They ended up waiting for some time before the rift finally opened. In the meantime, the three of them found a seat on an empty bench nearby. As the small tear in the air began to widen, the other groups in the area started to stir as well. Even so, the three didn't hurry. They sat quietly and watched.
The officers in charge of the Echorift portal were stern, keeping the explorers in order.
"I know most of you probably already understand how this works, but let me repeat it one more time," the officer said, sweeping her eyes across the crowd. "Every Echorift, even the ones considered the safest, has its own dangers. Do not treat your lives as less valuable than anything you hope to find inside. We won't be able to help much from this side. If you encounter something too dangerous, your top priority should be to escape. All of you have also been given an emergency escape method."
She raised her hand and showed them a small green gem shaped like an egg. Inside it, a tiny bird-like creature was curled up, asleep.
"You've all been given an Aerie Marble. Inside is a wind summon created by the South Ward Branch Head, Shirakawa Tsubaki. If you break the marble, it will summon the bird, and it will try to bring you back to the portal. But as you all know, the space within an Echorift is unstable and unpredictable. Don't wander so far that even the Aerie can't bring you out. That's all."
With that final warning, the officer allowed the groups to begin entering the rift. Each group stepped through carefully, one at a time. When Han, Alwyn, and Erika passed through, they soon found themselves alone in a vast expanse of sand dunes.
Han looked around, frowning. "Where are the others?"
"They must have been teleported somewhere else," Alwyn said. "It's probably for the best. Starting out in the same spot would just create unnecessary tension."
"What are we waiting for? Let's start the treasure hunt!" Erika said, quickly pulling out the detection device.
It looked like a compass, a palm-sized device that scanned the surrounding area. Blips of light appeared on its translucent overlay, showing the direction and distance of nearby aether crystals. It had been an expensive purchase, one that caused Erika a good deal of emotional pain, but she believed it would be a worthwhile investment. She had tried to pester Auren into buying it for her, but he rejected the idea, saying he had already paid for the trip and their Echorift entry and had spent enough.
With the device in hand, Erika took the lead as they made their way across the Ashdune Vale. True to its name, this Echorift was covered in dunes and endless stretches of sand. Han looked around with curiosity and interest. This was his first time setting foot in a place like this.
The area reminded him a little of the Wastes, though it lacked the same suffocating darkness and oppressive weight that hung over that place. Here, the sky was a pale yellow, blending into the endless desert below. Occasionally, the smooth dunes were interrupted by the remains of buildings jutting from the sand like forgotten bones.
As they passed by a tall pillar made of strange white stone, Han reached out and placed his hand on it. It felt unnaturally cold against his skin.
"Echorifts are supposed to be remnants of dead worlds, right?" Han asked. "What do we know about Ashdune Vale?"
"Hmm, not much really," Alwyn replied. "There's barely any reliable information about the Echorifts we've found. Trying to figure out how these worlds died is a tall order, especially since we can't exactly talk to anyone from them. But what we do know is that the dominant species here wasn't human."
"Not human?" Han's eyes widened. "Like aliens?"
"Technically, we're the aliens right now," Erika said, still watching the device in her hand without looking up.
"I guess that's true. So what kind of creatures were they?" Han asked, his mind already racing with images of bipedal insects bursting from people's chests or those creepy, thin beings with pale skin riding flying saucers.
"Based on the research and scattered intel we've gathered, the inhabitants of Ashdune Vale seemed to be... living rocks," Alwyn said.
"Rocks?" Han blinked, clearly not expecting that.
"Or maybe gems or crystals would be a more accurate description," Alwyn added. He had always found the Echorifts fascinating. After all, these were entire worlds that once held life but had now fallen silent and broken, their remnants drifting until they somehow reached Arboren.
"What did they even eat? Other rocks?" Han tilted his head.
"We don't know. Like I said, everything we know about these Echorifts is limited," Alwyn answered.
"Hey, you nerds. How about being useful for once and helping me out?" Erika called, cutting through their conversation.
The two turned toward her. She had stopped a short distance away, standing with her arms crossed and her gaze fixed on the ground, clearly annoyed.
