"Alright," Cael said eventually, straightening up with a grunt. "Let's take five before we move again."
Lucien nodded. "Good idea."
They found a patch of shade beneath a jagged rock formation and sat down, backs against stone still humming faintly with residual aether. For a moment, neither spoke. The Rift was never truly quiet, but this was as close as it came.
Cael broke the silence first.
"Not gonna lie," he said, staring at his hands. "I thought I'd freeze up in here."
Lucien glanced at him. "You didn't."
"I almost did," Cael admitted. "First few minutes, my head was a mess. Too many sounds. Too many things moving."
Lucien nodded slowly. "That's normal."
Cael snorted. "You say that like you've been doing this forever."
Lucien hesitated, then smiled slightly. "Different kind of battlefield. Same pressure."
Cael leaned back, exhaling. "Still. I didn't think I'd adapt this fast."
"You didn't," Lucien said honestly. "You chose to."
Cael blinked and looked at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Lucien shrugged. "You listened. You trusted the plan. That's half the fight."
Cael considered that, then chuckled. "Guess I'll take the compliment."
They sat there a while longer, watching motes of light drift through the Rift air.
"You think the others are holding up?" Cael asked.
Lucien's eyes traced the distant glow of a flare far off in the Rift. It faded quickly, replaced by silence.
"Some will struggle," he said. "Some already are. But most will learn."
"Even the noisy ones?" Cael smirked.
Lucien allowed himself a quiet laugh. "Especially the noisy ones. The Rift humbles everyone."
Cael nodded, expression sobering. "I saw a flare go off earlier. Close. Real close."
"Yeah," Lucien replied. "Supervisors are doing their job."
"And us?"
Lucien stood, shifting the weight of the harvested materials against his side. He felt it pull at his balance, slow him just a little.
"We keep moving," he said. "Carefully. But forward."
Lyra floated up beside him, her light steady, her presence reassuring.
Cael rose as well, tightening the straps of his pack. "You're acting different."
Lucien met his gaze. "Different how?"
"More focused," Cael said. "Like you've got something you're chasing."
Lucien smiled faintly. "Maybe I do."
Cael didn't push further. He just nodded and adjusted his grip on his weapon.
"Well," he said, "lead the way, strategist."
Lucien stepped forward, feeling the weight of the hunt settle more firmly against him.
They did not walk far before Lucien felt it again.
The faint tug in his chest, the familiar pull that came right before the system interface gave him his usual warning
▓▒░ [Soulbinder Interface: Threat Detected]
Estimated Rank: E
Distance: Close
Hostility: High.] ░▒▓
He slowed without thinking, hand lifting slightly. Cael caught it at once and stopped beside him.
"Another one?" Cael asked under his breath.
Lucien nodded. "Yeah. Close."
The system's warning hovered at the edge of his sight, clean and calm as always, yet Lucien felt no calm in it this time. He scanned the surroundings instead of charging ahead. The Rift path ahead curved gently, lined with jagged stone and low crystal growths that hummed softly with aether.
Nothing looked out of place.
And that was the problem.
They had already fought more beasts than he expected in such a short stretch. Even for a controlled Rift, the pacing felt off.
"You feeling it too?" Lucien asked quietly.
Cael frowned. "Yeah. Thought it was just nerves at first."
Lucien didn't answer. He was watching the sky of the Rift, a dull, shifting haze that now flickered faintly with distant flashes.
Emergency flares.
Not many, but just enough to notice.
One went up far to the left. Then another, closer, pulsing red before fading.
Lucien exhaled slowly. "That's not coincidence."
Cael followed his gaze, jaw tightening. "You think something's pushing them?"
"Or something awakened," Lucien replied.
But they forged ahead, though more alert now, taking note of their surroundings.
Lyra drifted closer to him, her glow dimming slightly. "The air feels wrong."
That settled it.
Lucien opened the system interface again, fingers twitching as if he were navigating a familiar menu only he could see.
"If this is going to get messy," he muttered, "then we don't walk in unprepared."
The Essence System responded instantly.
He selected Lyra.
The interface shifted.
▓▒░ [Essence System Active] ░▒▓
Stored EP: 770
Compatible Target: Summon – Lyra
▓▒░ [Skill Upgrade Available]
Skill: Static Arc
Current Level: Novice
Upgrade: Adept
Cost: 300 EP] ░▒▓
Static Arc hovered there, newly acquired but untested. Lucien studied it for a brief second, then made his choice.
"Upgrade," he said softly.
The confirmation pulsed.
And the Essence point drained.
▓▒░ [Upgrade Successful]
Static Arc (Adept)
Effect: Lyra can release a chained lightning strike that jumps between nearby enemies, dealing sustained damage. Chain range and stability increased.] ░▒▓
Lyra stiffened midair, light flaring brighter as thin threads of lightning danced across her form. The air around her crackled, sharp and alive, and the hum that followed was deeper than before.
She blinked. "I feel… wider."
Lucien allowed himself a small smile. "That means it worked."
And the interface earlier confirmed it.
Lucien had studied the effect and indeed the Static Arc had changed. It was no longer a simple strike, as the description spoke of chained movement, of sustained contact, of energy that could leap and linger.
"Don't overdo it," Lucien said finally. "Use it when I tell you."
Lyra nodded, excitement barely contained. "I understand."
They moved again, slower now, senses stretched thin.
Then the system's warning came again.
▓▒░ [Soulbinder Interface: Threat Detected]
Estimated Rank: E
Distance: Close] ░▒▓
Lucien froze.
But a second alert followed almost immediately.
▓▒░ [Soulbinder Interface: Additional Threat Detected]
Estimated Rank: E+
Distance: Close] ░▒▓
Then a third came.
The interface came with emergency. It was sharper, louder, and urgent.
▓▒░ [EMERGENCY ALERT]
Multiple Hostile Lifeforms Detected
Threat Density: Abnormal
Warning Level: HIGH] ░▒▓
His heart dropped.
Lucien swore under his breath.
"Cael," he said, voice low but firm. "We're not alone out here."
As if to confirm it, a flare shot up not far ahead. This one was close enough that its light reflected off the crystal ridges around them.