The trio spent the next several hours talking through what they had discovered while experimenting with their powers.
At first, it was cautious. Small tests. Simple questions. But as confidence grew, so did curiosity.
Aryn went first.
He lifted furniture with ease, moving the couch aside as if it weighed nothing. He tested his grip strength against the kitchen counter, leaving shallow fractures in the surface before quickly pulling back. He explained how focusing on that internal pressure, the pulse, made everything feel heavier and lighter at the same time. Like his body was bracing against something unseen. Even explaining how this even applied to making him move faster.
"I think," Aryn said slowly, "that whatever lets me summon orcs… it's not fixed. I don't think I'm limited to where I am."
Jaxon leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You saying you can call bigger ones?"
"Stronger ones," Aryn corrected. "Or more of them. Or something smarter. I don't know. It feels… expandable."
That got Jaxon's attention.
When it was his turn, there was no hesitation.
He stepped into the open space of the living room, rolled his shoulders once, and exhaled. The air around him seemed to tighten. Jaxon clenched his fist…And the sound that followed was sharp and violent, like a firecracker going off in a closed room.
The shockwave cracked outward, rattling dishes in the cabinets.
"Okay," Jaxon said, grinning. "So it's not explosions. Not really. It's kinetic energy. Stored, redirected, and released."
He demonstrated again, this time throwing a punch into open air. The motion was clean, controlled. The impact sent a visible ripple through the room, like space itself had been struck.
"I can decide where it goes," he continued. "How hard. How fast. I've been messing around with it. Punches hit harder. Movement feels lighter. Kicks…" He shrugged. "Let's just say I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end."
Jaxon had always been like this.
Anything physical came naturally to him. Coordination. Timing. Power. Where Aryn needed repetition, trial and error, doing something over and over until it clicked… Jaxon simply felt it. His body adapted faster than his thoughts could catch up.
A prodigy, if anyone bothered to label it.
"The weird part," Jaxon added, tapping his temple, "is that it listens. The energy. Like it responds to how I imagine it moving. If I picture it flowing one way, it does."
Aryn watched closely, taking it all in. Different paths. Different learning curves, same chaos.
Kaia spoke up next.
She explained how she had been pushing her barriers farther, stretching them wider, reinforcing them until they felt dense and solid. Not just shields anymore. Structures. Tools.
"I tried something earlier," she admitted, glancing between them. "I wanted to see if it worked on… me."
She took a small blade from the kitchen drawer and made a shallow cut along her forearm.
Jaxon, reached out, "Sis!—"
Aryn tensed. "Kaia—"
"It's fine," she said quickly.
Light flared at her fingertips. The cut sealed itself in seconds, leaving no scar behind.
Then she did something else.
She closed her eyes, palms facing outward, and shaped the light between her hands. It hardened, sharpening into a long, narrow form.
A spear.
Before either of them could react, she threw it.
The weapon slammed into the far wall with a violent crack, embedding itself deep enough to vibrate before dissolving into fading particles of light.
Both Jaxon and Aryn jumped back instinctively.
They stared at the hole. Then at each other.
Then back at Kaia.
Yeah. She should probably work on her aim. That thing had passed cleanly between them.
They laughed awkwardly, scratching the backs of their heads. Aryn felt a bead of sweat slide down his temple.
Kaia, though, looked relieved.
For the first time since the Rift, she stood a little straighter. More certain. She wasn't just keeping up, she was contributing. Not standing behind them. Not waiting to be protected but protecting.
She didn't say it out loud, but Aryn could see it on her face.
She wanted to matter when things got bad.
For a while, they stayed like that. Testing, talking, and learning. Trailblazers by necessity. No guides. No instructions. Just instincts and trial runs in a world that had gone off the rails.
Eventually, hunger pulled them back to something normal.
They raided the fridge, throwing together instant noodles, rice, and whatever side dishes they could find. They cooked everything and ate until nothing was left. The sounds of the city outside faded into the background.
For a little while, it felt safe.
As the sun dipped below the skyline, they separated for the night.
Jaxon took his room.
Kaia went to hers.
Aryn stretched out on the couch.
No blanket. Just the couch pillow. He preferred it that way, his old habits.
But sleep didn't come.
