The Guild Registry office buzzed with activity.

  Operators tracked rifts across the city on oversized monitors, dispatchers called out assignments, and administrative staff logged mission reports into the system.

  Magi stood with Echo Squad at the payment terminal, waiting while Marc processed their completed contract.

  "Something's wrong," Marc said, frowning at the screen. "The system's only showing half payment."

  Layla stepped forward. "What? We closed the entire rift."

  "Actually," a voice called from behind them, "we closed half of it."

  Magi turned to see a team approaching, four raiders in matching black and red gear.

  Their leader, a woman with cropped silver hair and a scar bisecting her left eyebrow, stopped in front of them.

  "Commander Vex," Marc acknowledged with a nod. "Didn't realize Crimson Tide was operating in our sector."

  "Special assignment," Vex replied. "Been tracking unusual rift patterns for the Guild Science Division. Your warehouse rift was on our list." She tapped her wrist interface. "According to our logs, we initiated closure protocols from the exterior while you were inside."

  Jax crossed his arms. "That's convenient. We do all the work, you press a button outside, and suddenly you get half the credit?"

  Vex's eyes narrowed. "My team has A-rank clearance and specialized equipment. You think we need to steal from C-ranks?"

  "I think the timing is suspicious," Eli said quietly.

  Magi studied Vex's team. They carried non-standard gear, compact devices attached to their belts that pulsed with blue light.

  One member held what looked like a modified scanner, more advanced than anything Echo Squad had access to.

  "The system registered simultaneous closure actions," Vex explained. "Interior and exterior. Split credit is standard protocol in such cases."

  Marc checked his tablet again. "There's nothing in the contract about shared operations."

  "File a complaint," Vex suggested with a shrug. "We're just following orders." She glanced at Magi, her expression curious. "You're the one from the bone dragon incident, right? The one who doesn't follow normal progression paths?"

  Before Magi could answer, Administrator Whitehall appeared beside them. "Is there a problem with the payment processing?"

  Marc explained the situation while Whitehall reviewed both teams' mission logs.

  "This requires arbitration," she concluded. "Conference Room Four, thirty minutes. Both teams, with observers and all recorded footage."

  Vex nodded curtly and walked away with her team.

  "This is nonsense," Layla muttered. "We were the only ones there."

  "Were we?" Magi asked.

  The team looked at him.

  "The rift collapsed unnaturally," he continued. "Maybe someone was working from the outside."

  Marc sighed. "Doesn't matter. Guild arbitration means we'll be stuck in meetings for hours."

  Magi suppressed a grimace. This was exactly the kind of bureaucracy he'd tried to avoid by becoming a freelancer.

  "I'll get coffee," he said.

  ***

  Conference Room Four was designed for disputes. A U-shaped table faced a large display screen, with Guild arbitrators seated at the center and the disputing parties along the sides. Observer drones hovered in each corner, recording the proceedings.

  Senior Arbitrator Powell, a stern-faced man with steel-gray hair, called the meeting to order.

  "This arbitration concerns Rift #C-734, warehouse district," he began. "Both Echo Squad and Crimson Tide claim operational involvement in the rift's resolution, which has been classified as 'permanent' by the system. We will review all evidence before making our determination."

  He gestured to an aide, who activated the main screen. "First, Echo Squad's observer footage."

  The screen displayed their mission from the drone's perspective, entering the rift, fighting the crystal constructs, approaching the door, then the sudden collapse and their hasty retreat.

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  "Next, Crimson Tide's footage."

  The screen switched to show Vex's team positioned outside the warehouse. They had established some kind of perimeter with specialized equipment. At the critical moment, their devices activated, sending pulses of energy toward the rift.

  "The timestamps match," Powell noted. "Both teams were active at the moment of rift collapse."

  "With respect, Arbitrator," Marc said, "there's no evidence their actions had any effect. The rift was collapsing from within."

  "And there's no evidence your team did anything to cause that collapse," Vex countered. "Your own footage shows your porter simply touching the door before the collapse began."

  All eyes turned to Magi.

  "Did you initiate any closure protocol?" Powell asked him directly.

  Magi shook his head. "I was attempting to open the door using Basic Earth manipulation. I didn't complete the action before the collapse started."

  Powell looked skeptical. "Show me the footage of your attempt again."

  The screen replayed the moment. Magi approaching the door, placing his palm against it, then the chamber shuddering before he could do anything significant.

  "The system logs indicate energy transfer," one of the arbitration aides reported. "But it's classified as... undetermined."

  Powell frowned. "Explain."

  The aide looked uncomfortable. "The observer drone recorded standard Basic Earth attribute activation, but the system cannot classify the resolution method. It doesn't match any known closure protocols."

