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Zeff had to blink a few times as his eyes struggled to register what they were witnessing. A humanoid smear in his vision. Difficult to even look at directly, like his gaze was slipping off of it whenever he tried.

Then Graves was there, having placed himself between Zeff and the figure. “What are you doing here?” he said, calm but firm.

“Don’t look so worried,” came a feminine voice. “I come in peace.”

“Hmph. But why here?” said Graves.

“Why not here?” said the stranger. “You’d rather I visited one of your other locations?”

“Are you here on behalf of your empress?” said the marshal.

“Aha... oof. Funny you should mention that.”

Empress? Zeff tried to eye the smear anew, but it was difficult. He had to furrow his brow and squint.

“Ah. Excuse me. One moment, please.” The figure made a motion with her hands, and then, the blur began to clear. From it, a middle-aged woman appeared. Darkly plum lipstick matched her mauve eye shadow, and her brown, shoulder-length hair had a glamorous waviness to it that looked freshly styled.

Her clothes, however, were another story. Of all things, she was wearing a gray onsie with puffy, white clouds on it.

Zeff could do nothing but raise an eyebrow and gawk.

“Howdy,” she said with a faint smile. “Water Dragon of Sair. I believe this is the first time I’ve had the pleasure. I am Jun, of the Kubi. Do you know of me?”

Only just. He knew that the Kubi were Sai-hee’s equivalent to Sermung’s marshals, but as a group, they were much less famous--which was certainly by design. Having worked in the Vanguard for so many years, Zeff was quite keenly aware of how much work it must have been to maintain that level of secrecy regarding their top members.

The only comparable person in the Vanguard might’ve been Graves here, but most people still knew his name, at least.

There was yet another strange development that stole Zeff’s attention, however. While Jun had become crystal clear in comparison to her previously blurry form, the room around them had now changed. The same fogginess seemed to have spread to the floor, furniture, and walls. It felt almost as if they’d been sucked into another dimension.

Graves was still there, though. Still perfectly clear. Still standing between them. “Answer me, Phantom. Why are you here?”