The gates of Shelter Nine opened with a deep mechanical hum, revealing the sprawling Riftscape beyond.
Kael stepped through with Rae, Dren, and three other squad members, all armed with scanners, blades, and pulse-guns. He wore borrowed gear, light armor over his shoulders and a simple retractable staff, but it felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else.
Still, he moved forward.
The forest outside glowed faintly, its leaves shimmering with blue and green hues. Crystalline mushrooms pulsed under the trees. Strange birds flew overhead, silent, watchful. Everything looked like a dream painted with danger.
"Stay sharp," Rae called. "This zone is rated green, but the Rift changes fast."
Kael nodded, keeping close.
They followed a trail through dense underbrush for about half an hour. Their mission was simple: escort a researcher drone to a nearby mineral vein, scan it, and return.
Dren laughed as he kicked a rock out of the way. "Easy creds. These kinds of runs used to be my warm-up."
Kael barely smiled.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was… wrong.
The Spiral inside him was twitching, not active, but aware. Like a compass pulling his senses in all directions.
That's when the air shifted.
A distant crack. Then silence.
Rae's hand went to her blade. "Positions!"
The team snapped into formation. Kael moved to the center with the drone, heart racing.
The trees ahead shifted. Something big was moving.
Then it charged.
A beast burst from the shadows, massive, ape-like, but covered in moss and plated bark. Its arms glowed with green lines of energy, and its roar shattered the quiet.
"Bark Hulk!" Rae shouted. "Scatter!"
Kael dove aside as the ground exploded beneath the creature's weight. The others fired, blue pulse bolts slamming into its hide, slowing it but not stopping it.
Dren dashed past, slicing its leg with a plasma blade. "Come on, big guy, over here!"
Rae vaulted off a tree, her blade humming, and landed a clean strike across the beast's back. It screamed, turning violently.
Kael tried to back away, but stumbled.
The beast saw him.
It lunged.
Not enough time.
Then, the Spiral pulsed.
Just once.
His reflexes sharpened. The world slowed. His grip tightened.
Kael rolled to the side at the last second and jammed his staff into the beast's lower jaw, just enough to knock its head back. The impact shocked through his arms, but he didn't stop.
He moved like someone trained.
Like someone… else.
The others took the opening. Rae's blade sank into its heart. The beast froze, let out a last growl.
Then disintegrated into shimmering fragments.
A dark shard remained on the ground. A glowing, card-shaped crystal.
Rae picked it up and turned to Kael.
"You alright?"
He nodded, breath heavy. "What… was that?"
"A Class-F beast," she said. "You did well."
She turned the card over. "Looks like we got an ability drop."
Kael watched the card pulse in her hand. A part of him wanted it. Wanted to know what it felt like to absorb a beast's power. But he said nothing.
He didn't need it.
Not yet.
Not when something inside him was still waking up.
After they completed their mission of letting the research drone scan the terrain, they retraced their steps to go back to the shelter.
As they returned to Shelter Nine, Dren nudged him. "That dodge was impressive. You sure you're new?"
Kael just smiled.
The Riftspire was dangerous.
But so was he.
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End of Chapter 16 of volume 2