Julian stepped out of the car that had stopped right in front of the main gate of Sinclair University. The morning air felt cool, but there was something different about the way he breathed it in. There was no longer any tightness in his chest from anxiety over semester fees or a stomach aching from being filled only with tap water. He smoothed out his simple yet sharply tailored black wool coat.
"Sir, the security team has swept the Research Tower perimeter," said Elara, who was standing a step behind him. "The anomalous signal is still there, buried deep beneath the foundation concrete."
Julian nodded slightly. "Leave that for later, Elara. Today, I want to pull up the roots of my past before I face whatever it is Master A planted down there."
His footsteps on the campus concrete side
