"I don't remember you being sent to laugh and make friends with them, Virel."
The voice came from above. I looked up and froze. Herald was literally standing above me. I quickly shifted a step back and touched my head instinctively.
Virel straightened, brushing imaginary dust off his clothes. "Sorry," he said, his tone trying for casual. "I was just... observing. Seeing what they were doing here."
"it seemed you had an amazing time.", herald grinned looking at the phone.
"No! No," Virel waved his hands quickly. "Well. Maybe a little. But I was gathering data and-"
"You got stunned by a lightning stick," Kael interrupted helpfully through the phone. Virel's jaw tensed. "...Experimenting," he muttered.
Herald's eyes didn't leave him. "Return."
"But—"
"Now."
Virel grimaced and gave me a fleeting look. Then he vanished.
Herald turned slightly, addressing the rest of us through the still-active call. "You know," he said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes, "you might want to check on your people." And then he vanished too.
"This isn't good," Eron muttered.
"What is not?" Siara asked—the question in all of our minds.
"He just vanished, and he's probably already reached his destination. I have to painfully pedal to the ground now," Eron groaned.
I rolled my eyes.
"Of course that's the part bothering you," I said dryly, still staring at the spot where Herald had disappeared.
Eron grunted, adjusting the straps on his glider.
"You'll survive," Siara said, brushing her hair back and peering over the edge of the ridge. "But what did he mean by check on your people?"
We all fell silent.
We agreed to meet again on the ground—standing there wasn't going to do any good. A few minutes later, after plenty of squeezing in and more than a little pushing, all of us were crammed together on the same rooftop.
The Fraticle Circle had now shifted—its form no longer a circle but a square, pulsing faintly with light. The two spheres—white and black—that had contained Zia and Salva had separated, drifting to opposite corners of the square.
We were still murmuring among ourselves, unsure what to make of it, when both spheres suddenly cracked open with a sound like splitting crystal.
Out stepped Salva, her hair now streaked with two brilliant white highlights, glowing faintly. Pale markings ran across her cheeks in delicate, angular patterns.
Zia followed a moment later. Her expression was unreadable, her face marked with shadowy black symbols that curled toward her temples. Faint gray streaks glinted in her hair like steel threads.
Then, all the people on the Fraticle opened their eyes.
Everyone seemed to be in a daze—blinking, disoriented, as if waking from a dream they didn't fully understand.
"From here on, the induction process is complete," Joren announced, his voice carrying across the rooftop. "Starting next week, they will be sent to the Saurus Quarters to begin their training sessions. Some selected non-Garriors will also be chosen to learn about the Garriors and their powers—and to understand what their presence means for the world."
She paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"The names of those selected for the non-Garrior course will be read out the day after tomorrow, during the Universal Verse—same as what you heard in the beginning."
After that, all the people within the Fraticle slowly began to vanish—one by one, dissolving into soft pulses of light, returning to wherever they had come from. The square shape of the Fraticle began to dim, its lines flickering, fading back into the ground like chalk washed away by rain.
Kaelen turned to glance at us one last time. His expression, as always, gave nothing away.
Then he and his group disappeared too, without a sound—gone as if they had never been there.
"Ah... I have a splitting headache," I heard Tavira groan behind me.
When I turned around, I saw her massaging her temples, eyes half-lidded. Beside her, Libra was stretching her limbs like she hadn't moved in hours, and Miran was blinking slowly, rubbing his eyes like a child just waking up.
We didn't even hesitate.
"LIBRA!" I shouted, launching myself at her in a full tackle-hug that nearly knocked us both over. She made a squeaky noise somewhere between a gasp and a laugh, arms flailing before finally hugging back.
Kael and Eron pounced on Miran like two overexcited puppies. He barely had time to grunt before they were draped over his shoulders like human backpacks.
"Taviraaa!" Favian howled—howled—and threw himself at her like a dramatic soap opera lead.
"Wait—wait, no—Favian—!" she tried to say, but it was too late. He wrapped her in the tightest hug imaginable, arms flailing, practically lifting her off the ground.
"I can't breathe," Tavira wheezed. "I. Can't. Breathe."
"I missed you!" Favian declared, burying his face in her shoulder.
"Are you crying?"
"Emotionally, yes."
Siara, meanwhile, stood to the side, blinking slowly. "...Is this normal?" she asked, glancing at me like I was supposed to have answers.
I shrugged. "For us? Pretty much."
Tavira finally peeled Favian off her. "Okay, okay, enough emotion. I think you realigned my spine."
"You're welcome," Favian said proudly, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye.
Meanwhile, Miran was struggling to extract himself from beneath Eron and Kael, who had apparently switched from a heartfelt reunion to full-blown wrestling somewhere along the way. Miran, unfortunately, had become the unwilling mat.
I had long since let Libra go—mostly because she threatened to kick me if I didn't—and Siara had wrapped her in a warm hug, smiling in that rare, quiet way she did when things felt right again. We were all just... happy. Genuinely, unbelievably happy to be back together.
Across the rooftop, it was the same. People were embracing, crying, laughing—some sitting down right where they stood, overwhelmed with relief. Everywhere you looked, there were emotional reunions, curious chatter, and the buzzing hum of life reawakening.
Even the sky felt lighter.
"Oh my god! Did you apply for these blue highlights in your last hair spa, Libra?" Tavira asked, holding up a glowing strand from Libra's sleek black hair like it was evidence in a crime.
Libra blinked, then frowned. "What—no, I didn't— Hey! stop pulling it."
"TAVIRA...."