The instructor continued, pacing slowly in front of them. "Each of you will move in small groups. Test your abilities, coordinate, and adapt. Remember your training. The observers will intervene only if you're in mortal danger. You've also been issued emergency flares, use them if things get out of hand."
Lucien glanced at the small metal capsule clipped to his belt. It felt heavier than it looked.
"Any questions?" the instructor asked.
No one spoke.
"Good," he said, his voice firm. "Remember, what you do in there will shape your path as an awakener. Learn from every mistake. And most importantly—" he looked around, his gaze sharp, "—watch each other's backs."
With that, he turned toward the Rift. The air around it rippled as he stepped closer, activating the stabilizing seals etched into the ground.
"One at a time," he said. "Step through, and welcome to your first real test."
Lucien's heart thudded once. Lyra hovered beside him, her light steady. Cael took a deep breath, gripping the hilt of his sword.
"Ready?" Cael asked.
"As I'll ever be," Lucien said, his tone calm but his eyes sharp.
Together, they stepped forward, the pull of the Rift washing over them like a wave. The air twisted, colors blurring and sound distorting until the world shifted entirely.
They emerged into a new realm, a forest draped in twilight, where the air shimmered faintly with Aether mist. Strange cries echoed in the distance, and the ground beneath their boots was soft with glowing moss.
Lucien took it all in, the stillness, the hum of power in the air. This was no simulation. This was alive.
Cael whistled low. "So this is what a Rift feels like…"
Lucien nodded slowly. "Yeah. And we're just getting started."
The instructor's voice echoed faintly from behind them, distorted by the Rift. "Form your teams. Stay alert. Your first lesson begins now."
Lucien looked ahead into the fog-draped forest. Lyra hovered close to his shoulder, her light flickering with curiosity.
He smiled faintly. "Let's see what this world has to teach us."
And with that, Lucien took his first step deeper into the Rift.
Lucien moved carefully through the uneven terrain, the air thick with the faint hum of Aether. His boots pressed softly against the moss-covered ground as he and Cael advanced deeper into the rift. Lyra hovered beside him in her ethereal form, her faint blue glow casting a light shimmer around them. It felt unreal, like stepping into a dream painted with danger.
Cael cracked a small grin, rolling his shoulders. "Guess it's just us then. Everyone else already picked a direction."
Lucien nodded, eyes scanning the distorted trees that bent unnaturally toward the rift's unseen pulse. "That's fine. Fewer distractions."
Cael chuckled. "You really think we'll find anything worthwhile this early?"
Lucien's gaze flickered to him. "We'll find something. The question is, will we be ready when it does?"
A pulse snapped through his vision.
▓▒░ [Soulbinder System: Quest Unlocked] ░▒▓
▓▒░ First Kill — Awakener's Rite ░▒▓
Description: A true Soulbinder grows through battle. Hunt your first Rift beast and claim its essence.
Objective:
• Defeat one Rift Beast.
Reward:
• Essence Point System (EP) unlocked
Penalty:
• Essence accumulation restricted
Quest Accepted? Yes / No.] ░▒▓
Lucien didn't hesitate.
Yes.
The interface dissolved just as the air ahead shimmered.
▓▒░ [Detection Interface Activated] ░▒▓
Another translucent panel formed:
▓▒░[Species: Horned Boar]
[Rank: E]
[Affinity: Earth / Physical]
[Potential Tier: Low–Intermediate]
[Traits: Iron Hide, Charge Impact, Ground Sense]
[Bind Compatibility: 62%]
[Essence Yield: 310 EP] ░▒▓
Lucien's muscles tensed. "Contact ahead. Get ready."
Cael froze. "Already? You've got to be kidding—"
A growl tore through the silence. The Horned Boar lumbered into view, rocky armor glistening under Rift light as its tusks scraped the ground.
Lyra's glow sharpened, her intensity conveying instinctive warning. Lucien felt her meaning through their bond more than words:
Danger… ready… attack?
"I see it," he murmured back. "Stay close. We're doing this together."
Cael drew his blade. "I'll take the front. You and your ghost girl back me up."
"Fine by me," Lucien replied. "Just don't die."
The boar snorted, pawing the ground before it charged. The impact cracked through the air. Cael dodged left just in time as the beast thundered past him, breaking through a tree stump. Splinters flew.
"Fast!" Cael shouted.
"Too fast," Lucien muttered, eyes narrowing. "Iron Hide and Charge Impact… it's using both traits already."
Lyra darted forward, summoning light wisps that wrapped around her hands. "Permission to engage, Master?"
"Granted!"
She streaked ahead, phasing through the boar's flank. Her limbs left faint trails of energy that sliced across its armor, though the strikes barely cut through. The boar roared, shaking its head violently.
Cael took the opening, sliding in from the side. "Let's see how tough you really are!" He slammed his blade down with a flare of green energy. The ground cracked as his Earth Slash skill split against the boar's shoulder.
The creature bellowed, staggering slightly but not yielding. Its hide shimmered with brown light, the soil beneath it pulsing.
Lucien's eyes widened. "It's grounding itself! Cael, move!"
The warning came just in time. Just then, the ground erupted beneath the boar as it stomped forward, the shockwave narrowly missing Cael's legs.
"Thanks!" Cael shouted, breath ragged.
Lucien stepped forward, extending his hand. Thin threads of Aether circled his palm, faint but steady. "Lyra, left flank. Target the hind legs, disrupt its balance."
Lyra obeyed immediately, moving like a streak of moonlight. Her hands shimmered into twin blades of light as she cut through the air, slashing deep into the creature's leg joint. The boar stumbled, one leg giving way slightly.
Cael didn't hesitate. "Now!" He drove his blade upward, embedding it into the exposed gap beneath the boar's neck. Sparks flew as the monster screamed, twisting violently.
Lucien darted in, his eyes sharp. He wasn't as strong as Cael, but his timing was perfect. With a burst of Aether running through his veins, he thrust his short sword into the beast's ribs, aiming just above the heart.