Chapter 11 - First Field, First Disaster

The next morning, I was practically vibrating with excitement as we prepped to leave Central. For the first time since I landed in this world, I was finally going outside. Real fieldwork. New places. New people to talk to. New opportunities to verbally harass Elren in public.

"You will observe," Elren said, slipping on his hunter coat like he was born in it. "Do not engage."

"Observe, yes. Got it. No engaging. Unless it's with coffee vendors."

"Focus."

"I'm focusing on surviving and possibly taste-testing local street food."

"Not relevant."

"Highly relevant to me."

He sighed, but I could see the tiny crack of patience already forming. Good. My work continues.

We boarded a transport skimmer—a sleek, hovercraft-like vehicle that zipped through the transport lanes above the city. The view was incredible. Towering skyscrapers, ancient ruins, dense green patches overtaken by time.

"So what exactly are we observing today?"

"A controlled Grave capture."

"Oh, fantastic. You mean I get to watch a monster be trapped like some kind of ghost Pogemon?"

"The government's Binding Units will handle it. You will stay behind the perimeter."

"Stay behind, observe, don't talk to the monster. Got it."

"Correct."

"Do people actually talk to the Graves?"

"Some try. They don't survive."

"Comforting."

When we landed at the field site—an abandoned industrial sector on the city outskirts—the tension was palpable. Hunters and Binding Unit members moved with clinical precision, setting up containment fields, checking resonance scanners, adjusting the heavy gauntlets they wore for Grave sealing.

"Whoa, this is way more serious than I expected."

"It's a Grave manifestation linked to a high-order oath fracture. It requires immediate containment."

"You really know how to set the mood."

Elren motioned for me to stay near the skimmer while he coordinated with the team. I wandered just far enough to soak in the details but stayed within the safe boundary—mostly.

I watched as the Grave materialized—a twisting, shadowy creature that shimmered between reality and nightmare. Its form was unstable, almost liquid, but its movements were sharp, hungry, desperate.

Okay, Ava, just watch. Don't engage. You can do this. Easy mission. You stay back, sip your water, and cheer for the professionals in your head.

But then… the Grave turned its head—if I could even call that a head—and locked onto me.

Oh no.

It lunged. It ignored the Binding Unit. It ignored Elren. It came straight for me.

"AVA! MOVE!"

Elren's voice jolted me into motion. I sprinted, weaving through debris, the Grave slamming into walls behind me.

Why is it always me? Why does the monster always pick me? I was being good! I was staying in my zone!

"Don't stop!"

"I'M NOT TRYING TO!"

I dashed through the crumbling structures, the Grave relentlessly chasing me, ignoring the containment fields. The hunters shouted, scrambled to recalibrate the barriers, but it was no use.

Okay, new plan! Survival! Focus on survival!

"Elren, I thought you said they can't track me unless I provoke them!"

"You didn't provoke it. It's drawn to your existence."

"WELL, TELL IT TO STOP!"

"I'M TRYING."

Elren appeared beside me in a blur, grabbing my arm and yanking me out of the way of a collapsing support beam.

"This one's resonance is unusually high. It's not a normal Grave."

"Oh great! Now I'm being hunted by an overachiever!"

We darted through the maze of the industrial zone, the Grave crashing through machinery and piping.

"What's the plan?"

"We lure it to the secondary trap."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to engage!"

"You're the bait now."

"EXCUSE ME?"

"Move, Ava!"

Oh, this is great. This is how I die. As bait. In someone else's world. Fabulous.

I sprinted toward the signal beacon Elren activated ahead of us. The Grave followed, screeching, its form pulsing with unstable energy.

"Almost there."

"Almost there, he says! Easy for him to say! He doesn't have a death sentence charging right at his face!"

"Jump!"

I leaped over a broken platform, sliding under a scaffold, barely missing the Grave's snapping jaws.

Elren barked an order into his comm. "Now!"

The secondary trap activated, a brilliant surge of binding light snapping around the Grave, momentarily halting its rampage.

But just as the field stabilized, the Grave let out a shriek and slammed its body against the containment walls—over and over.

"It's not holding!"

"Move!"

Elren pushed me behind him as the Grave broke through the final seal, a shockwave sending dust and debris into the air.

"AVA, RUN!"

"NO!"

"AVA!"

"I'M DONE RUNNING!"

Adrenaline surged through me. I grabbed a nearby rebar, swinging wildly as the Grave lunged again. I knew it wouldn't kill it. I knew I was useless in a fight like this. But something inside me screamed that I couldn't keep running forever.

Even if I'm just bait, I'm not going down like prey!

I swung again, and in that split second, the Grave hesitated. Its form shimmered, almost as if… it was confused.

Elren took the opening, his blade flashing, slamming into the creature's core. The Grave screeched, losing its cohesion, finally collapsing into a dissipating shadow.

Elren turned to me, his expression tight, his breathing controlled but harsh.

"Don't ever do that again."

"Oh, you mean the part where I almost died? Believe me, I wasn't aiming for that."

"You didn't run."

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm tired of running."

He studied me for a long moment. "You were lucky."

"And you were fast."

"You're still reckless."

"You're still impossible."

"Correct."

Oh, we're back to this now. Good. I can work with this.

The Binding Unit re-secured the area, but I could see it in their faces—Graves weren't supposed to act like this. They weren't supposed to break containment for anomalies like me.

On the ride back, Elren didn't speak. I didn't either. Not because I was suddenly a fan of silence, but because my brain was spinning.

Why me? Why this Grave? Why did it hesitate? Why did it feel like… it recognized me?

I stared out the window, watching the city blur past.

There's something they're not telling me. There's something even Elren doesn't know.

Tomorrow, I'd have more questions.

Tomorrow, I'd start demanding answers.