The battlefield lay eerily silent, the remnants of war scattered across the desolate land. The second horn had long since sounded, marking the end of the day’s bloodshed, and the land was momentarily at peace—if the wasteland of Abyssia could ever be called that. Four figures moved swiftly through the battlefield, their cloaks barely rustling against the cold night air. Karen led the way, her fingers wrapped around a thin, glowing thread of Celestemancy, tracing the path ahead like a guiding star.

  “It’s this way,” Karen muttered, halting suddenly. Her eyes fixed on the decayed structure ahead—a ruin barely standing, its stone walls crumbling, devoured by time.

  “A ruin?” Stelle frowned, brushing a lock of silver hair behind her ear. “That’s odd. I expected her to find a cave or something more concealed.”

  “Maybe she was injured and needed shelter,” Darren suggested, glancing at Karen for confirmation.

  “If she needed to be here all day, I can’t imagine how bad her injuries must be,” Karen said, adjusting her grip on the thread.

  Stelle turned to Darren but caught a glimpse of Kevin standing at the edge of the ruins, staring at the structure with an unreadable expression. His brows were slightly furrowed, his shoulders tense.

  “What are you looking at?” Stelle asked, tilting her head.

  Kevin flinched slightly before straightening his posture. “Nothing,” he replied too quickly. His gaze remained fixed on the ruin. “It just looks… new.”

  Stelle blinked. “What?” The statement felt ridiculous. The entire wasteland was littered with ruins. Structures like this had existed for centuries, remnants of an age long forgotten. “That’s stupid,” she muttered but decided not to press him. Lucielle was their priority.

  The four ventured into the ruin, stepping cautiously over cracked stone and broken pillars. The air inside was thick with dust and decay, the scent of old battles and forgotten memories lingering in the silence. As they moved deeper, they came upon a massive hole in the ground, wide enough to swallow them whole. The darkness within was absolute, the depth indiscernible.

  Stelle exhaled sharply. “Great. That’s exactly what we needed.”

  Karen stepped forward, peering down. “The thread leads into the hole.”

  Stelle crossed her arms. “So she fell?”

  “Possibly,” Darren said, rubbing his chin. “Even if she got injured from the fall, she should’ve healed by now. Unless she was already wounded before she fell by nyxaran blessing.”

  “We won’t know until we go down,” Stelle said decisively.

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  Kevin moved ahead, examining the edge of the pit. “I’ll check how deep it is first.”

  “What? If you break your leg, I’m not wasting my energy waiting for you to heal,” Stelle snapped.

  Kevin smirked, turning toward her. “Oh, but we have a beautiful Vitaweaver here who can heal both my leg and my heart.” He winked, flashing his usual cocky grin.

  Stelle rolled her eyes. “I’m not wasting my energy on you, specifically.”

  Kevin shrugged, ignoring the jab. He summoned his Aetherforged blade, driving it into the wall of the hole before leaping down, using his weapon to slow his descent. His voice echoed from below. “Not too deep, but definitely gonna sting.”

  Darren exhaled, cracking his knuckles. “Guess I’m next.” He mirrored Kevin’s actions, sliding down the wall and landing beside him.

  Both men looked up, raising their arms. “Alright, ladies, jump down.”

  Stelle scoffed. “I can land on my own.” Without hesitation, she leaped, choosing to land on solid ground rather than in Kevin’s waiting arms. The impact jarred her legs slightly, and she groaned before swiftly channeling her Vitaweaving, the pain vanishing instantly.

  Kevin smirked. “Didn’t want to waste energy, huh?”

  “I said I wouldn’t waste it on you,” Stelle corrected, brushing past him.

  Darren cupped his hands around his mouth. “Karen, your turn! Don’t worry, I’ll catch you. Promise.”

  Karen hesitated, clutching her cloak. She inhaled deeply before taking the leap. True to his word, Darren caught her in his arms, holding her like a princess.

  “See?” Darren grinned. “Told you—”

  “Put me down,” Karen grumbled, squirming.

  With slight reluctance, Darren set her down, his smirk unwavering.

  The four turned their attention forward, now faced with two diverging paths. Stelle turned to Karen. “Which way?”

  Karen frowned, looking down at her hand where the Celestemancy thread twitched erratically, flickering in and out of existence. Stelle, who could see it due to Karen’s blessing channeled into her few hour ago, narrowed her eyes. “Why is it—”

  “There’s another layer of Celestemancy blessing here,” Karen interrupted, her expression grim. “Something is interfering.”

  Stelle inhaled sharply. “Do you think it’s The Complete?”

  Karen bit her lip. “I don’t know. Only one way to find out.”

  Stelle nodded. “Alright. Karen and I will take the left path. You two take the right.”

  Darren frowned. “Hold on, you’ll need our light.” He ignited his Aetherforged sword, casting a faint golden glow.

  Before he could argue further, Karen raised a hand and conjured a small orb of light above her palm. “No thanks.”

  Darren muttered a curse under his breath about the versatility of Celestemancy, but in the end, the group split up, heading down their respective paths.

  —

  Barely minutes after the Luminara group disappeared into the ruin, another figure approached the chasm. Maria stood at the edge, her violet eyes scanning the darkness below. Her long, deep-purple hair swayed with the wind as she crouched, her shadowy hound by her side.

  “Is this really it?” she murmured.

  The hound barked twice.

  Maria exhaled. If Varithra fell, she could be trapped…

  She looked at her companion and signaled toward the hole. The hound leaped inside, its form melting into the shadows. Maria listened, waiting for any sound of distress, but instead, she heard only the faint echo of the hound’s paws landing softly followed by the hound's bark.

  “It doesn’t sound too deep,” Maria mused. “But I can’t afford to be injured right now.”

  Reaching into her bag, she pulled out another glass bottle, pouring the remains onto the ground. She pressed her palm to the dust, channeling her Animantes blessing. A skeletal structure emerged, bones knitting together as flesh grew over them, forming the shape of a large bird. The creature ruffled its feathers, awaiting command.

  Maria petted it briefly before pointing at the chasm. The bird took flight, hovering over the hole. Without hesitation, Maria jumped and grabbed its legs, allowing it to lower her smoothly into the depths below.

  Upon landing, she glanced around, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. Two paths stretched before her. "Search" Maria order her companion. Her hound had taken the left, and her bird had gone right.

  Maria exhaled. “Varithra, please be safe.”