The System's voice, booming from the sky, left Aarav and Sarah frozen. One hour. Sixty minutes until they were ripped from Earth again.
"One hour?!" Aarav finally managed, his voice a strangled whisper. "I just got comfortable! I didn't even get to finish my mom's special tea!"
Sarah grabbed his arm, her eyes wide but focused. "No time for tea, Sharma! This is it. The 'Grand Crucible Conflux.' It sounds big."
``
"What do we even do?" Aarav asked, looking around Sarah's apartment. "Pack a bag? Grab a snack?"
"No point," Sarah said, already pulling up her UI. "The System probably handles all that. We need to tell your parents. And maybe Maya and Rohan."
Aarav's parents were, predictably, in a state of panic. His mother clung to him, tears streaming down her face. His father, usually strong, looked pale and helpless.
"One hour, beta?" his mother sobbed. "So soon?"
"It's okay, Mom," Aarav said, trying to sound calm, though his heart was racing. He hugged her tightly. "We'll be back. It's just... another part of the game. We'll get stronger. We'll save Earth." He looked at his father. "Take care of her, Dad."
His father nodded, a grim determination in his eyes. "You too, son. Be careful. And... win."
``
``
``
"They're as ready as they can be," Sarah said, looking at Aarav. "We did what we could in ten days."
Aarav nodded. He felt a strange mix of dread and a tiny spark of excitement. He had leveled up. He had new passive skills. He wasn't just a clueless civilian anymore. He was 'The Adaptor'.
``
The countdown flashed in the sky, visible even through Sarah's window.
"This is it," Sarah said, her voice quiet. She looked at him, a flicker of something soft in her sharp eyes. "Stick with me, Sharma. Don't do anything stupid."
"No promises," Aarav muttered, but he stood closer to her.
``
A blinding flash of light enveloped them. The familiar feeling of being stretched, pulled, and then a sudden, jarring snap.
Aarav landed on solid ground, a little unsteady. The air was different here. Not the reddish plain of their first arrival, nor the dampness of the Grotto. This place was vast, open, and filled with a strange, humming energy. The sky above was a swirling vortex of cosmic colors, unlike anything he'd seen before.
He looked around. Thousands upon thousands of players, from all the surviving planets, stood gathered. They were in a massive, circular arena, surrounded by towering, obsidian structures that seemed to reach into the swirling cosmos. This was the true heart of Aethelgard's Crucible.
``
Aarav felt a shiver. This wasn't just a warm-up. This was the main event of Phase 1.
He glanced at Sarah, who stood beside him, her face grim but ready. He could feel the faint, reassuring hum of their Panther Link.
Then, a new voice, deeper and more resonant than the System's usual monotone, echoed through the arena. It wasn't cold. It was filled with a bored, ancient power.
"Ah, good. The show can finally begin."