When they reached the monastery, the world gave no warning.
The magitech network continued its quiet operation.
The ley lines flowed as usual.
Even the night wind felt almost merciful.
But Bella knew—
this kind of calm did not mean they hadn't been noticed.
Beneath the northern cliffs of Blackstone Territory lay a blind spot—
a place where all anomalous frequencies were naturally ignored.
So they chose to stop there
and began deploying in reverse.
The monastery was hidden beneath the northern cliffs of Blackstone Territory. On the surface, it served as a refuge for disabled beastkin. In reality, it had been transformed by Medical Officer L (Lynn) into something closer to an underground field hospital.
Once the four of them—and the unconscious Oren—entered the sealed chamber, Lynn immediately activated the soundproofing array.
"This place is secure," Lynn said, removing her mask. Her face looked sharp and cold under the moonlight.
"But I didn't expect you to bring Oren with you. His rank in the Empire's Magitech Sequence is high. His disappearance will trigger a large-scale search."
"He knows about the Rift," R (Rosa) said, slamming her pack onto the table. Her eyes were razor-sharp.
"And his obsession with our 'cross-world compatibility' is the best cover we could ask for."
Lynn turned and retrieved a vial of deep-blue blood from a rack—concentrated samples extracted from multiple beastkin patients.
"Leader, take a look."
She placed the vial under a custom-built magnification device—constructed using refractive magitech crystals.
"I've confirmed that beastkin in this world aren't simply subspecies," Lynn explained.
"There's a non-natural base pair embedded in their genetic chains. When I attempted to approach it using residual electronic signals from our old equipment—"
She tapped a small discharge unit.
Hummm—
Inside the vial, the blood rearranged itself—forming geometric patterns eerily similar to binary code.
"This isn't magic," B (Bella) inhaled sharply. As a tech specialist, she recognized it instantly.
"This is a nano-scale bio-interface. Beastkin bodies were designed as vessels—for some kind of external system."
"Exactly," Lynn nodded.
"That explains why you achieved near-perfect integration after crossing worlds. And it also means—if we can unlock this code—we can use beastkin bodies to reactivate modern devices that should have been long dead."
Under Rosa's command, thirty able-bodied beastkin slaves were assembled inside the monastery.
Their eyes had once been dull, their bodies broken. But with Lynn's medical expertise—and Oren's magitech knowledge, extracted under the threat of claws—a transformation began.
A cross-era reconstruction.
Neural Link System (L & B – Joint Operation)
Lynn surgically opened the back of each subject's neck, embedding micro-crystals dismantled by Bella from obsolete magitech devices.
This allowed the beastkin to receive Rosa's tactical commands through low-frequency vibration—
enabling silent battlefield coordination.
Exoskeletal Armament (R & Oren – Forced Collaboration)
Oren surrendered the formula for Gravitational Expansion.
Rosa applied it to crude steel stolen from the mines, creating a simple but devastating exoskeleton that massively enhanced strength and defense.
Designation: Black Iron Type-I.
Biochemical Disguise & Infiltration (J – Specialized Training)
J (Jessie) trained the beastkin to suppress feral instincts, teaching human etiquette, speech patterns, and psychological manipulation.
They would become shadows—
able to move within human settlements without detection.
Two Weeks Later
In the forest behind the monastery—
A unit of beastkin warriors stood in silence, clad in black cloaks. Their movements were perfectly synchronized. Their breathing matched exactly.
There was no trace of slavery left in their eyes.
Only the cold obedience of trained operatives.
"We don't need magic," Rosa said from above, overlooking the unit.
"We are technology. We are discipline. We are a force this world does not understand."
"Leader," Bella approached quickly, holding a detector pulsing with red lights.
"My comm base station just received a response. Massive electronic interference has been detected in the Holy Land of the Theocracy, south of Blackstone Territory."
"That place…" Lynn frowned.
"It's where legends say the gods once descended."
Rosa clenched her fist. Panther claws gouged deep lines into the metal railing.
"It seems the Rift didn't just send us here," she said coldly.
"It's offloading into this world. And if the Theocracy has control over our technological remnants—"
"Then we take them back."
Rosa didn't elaborate.
She simply raised her hand and gave a short squad signal.
The Black Iron Type-I beastkin split into two columns instantly—no words, no hesitation—like the night itself cutting them apart.
"I'll lead one team," Rosa said, her voice low and steady.
"To the Holy Land."
She turned to Bella and Lynn.
"You stay here. Track the interference source. Identify the true speaker behind it."
Bella nodded, then added quietly,
"If they're really operating an old-world system…"
Rosa finished for her, her tone calm to the point of cruelty.
"Then we'll be the first heretics to trespass into a god's domain."
Near midnight, they departed the monastery beneath the cliffs.
Rosa. Jessie.
And twelve Black Iron Type-I beastkin.
They moved south along the ancient Pilgrimage Road.
The path was wide, well-kept, paved with pale stone—
not like a road leading to war…
But like a road leading to absolution.