted eyes, the nervous tapping of his fingers against the table as he talked about dangerous secrets he should never have discovered.

“And since you are a scholar of the Librarium with investigative talents,” Croft continued, “it gives us reason to believe that Professor Gagarin hired you for your services.”

Croft slowly closed the folder.

“Especially considering,” she said coldly, “that the program was recently robbed by bandits.”

The words hung heavily in the air.

Shin could hear the faint ticking of a clock somewhere in the classroom. Every second felt unbearably loud. His crimson purple eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to measure how much they truly knew.

Were they merely fishing for information?

Or were they already certain he was connected to the stolen Halochassis?

“Well…” Shin forced a calm smile onto his face despite the tension tightening his chest. “Since you already know that I was working under a top-secret assignment involving Empyrea, then you should also understand that I’m bound by confidentiality.”

He slowly leaned back in his chair, trying to regain some composure after the relentless questioning. The wood creaked softly beneath him. Outside the classroom windows, the distant chatter of students echoed faintly through the halls, but inside the room, the atmosphere remained suffocatingly tense.

“My client may be dead,” Shin continued quietly, “but I still intend to honor him by taking his secrets to the grave.”

Shin lowered his gaze.

“I’m sorry,” he said firmly. “I cannot help you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Shin pushed his chair backward and prepared to stand. The scraping sound of wood against the floor cut sharply through the silence.

But then—

A soft hand suddenly touched his.

Shin froze. Warmth spread across his skin instantly. It was gentle. Delicate. Unexpectedly comforting.

His body stiffened in surprise as he slowly looked down. Lireina’s slender fingers rested over his trembling hand, her touch impossibly soft compared to the cold tension filling the room. The warmth of her skin sent an electric sensation rushing through his chest.

Shin’s breath caught.

When he looked up, he found Lireina staring directly at him with her vivid green eyes. Under the morning sunlight pouring through the classroom windows, her long golden blonde hair almost seemed to glow like strands of silk spun from sunlight itself. Her expression was earnest, pleading, painfully sincere.

“Please, Mister Shin…” Lireina said softly.

Then, to Shin’s complete destruction, she gently wrapped both of her hands around his. The warmth doubled instantly.

Shin could smell the faint floral scent clinging to her clothes and hair. Her voice carried a softness that melted straight through his defenses far more effectively than Croft’s interrogation ever could.

“The world is standing at the brink of danger once again because of the Demon Prince,” Lireina continued quietly. “Anything you know could become a huge help.”

“Ack…”

Shin’s entire face turned bright red.

His brain completely short-circuited.

He could fight adventurers.

He could survive interrogations.

He could even pilot the terrifying Halochassis armor into battle.

But resisting his crush while she held his hand and begged him with those green puppy eyes? Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

His crimson purple eyes darted away awkwardly as steam practically threatened to rise from his head. He quickly sat back down before his legs betrayed him entirely.

“A-Ahem…” Shin cleared his throat loudly, trying and failing to recover his dignity. “Okay then.”

“Great!” Lireina exclaimed happily. She released his hands and clapped excitedly, her cheerful smile instantly brightening the gloomy classroom atmosphere. The sudden loss of warmth on his skin almost disappointed Shin more than it should have.

Still blushing furiously, Shin crossed his arms and attempted to regain a serious expression.

“But…” he said cautiously, “anything I disclose involves classified imperial intelligence.”

Croft raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” Shin emphasized firmly, “and I mean absolutely nothing, leaves this room. Not a single detail reaches the public.”

His gaze sharpened. “Not even the Celestial Wardens.”

For a moment, silence returned to the classroom.

Croft and Lireina exchanged a quick glance. The investigator’s sharp expression softened slightly, while Lireina gave a reassuring nod. Then both women looked back at Shin simultaneously.

“You have a deal,” Croft said.

“Yes, yes!” Lireina added enthusiastically.

Shin sighed deeply and scratched the back of his head in frustration.

The rough feeling of his fingers against his black hair grounded him slightly, but his thoughts remained chaotic. He knew this was dangerous. Leaking even fragments of Emmanuel’s research could easily be considered treason against the empire.

If the wrong people discovered what he was about to share, his life would be over.

Yet at the same time…

He needed answers too.

Ever since wearing the Halochassis armor, countless questions had haunted him endlessly. Questions Emmanuel never lived long enough to answer.

What exactly were the Halochassis?

Why were fallen angels used in their creation?

And most importantly…

Why was the Empire of Empyrea secretly developing these terrifying power armors behind the backs of the Celestial Wardens—the very heroes sworn to protect humanity?

The more Shin thought about it, the colder the truth began to feel. Because nations only create weapons like Halochassis for one reason. They were preparing for a war.

