Saturday Morning - 5:30 AM
Kaelen woke before his alarm, nervous energy pulling him from sleep earlier than usual. The dorm room was still dark, the faint blue glow of city lights filtering through his window painting everything in muted tones.
He dressed quickly and stepped outside into the pre-dawn chill.
The academy grounds were silent than usual, even for this hour. A few students jogged past, but most were still asleep. Kaelen found his usual spot near the outer training grounds and began.
Fifty push-ups. Fifty pull-ups. Five miles around.
[Daily Quest Complete: Physical Conditioning]
[Rewards: +30 XP (Base & System) | +1 Stat Point]
[Base Level: 8] (930/1900 XP)
[System Level: 6] (1530/1800 XP)
[Stat Points: 11]
Kaelen wiped the sweat from his face and pulled up his full status screen.
[Name: Kaelen Burn]
[Class: Chrononaut]
[Race: Human]
[Title: None]
[Energy Level: Initiate]
[Point Stage: Initiate Stage (Initiate Basic Control)]
[Classification: Unique]
[Ability Grade: S-Grade]
[Base Level: 8] (930/1900 XP)
[System Level: 6] (1530/1800 XP)
[HP: 385/385]
[A.E.: 425/425]
[Stat Points: 11]
Only 270 XP until System Level 7. So close.
He closed the interface and headed back to shower and prepare. Equipment check ran through his mind like a mantra: Aether Chain charged, Guardian's Band equipped, personal gear ready.
Today was the day. First mission outside the Enclave's barriers. First time leading a team in actual field conditions.
First time facing real Aether Beasts since awakening his Trait.
...
Western Transport Hub - 7:30 AM
The western transport hub was massive, a sprawling facility of reinforced platforms and hover-vehicle bays. Multiple transports were being prepped simultaneously, their sleek hulls gleaming under the morning light. Academy personnel moved with practiced efficiency, checking systems and loading equipment.
Kaelen arrived to find most of the Unique Combat students already gathering. The nervous energy was palpable—excited chatter, last-minute equipment checks, students clustered in their assigned teams.
Team 3 was assembling near Transport Bay 7.
Davrin stood with arms crossed, his serious expression focused on the transport being prepped. Mira bounced on her heels, practically vibrating with excitement. Oren adjusted his wristband repeatedly, likely running final system checks. Mateo, Kenji, and Sofia stood in a loose cluster, talking quietly.
Vyne was, predictably, nowhere to be seen.
"Morning," Kaelen greeted as he approached.
"Kaelen!" Mira's face lit up. "This is actually happening! We're going outside!"
"Nervous?" Davrin asked, his tone neutral.
"I can't say," Kaelen replied.
"That's a yes," Oren said without looking up from his wristband.
At 7:45 AM, with five minutes until departure, Vyne materialized from the crowd as if she'd been there all along.
"Morning, everyone!" she said cheerfully, her silver-white hair catching the light. "Ready for an adventure?"
"You're late," Oren said.
"I'm exactly on time," Vyne corrected. "You were all just early."
Before anyone could respond, Instructor Mira's voice carried across the hub.
"All Unique Combat students, gather for final equipment distribution!"
The thirty-two first-years moved toward a central staging area where crates of equipment were arranged in organized rows. Instructor Mira stood beside them, her amber eyes scanning the approaching students with calm efficiency.
"Form lines by team," she directed.
Team 3 fell into position. Kaelen found himself at the front, the responsibility of team leader settling over him like a physical weight.
Academy personnel began distributing equipment systematically.
"Survey tools," an officer announced, handing Kaelen a compact case. "Aether purity scanners, sample containers, documentation tablets. Handle with care."
Kaelen accepted it, the case surprisingly light despite its contents.
"Communication devices." Another officer distributed small earpiece-style units. "Linked to Instructor Mira and all team leaders. Emergency channel accessible via double-tap."
Kaelen fitted his earpiece, the device settling comfortably. A soft chime confirmed activation.
"Emergency beacons." These were wrist-mounted units, sleek. "Single button activation. Triggers immediate distress signal and GPS location. Only use in genuine emergencies."
Kaelen fastened his to his left wrist, opposite the Aether Chain on his right.
"Emergency aether crystals." Each student received a small F-rank crystal in a protective case. "Thirty A.E. capacity, single-use. Break seal only when necessary."
