Everyone who was still in the hall entered the red portal. Riven saw that when he tried, a screen appeared in front of him.
[System: Would you like to bring the absent party members with you? Y/N]
Riven could see both his mother's and Kira's names. Knowing his mother wasn't really a fighter and that Kira didn't want to go, he clicked no. When he did, a red flash shot out across the room. After the light disappeared, everyone who wasn't Kaden felt a familiar sensation—not only the feeling of teleporting but also the feeling of having nothing underneath them.
When their eyes adjusted, they could see the ground—but it was far below.
Kaden yelled, "You didn't say we'd be free-falling like this!"
"I didn't know! This entire thing is new to all of us!"
Kaden noted something in how Riven talked—and how he looked. When he glanced at his other son and the rest of their friends, he could see they all had the same look.
"Why are you all so calm?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Well, after you free-fall once, the second time kinda feels…"
" anti-climactic," Leo finished Harkel's sentence.
"Exactly."
"So what's the plan? I'm new to this group, so who's the leader?" Kaden asked. When no one spoke, he came to the conclusion. "You don't have a group leader, do you?"
"We more or less see each other as equals, so we never selected a leader," Harkel explained.
"Okay, fine. Let's do this right, since this is a long drop. Who do you all think should be the leader?"
"Well, there's Riven, who's the originator of the System ability. Then there's Jude, Wren, and Nico—all with a strategic mindset."
"Hey, what about me?" Skye yelled at Joey after hearing his response.
"You don't exactly have the brightest mindset, Skye," Leo teased.
The girl flipped Leo off.
"And you're a bit childish," Jude added. "But I might have a plan." The girl then pointed toward what seemed to be a building.
"How come I didn't notice that?" everyone thought—except Jude.
"So how exactly do some of you plan to get there?" Tessa asked, not really worried for herself since she could fly.
"My flames can keep me afloat, but I can't keep it up for long periods of time!" Nico yelled out.
"Time!" Riven shouted. He then looked at Joey. The golden boy was confused at first but quickly understood why Riven was looking at him. He held out both hands, closing his eyes as his hair flowed upward in a golden aura. Something everyone noticed was that the boy's aura wasn't purely gold—it had a faint white edge around it. Then, a golden space surrounded them all. It looked like Riven's Lawless Space, but golden in color. All of them were frozen in midair.
"What's going on?" Kaden questioned, moving his eyes around. His mouth was one of the only things he could still move.
"Alright, we've got five minutes to come up with a plan," Joey said.
"Okay," Jude said immediately. "Riven and Harkel—you're the key for this to work." She spoke quickly, not wanting to waste the precious time. "Riven, you need to use your Lawless Space, and Harkel—you need to blast us toward that tall building."
"Won't that be a hectic crash?" Skye said, fear in her voice.
"Not if we slide into it with ice," Jude responded.
"Yeah, but—" Wren tried to speak, but Jude cut her off.
"Riven and Harkel, can you use your abilities without your hands?" Jude asked.
"Yeah," the two boys said in unison.
"Good. Riven, activate your Lawless Space. Harkel, use your wind to pull us all together."
The two boys did as instructed, pulling everyone close.
"Okay, it's going down in three…" As Joey counted down, everyone prepared themselves, anticipating the drop. "Two, one!"
As the golden sphere disappeared, they continued to fall. Riven quickly activated his Spaceless Zone, while Harkel began absorbing massive amounts of air into his lungs.
"BLAST!" the boy barely managed to yell. He exhaled violently, sending them all flying at light speed. The force made their faces flap like loose skin. When Riven looked at his father, Kaden's expression was calm—as if there was no force at all.
Riven realized Kaden was using resonance. He tried doing the same, reinforcing his face with resonance in his cheekbones to stop the flapping—but he couldn't hold it for long.
As they got close, Jude raised her hand. When they were about 300 feet from the building, she could feel their momentum slowing down. Harkel was running out of air, and Jordan was helping by controlling wind beneath them, but even that wouldn't last.
Jude swept her hand forward, creating a massive ice slide. They landed on it, splitting apart as they slid down the slick surface. Some almost fell off, but others caught them before they could slip away.
"We're getting close!" Jude called out.
Wren, right beside her, prepared lightning and blasted it at the glass—but nothing happened.
"What the hell? Is the glass covered with rubber or something?" Wren yelled.
"No, your attack was just weak," Kaden said, standing casually on the ice.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" the girl shot back, as a red-haired female laughed at the comment.
"I'd like to see you try," Wren challenged Nico.
"Watch and learn." Nico launched a fireball, careful not to melt their ice platform. But it didn't matter—the result was the same.
"Not so tough now," Wren said mockingly.
"I had to hold back so I wouldn't melt the slide!" Nico argued.
"Okay, sorry. It's not that your attacks are weak—it's that the glass is just strong," Kaden corrected.
"But strong enough to block lightning and fire?" Luka asked, shocked.
"Well, Jordy did say this was for level 100+," Riven said, holding onto Harkel, who almost fell. "Maybe the glass applies to that as well."
