Ivara had turned off her Globecom before the sun rose.
It was a stylish piece of technology. It was thin and sleek, built into her wrist guard like a shiny piece of black glass.
It was standard for Wardens, and hers had not been quiet for years. But this morning, Ivara pressed her thumb to it and turned off the signal.
The Chief Warden tried to contact Ivara several times throughout the day and sent her messages as well.
Tamsin, who was not involved in this issue, had to listen to his frustration and was asked to reach out to Ivara until she replied.
Now, it was Tamsin's turn to feel frustrated. He knew both of their personalities well.
"Do I really have to go there myself?"
Ivara was angry with Chief Warden Hayes. He had turned down her request the day before to let Elisa join Squad C-707 for this mission.
Elisa would stay with her assigned squad. Raith would go into this mission without the one person who could help him control his power.
Chief Warden Hayes had called it a precaution.
"Two High Anomalies in one mission," he said. "Too risky."
Ivara had argued back. "It was the perfect chance to help them grow stronger, faster."
The Chief shook his head and said, "Have you forgotten what you said about the Field? It's not a standard F-grade."
He looked directly into her eyes and added, "If something goes wrong, we could lose two of our best Cadets."
"I think you forgot something," Ivara said. "I'm one of the strongest Wardens. If its grade is higher, I can handle it."
The Chief smiled. He believed Ivara missed the main point. She had shared her real reason. She wanted to assign Raith and the other S-ranked Cadets to the same squad for missions.
However, he believed that was not a wise decision.
"Anything can happen, Ivara. You know the Field as well as I do," he said firmly. "It's still a no from me."
Ivara let out a frustrated breath. She didn't want to give up yet.
"Super Strength is a flawed Force," she said. "Throughout history, only three users awakened with the S-grade potential. They became the pillars of their Bastions."
She paused before adding, "The rest broke before they ever reached Warden level and… this is our only chance."
The Chief Warden nodded. "Yes. I know that—"
Ivara raised her finger to show that she wasn't done speaking. The Chief Warden smiled and motioned for her to go on.
"That Force consumes the body, scorching the muscles and bones with each use. Most Tuners give up and accept their limits, finding the maximum their bodies can handle and stopping there."
She didn't want Raith to settle for that.
"With Elisa by his side, he could overcome it," she added.
Elisa had the ability to heal Raith. Every time he pushed himself to his limits, she could pull him back.
That was not only to save him but also to strengthen her own abilities. It was a win-win for them.
With each use, her healing would become more precise and powerful, even to the point of regrowing limbs.
Raith needed a safety net, while Elisa required a testing field. Their abilities complemented each other perfectly.
However, the Chief Warden disagreed. He wanted the camp to benefit from all five S-rankers, not just one squad.
His goal was to spread their influence and raise the standard across the entire camp.
So, he chose to split them apart.
That was why Ivara turned off the Globecom. If he wouldn't listen, then she would do things her way.
Back in the Shatterveil, Raith's eyes stirred.
The light hurt his eyes. His limbs ached, each breath thick and heavy. The taste of iron clung to the back of his throat.
Raith opened his eyes, blinked a few times, and pushed himself up.
The squad was camped near the ruins where they had fought. Vanna was lying a few meters away, wrapped in bandages. Her face was pale, jaw clenched from the pain.
Demitri stood guard not far, arms crossed, scanning the area for the hundredth time.
Cael was pacing, talking loudly to Liria, or at least at her. She said nothing, just stared off, responding only with the occasional nod.
Ivara was sitting cross-legged against a stone slab, meditating. Her eyes were closed, her breath even. Nobody knew how strong she really was, or what she was thinking.
Raith rubbed his temples and sat up fully. "What… happened?"
All eyes turned.
Vanna looked up first. Her eyes welled, and she pushed herself upright with effort.
"You… saved me," she said, her voice trembling. "Thank you."
She paused before adding, "If you don't mind, can you help me become stronger?"
Raith was taken aback by her tone. He nodded slowly in response.
Demitri gave him a brief, respectful nod. "You did more than we anticipated. That was impressive."
Cael, however, scoffed. "Impressive, sure, if you enjoy watching someone blow themselves up in the middle of a fight."
Raith looked at him but said nothing.
Cael folded his arms. "Look, you're not weak. Obviously, you have incredible power. But you barely know how to use it. If I had Super Strength, I'd be handling Crawlers in my sleep."
Raith tilted his head. "If you had my power, how would you use it differently?"
Cael blinked. "What kind of question is that?"
"A serious one," Raith said. "I have no real combat experience. All I've done is swing as hard as I can and hope something breaks. It might work against weak Crawlers, but against stronger monsters? I'm not sure it will."
That surprised everyone. Even Liria turned to look.
Vanna stuttered. "Wait. Weak? The Crawlers are… weak to you?"
Raith scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I didn't mean to brag. I just think that if I had your knowledge and training, I could end a fight in one or two moves."
He paused before adding, "The same goes the other way. If you guys had my power, you'd do better. But… all of that was impossible. So, I need help to become stronger."
That was when Ivara opened her eyes.
Everyone fell silent.
She looked at Raith and smiled faintly. "It's good you're starting to see your flaws."
Her gaze swept to the rest of them. "And the rest of you. You were trained by your families, yes? From young?"
They nodded slowly.
"But the moment you awakened, you threw it all away."
Cael frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You began relying too much on your Forces. You forgot everything else."
That hit harder than expected.
They had been left behind for years. Their siblings and others of the same generation had awakened early, climbed ranks fast, and left them in the dust.
Most late awakeners had no chance. At sixteen or older, they were given only two years to graduate from the camp, compared to four or five for the others.
And in their desperation to catch up, they threw everything into mastering their Forces.
But they forgot about their bodies.
Their foundations.
Liria, quiet until now, spoke softly. "That's true… Then, we need to train everything. Not just our Forces. But… can we do that in two years?"
Ivara nodded. "You can. But only if you face danger. Only if you push beyond safe boundaries."
She stood.
Everyone watched her closely.
"That's why we need missions. Real ones. Difficult ones. Ones that push you to the edge."
She reached into her pack and pulled out two glowing orbs.
One red. One blue.
Monster cores.
"Now," she said, holding them up, "we level up."