Kaelen stored his carefully in an interior pocket.
Then came something unexpected.
"Standard field weapons," the officer announced, gesturing to a separate crate. "Optional equipment for students without primary combat tools. E-rank classification."
Kaelen stepped forward, curious. The crate contained an assortment of weapons: swords, daggers, staff configurations, and what looked like reinforced gauntlets.
Most of Team 3 declined immediately.
"I don't need a weapon," Davrin said. "My ability works best without one."
Mira shook her head. "Environmental Mimicry doesn't work well with held items. Unless i copy said items, that is."
Mateo, Kenji, and Sofia all passed as well, their abilities functioning better without physical weapons interfering.
Vyne just smiled and said, "I'm good, thanks."
But Kaelen hesitated, looking at the available options.
The officer noticed. "You're primarily a spatial manipulator, correct?
"Yes."
"Most Chronomancer don't use weapons, but some find close-combat tools useful for aether channeling. But use something that suites your fighting style."
Kaelen studied the choices. The swords were elegant but required training he didn't have. The daggers felt too small. But the gauntlets...
He picked up one of the reinforced gauntlets. It was surprisingly light, form-fitting alloy that covered from knuckles to mid-forearm. Faint etchings ran along the surface—aether-conductive patterns.
[Analytical Scan Lv. 2]
[–5 A.E.]
[Aether Strike Gauntlet]
[E-Rank Weapon]
[Type: Close Combat Enhancement]
[Effect: +5 Strength, +3 Defense]
[Special: Enhances aether-coated strikes by 15%]
[Durability:E-rank]
Five points to strength. Three to defense. And it would make his already aether-coated strikes more effective.
"I'll take this," Kaelen said.
The officer nodded approvingly. "Good choice for your fighting style. Fits either hand."
Kaelen chose the right hand, fitting the gauntlet carefully. It adjusted automatically, tightening to form a perfect seal. The metal was cool against his skin, but within seconds it warmed, syncing with his aether flow.
He flexed his fingers. The gauntlet moved smoothly, no restriction to movement. When he channeled a small amount of aether into it, the etchings glowed faint blue.
[Strength: 45(+5)
[Defense: 51(+8)]
He got 5 defense stat from Guardian's Band and 3 defense Stat from the gauntlet.
Oren stepped forward next. "I'll take a weapon as well."
He selected a thin, elegant blade—more of a long dagger than a sword. But when the officer handed it to him, Kaelen noticed it had an unusual property. The blade seemed to shimmer, as if not entirely solid.
[Sensory Echo Blade - E-Rank Artifact Weapon]
[Type: Specialized Combat Tool]
[Effect: +3 Perception]
[Special: Resonates with user's abilities, extending effects by 20%]
[Durability:E-rank]
With equipment distributed, Instructor Mira called for attention one final time.
"This is your final briefing," she said, her voice carrying easily across the assembled students. "You've all uniques for a reason, prove you can handle real field conditions."
Her amber eyes swept across them all. "I'll be monitoring remotely but will not intervene unless absolutely necessary. This is your mission. Your teams. Your decisions."
She paused, letting that sink in.
"Stay within designated zones. Retreat if overwhelmed. Trust your leaders. Trust your training." Her expression softened slightly. "And come back safely. All of you."
A ripple of determination passed through the students.
"Team leaders, report to your transports. Departure in five minutes."
...
Transport Bay 7 - 8:00 AM
Team 3 boarded their assigned transport, a sleek hover-vehicle with reinforced hull and seating for ten. The interior was surprisingly comfortable—padded seats arranged in two rows facing each other, storage compartments for equipment, and a transparent section of hull that offered a view outside.
Kaelen took a seat near the front, equipment case secured beside him. His team settled in around him:
- Davrin and Mateo sat across, both silent and focused
- Mira claimed the window seat, practically pressing her face against the glass already
- Oren sat beside Kaelen, already running checks on his blade
- Kenji, and Sofia, arranged themselves in the remaining seats
- Vyne, naturally, chose the seat directly next to Kaelen
The pilot's voice came through the internal comm: "Transport 7, all passengers secured. Preparing for departure."
The engine hummed to life, a low vibration that Kaelen felt through his seat. Then, smoothly, they lifted off.
