Rei said nothing as he walked alongside Lysander, the rustle of leaves and the distant crackling of campfire the only sounds between them.

  “You alright?” Lysander asked, glancing at him sideways. “You looked kinda… spaced back there.”

  Rei hesitated. The image of the figure in the woods. Still, tall, too quiet. Flashed in his mind.

  He shook his head. “Just zoned out. Long day.”

  Lysander didn’t press. Just offered a lazy shrug. “Well, don’t go wandering off too far. These woods are creepy at night.”

  They stepped through the clearing and toward the main campfire pit, where the rest of the squads had gathered. The sun had dipped fully beneath the horizon, casting the sky in cool indigo. Lanterns flickered gently around the perimeter, their soft orange light setting the mood.

  Most of the group was already gathered around low tables and stone benches. The scent of sizzling meat and spices filled the air.

  “Yo! Took you long enough,” Carter called out, waving them over.

  Zane sat with one leg propped on a bench, arms crossed. “Lysander probably got distracted by his reflection in a puddle.”

  “I am quite charming,” Lysander said, plopping down beside him.

  Rei offered a faint smile and took a spot at the edge of the table, just as a tray of steaming food was set down in front of them.

  And that’s when Caleb, mid-bite, blinked. “Wait a second. Is this… actual meat?”

  Everyone paused.

  “It is,” Tessa confirmed, savoring a piece. “Definitely not artificial or processed. I can taste the difference.”

  Luna tilted her head. “How? I thought we only had rations and nutrient packs in storage.”

  “Ah,” Daisy said, nodding sagely. “That would be our captain's doing.”

  Carter raised an eyebrow. “Wait— Aiden cooked this?”

  “He did,” Zane replied, almost smirking. “And yes, it’s real. He's good at it.”

  “He's insanely good at it,” Tessa added. “I still remember that salmon from last winter. It ruined me.”

  Jian let out a low whistle. “Okay, color me impressed.”

  Rei blinked, now eyeing his food differently. “…Where’d he get real meat?”

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  “He’s rich,” Daisy said simply. “Like, obscenely. Probably has a warehouse full of high-quality ingredients somewhere.”

  Lysander snorted. “Of course the mysterious, broody squad captain is secretly a gourmet chef with a stacked bank account.”

  Rei took a bite and had to admit, it was incredible. Seasoned perfectly, tender, cooked to just the right temperature.

  “Can’t decide if I feel comforted or intimidated,” Carter muttered as he reached for seconds.

  As they ate, conversation started flowing more freely.

  Rei eventually glanced up. “Hey, speaking of people we haven’t seen... where’ve Oliver, Andrei, and Casper been this whole time?”

  “Workshop,” Finn answered from his seat off to the side, arms crossed casually. “They’ve been there for almost two weeks.”

  “Workshop?” Rei echoed.

  “Casper’s helping the tech support team log structural anomalies in the training zones. Oliver’s been managing gear diagnostics. And Andrei’s doing what he always does. Working on something complicated and ignoring everyone else.”

  “Sounds about right,” Tessa muttered.

  “Casper’s probably better off in there than out here anyway,” Caleb added, stretching his arms. “Dude nearly passed out on day one.”

  Rei leaned back slightly, processing that. Somehow, it made sense—but it also reminded him how scattered their group still felt.

  Someone asked, “Where’s Elisa?”

  All heads turned toward Akane, who had been sipping her tea quietly at the edge of the group.

  “She’s resting,” the fox-eared woman replied, her voice calm as ever. “I gave her an assignment.”

  ---

  [Elisa – Dorm Room, Night]

  A single lamp glowed beside her bed, casting a pool of warm light onto the open notebook in her lap.

  Her laptop sat propped on her desk, a paused video taking up the screen. The image frozen showed a woman mid-leap, blade shimmering, her long braid trailing behind like a whip of violet fire.

  Violet Willow

  The name echoed in Elisa’s head.

  The infamous captain from the Monster Generation. Known for her unorthodox style, speed, and grace.

  “Watch her,” Akane had said earlier. “She might help you find your own flow. You don’t need to copy her, just observe. Learn from the rhythm.”

  Elisa rewound the footage and watched again.

  Violet didn’t move like a traditional fighter. She pivoted like a dancer, struck like a whip, and let the terrain guide her momentum. She turned unpredictability into a weapon.

  Elisa scribbled notes. Her own movements were still stiff, bound by what she thought swordplay should look like. Maybe Akane was right.

  Maybe she was trying too hard to be someone else’s idea of strong.

  She paused the video, gazing at the frame.

  “…Flow, huh?” she whispered.

  ---

  [Campfire – Later That Night]

  The last of the trays had been cleared. Carter and Jian had taken over cleanup duty while the others lounged around the fire, the warmth slowly easing their sore muscles.

  Rei watched the embers flicker, his thoughts distant.

  The image of the creature from the forest flashed in his mind again. The way it shimmered. The way it moved—deliberately, yet strangely familiar.

  Was it Riftborn?

  Or something else entirely?

  He hadn’t told anyone. Not even Lysander, who had caught him returning from the trees.

  He wasn’t even sure why he didn’t speak up.

  Part of him didn’t want to deal with the questions it would raise.

  The other part? He just… didn’t know what it meant.

  ---

  [Rei – Dorm Room, Midnight]

  Back in his dorm, Rei lay staring at the ceiling.

  The bed creaked under him as he shifted restlessly.

  The warmth of the food had long worn off, replaced by a quiet gnawing in his gut. His mind wouldn’t slow down.

  What was that thing?

  Why here?

  And worse—

  Why did that guy call Aiden a murderer?

  That word had been eating at him since Fort Goliath. And Aiden hadn’t done anything to prove or disprove it since. He was calm. Quiet. Precise. But distant.

  Who was he, really?

  Rei sighed, rolling over and pressing a pillow over his face.

  He wasn’t going to sleep tonight.

  Again.

  ---

  [Zane – Dorm Room]

  In another room just a few halls away, Zane sat upright in bed, arms resting loosely over his knees. His eyes stared at the faint cracks in the ceiling, his expression unreadable.

  He’d been quiet all day. Even quieter than usual.

  He glanced at the drawer beside him.

  After a long pause, he reached out and pulled it open.

  Inside, buried beneath spare gloves and an old comm badge, was a weathered, beat-up notebook.

  Its corners were frayed, and the spine barely held together. Dust clung to the cover like it hadn’t been touched in years.

  Zane stared at it for a while before flipping it open.

  Scrawled in thick, bold handwriting across the first page were two words:

  Volt Tempo.

  His eyes narrowed. The memories that came with those words were sharp, electric, and far from forgotten.

  He closed the drawer slowly, the notebook in hand.

  Outside, the wind picked up.

  And somewhere, just beyond the edge of the camp, something shimmered briefly before vanishing into the night.

  [End of Chapter]