Cipher came out of the studio. It had been just an hour, but he felt like it had been days.
He was so worn out.
Selene caught up to him. "Oh, there you are. You need to get ready," she said. She held his chin and inspected him. "Your makeup looks fine, but a little patch-up won’t hurt."
"What? There’s more?" he asked.
"What do you mean? That was just the first one. We had so much lined up before you pushed it back, and even more stuff has been piling up," she explained. "Now you have to appear on Prime Time, then there’s the Association press conference, the photo shoot for the promotional materials, the meeting with the sponsors, and the recorded interview for the international broadcast..."
As she listed them, his energy dropped more and more until he just stared lifelessly as Selene dragged him away.
The rest of the day blurred together. Cipher went through appearance after appearance - smiling for cameras, answering the same questions over and over, shaking hands with people whose names he immediately forgot.
The prime time show had him sitting under hot lights while the host asked about his training regimen. The press conference was a barrage of reporters shouting questions. The photo shoot had him holding ridiculous poses for what felt like hours.
The sponsor meeting dragged on with people in suits discussing numbers and brand alignment. By the time the international interview wrapped up, it was nearly 11 PM.
Selene finally bid him goodnight at the entrance to his quarters. "You’re about done with all the important stuff. The others are much more flexible and will be handled slowly." She looked at him with what might have been sympathy. "I have to compliment your energy. Get some rest."
He walked into his room, wondering how she still looked so energetic. He had infinite stamina, yet he felt so tired.
He fell onto his bed on his back. He missed going into gates. Fighting for your life sounded infinitely easier than whatever this was.
After a long moment, he dragged himself off the bed and shuffled to the shower. The hot water helped a little, washing away some of the exhaustion. He put on his pajamas and finally collapsed back onto the bed, closing his eyes with relief.
...
The next day, Cipher was walking through the corridor when he noticed Maya. Maya also saw him, and her eyes brightened as though she had seen an oasis in a desert. She was practically glowing.
"Brother Cipher!" she shouted as she ran towards him.
He wondered if she had missed him that much. He opened up his arms for a hug.
"Save me!" she shouted.
Save? he wondered.
At that moment, Selene caught up to her and caught her by her collar. "Where are you going? We don’t have all day," Selene said. She looked up and noticed Cipher. "Oh, Cipher, you’re awake." She greeted him with a nod. "Well then, we’ll be going," she said as she dragged Maya away.
"Brother Cipher!" Maya called out, looking at Cipher with a pitiful expression.
Cipher could only watch her be dragged into the abyss. He had done all his filming and public appearances yesterday. It seemed today was Maya’s day as the unofficial strongest human.
He shed a tear. I’m sorry.
With that, he turned around.
Maya could only watch her hope disappear in front of her as Cipher turned around, showing her his back.
"Nooooo!" she screamed out as she was dragged into the studio.
...
Cipher sat across from the Chairman in his office.
The chairman leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled as he regarded Cipher thoughtfully.
"So, how did your investigation of Gate 2998 go?" the Chairman asked.
"Nothing changed in the gate," Cipher reported. "It seems the creature couldn’t remember things between loops. The time reset appears to be affecting it as well."
The Chairman nodded slowly. "That’s good to hear. One less complication to worry about."
"That being said," Cipher continued, "the gate is an important area for Iris’s research and should be handled with care. While we don’t have to close it off from the public completely, we might need to restrict access a bit more. Keep it limited to specific personnel."
The Chairman considered this for a moment. "That seems reasonable. I’ll have the authorization protocols updated. Only approved researchers and your team will have clearance."
"Thank you," Cipher said.
They discussed a few other matters after that - reports on other gates, resource allocation, scheduling for upcoming operations. The conversation gradually became more lighthearted as they moved away from official business.
"I saw your interview with Skylar yesterday," the Chairman said with a slight smile. "You handled yourself well."
Cipher groaned. "It was exhausting. I don’t know how people do that all the time."
The Chairman chuckled. "You get used to it. Though I imagine fighting monsters is more your speed."
"Definitely," Cipher said with feeling.
They talked for a bit longer before Cipher finally excused himself and left the office.
...
Cipher was walking past the studio room when suddenly, Selene walked out. She was taken aback to see him but quickly recollected herself.
"Oh, Cipher. There you are. What are the chances - I was just about to go looking for you," she said. "Quick, follow me," she said, extending her hand to grab his.
But Cipher acted quick, stepping back a few feet. He then raised his wrist. "Ah, would you look at the time, I have some business to attend to," he said, preparing to make a run for it.
"It’s not like that," she said with a chuckle.
"Didn’t I tell you we were already done with your appearances?" she said, shrugging.
He looked at her, then scratched his head. "Ah, you’re right. Why were you looking for me?" he asked, walking closer.
"Someone is looking for you," she said.
"Looking for me? Who?" he asked.
"Li Chen," she said.
"Li Chen? Why would he want to meet me?" he wondered. "Alright, I’ll go talk to him," he said.
...
In Cipher’s office, Li Chen and Cipher sat opposite each other.
These people still had yet to go home, he thought. Were they staying here to avoid responsibilities back home? he wondered.
"Brother Cipher, are you interested in a new form of power?" Li Chen asked.
"A new form of power?" he asked.
"That’s right. It’s called cultivation," Li Chen said.