"Riven has a point," Jordan said. "But if the glass is that strong and this is supposed to be a raid—meaning beasts should be here too—then what kind of monsters are we dealing with?"
"That's exactly why I said not to do this," Jordy muttered.
"Oh, looks like someone's awake from their fake sleep," Riven called out.
"Fake?" the little pixel questioned.
"Guys, not the time—we're too clo—" Jude's words were cut off as a figure jumped ahead of them, leaping off the slide and shattering the glass with one punch.
"Dad?" Riven and Jordan said in unison.
They hadn't even seen him move. One moment, he was behind them; the next, he was in front of the building, fist embedded in the glass.
As they got closer, they heard chaos from inside—followed by a ping.
[System: A party member has defeated a level 200 beast. The original who dealt the most damage will receive 100% of the EXP gained, while others will gain 2% or more depending on contribution.]
They all saw their EXP skyrocket. Luka, Nico, Jude, Skye—and even Kira and Candice, though they weren't present—were leveling up repeatedly. After a few minutes, the pings finally stopped.
⸻
Riven Harlow (Level 4)
• Strength: 7
• Speed: 7
• Durability: 9
Jordan Harlow (Level 4)
• Strength: 6
• Speed: 7
• Durability: 7
Leo Ashvale (Level 4)
• Strength: 7
• Speed: 7
• Durability: 7
Harkel Voss (Level 4)
• Strength: 7
• Speed: 7
• Durability: 7
Tessa Ashvale (Level 4)
• Strength: 6
• Speed: 8
• Durability: 7
Wren Fallow (Level 4)
• Strength: 6
• Speed: 7
• Durability: 7
⸻
Everyone who wasn't already Prestige shot up 20 levels—enough for most of them to Prestige now. But the person who did all the work didn't have a level that could increase.
"That was 2%?" Luka said, looking at his screen. Then his mind went blank as they finally reached the building, tumbling over each other as they entered.
"Dad!" Riven and Jordan called, looking around. But then, they felt sick. The room was a bloodbath—red blood everywhere, painting the walls and floor.
"Yo."
Kaden appeared from behind what looked like a desk.
"What the heck happened in here?"
"About six or seven beasts came at me. Luckily, they were weak, so I handled them easily."
"Well, we can get out of here now," Luka said, clapping his hands together as if he had done all the work.
"What do you mean?" Kaden asked.
"My goal here was to Prestige and get on the same level as them. Now that I can, let's go. Riven, open the portal."
"Sorry, Luka, but that's not how it works here," Jordy shut him down. "How this works is that we need to clear ten floors of this building. After that, we get the ticket to leave. You guys were never supposed to start up here or even break the glass. You were meant to start from the first floor and make your way up. What I'd advise is that you start heading down, because it gets harder from here."
"Hold on," Riven said, wanting to explain—but he decided to let everyone Prestige first. He wouldn't do it for Kira or his mother unless they wanted it. As they all knelt down, he continued, "Now, like I was saying—instead of going down, we should go with Dad. We can beat this easily. Even though we only get 2%, it still shot us up three levels while boosting him by twenty. Why not abuse that?"
"I'm not doing that," Kaden said flatly.
"What? Why?" Luka demanded, clutching his aching body.
"I want this to be a learning experience. I'll carry you through this floor, but after that, I want you to defeat one beast per floor." He paused. "But… I want you to do it without using your abilities, so your resonance can grow."
"What? Why would we do that?" Nico snapped. "We have our lives on the line! Why add more handicaps when we don't even know if we can beat one beast with our abilities?"
"Then don't," Kaden replied calmly. "It's just to improve your resonance in battle. I'll weaken the beast beforehand so it'll be easy to kill."
"I guess you have a fair point," Jordan sighed. "It's not like we're gonna get a—"
[System: New optional quest received — Go through the entire raid without using an ability. Will you accept this quest? Y/N]
Everyone turned to Nico with a 'You just had to say it' face. They all knew that when it came to Riven, he'd take the quest—and that's exactly what he did.
Before accepting, he purchased armor, weapons, and potions.
"Okay, get your items." Riven handed them out quickly. "Here, Dad."
Kaden refused the gear. "Sorry, son, but no. I'll stick with these." He drew the twin daggers Kwame had given him before leaving.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Okay." Riven put the extra armor in his ring just in case, then clicked Yes.
[System: Quest accepted. 12/12.]
"Oh, it must also count the others, even though they're not here," Tessa commented.
"So now how are we doing this?" Jordan asked their father.
"Easily—like this."
Kaden ran out of the room, sprinting down a hall. Everyone rushed after him, watching as he turned a corner.
"He's a child," they all thought in unison—right before they saw something chasing him. It looked like a dinosaur, black and red with a horn jutting from its snout.
As it got close, Kaden jumped over it, clapping his hands together and smashing them into the beast's head. He landed behind it, back turned to the group, and unsheathed his twin daggers. Crossing them in an X, he slashed the creature's chest, leaving a deep mark. Then, using the wall for momentum, he launched himself above it, stabbing repeatedly before kicking the beast toward the group.