  Vex leaned forward. "Our equipment was specifically designed to force permanent rift closure. We've been testing it for weeks under Guild Science Division authorization."

  She produced an official document and handed it to Powell, who reviewed it carefully.

  "This checks out," he admitted. "However, it doesn't prove your equipment caused this particular closure."

  The room fell silent as Powell consulted with the other arbitrators. Magi sipped his coffee, unconcerned. Half payment still covered his expenses, and he preferred avoiding close examination of his abilities.

  Finally, Powell cleared his throat. "We have a decision."

  Everyone straightened in their seats.

  "Based on the evidence, we cannot definitively attribute the rift closure to either team's actions. The Observer data shows concurrent activities that may have contributed to the unusual resolution." He paused. "However, the Guild system has classified the final resolution method as 'Environmental Stabilization.'"

  "Environmental Stabilization?" Eli repeated. "What does that mean?"

  "It means," Powell explained, "that the system believes the rift closed due to natural dimensional forces rather than raider intervention."

  Vex stood up. "That's impossible. My team has been closing rifts with our equipment for weeks. The system always attributes it to our closure protocols."

  "Not this time," Powell said firmly. "The evidence suggests this rift may have been fundamentally different from your previous targets."

  He turned to the screen, which now displayed the official classification: "Rift #C-734: Permanently Resolved. Method: Environmental Stabilization."

  "Since neither team can claim full credit for the resolution, the split payment stands," Powell concluded. "However, both teams will receive completion bonuses for being present during a permanent closure event, which is rare and valuable data for the Guild."

  Vex looked unsatisfied but didn't argue further. Echo Squad exchanged glances, half payment plus a bonus was better than they'd expected from the arbitration.

  As the meeting adjourned, Commander Vex approached Magi while the others gathered their things.

  "You did something in there," she said quietly. "Something our monitors couldn't classify."

  Magi took another sip of coffee. "I told you. Basic Earth. Nothing special."

  "Right." Her eyes narrowed. "The porter with 'nothing special' who somehow survived a direct attack from Keller's Sundering Strike. Who killed a bone dragon with reflected energy. Who just happened to touch a door right before a rift permanently closed itself."

  "Coincidences," Magi said with a shrug.

  Vex's lips thinned. "The Science Division would be very interested in your... coincidences."

  "I'm contracted exclusively to Echo Squad," he replied. "Take it up with our team lead."

  She studied him a moment longer, then handed him a card. "When you get tired of C-rank work, call me. Crimson Tide could use someone with your... basic skills."

  After she walked away, Marc joined Magi by the door.

  "What was that about?"

  "Job offer," Magi said, pocketing the card.

  Marc raised an eyebrow. "Planning to leave us already?"

  "No. Just collecting options." Magi glanced at the screen still displaying "Environmental Stabilization." "What exactly does that classification mean for the Guild?"

  "It's rare," Marc explained. "When a rift closes without direct intervention, they classify it as environmental. It usually happens when dimensional forces naturally rebalance."

  "Sounds important."

  "It is. The Guild studies those cases intensively. They'll probably send researchers to the warehouse to collect residual data."

  Magi nodded toward the screen. "And they can't determine who gets credit when it happens."

  "Correct. Neither team technically caused it, according to the system."

  Administrator Whitehall approached them, tablet in hand. "Your updated payment has been processed. The completion bonus covers the specialized containment protocols that will be implemented at the site."

  "Containment?" Magi asked. "I thought the rift was gone."

  "Standard procedure for Environmental Stabilization events," she explained. "We need to monitor the area for at least three months to ensure no dimensional weaknesses remain."

  "That sounds expensive," Magi observed.

  Whitehall nodded. "Hence the bonus. The Guild considers the data worth the cost."

  As they left the conference room, Layla bumped Magi's shoulder. "So what really happened in there? Did you close that rift somehow?"

  "No," Magi answered truthfully. "I just touched a door."

  "And then the whole place collapsed," Jax added skeptically.

  Magi shrugged. "Coincidence."

  "You and your coincidences," Eli muttered.

  Marc checked his Guild tablet. "Environmental Stabilization means we get a three-day mandatory break while they process all the data. Standard protocol."

  "Paid break?" Magi asked.

  "Half-pay standby," Marc confirmed.

  Magi nodded, satisfied. Three days off with half pay meant he could finally look at apartments. Maybe even check out that black fragment he'd found during his inventory.

  As they headed toward the exit, Magi noticed Vex watching him from across the lobby. She was speaking into a communication device, her eyes never leaving him.

  He kept walking, his expression neutral.

  Let them wonder.

  Let them theorize.

  As long as they classified his abilities as "Environmental Stabilization" or some other bureaucratic term, he could maintain his quiet existence.

  For now, at least.