The first rays of dawn crept over the ridges of the Serathian Mountains, casting long shadows through the jagged cliffs surrounding the village. The chill of early morning hung in the air as Rayan stepped onto the stone balcony of the Lord's Mansion, a deep furrow on his brow. His eyes, bloodshot from a restless night, stared down at the swirling light of the Dungeon Node at the village's base—an ominous, pulsating spiral of ethereal blue mist and fractal patterns carved into the mountain's rock.
Despite its unnatural glow, the villagers went about their morning as usual, feeding livestock, chopping wood, and lighting cookfires. Yet an invisible tension had descended, like an animal sensing a coming storm.
[System Alert: Dungeon Surge Forecast Detected][Type: Instability – Tier 1 Threat][Time Until Manifestation: 6 Days, 12 Hours]
"Six days," Rayan muttered under his breath. "That's all the time we have…"
He turned away from the balcony and marched into the inner chamber of the mansion. With a thought, he activated his cheat skill.
[Anima Forge – Interface Online][Structure Blueprint Available: Summoner's Hall][Estimated Build Cost: 200 Stone, 50 Mana Wood, 10 Essence Cores]
The image of a semi-circular hall, half embedded into the mountain and decorated with glowing glyphs, rotated in front of him as a projected model. It was majestic—but far from achievable with current resources.
But he had to try.
He needed more than hope.
He needed strength, sanctuary—and certainty.
The village was alive with activity as Rayan walked through the cobbled streets with Ignis, his flame sprite familiar, darting like a glowing ember around his head. Mossplate, the lumbering stone-turtle-like summon, plodded faithfully behind.
Villagers respectfully dipped their heads as he passed. He was still new to them—young, unsure, yet marked by his presence and title.
"Lord Rayan!" called out an older man, the carpenter named Devrik. "We can reinforce the east wall today. Word is there's something stirring down in the mine. Nothing natural, I reckon."
Rayan gave a sharp nod. "Good. Prioritize wood from the northern slope. We'll need anything infused with mana if we're to survive the coming days."
Devrik looked alarmed. "Survive…?"
Rayan said nothing more and kept walking. He didn't want panic. Not yet.
Lina was crouched in the grass beside the path, humming softly and poking at a patch of clover with a stick. The birds in the nearby trees had gathered around her, chirping along with her melody.
He approached silently, then sat down next to her.
"Lina," he said softly. "What are you doing?"
"Talking," she replied without looking up. "They said there's something in the mountain that's scared the roots."
He blinked. "The birds?"
She looked at him like he was a little slow. "The grass."
[System Update: Companion Class Identified – Lina Khael][Unique Class: Rift Aria – Support Type][Class Tree Branches: Harmonic Echoes | Soul Bridges | Temporal Songlines][Current Skill: Echo Pulse (Passive) – Nearby allies receive increased synchronization and stability]
Note: Rift Aria is a High-Grade Class with Time and Spatial Resonance Potential. Potential for Synergy with Anima-Based Structures Detected.
Rayan's eyes widened as the implications struck him. Her very presence could boost his control and power output through the Anima Forge—without even trying.
"Lina…" he said carefully, "Do you feel anything from the dungeon?"
She paused her humming. "It's like a baby crying under the mountain. But loud. Very loud. Like it doesn't know what it is yet. So it's… angry."
Chills prickled down Rayan's spine.
He brushed a hand through her silver-white hair and stood. "Stay near the mansion. Don't wander. Not until I say."
She nodded but handed him a small braid of hair tied with a strip of vine.
[You have received: Harmonic Thread – Provides +5 Summon Range and a Minor Resonance Barrier for 24 hours.]
Even her gifts are enchanted? Just who… or what… made her class?
Later that day, Rayan, along with two villagers and his summons, ventured into the southern forest to collect materials. Mana-imbued bark shimmered faintly under the canopy. Strange birds with translucent feathers watched them from above.
As they gathered glowing stone from a collapsed shrine, Rayan sensed something buried under the vines. Moving closer, he found a crumpled figure in earth-style tactical gear, barely breathing.
[Lord-Class Signature Detected: Earth-Origin – Scout Path – Corruption Trauma Detected]
He knelt beside the man and checked for wounds. The man stirred, eyes snapping open, panic blazing in them.
"Where…?" he whispered. "Not again—no, no, they're in the walls—! Don't touch me!"
"It's alright!" Rayan said firmly. "You're safe. My name is Rayan. You're in my territory now. The dungeon hasn't breached—yet."
The man calmed slightly. "Dungeon… surge… They whispered… took them one by one…"
Rayan gestured to Ignis, who gently flared with warmth. "We'll talk once you're safe."
They carried the man—Jonas Vale—back to the village.
Jonas slept restlessly in a side room, muttering nonsense between feverish breaths. Rayan stood in the command room, looking over the incomplete blueprint of the Summoner's Hall. Lina sat nearby, drawing a chalk sigil on the floor.
"Your building is broken," she said suddenly. "Not enough roots."
"What do you mean?"
She pointed at the hall's foundation lines. "It's trying to grow too fast. Needs something to anchor it. Like a dreamstone."
Rayan blinked. "A… what?"
She yawned. "You'll see. It sings very loud. In the dungeon."
Outside, torches glimmered in the wind. The Dungeon Node flared once—briefly—and went dark again. Just a pulse. A warning.
Rayan leaned on the balcony, fingers tightening on the stone.
[Dungeon Status: Dormant → Waking][Village Defense Status: Insufficient][Time Remaining: 6 Days, 0 Hours]
He closed his eyes, whispering into the night.
"I don't know why I was given this cheat, or why Lina got that strange class… But if they think they can destroy what I've been entrusted with—"
His voice hardened.
"—then they'll learn that the Anima I forge… doesn't break. It ascends."