Valmont Series - Inheritance Code

Chapter 2.1 - The Arrival Protocol

Almost human. Almost.

The figure inclined its head with elegant mechanical grace.

"Welcome, Lancaster. Aria. Aiden."

The voice was warm but too precise, balanced exactly between polite and performative.

"I am Hermes, your arrival custodian."

Aria blinked. "You talk?"

"Naturally," Hermes replied with a faint touch of pride. "Silence unnerves the newly inducted. A charming guide reduces emotional destabilization. Would you prefer a witty quip or historical trivia?"

Aria opened her mouth to say something—anything—but Aiden beat her to it, his voice cutting through first.

"Where exactly are we?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly as he stepped forward, scanning the immaculate crystalline floor beneath his feet and the towering pale structures that enclosed them. Ambient mist coiled softly between sculpted columns, and faint lines of kinetic light traced elegant pathways along the walls and ceiling — alive, but silent. The platform felt suspended in its own pocket of atmosphere, more ceremonial than functional.

Aria's fingers tightened on the strap of her bag, pulse quickening as she glanced around. Everything gleamed with silent purpose. Too perfect. Too quiet.

Aiden continued, this time his voice lower, threaded with unease.

"Actually... is this even Earth anymore?"

He hesitated, lips pressing into a thin line. "Or did we just cross into some kind of simulation?"

Hermes's eyes glimmered faintly, clearly pleased to be asked.

"Your inquiry is valid. We are currently positioned within the Lost Designation Grid. To human understanding, you may recognize it by a more whimsical name — the Bermuda Triangle."

Aria stared, slack-jawed. "You mean where ships and planes disappear?"

Hermes nodded serenely.

"Indeed. Untraceable. Unrecorded by conventional maps. Home to legends, vanishings, and delightful conspiracy theories. Avalon exists within controlled veil space here — undetectable, self-sustaining, and elegantly exclusive."

Aiden was already tapping at his disconnected smartwatch, frustration leaking through. "No GPS. Figures."

Aria swallowed, her voice tight. "So... can we even leave?"

"In theory? Yes," Hermes answered lightly, as if discussing weather forecasts. "In practice? Rarely necessary. Avalon is... complete."

He gestured smoothly ahead, kinetic lights softly illuminating their path forward.

"However," he continued, "designated exits are permitted. During the annual Prestige Calendar recess — Solvita, aligning with the twelfth month of your Gregorian calendar — most students return to their outside estates and global obligations. Seasonal engagements, philanthropic appearances, family mandates. All quite glamorous."

Aria felt a brief flicker of relief... until Aiden asked the obvious next question.

"And during the school year?"

Hermes brightened — the AI equivalent of delivering privileged gossip.

"Temporary leave is restricted to purpose-driven departures. Diplomatic missions for the House of Dominion. Fashion circuits and global showcases for the House of Solara. Certified Field Operations—also known as Stratagem Excursions—required for graduation. These are merely examples. Each House maintains its own elite pathways and conditions for sanctioned exits, all governed by Prestige-based authorizations."

Aria scowled. "So no casual weekend trips?"

"Ah, casual travel is technically permitted," Hermes mused, tilting his head with polite amusement. "But unlocking such privileges requires trust clearance. Once a student's reliability threshold is met, personal leave becomes accessible — subject to VYXA usage for re-entry flights, of course. Avalon invests only in the disciplined."

Aria's eyes narrowed slightly. "VYXA?"

Aiden frowned too. "Trust clearance? Reliability thresholds?"

Hermes smiled in that ever-patient, slightly smug way only AI could perfect.

"All very valid questions," he said smoothly. "And ones I am not programmed to answer in depth. Your Syntax companions will provide full orientation and guidance on VYXA and all Avalon systems shortly."

Aria crossed her arms, unconvinced. "So basically, you're saying—wait and see."

Hermes inclined his head gracefully, taking no offense. "In so many words, yes. Syntax units are designed to bond, mentor, and inform far more intimately than Arrival Custodians such as myself. You will find them... enlightening."

Without missing a beat, he gestured again down the luminous pathway ahead, his tone effortlessly polite yet brisk.

"Shall we proceed to Orientation Concourse? Your Syntax companions await activation. Unlike myself, they bond, adapt... and gossip. You will find them charming. I, however, am forbidden to gossip unless bribed with good conversation."

Aria, despite herself, let out a small laugh.

It was the first sound of genuine amusement since they'd arrived.

Without further hesitation, they followed Hermes into the corridor, kinetic glass folding ahead of them like ripples in silent water.

The platform sealed shut behind them, glass petals closing the sky — the last glimpse of the world they'd left behind gone in an instant.

Avalon was already watching.

And now, they belonged to it.

Next: Syntax Awake — Every heir must be claimed. Will it accept you... or reject you?