The transport rose above the platform, climbing steadily. Through the transparent section, Kaelen watched the academy fall away below them. The towers that had seemed so impossibly tall now looked small, just one part of a vast sprawling complex.
They climbed higher, and the full scale of Veyra Enclave revealed itself.
The upper tiers gleamed like polished gems, their glass and metal surfaces reflecting the morning sun. The middle tiers spread outward in organized patterns, residential and commercial districts forming geometric precision. And the lower tiers...
Kaelen could see his old neighborhood down there, the section where he'd grown up. From this height, it looked gray and shadowed, the buildings older and more cramped, the streets narrower. It felt both familiar and distant, like looking at a memory rather than a real place.
"It's beautiful," Mira whispered, her face still pressed to the window.
"It's enormous," Davrin said quietly. "I've never seen the full Enclave from outside before."
The transport continued climbing, approaching the barrier.
Kaelen felt it before he saw it—a pressure change in the air, a subtle resistance. Then they passed through, and everything shifted.
The shimmering barrier rippled around them like passing through a vertical sheet of water. For a heartbeat, the world blurred. Then they were through.
Outside.
Beyond the Enclave's protective walls for the first time in his life.
The change was immediate and striking.
The colors shifted—everything became slightly more vivid, almost oversaturated. The sky wasn't quite the right shade of blue; it had faint aurora-like patterns woven through it, residual energy from the Veil creating permanent atmospheric distortions.
The landscape below was twisted in ways that defied natural geology. Trees grew at odd angles, some seeming to lean against invisible forces. Rocks floated inches above the ground, held aloft by localized anti-gravity pockets. The grass itself glowed faintly, blue-green bioluminescence from aether-infused flora.
"This is the Scourged Zone," Oren said quietly, his enhanced vision tracking details the others might miss. "This is what the Descent created."
The transport flew steadily eastward, following a designated safe corridor. Below them, the terrain stretched endlessly—beautiful and terrible in equal measure.
Kaelen noticed Beast movement occasionally. Small creatures that scattered at the transport's approach. Larger shapes that watched from distances, calculating whether the vehicle was threat or prey.
This was a world where humanity no longer dominated by default. This was territory where the rules had been rewritten.
"Drop-off in fifteen minutes," the pilot announced. "Eastern zone designated landing area."
Kaelen felt his team's energy shift. Nervous excitement giving way to focused preparation. Mira stopped pressing against the window. Davrin's expression grew more serious. Even Vyne's usual cheerfulness took on a sharper edge.
They were approaching the point of no return.
Oren leaned slightly toward Kaelen. "You ready for this?"
Kaelen tested the weight of the gauntlet on his right hand, felt the Aether Chain's presence on his left wrist. He had moved it, when putting on the gauntlet. His equipment was prepared. His team was as trained, as first-years could be at least.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I'm ready."
The transport began its descent.
...
Landing Zone - 9:00 AM
The transport touched down in a cleared area, rocky terrain with sparse vegetation glowing faintly in the ambient aether radiation. The engines powered down to idle, and the side door slid open with a soft hiss.
The first thing Kaelen noticed was the air.
It felt different—thicker, charged with latent energy. Every breath carried a faint metallic tang, like tasting electricity. The temperature was comfortable, but the atmosphere itself hummed with a subsonic vibration that he felt in his bones more than heard.
"Disembark," the pilot called. "Pickup is scheduled at 14:00 hours at this exact location. Do not be late."
Team 3 filed out onto the rocky ground. Kaelen stepped down last, his boots crunching against crystalline gravel that sparkled faintly blue.
The transport lifted immediately, engines roaring as it climbed back toward safe altitude. Within seconds, it was gone, leaving them alone.
The silence that followed was profound.
No city noise. No hum of civilization's machinery. Just wind, and distant sounds—howls, clicks, things Kaelen couldn't identify. The Scourged Zone had its own soundtrack, alien and unsettling.
"Stay together," Kaelen said, his voice sounding strange in the open air. "Oren, immediate perimeter scan."
Oren closed his eyes, activating Sensory Amplification. His expression tightened with concentration as he extended his awareness outward.
"Clear within one hundred meters," he reported after several seconds. "Detecting faint signatures further out, but they're not moving toward us. No immediate threats."
