In all his years as a researcher, Veritas never thought he'd find himself in a situation like this...

Sorey was a planet once known for its contribution to the scientific community of the cosmo. A place filled with scholars and erudite. But tragedy had struck the world. An unknown event caused it to split in half, killing nearly 95% of its population.

Although the place had been reduced to a wasteland of abandoned cities, there was a lot of work that could be retrieved from a place of such prestige. And that was his mission, to recover every bit of scientific discovery the diseased scientist had made. Anyone would think the IPC would send people to rescue survivors, but the truth couldn't be farther from that. Their interest was only what Sorey could hide that would make the corporation profit more. Veritas was profusely against that idea, but as a researcher of the Intelligentsia Guild, an expedition at a place like Sorey was too tempting to refuse. Although as capable as he was, nothing could prepare Veritas for what he'd encounter there. Not beasts of all sorts of kind, but a survivor. A resident of the dead planet, around their middle twenties. An rough and unrefined Emanator of the path of Erudition.

He was hanging upside down in an abandoned warehouse, his legs being securely held by ropes made out of blue light energy. He had just recovered consciousness.

"Cease this nonsense at once! Release me!" Veritas commanded to the person standing in front of him, their arms crossed as they had a smug grin on their face. He was so annoyed by that person, but he had to admit that they were smart, way too smart for managing to capture him like that.

(Swipe for different scenarios.)