Chapter 17: Echoes of Fire and Stone

The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the pristine white ward, where sunlight filtered softly through the tall windows, casting warm patches of gold across the floor. The beeping of heart monitors and the low hum of medical equipment was a steady rhythm in the background.

Three beds were lined up against the far wall, each occupied by a familiar face. Marcus lay with one arm bandaged across his ribs, eyes half-lidded but alert. Kael sat upright, arms crossed over his chest, a few minor bruises still visible. Lira had a light cast around her left wrist and a healing salve glistening across a cut on her forehead.

"I still can't believe we made it out of there alive," Lira muttered, leaning back against her pillow.

Marcus chuckled, wincing slightly. "Barely. If Kael hadn't gone full rock-golem mode, I think we'd have been toast."

Kael snorted. "Says the guy who turned his fire blue. What the hell was that?"

Marcus frowned thoughtfully. "I... don't know exactly. In the middle of the fight, something inside just... clicked. Like I understood a deeper rhythm. I think it was the Second Breathing Technique. My flames changed. They got hotter. Brighter. Sharper."

Lira nodded. "I saw it. For a moment, I thought you were going to explode."

Kael smirked. "Instead, Dog exploded."

They shared a quiet laugh.

"I also unlocked something," Kael added, more subdued this time. "The armor I used—Hunter Form One—it was like the earth was guiding me. It felt heavy, but it moved with me. Like a second skin."

"That armor was incredible," Lira said. "I knew you had a connection to the earth, but I didn't know it ran that deep."

Kael looked down at his hands. "I think it always did. I just wasn't listening properly before."

Lira nodded. "I've been training with my ice more, pushing it further. The multi-bolt formation I used wasn't something I could do before. This mission... it forced us all to grow."

Marcus smiled faintly. "We're not the same people who stepped into that forest."

At that moment, the door to the ward slid open and a familiar figure stepped in—the officer they had met at the gate before their mission.

He approached their beds and offered a respectful bow. "I just came from the debrief. I wanted to thank you—on behalf of the Virelia branch. You saved countless lives by defeating those two masked assailants."

The three of them exchanged glances, then shook their heads in unison.

"It's not a big deal," Marcus said sincerely. "We were just doing what needed to be done."

Kael added, "We were glad to help."

Lira smiled. "Besides, it was good training."

The officer chuckled. "Humble and strong. The best kind of allies. The Branch Manager will be informed. Thank you again." He saluted and departed.

POV SHIFT: Elra

Far away, in the secretive chambers of the World Council's inner sanctum, Elra stood silently with a closed book in her hands. Her eyes glowed faintly, reflecting the residue of her telepathic scan.

The cat and the pigeon—disguised operatives placed within the enemy ranks—had yielded information, but not all. Their surface minds held only pieces of the puzzle.

"So even they don't know the full plan," she murmured to herself.

She turned and walked down a long hallway, the heels of her boots tapping a rhythmic echo. Reaching a door adorned with ancient sigils, she paused and knocked.

"Enter," came a calm, deep voice.

She stepped inside. The room was dim, filled with maps, monitors, and scrolls. Ryun stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, watching the clouds.

Elra closed the door behind her and approached. "I've finished the readings."

Ryun turned, his piercing eyes focusing on her. "And?"

"They're trying to use the orb to power something called the Overlord Machine," she said. "From what I could gather, it's an ancient construct—massive in size, built with ruin technology. But it's incomplete. They need one last piece to activate it fully."

Ryun's expression tightened. "The Crown."

"Yes. The one who holds the Crown controls the Overlord Machine. It obeys their will."

Ryun let out a slow breath. "This is grave news. The Overlord Series was banned centuries ago. Machines built with ruin cores capable of annihilating entire cities. If such a machine is revived..."

"It could destroy the mainland," Elra finished.

There was a silence between them.

"And worse," she added, "the activation has already begun. Two operatives have been dispatched to collect the final piece."

Before Ryun could respond, there was a knock at the door.

"Come," Ryun said.

An officer entered, saluted, and spoke quickly. "We've received news of an attack on the outskirts of Virelia City. The local Branch Manager held them off. Two masked attackers—Dog and Mouse—have been confirmed neutralized."

Ryun's eyes widened slightly. "He defeated them?"

The officer nodded. "With help. Three ruin explorers assisted him. They were instrumental in turning the tide."

Ryun laughed softly. "Well done. Did they find anything resembling a crown in the area?"

The officer checked his notes. "No such item was recovered, sir."

Ryun's smile faded. He waved the officer toward the door, but paused. "Wait. The Branch Manager of Virelia City is Vice-General Darius Korvain, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

"He's not strong enough to defeat both Dog and Mouse on his own."

"No, sir. The three explorers—Marcus, Kael, and Lira—are credited with the victory."

Ryun smiled again, this time with genuine warmth. "Good people. Keep an eye on them."

"Yes, sir."

POV SHIFT: Goat

In the shadows of a forgotten ruin deep within the wilderness, Goat knelt before a glowing altar. His fingers brushed the golden filigree of the Crown that now rested in his hands.

In his mind, a flashback replayed—Dog and Mouse, cornered, bleeding, still finding the strength to activate the Prana Transfer Technique. A hidden follower had received the item and, in the final moment before their defeat, used their unique talent to pass it across miles to Goat.

He had felt it instantly. A weight in his palm. A pulse of ancient power.

Now, the Crown shimmered with faint blue light.

"This is it," he murmured. "The key to everything."

He placed it atop his head. For a second, his vision darkened. A tunnel of black, a pull into the void.

Then—

Light returned. He blinked. Everything around him looked the same.

"...Huh. Must be the fatigue."

He stood and walked toward the orb embedded in the ruin pedestal. It pulsed with life, glowing as his presence neared. He raised his hand and pressed it against the orb.

There was a sound—a deep, mechanical groan. The earth trembled.

Stone walls crumbled outward, revealing a hidden platform beneath the ruin. From it, something colossal began to rise. A towering armor, forty feet tall, etched with luminous lines. Its core pulsed in rhythm with the orb.

A cockpit opened in the chest of the machine. A chair, shaped like a throne, awaited him.

Goat's jaw dropped. "This... this is better than I imagined."

He stepped forward, laughter bubbling in his throat.

"They thought the Crown was just a relic. But this—this is power."

As he ascended into the cockpit, his laughter echoed across the ruins, joining the hum of awakening machinery.

And somewhere far away, a storm began to stir.