"Kenji, shadow scout," Kaelen directed.
Kenji nodded, his own shadow fragmenting. Dark shapes peeled away from him like living things, spreading across the ground in multiple directions. They moved independently, each one an extension of his awareness.
After a moment, Kenji opened his eyes. "Path ahead is clear for at least one hundred meters. No ambush points detected."
Kaelen pulled up the map on his wristband, confirming their position. The deposit site was marked thirty minutes northeast, following a relatively clear path through rock formations.
"Standard formation," Kaelen said. "Davrin and Mateo, take point. Mira, Sofia, center with me. Oren and Kenji, rear guard. Vyne..." He looked at her. "Where do you want to be?"
"I'll float," Vyne said cheerfully. "Don't worry about me."
Kaelen decided not to argue. "Stay within sight of the main group. Everyone activates passive perception. Call out anything unusual immediately."
The team formed up naturally, spacing themselves for mutual support but maintaining enough distance to avoid clustered vulnerability. Kaelen activated Spatial Awareness, his three-meter detection radius expanding around him like an invisible bubble.
They began walking.
The terrain was unstable in places. The ground looked solid but occasionally shifted underfoot, aether pockets making the soil unstable. Kaelen nearly stumbled once when a rock he'd stepped on sank slightly, as if the ground beneath had turned briefly liquid.
"Watch your footing," he called back. "Terrain's not stable."
The flora around them glowed softly, blue-green bioluminescence pulsing in slow rhythms. Some plants seemed to react to their presence, leaves folding inward as they passed, while others reached toward them with unsettling curiosity.
"Don't touch anything," Oren warned. "Some of this vegetation is predatory."
The rock formations rose around them, crystalline structures that refracted light in strange patterns. Kaelen noticed his reflection in one—distorted, multiplied, as if dozens of versions of himself were walking parallel paths through adjacent realities.
It was disorienting.
Distant sounds echoed through the formations. Howls that might be wind or might be creatures. Clicking noises that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The subsonic hum grew stronger as they ventured deeper.
"How far?" Davrin asked.
Kaelen checked the map. "Fifteen minutes at current pace."
"Oren?"
"Still clear. Wait—" Oren stopped, his enhanced hearing picking up something. "Movement. Three signatures. Small. Concealed in the rock formation ahead, eighty meters."
Everyone halted immediately, dropping into defensive stances.
"Ranks?" Kaelen asked quietly.
Oren concentrated. "F-rank, most likely. Bear-sized. They're not moving yet, just... waiting."
Kenji's shadows darted forward, scouting ahead while the team remained still. After tense seconds, they returned.
"Confirmed," Kenji said. "Three creatures. Canine body structure, but with crystalline growths along the spine. They're aware of us."
Kaelen activated Analytical Scan, pushing his perception forward.
[–5 A.E.]
At maximum range, he caught a glimpse of data:
[Aether-Scourged Wolf]
[Rank: F]
[Threat Level: F rank]
[Abilities: Pack tactics, minor aether-enhanced bite, enhanced basic speed]
[Weakness: Poor individual defense]
"F-rank Aether-Scourged wolves," Kaelen said quietly.
Kaelen nodded. "Davrin, Mateo, take point. Sofia, be ready with sonic disruption if they coordinate. Everyone else, support as needed. We engage on my mark."
The team adjusted positions. Davrin moved forward, Kinetic Absorption already active, his body ready to absorb impact. Mateo flanked left, positioning for optimal Pulsebreak angle.
The wolves noticed the movement and emerged from concealment, growling low. Their eyes glowed faint amber, aether crackling along their crystalline spines.
They looked hungry.
"Mark," Kaelen said quietly.
The wolves charged.
The first wolf went straight for Davrin, the largest threat. It leaped, jaws snapping toward his throat.
Davrin caught it mid-air with Kinetic Absorption, his hands glowing as he absorbed the creature's momentum completely. The wolf hung suspended for a heartbeat, confused. Then Davrin released all that stored energy as a concussive blast from his palms.
BOOM
The wolf flew backward, slamming into a rock with bone-breaking force. It didn't get up.
The second wolf tried to flank, targeting Mateo. It was fast, low to the ground, difficult to track.
Mateo waited until it was three meters away, then struck the ground with Pulsebreak.