Shin quietly exited the classroom, leaving the two women alone for a moment. The moment the door closed behind him, he released a long breath he did not realize he had been holding. The academy hallway felt strangely colder now, the distant murmurs of students echoing faintly through the stone corridors.

His footsteps carried him toward his office desk near the corner of the faculty room. The wooden floor creaked softly beneath his boots as he approached the drawer containing Emmanuel’s top secret files.

For a few seconds, Shin simply stared at it.

His fingers hesitated before touching it, as though the papers themselves carried the weight of his dead friend’s final wishes. Eventually, he grabbed the folder and held it firmly against his chest before returning toward the vacant classroom.

When Shin reentered the room, Lireina immediately looked up from her seat. Her green eyes widened with curiosity.

Without saying a word, Shin walked toward the table and placed Emmanuel’s folder before them. The thick bundle of documents landed with a heavy thud.

“Thank you very much, Mister Shin!” Lireina clapped her hands adorably, her face instantly lighting up with joy.

The cheerful sound made Shin’s heart stumble awkwardly.

“A-Anything for you, milady,” Shin stammered.

His cheeks turned red again almost instantly, forcing him to look away in embarrassment. He scratched his cheek awkwardly while pretending to focus elsewhere.

Croft, meanwhile, wasted no time.

The investigator immediately opened the folder and began scanning the contents with sharp, focused eyes. Unlike the heavily censored files from earlier, these documents were complete. No black ink concealed the paragraphs. No sections were hidden. In addition, several extra pages had been attached—handwritten notes, diagrams, magical formulas, and Emmanuel’s personal annotations scribbled hurriedly across the margins.

The room became quiet except for the rustling of paper.

Croft flipped through page after page rapidly, her hazelnut eyes narrowing deeper with concentration. Occasionally, the sunlight reflected off her glasses as she skimmed through the dense magical terminology.

Then suddenly—

“There.”

Croft stopped at a specific paragraph and tapped it with her finger.

“This says that the Halochassis is created by trapping a fragment of a fallen angel’s soul into an amulet or another catalyst accessory,” Croft explained.

Shin silently listened.

“HC-01 specifically states,” she continued, “that the armor was created using the armor of one of the fallen angels residing within the Abyssal Dungeon.”

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere inside the room shifted heavily. Even the air suddenly felt colder.

A fallen angel. Angel’s soul fragments.

Shin’s mind raced instantly toward the armor hidden in his possession. The memory of crimson energy circuits erupting from the Halochassis Azazel flashed vividly through his thoughts. The overwhelming power. The monstrous strength. The unnatural sensation of another presence lingering inside the armor whenever he wore it.

Was that power truly coming from an angel’s soul?

“I guess that’s our next stop then,” Lireina said determinedly.

Her green eyes sparkled with excitement rather than fear, as if the dangers of the Abyssal Dungeon barely intimidated her at all.

Eventually, the questioning came to an end.

Croft carefully closed the folder while Lireina stood up from her chair. The sound of shifting furniture echoed softly throughout the empty classroom as the two women prepared to leave.

“Thank you for your assistance, Mister Shin!” Lireina said brightly, waving her hand with an innocent smile. “I truly appreciate it!”

Croft gave Shin a respectful nod and slight bow before walking toward the exit first. Her trench coat swayed lightly behind her as she stepped into the hallway.

Lireina lingered near the doorway for a brief moment.

But just before she could close the door behind her—

“Hold it!”

Shin suddenly shouted. The words escaped louder than he intended.

He instinctively reached one hand forward.

“Hmmm?” Lireina tilted her head curiously.

The sunlight from the hallway framed her figure beautifully, causing her golden blonde hair to glow softly around her shoulders. Her green eyes blinked with surprise as she waited for him to continue.

Shin clenched his fists tightly. His heartbeat thundered inside his chest.

Part of him screamed that this was a terrible idea. But another part—the angrier, more desperate part—knew he could not stay behind anymore.

He needed answers.

He needed to know the truth behind the Halochassis.

After all, he himself possessed one of those cursed armors now. Every battle, every ignition of those crimson energy, only deepened the mystery surrounding Emmanuel’s research.

And Emmanuel’s legacy… Shin refused to let it disappear beneath the empire’s lies.

Most importantly, if he ever wished to claim vengeance against Qinglong—the Celestial Warden responsible for Emmanuel’s death—then he needed power.

Knowledge. Weaknesses. Anything.

Traveling beside Lireina and investigating the Halochassis might give him the clues he desperately sought. It could reveal how the heroes defeated the Demon King… and perhaps how someone could defeat the heroes themselves.

Shin slowly lifted his gaze toward Lireina.

“I…”

His throat tightened.

“I wanted to join you,” Shin finally said.

Then his voice turned desperate.

“Please!”