The large screen inside the spa room lit up, displaying the image Jade had just cast from her device. Four symbols appeared—simple yet mesmerizing:
The Air, Fire, Earth and Water triangle symbol.
Syd had already explained to Jody that these were the four elemental powers capable of reincarnating into new individuals across generations. But now Jade was about to tell her something else.
"There's actually one more unique trait to these powers," she said.
"What is it?" Jody asked.
"They can evolve."
"!?"
Jody and Sera both furrowed their brows, confused.
"Evolve…?" Sera echoed.
"Yes. Elementalist powers can evolve over time."
"...!"
Jody had never heard anything like this. Her power could evolve? What did that even mean?
"It means your power, Jody, will change form as time goes on. To put it simply, Elementalists are the only class of power users whose abilities can upgrade—unlike normal powers, which stay the same from birth to death."
Jade's gaze fixed on Jody.
"In fact, according to our records of past Elementalists, the symbol representing their power eventually evolved as well."
Jody blinked. "You mean… the symbol?"
"Yes. That swirl-shaped symbol you can summon... It won't stay that way forever."
Jody instinctively summoned her signature blue whirlwind symbol.
"You're saying that… one day, this symbol will change into something else?"
Jade pointed at the screen.
"Exactly. One day, it'll become that triangle symbol—the true emblem of air."
Jody went quiet. Her thoughts were in chaos. Was she supposed to feel amazed? Nervous? Scared? Honored? Grateful? All of it hit her at once, and she didn't know what to say.
Her actual reaction?
"…Huh. Oh. That's… cool, I guess. Okay…"
Roxxy raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No excitement?"
"I mean… yeah, I guess I'm excited?"
Syd scoffed. "That's your excited face? Hey—do you realize you'll become one of the most OP people alive once your power evolves?"
"I… I don't know what to say. I've lived with this my whole life, and now you're telling me it's going to evolve? That's kind of a lot."
Jade nodded, serious again.
"It is a lot. But this is why Elementalists matter so much. Once their powers evolve, they become so powerful, so dangerous… they have the potential to destabilize global balance."
Toshi added, "They're so OP, they have to be regulated."
Sera: "Holy hell… what am I listening to right now? This is fantasy-level stuff…"
Jody raised an eyebrow. "Wait—does that mean you're planning to control my life?"
Jade's voice remained calm. "If an Elementalist turns violent, we may need to step in. But I believe someone like you, Jody, can be reasoned with. You're not the type to use your power recklessly."
It was a brilliant diplomatic move—something Jody could respect.
"As I said before," Jade continued, "this organization isn't like others. It's foolish to put chains on philosophers."
By "philosophers," she meant those with deep thought and self-awareness. Treating someone like Jody as a mere asset in a cage would only lead to ruin. Organizations built on such outdated logic would crumble fast.
Thrak's approach was about respect—and Jade's message was clear: they didn't want to shackle Jody. They wanted her to join them.
Not only would it benefit Thrak, it would benefit Jody too. A win-win. In game theory terms? A non-zero-sum outcome.
And to Jody, that offer made perfect sense.
"…Of course, Jody," Jade added, "we're all human here. You might run into gossip or people with egos at the gym—maybe because of, well… things from your past. But just know this: in our world, one thing matters more than anything else."
"And that is?"
"Performance."
Let your results speak for themselves.
Look at Agent Syd Barrett. Crude as hell—but no one complains, because he gets the job done.
"…Wait, how do you know people were gossiping about me at the gym?" Jody asked, squinting.
Jade didn't reply. She just smiled and glanced at Syd.
And just like that, Jody knew.
Syd was the only one there that day. He must've told Jade.
"Wait—Syd… really?"
He averted his eyes. "Lies. She's making it up."
Jody was stunned. She had no words. After all this time of fending for herself, someone had actually been looking out for her. It touched her more than she expected—even if Syd was trying to hide it behind his usual antics.
