The sun was just starting to rise when Kael stepped onto the ledge again, looking out across the Rift Valley.
This time, he wasn't alone.
A young soldier named Leron had joined him. Quiet, bookish, with data glasses always perched on his nose, Leron was one of Aria's newer recruits. He wasn't built for battle, but he was sharp, especially when it came to the Riftspire.
"You've never been past the Gate, have you?" Leron asked, pulling out a slim datapad.
"No," Kael said. "Just heard rumors."
Leron smiled. "Then let me show you."
He tapped a few commands. The datapad projected a glowing, floating map above Kael's palm, a massive, vibrant world wrapped in layered fog and glowing borders. Cities floated like islands in the sky. Massive forests pulsed with light. Giant shadowy beasts moved in the valleys. Towering gates shimmered at crossroads like magical portals.
"Welcome to Riftspire," Leron said. "The galaxy's great equalizer. Doesn't matter if you're rich or poor out here, only your strength matters."
Kael stared in awe.
"This place… it's alive."
Leron nodded. "Very much so. The environment shifts. Some areas only open during blood moons. Others disappear if you don't return fast enough. The energy here isn't natural, it's a mix of evolution, old technology, and something else… some say it's alive."
Kael pointed to one of the shimmering markers on the map. "That?"
"Sanctuary Outposts," Leron explained. "There are dozens scattered across the Spire. People live in them, fight from them. Most of them are ranked. The higher the rank, the better the safety, resources, and beast spawn."
"And those?" Kael gestured at the floating cards circling the terrain.
"Beasts," Leron said with a grin. "When you kill one, you get a chance to create a genetic card. You absorb it, and you gain the beast's skill, sometimes its form, speed, strength, fire, wings, venom. It's... unpredictable. Some people build entire combat decks around it."
"Just like the core beast trials," Kael said softly. "But freeform."
"Exactly. And there's more," Leron said, zooming in. "Some places have relics, ancient DNA fragments from creatures that shouldn't exist. Others have Trials, temples that test your mind and body. The rewards? Myth-level cards. Rare genes. And sometimes... things even GenCore wants but can't reach."
Kael was silent.
A world where strength isn't handed to you.
A place where the Spiral can grow... or die.
Later that day, Aria gathered the squad.
"The Riftspire Gate is ahead," she said. "The military doesn't allow just anyone through. You need a verified Awakening or sponsorship."
She glanced at Kael.
"I'll vouch for him."
The soldiers looked surprised, but no one objected.
As they packed up, Kael stood still for a moment, watching the horizon.
He could feel it again, that distant humming, like the Spiral was stirring.
This place beyond the Rift… it wasn't just a battlefield.
It was a forge.
This is where I rebuild, Kael thought.
This is where I become something more.
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End of Chapter 11 of volume 2.