---
Still walking. Still breathing. Still focused. And then… a whisper. Not a voice. Not a thought. Just a pressure, like something watching him from below.
Kai stopped. One brow twitched toward the north.
There.
The thunder rolled heavier in that direction. Fainter cracks of lightning danced between the clouds like serpents searching for prey.
That's where it was. The mission.
The system's words echoed in his memory: "Find the star meteoroid iron before the rift closes."
And now he felt it. A pull in that direction. Like gravity. Like purpose. He didn't need to ask the system again. He stepped forward, gaze sharp, his stride lengthening but not speeding.
Behind him, Azhara hesitated. Her claws clenched, scraping faintly against her thighs. Her ears twitched violently, and for a moment, her knees bent as though preparing to leap.
