The Awakener's Ward pulsed with life, a stark contrast to the cold knot of tension twisting in Lira's gut. Steel and obsidian walls gleamed beneath the artificial glow of suspended arcane lanterns, their steady hum a constant reminder—this world, this system-driven existence, was built on something far beyond her control.
She exhaled slowly, stepping further into the hall, her boots making muted thuds against the reinforced floor. The air was thick with the scent of oil, steel, and magic—charged, restless, alive.
The mission board loomed ahead like a monolithic altar of shifting runes and circuit-like etchings, its massive display flickering with hundreds of contract listings. Each one an offer of blood, survival, or discovery.
Golden text pulsed across the board's darkened surface, bold and impersonal:
Expedition—Ruins of Olmec, Rank A.
Only R2 awakeners and above.
High Mortality Risk.
6-man party required.
Subjugation—Cinderclaw Ravager, Rank B.
Bounty: 12,500 gold.
Not recommended for solo operatives.
Escort—Arcane Scholar to Dawnmere, Rank C.
Multiple ambush threats detected.
The edges of the board pulsed with soft blue light, waiting—expecting—the next awakener to step forward and make their mark.
Lira ran a thumb over the cold metal of her Awakener's Pass, feeling the weight behind it. This wasn't just identification. It was her key—her permission to exist as something more than a powerless bystander. Without it, she was nothing.
She approached the board, her gaze scanning the categories: Subjugation, Exploration, Escort, Retrieval, Anomaly Investigation. Each section bristled with promise, with risk, with the potential for glory—or a quick, unceremonious death.
A breath of hesitation ghosted through her before she slotted the pass into the verification port.
A soft chime. The board flared to life.
IDENTITY VERIFIED: LIRA AVRYON
Script cascaded down the display, sorting through the data, filtering out quests beyond her rank. The air around her hummed faintly, responding to the synchronization of her Ascension System.
Then, the list refined itself.
Dozens of missions flickered before her—hunting contracts, artifact recoveries, guild-sanctioned expeditions. Most were flagged for teams. Some had already been claimed. A few remained open, waiting for someone reckless enough to take them alone.
Her fingers hovered over an Anomaly Investigation—Wraithwood Outskirts.
High-risk. Not recommended for solo operatives. Generous payout.
A pulse of excitement curled in her gut. She could do this. She could prove herself. But—
Her jaw tightened. No. This wasn't about ego. It was about survival. And she wasn't about to throw herself into a death trap just to prove a point.
Not when Kael—
A flash of memory. Bloodied hands. A body barely standing. His voice, hoarse but unyielding.
Lira exhaled sharply and scrolled down, tapping a more manageable contract. A routine subjugation mission—rogue beast sighted near Greythorne's supply lines.
Manageable.
MISSION ACCEPTED.
A ripple of energy pulsed through her Awakener's Pass as the data integrated into her system. A notification flared in her vision, listing mission details alongside a Recruit Members? prompt.
She smirked, slipping the pass free. "Alright. Let's see if Kael's up for a hunt."
********
Lira pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the Fanous Inn, stepping into the dimly lit common room. The scent of roasted meat and ale thickened the air, but she barely noticed. Her eyes swept the space, heart thudding against her ribs.
Kael wasn't here.
Dread curled in her gut.
No. Stay calm. He must've wandered off to the market. Or maybe he got caught up sightseeing.
But she couldn't shake the prickle at the back of her neck—the same eerie weight that had pressed down on her shoulders once before.
She turned on her heel and stepped outside, nearly colliding with Mylar as he approached the inn.
"Mylar!" Lira's voice came sharper than she intended. She grabbed his sleeve. "Have you seen Kael?"
The tall awakener tilted his head, his usually carefree smirk faltering. "Kael? No. I thought he was with you."
Lira's fingers tightened around his sleeve before she forced herself to let go. "He wasn't here when I got back."
Mylar frowned. "He's probably just exploring. The kid's new to Greythorne, right?"
That was exactly what she wanted to believe. That he was safe. That he'd come back through that door any moment now, grinning like a fool and complaining about overpriced street food.
But as the hours dragged by, and the sun dipped below the jagged skyline, Kael still hadn't returned.
Lira sat stiffly in the inn's common room, hands curled into fists on her lap. The fire in the hearth crackled, but the warmth didn't reach her. The murmur of other adventurers was distant noise. Her mind had pulled her elsewhere—to a memory seared into her bones.
The first time Kael had gone missing.
She had just come back from a simple quest, the kind she barely needed to think about. Some minor beast extermination with a party near their inn's location. A routine mission. She had returned expecting to see her little brother waiting, maybe bouncing on his heels with some new story to tell.
But he hadn't been there.
Panic had settled in quickly, a sharp, suffocating thing. She had asked everyone—searched everywhere—until one of the guests mentioned seeing Kael leaving the inn, his small form trailing after someone with the excitement only a child could have.
Lira had followed the lead. Down winding streets. Past empty stalls. Until she reached the cliffs.
The moment she spotted the Avryon heirloom—his necklace—snagged on a low-hanging tree branch at the edge, her knees had buckled.
"Kael!"
Her voice had torn through the quiet, raw with desperation.
She had searched for three days. Without sleep. Without stopping.
And she had found nothing.
The memory squeezed her throat as she snapped back to the present. The firelight flickered, casting long shadows across the wooden beams of the inn.
She couldn't let it happen again.
Lira shot to her feet, her chair scraping against the floorboards. Heads turned, but she didn't care. Her breath came too fast, but she forced her body into motion, pushing past the doorway and into the cold night air.
If Kael was lost again—if he was in danger—
She wouldn't sit here and wait.