The shockwave rippled outward, destabilizing the wolf's footing mid-leap. It tumbled, and went off-balance.
Kaelen used Flash Step, appearing beside it in a blur of motion.
[–19 A.E.]
His gauntleted fist, coated with aether from Aether Manipulation, drove into the wolf's exposed side.
[–3 A.E./sec]
CRACK
The enhanced strike, amplified by the gauntlet's properties, caved in the wolf's ribcage. It collapsed with a final whimper.
The third wolf tried to be clever. It circled wide, attempting to reach the more vulnerable-looking members of the team.
It chose Vyne.
Big mistake.
As it lunged, Vyne took a single casual step to the side. The wolf's trajectory, which should have caught her cleanly, somehow missed entirely. Its paws landed on a patch of ground that gave way unexpectedly, throwing off its balance.
It stumbled directly into Mira's path.
Mira had already touched a nearby rock, her skin taking on its gray, hardened properties. She simply stood there as the wolf crashed into her, stunning itself against her stone-hard body.
Sofia finished it with Resonant Voice, a sharp sustained note that disrupted the wolf's aether flow. It collapsed, twitching, then went still.
All three wolves were down and team was completely unharmed.
Kaelen's System chimed softly.
[Killed Aether-Scourged Wolf (F-Rank)×1]
[+150 XP]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Blood]
[Reward: +100 XP | Title Unlocked]
[Achievement Unlocked: Beast Slayer I (F-Rank)]
[Reward: +50 XP]
[Title Received: Novice Beast Hunter (F-Rank)]
[Effect: +2 to all stats when facing Beast-type monsters]
[Level Up]
Kaelen blinked at the notifications flooding his vision. He'd gained experience from killing Beasts?
Kaelen equipped the title immediately.
[Title:Novice Beast Hunter]
"Kaelen?" Davrin's voice pulled him back. "You alright?"
"Yeah, just... processing something." Kaelen dismissed the notifications. He'd examine them properly later.
"That was almost too easy," Mateo said, walking toward the downed wolves cautiously.
"F-rank," Oren reminded him. "Lowest threat classification. We're Novice-rank students with training. It should be manageable."
"Still," Mira said, her stone mimicry fading back to normal skin. "That's our first real combat. We did it!"
Vyne walked past the wolves without even glancing at them. "Told you things work out."
Kenji knelt beside one of the corpses, examining it. "We should harvest the crystals and hydes. Academy pays for Beast-derived materials."
That was right. Aetheric Beasts contained aether crystals within their bodies, remnants of the energy that sustained them. Harvesting was standard practice.
"Well, please be quick with it." Kaelen said. "We don't want to linger."
Kenji had apparently brought a small extraction kit. Within minutes, he'd carefully removed three F-rank crystals from the wolves' cores—small, faintly glowing faint blue stones about the size of marbles. They were basic crystals.
Davrin stood watch while they worked. "Our combat could have attracted beasts. We should keep moving."
Kaelen agreed. "Everyone ready?"
Affirmatives all around.
They continued toward the deposit site, leaving the wolf corpses behind. Nature would reclaim them quickly in the Scourged Zones—either through scavengers or through the land itself, which seemed to absorb and repurpose everything eventually.
As they walked, Kaelen pulled up his updated status briefly:
[System Level Up]
[Base Level: 8] (1230/1900 XP)
[System Level:7] (30/2100XP)
His system level had gone up by 1. He was just 670 XP away from Base Level 9. And he'd gained a title that boosted all his stats against Beasts.
The System was rewarding him for real combat, not just training.
That was... significant.
"Deposit site ahead," Oren announced. "Two hundred meters."
Kaelen pushed aside his System analysis and focused on the mission. Personal progression could wait. Right now, he had a team to lead and a survey to complete.
The rock formations parted ahead, revealing their destination.
The deposit site was immediately identifiable—a large crystalline outcropping rising from the ground like a massive geode, glowing with steady blue luminescence. It was beautiful in an strange way, the crystals catching light and refracting it into rainbow patterns across the surrounding terrain.
"That's it," Kaelen said.
Team 3 approached cautiously.
And somewhere in the distance, something howled.
The sound was deeper than the wolves. Longer and more intelligent.
Kaelen's hand tightened on the survey equipment case.
The mission had just begun.