The Wild Aura

Rowan stepped down first, axe in hand, his eyes sweeping the clearing with a soldier's instinct. "Where the hell is everyone?" he muttered, voice low and sharp. Not fear—just the calm before the kill. Focus distilled into motionless silence.

Jacob followed, boots crunching softly against scorched soil. Flickers of suppressed energy danced around his fingertips. "This was supposed to be the fallback point. Markus, Lyle… they should be here."

Connor frowned, scanning the area. No bodies. No signs of a fight. The ground was untouched—almost too clean. That's when it hit him.

The notification.

He blinked, then with a thought, pulled it back up. The same one that had buzzed in his mind before the battle. He'd ignored it. Lyle wouldn't. Lyle was clever. Untrustworthy, sure—but clever.

——

[Quest: Archon of Man – Initiation Complete]

Description:

The world you once knew is gone. Change is inevitable. With every great shift, there must be those who step forward to lead. You have been chosen as an Archon—a founder of the new Earth civilization. You meet the requirements to guide humanity into its next era.

Part One – The Gathering

Objective: Recruit individuals to be part of this new beginning.

Progress: 7 / [N/A]

Note: Only those with potential may answer your call. Choose wisely. The future depends on it.

Part Two – The Trial

Objective: Defeat the rival Archon of Man to secure the survival of your group.

⸻

Connor's stomach twisted.

If another Archon showed up…

If they weren't with Lyle and the others… then maybe they were already fighting.

And if Lyle got taken out—

Jacob suddenly turned to him, catching the tension. "Connor. What is it?"

Jacob's usual lightness had vanished, replaced by something colder, more grounded.

Connor held up his HUD, flashing the quest. "Lyle sent us this," he muttered. "I didn't open it right away. I thought it could wait."

They all stared at it. Silent. Then Rowan growled.

"They didn't leave. They were taken or forced to move. Or worse."

Jacob clenched his jaw. "They ran into another Archon."

Time became a noose.

"We don't have the time to search on foot," Rowan said. "Summon the beast."

Jacob nodded. Together, he and Connor reached out—and the Azure Strifelion roared into being, its form a cross between spirit and machine, wings shimmering like starlight over steel. A predator built to fly through war.

They moved fast. Rowan climbed on without hesitation. But as Jacob tried to follow, he felt Connor tense.

"We can't go," Connor said. "When we use our Soul Skill and overextend, we're locked out—no abilities, nothing. Right now, we're sitting ducks. If we go with Rowan and run into an enemy, we'll just slow him down."

Jacob hesitated.

"Don't be reckless," Connor added. "You'll just slow them down."

Reluctantly, Jacob backed off and sat beneath the tree. "Then we do it the other way."

He reached out with both hands, placing them on the soil, closing his eyes.

Soul Link: Eternal Flame.

The bond pulsed. His consciousness stretched—jumped. And the Azure Strifelion roared to life above, controlled remotely through their link.

Connor remained beside him, eyes scanning the jungle for threats as his brother drifted into trance.

Rowan, alone on the beast's back, cut across the sky. They circled wide—once, twice—until Connor snapped his fingers, remembering.

"There. That bend in the forest. Backtrack."

The Strifelion wheeled through the air and dropped toward the spot.

They landed.

Rowan jumped off first, boots crunching on scorched earth. The air reeked of ozone and something older—deeper.

His eyes locked on a charred X scorched into the jungle floor. Still hot.

Jacob thought it might've been some random monster sign earlier.

Now, he wasn't so sure.

Rowan knelt beside the meeting tree. A snapped arrow jutted from the roots, its head buried deep. Blood flecked the bark—tight, deliberate splatters. Not chaos. Precision.

"This wasn't random," he said quietly. "They left us a sign. A warning."

The group split up to sweep the area. Rowan left the doll core of the Azure Strifelion behind in case someone returned.

Then—

Movement.

A blur at the edge of the jungle. High up. It didn't swing. It didn't fly.

It drifted.

A hum began to resonate. Low, strange. Like a voice not meant for ears.

Rowan's fingers tightened on the axe. His instincts screamed.

Then, from the shadows, a figure emerged.

Lyle.

But not the Lyle they knew.

His clothes were scorched. Lightning crackled from one hand. His eyes—storm-grey and glowing—looked through them, not at them.

He dropped into the clearing soundlessly. Crouched. Rose.

Something feral clung to him now. A wild aura, rippling off him like heat waves off molten metal.

Rowan didn't raise his axe.

Because Lyle wasn't possessed.

He had changed.

And around him… the storm was just waking up.

Rowan took a cautious step forward. His axe lowered—but not sheathed. Lyle's presence crackled in the air, every inch of him charged like a wire stretched too tight. The ground beneath his feet sizzled softly, heat rising in distorted waves.

"Lyle…" Rowan said carefully. "You with us?"

Lyle's head tilted slightly—like he was listening to something only he could hear. Then, slowly, his gaze fixed on Rowan. His lips parted, but no words came. Just the same low hum, vibrating from deep within his chest. It sounded like thunder rolled through glass.

Then he lunged at Rowan—savage and sudden—like a beast unleashed from its cage.

Then—impact.

Rowan barely had time to brace before Lyle collided with him, force like a lightning strike behind the blow. The axe came up just in time to deflect the first swing—no weapon, just Lyle's arm wreathed in raw voltage. Sparks exploded on contact. The force launched Rowan back, skidding across the jungle floor in a cloud of ash and scorched leaves.

He rolled with the momentum, slammed a boot into the dirt, and skidded to a stop. His shoulder throbbed. His axe sizzled.

"Goddamn," Rowan hissed, spitting blood into the soil. "That's not a skill—that's a storm."

Across the clearing, Lyle crouched low, his limbs twitching unnaturally, body humming like an overclocked engine. The aura around him intensified—a blend of thunder, smoke, and something ancient that didn't belong in a human frame. His breathing was uneven. Mouth open. Eyes wide. But behind all of that… was pain.

Not rage. Not madness.

Agony.

Jacob stirred, still tethered to the Strifelion, but his link pulsed with urgency. "Rowan! That's not him—something's inside! Or… something woke up."

But Rowan couldn't hear him—Jacob couldn't speak while tethered to the beast. The link demanded silence, his voice locked behind the connection. All he could do was watch through the Strifelion's eyes and hope Rowan understood.