"Did you find something?" Alwyn asked.
"I did. The scanner says there's something interesting nearby, but there's nothing around here," Erika replied.
It was true. The area around them was just more dunes and sand. Nothing stood out, except for the occasional remains of structures poking through the surface.
"So it must be underground," Alwyn said.
"That's what I figured too, but I can't find anything that looks like an entrance or path down," Erika said, clicking her tongue. Her instincts were sharp, and they told her that something valuable was buried below. Whatever it was, it wasn't something they should just ignore.
"Let's take another look around," Alwyn suggested.
The three of them fanned out and examined the area, scanning for anything unusual. But aside from a few half-buried ruins and more sand, there was nothing.
"Still nothing?" Alwyn asked once they regrouped.
"Nothing," Erika replied with a frustrated frown.
"Should we just dig?" Han asked. Before either of them could respond, he crouched down and immediately began digging into the sand at lightning speed, his hands moving like a blur. Dust and sand flew in all directions.
"Ugh, ack! Stop it, you idiot!" Erika shouted, coughing as a wave of sand blew into her face. "You're just making a mess!"
Han didn't seem to hear her. He was too focused, digging like a hyper dog chasing a scent trail.
With an irritated growl, Erika stomped over and kicked him in the back. Han yelped as he lost balance, his head and upper body tumbling into the hole he had just dug.
"Moron," Erika muttered as she watched him flailing in the pit.
After some struggle, Han finally freed himself from the sand prison and pulled his head out, gasping for air. Erika ignored the glare he shot her and focused entirely on figuring out how to reach her treasure.
"Perhaps we should just give up," Alwyn said, watching the scene with a frown. It was clear the situation wasn't going to change anytime soon. They couldn't afford to waste more time digging through endless sand. For all they knew, the Aether Crystal clusters Erika had detected could be buried deep underground.
"I refuse," Erika muttered through gritted teeth.
"And what do you propose we do, then?" Alwyn asked, recognizing her stubbornness.
Erika closed her eyes, exhaled, and finally made a decision. It was probably time to come clean anyway.
"Oi, System. Can you do anything about this?"
Alwyn and Han blinked at her sudden words, but Erika ignored their confusion, waiting for a response only she could hear.
"This system is capable of detecting nearby magical currents," it replied. "Does the host wish to activate this feature?"
"I asked, didn't I?" she shot back.
"Understood."
With her permission, the system tapped into her aether and began its scan. Erika's eyes glowed brightly as she surveyed the surrounding area. It didn't take long before she located the hidden entrance beneath the sand. Pointing at the exact spot, she said, "There. We'll need to dig about 1.5 to 2 meters."
Alwyn gave a quick nod and pulled out his summoning book. With a flick of his wrist, he called forth a creature resembling a giant mole. It was massive, its claws gleaming and ready. At his command, it turned toward the marked location and began digging rapidly.
Within a minute, the entrance to the underground chamber was fully revealed to the three teens.
Erika stepped forward quickly. The entrance was made entirely of stone, its surface etched with strange carvings that pulsed faintly in the light. She tried pushing it open, but it didn't budge. Judging by the confused looks from her companions, she doubted either of them had any clue how to deal with foreign mechanisms like this.
"System, open this," Erika said, placing her hand on the stone.
"Understood," the system replied.
The system immediately drew more power from her. Aether lines flared from Erika's palm, spreading across the stone surface like glowing veins. After a few tense seconds, a soft click echoed through the chamber. The heavy stone door rumbled, then slowly creaked open, revealing a long staircase that spiraled into darkness.
"Let's go," Erika said, stepping forward and leading the group underground.
As they descended the shadowed stairway, the flickering light from their lantern stretched their silhouettes along the walls. Erika could feel someone staring at her from behind. She tried to ignore it at first, but her patience quickly wore thin.
"Just spit it out," she muttered without looking back.
"Ah! Um… Erika… you… have a system?" Han asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
She glanced over her shoulder with a raised brow. His bright, eager expression made her pause. "Yes. I have a parasite in my head that calls itself a system. It showed up one day and hasn't left me alone since."
