The wind changed.

  Khal noticed it immediately—not the kind of chill that made you shiver, but the kind that made your instincts twitch. It carried something else with it. The scent of wet stone and old iron. Like a forge long cooled, now waking again.

  Ash lifted his head, fur on edge.

  They weren’t alone anymore.

  Khal had stayed near the ridge, just north of Whispering Hollow, trying to triangulate the pulse from the relic signal the system hinted at. It was faint, like a buried heartbeat, but persistent.

  He knelt beside a tree stump, eyes closed, hand on the moss.

  System Prompt:

  Relic Signature Detected: Fragment of the Lost Engine (3.4%)

  Proximity: 1.2 km – Below Surface Layer

  Environmental Hazard Level: Moderate

  Recommended Action: Cautious Investigation or Retreat

  “…Below surface? There’s a cave, isn’t there?” Khal muttered.

  Ash didn’t answer. He was sniffing the wind, ears twitching wildly.

  As Khal rose to his feet, a soft voice echoed in the clearing.

  “Still breathing, huh? Thought you might’ve tripped into a bear trap or married a dryad by now.”

  He turned. “Lira.”

  She leaned against a pine tree, arms crossed, chewing a fresh stick of dried apple.

  “I saw smoke. Figured it was either a signal or a very enthusiastic accident.”

  Khal grinned. “You bring a shovel? I think I’ve got some digging to do.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Tell me you’re not chasing that ghost-rumor about the Lost Engine fragments.”

  He blinked.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “…How do you know about that?”

  She clicked her tongue. “You’re not the only one the system whispers to.”

  They hiked together toward the pulse, crossing under hanging vines and weaving through mushroom-laden rocks. The terrain dipped into a rocky basin veiled in moss and thick fog.

  Eventually, they found it.

  A crack in the earth, hidden under a fallen tree, pulsing faintly with pale light.

  Khal crouched beside it, brushing away debris.

  System Update:

  Relic Entry Point Discovered: Vein Access – Fragment Vault #01

  Entry Condition: Stability Threshold 40%

  Party Entry Viable

  Warning: Residual Influence Detected – Type: ???

  Lira peered over his shoulder. “You get the feeling someone really doesn’t want us to open this?”

  Khal nodded. “Yeah.”

  “…Let’s open it anyway.”

  Below, the stone corridor was colder, drier—unnaturally preserved. Ancient runes hummed gently under their feet, flickering like they recognized Khal’s presence.

  Ash growled low in his throat.

  And then they saw it.

  The chamber was wide, circular, and cracked along its edges. At the center stood a pedestal, half-swallowed by vines. Resting atop it: a piece of metal no larger than a fist, humming with a rhythmic thrum—like a miniature heart.

  But something was wrong.

  There was no dust.

  No insects.

  No natural decay.

  Just… silence.

  System Prompt:

  Fragment Acquired: Lost Engine – Pulse Core

  Integration Status: Pending

  System Compatibility – 68% Match with User Trait: “Heart of Becoming”

  Warning: Data Entanglement Detected. Unknown Algorithm Active.

  Khal stepped back. “It’s reacting to me…”

  Lira didn’t speak.

  Because a second pulse rang through the room—deeper, older.

  Not from the relic.

  From the walls.

  From below.

  Far from them, in a stone chamber cloaked in false light and veiled doors, a figure watched the same pulse flicker on a projection rune.

  Mirek grinned.

  So, the boy had found it. Sooner than expected.

  "Let the path unfold," he murmured, voice soft, eyes glowing faintly. "Let him come willingly… as planned."

  Beside him, a woman clad in black and green sat polishing a curved dagger, her smile hollow.

  “She won’t like this,” she said.

  Mirek’s gaze didn’t falter. “She’ll adapt. We always do.”

  Back in the chamber, Khal knelt beside the core, his fingers brushing its side. The moment he made contact, the system flared.

  System Integration Initiated

  Trait Sync In Progress: “Heart of Becoming”

  New Trait Branch Detected: “Pulse Echo” [Unstable]

  Temporary Buff Granted: Sensory Thread +1 / Predictive Reflex +5s Delay Window

  Warning: Excessive Use Will Attract Greater Forces

  Khal flinched.

  Lira grabbed his arm. “What happened?”

  He looked at her, eyes wide. “It gave me a new… branch. But it’s like it’s listening to me. Or maybe…”

  He paused, voice tight.

  “…Maybe it always was.”

  The air shifted again.

  Ash’s ears perked.

  And somewhere above them, the wind carried the sound of approaching footsteps.

  Multiple.

  Fast.