Lying there in the dark, Aryn focused inward, toward that presence he'd felt since the Rift.
'What do I call you?'
Nothing answered.
He exhaled slowly, about to give up, when the voice returned.
[Spirit: I am a Spirit. Meant to guide you through this ordeal. Until the end of you… or the end of this world.]
'So Spirit it is,' Aryn murmured. 'But the way you talk… some of it gets lost on me. Can you speak more plainly? Less… mystical? And more direct?'
A pause.
[Spirit: I can do something more effective. To help you understand the altered state of this world. Brace yourself.]
'For wha—'
Pain detonated behind his eyes invading his mind.
"AGH!"
Aryn cried out, clutching his head as he rolled off the couch and hit the floor hard. His vision blurred. Pressure built, like something was forcing its way into his skull.
Information flooded in. Not memories, not words but access points.
Some sealed. Some unlocked. Some waiting. The Spirit wasn't dumping knowledge into him, it was installing a 'structure' of sorts. A framework designed to surface information when needed, in a way his mind could interpret instantly.
Minutes passed before the pain faded.
Aryn lay there breathing hard, palms pressed to his temples until the ache finally subsided.
[Spirit: Information has been organized into a practical interface. Accessible only to you. I will communicate through it. My responses will now be limited and direct. Have faith in your journey, Half-Orc.]
The presence receded and a transparent display flickered into existence in front of him.
No borders and no glow. Just icons.
"…Are these apps?" Aryn whispered. "This looks like a phone."
One icon pulsed faintly, a sonar like symbol. He focused on it, mentally 'clicking' the icon.
[Maps integrated with Earth based GPS data.]
[Rift maps available. Display limited to explored regions only.]
A blinking arrow marked his position.
Atlanta spread out beneath his vision. Streets. Parks. Districts. He zoomed out, seeing all of Georgia, then back toward Piedmont Park. Red blips clustered in several areas, enemies.
"This changes everything," he breathed. "Wait—what's that?"
[Gate detected. Threat Level: F.]
[Scan gate directly for additional information.]
"Whoa…"
He thought about going back and the display shifted instantly. Then another icon stood out with a barcode symbol. Reading 'Scanner.'
[Pulse Resonance enabled via Scanner.]
[Select target.]
Aryn looked down at his hands.
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[Name: Aryn Stone]
[Race: Human / Half-Orc]
[Entity: Empowered, Spiritual]
[Threat Level: B]
[Physical Output: Enhanced]
[Physical Integrity: Enhanced]
[Control: Low]
[Growth Potential: High]
[Power Types: Physical/Spiritual, Extradimensional, ---]
[Abilities: Pulse, Horde Summoner, ---]
[Skills: Intermediate Hand to Hand Combat, Advanced Grappling, Basic Shield Mastery, Basic Regeneration, Basic Athletics]
He focused on [Pulse].
[Pulse: Access to Spirit based power. Enhances physical and cognitive output beyond baseline limits.]
"…That explains a lot. Especially when we fought those Gnolls."
His attention shifted to the blank entries.
[Discoverable information. Additional data requires further self-assessment.]
"Ok, but how do I speak to you now, Spirit?"
A soft chime echoed at the edge of his vision. A notification.
[Spirit: This is how communication will occur. Audible responses remain available. User does not hear me all around them any longer, but moreso within.To initiate audible responses and not messages, state: "Hey Spirit." Also, to access the UI in general, simply think or say, 'UI.']
Aryn let out a quiet laugh.
"This is insane, should I call you Spiri now? I'll stick to just talking to you and then you can respond" he whispered. "I'll mess with the rest later."
[Spirit: I am not a construct shaped by human design. This interface exists so you may comprehend both me and the altered state of your world. I am not a source of power, nor do I grant it. I translate, order, and render information between your mind and the reality now imposed upon it.
In another age, this understanding would have taken a different form—a text, a symbol, a guiding presence. An interface such as this would have been unintelligible then. This format has been selected because it is the most efficient means of communication available to you now.]
Aryn Nodded, thankful for what the Spirit had done, and explained. He even began forgetting about the pain that came with it, initially.
He lay back down on the couch, exhaustion finally pulling him under.
One thought lingered as sleep claimed him.
If this system or UI rather, was meant only for him… Then for now… He'd keep it that way.