Han's eyes sparkled even more at the confirmation. "That… that's so cool!"
"What's so cool about it?" Erika asked flatly, narrowing her eyes.
As far as she was concerned, the damned system had done nothing but pester her, constantly bothering her about its missions and demanding cooperation. Not that she ever took it seriously. Once she was sure it couldn't hijack her body, she decided to treat it like an annoying roommate she couldn't kick out no matter how hard she tried.
"Of course it's cool!" Han exclaimed. "You have a system! Do you know what that means?"
"That I've got an annoying voice in my head that's useless most of the time?" Erika replied flatly.
"No! Don't you know it's only the powerful protagonists who get systems?" Han said, eyes gleaming. "I've read stories about them, you know. They get a system, and then they upgrade, get stronger, and kick a lot of ass. Like leveling up and unlocking new powers!"
"Uh-huh. I barely understood what you just said," Erika said. This wasn't the first time Han had gone off on a tangent about the stories he'd read. Judging from his ramblings, he definitely had a colorful reading history. "But sorry to disappoint you. The system I have is useless most of the time. I can hardly do anything with it."
"Really?" Han frowned. "Have you been given missions or anything like that? Usually, you need to follow its instructions to unlock new features or hidden stuff."
"Hell no. Why the heck would I listen to some voice that suddenly popped up in my head?" Erika scoffed.
"B-but the system is supposed to help you get powerful!" Han protested.
Erika snorted. "No thanks. I have no desire to depend on some strange, unknown existence that barged into my life. I'll get stronger on my own, and it's not like I'm weak. Or do you want to spar with me right now?"
"No, no, I'm not saying you're weak, it's just that..." Han trailed off.
"What Han is saying," Alwyn finally spoke up, "is that since you're stuck with the system, it might be wise to start figuring out its motives."
He had stayed quiet until now, content to listen as the two bickered. In truth, he'd been aware of something strange about Erika for some time. He'd caught her muttering to herself before, but not in the casual way some people do. Her words were always part of a one-sided conversation. At first, he suspected she might be a spy, but Auren had assured him she wasn't. It was clear that Auren knew about Erika's secret too, though he didn't seem to think it posed any danger.
With that assurance, Alwyn had decided against taking any drastic action. Instead, he watched and waited. And after spending months with her, it didn't seem like she had any ill intent.
"There's nothing to worry about. It's just an old, broken system that barely works," Erika said.
"Correction: the system is currently not at full capacity. However, if the host would finally cooperate, it may be possible for the system to recover and—"
"Yeah, shut up already," Erika hissed, continuing down the staircase without missing a step.
"Come on, Erika, you should be nicer to your system," Han said, having overheard her exchange. "It's just trying to help, you know."
"Or maybe it's trying to take over my body and scheme behind my back," Erika shot back.
"The system has no such intention. Suggestion: the host should listen to Han's advice," the system replied.
Erika didn't bother answering. She simply picked up her pace.
The underground passage was pitch black, but thankfully, they had brought a lumen lantern to light the way. The staircase eventually ended, leading them into a massive chamber where walls shimmered with clusters of aether crystals embedded in the stone.
Erika's mood instantly lifted at the sight. "Finally!" she exclaimed, pulling out a pickaxe without hesitation. She strode up to the crystals and started chipping away. "Come on, move it, you two. Chop chop. These aether crystals aren't going to harvest themselves!"
Alwyn sighed and headed to an untouched corner to begin his own work. Han, however, wasn't in a hurry to start mining. His curiosity pulled him toward the chamber walls, which were partially covered in faded murals. Most had been damaged or buried under thick crystal growths, but a few still remained visible.
From what he could make out, the murals depicted humanoid figures with arms and legs, standing near towering structures. As he studied them, his eyes drifted toward a narrow passage leading into a smaller chamber.
Inside, a soft glow caught his attention.
Floating a short distance away was a glowing blue gem, suspended in mid-air. Drawn to it, Han stepped closer. Just as his hand reached out, a voice echoed in the chamber.
"...Who?"
Han's eyes widened.