Syd looked cornered and turned to Jade.
"You want me to tell them your little conference room story next? Vega's gonna be here soon, maybe I'll spill the whole thing."
Jade turned beet red. "There's no such story!"
Sera leaned in. "Wait—what conference room story?"
"Ahh! Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Jade shouted, flustered.
"Don't even think about it, Syd!" she said, storming toward him. "I haven't reported you to your mom yet for bullying your coworkers, but don't tempt me!"
Syd, unfazed, casually replied, "What bullying? You're being dramatic."
"You call Mickey a fairy, Toshi a Jap, Jody a cripple, Sera a piglet, your own sister a lapdog, and Denji… well, you call him 'that black one.' And you still ask how that's bullying?"
Jody couldn't help but notice—most of his jabs were actually reserved for people he was close to. Especially Denji, whom Mickey once said was Syd's closest comrade.
But Jody still had one more question.
"…So when all the Grandmasters arrive… what exactly am I supposed to do?"
Jade replied gently, "Nothing much. Don't stress. They're coming to discuss your discovery, and what steps to take next."
She continued:
"Usually, when Elementalists are discovered, it happens after they've already evolved. Agents find them during missions, bring them in for training, and so on. But your case is different."
"…How so?"
"Well, for starters—you weren't discovered as an Elementalist. You volunteered. No one had a clue. Secondly, we only recently developed the tech to identify Elementalists before their powers mature. That tech was finalized only a few decades ago."
"…So I'm still under my original deal with Syd, right?"
"Correct. The terms are murky, so the Grandmasters are meeting as fast as possible to determine next steps. As for the technical aspects of your identification, that's outside my expertise."
Toshi nodded. "That's Vega's job. He's on his way to explain everything to you."
"The head researcher is coming personally?" Jody blinked.
"Yup," said Toshi.
"As for the announcement—don't worry. Until everything is official, your identity will remain classified. Even if it gets published internally, your data will be locked. No one under Master rank will know who you are."
"…Understood," Jody said, scratching the back of her neck.
Jade asked, "Any other questions? I'm happy to answer what I can."
There was a pause.
"…Actually, yeah."
It was Sera.
"I've been listening… So this Elementalist thing—you said the power cycles into someone new every generation, right?"
"Yes. Four out of seven billion."
"So if the average human lifespan is, say, 80 years—shorter in the past—does that mean there's one Elementalist per century for each element?"
"Oh! Yes, exactly! Thank you for reminding me!" Jade smiled. "Roughly every 100 years, a new Elementalist appears."
"So I'm the 'Air' of the 21st century," Jody murmured.
Sera: "But Jody was born in 2000. Doesn't the 21st century start in 2001?"
Mickey: "She said roughly 100 years. Chill."
Sera shrank a little, embarrassed.
"Generally within 5 years," Jade clarified. "Previous Elementalists didn't all die at the same age. Some lived longer, some died young. The timing shifts slightly with each reincarnation."
Sera frowned. "So, wait—are you guys like, collecting all the Elementalists for your agency or what?"
"…Well, I wouldn't say 'collecting'…"
"So is Jody the first one you've found?"
Another great question. Jody turned to Jade, wondering the same.
"How many have you found so far?"
"...Only two."
"Oh—so that means you're halfway there."
"No. That count includes you, Jody."
"…Oh."
"So you've only found one other before me. Which element were they?"
"I can't say."
"Oh… when did you find them?"
"Three to four years ago."
"Oh. That's not long ago."
Jade smiled. "Technology's faster now. It's easier to find things."
"Will I be meeting that person?" Jody asked.
"No."
This time, it was Syd who answered.
"You'll never meet them. It's against protocol."
"Protocol?"
"Elementalists are treated with the same privacy level as Global Elites. None of them know who the other three are. You'll never cross paths—and they won't know who you are either."
"…Got it," Jody nodded.