"The rest is up to you!" Kaden yelled, sprinting down the hall again.
Riven used his Lock-On skill and saw the beast's HP—only 2%.
"Okay, this should be easy."
But when the beast stood tall again, everyone gulped.
Kaden yawned. "They should be done by now. No way it took them that long."
When he walked back, he saw the beast falling in real time.
"It's been five hours. It took you three hours to beat that thing?"
"Yes, it took us three hours!" Riven yelled back, exhausted.
"I walked down the building and killed the rest of the beasts—except for one on each floor," Kaden said casually.
"You killed the beasts on five floors?" Wren asked, hand raised.
"But you won't fight any more?"
"Screw the learning, man!" Harkel yelled.
"We can't learn anything while fighting for our lives—it gives us no time to think!" Leo complained.
"Hey… did you get hairier?" Kaden asked, pointing at Leo.
"Yes, I did. Luckily, transforming doesn't count as an ability—but still, it didn't make much difference," Leo said, shifting back. As the fur retracted, he suddenly threw up.
"Shit! Are you alright?" Kaden rushed over.
"No, I'm not! This transformation hurts more every time I undo it!"
"Okay, okay—fine," Kaden said. "I've been acting as your teacher anyway. Let's go down. I'll weaken them to 1 HP, and you finish them off. If you're in danger, I'll step in."
"Just give us an hour," Jordan said as everyone collapsed to the floor. After resting, they followed Kaden toward the stairs. There, they saw a lone beast. It looked similar to the black-and-red one, but this time blue and red—with its horn broken in half.
Kaden flashed forward and stabbed it in the heart.
"The way he uses it is incredible," Joey said, and the other Flowors nodded in agreement.
"Well, we can't exactly see what you're talking about, so mind explaining?" Leo asked, keeping pace with Kaden.
Joey scratched the back of his neck, searching for the right words. "It's like breathing for him—effortless. Most of us have to think about every pulse of resonance we push through our bodies, but he just… flows. Like it's a rhythm that's always been there. The same could be said for Riven as well—he can't do it as fast, though."
"What, you been watching me?" Riven raised his eyebrows playfully but stopped when he got an elbow to the gut.
After going through the next floor and watching Kaden repeat the same effortless motions, they started talking again.
"For Riven, I timed it—it takes him three seconds to use resonance. For others, it's longer. It used to take Luka and Kira twelve seconds, but they managed to cut it down to six. Same with Jude, though she's around six and a half. For Harkel and Leo, it's between four and five seconds—it fluctuates."
"Maybe resonance is somewhat genetic," Joey said, "but that wouldn't make sense."
"Why not? It also takes me around three seconds—or 2.9," Jordan said, trying to sound faster than Riven.
"Well, I say that because it also takes me around three seconds—2.7, to be exact," Joey lied, wanting to one-up Jordan. "But I have no genetic ties to resonance."
"Well, technically, neither do Riven nor I," Jordy pointed out, confusing everyone. "Think about it—Dad learned resonance after we were born, and we all learned it at the same time. So it's not like we were born with it. Maybe it's just natural talent."
"Well, thanks to the System—and the way Mr. Harlow taught us—resonance is somewhat an ability. Maybe everyone has it in them but needs a catalyst," Nico said thoughtfully.
"Maybe you're right. But abilities have been around a long time, so shouldn't there be at least one other person who has both resonance and an ability besides us?" Skye wondered aloud.
"Maybe there is—we just don't know it yet. But the System does," Riven said, suddenly getting an idea. "When we fought that Vorrak beast, the System said we were the first humans to ever see it. So wouldn't it also tell us if we were the first humans—or Evolvers—to have resonance?"
Everyone thought about it. He made a fair point.
"What's a Vorrak beast? And first humans?" Kaden asked.
Riven froze. He'd forgotten they never told his parents about the Storm Guild or their time in the Grand Capital.
"I'll tell you later," Riven said, scratching his cheek—hoping the topic would be swept under the rug.
"Okay, well, we're halfway there—after five floors."
Kaden ignored the weird expression on his son's face and stopped on the staircase before turning around. "Now, I can see most of you already used your abilities, so raise your hand if that was you."
Kaden glanced at the system interface. It read [7/12], meaning five of them had used their abilities. Luka, Harkel, Nico, and Skye all raised their hands.
"Wait—who's the fifth?" he questioned, but no one stepped forward or called anyone out. None of them seemed guilty. That meant the person who'd used their ability must've been either Kira or Candice.
"Alright, fine. I still want you to try not to use your abilities, but you don't have to if you don't want to. I just want to see what you can do against the beast."
They all walked out from behind the corner they'd been hiding behind. The dinosaur-like beast—pink and black with jagged spikes—saw them immediately and charged with a roar that shook the ground.
"Now listen!" Kaden shouted. "If you're still using resonance, don't force it. Let it flow through your body—like a leaf floating down a river!"
"Why didn't you tell us this before we got in the open?!" Harkel yelled back.
Kaden only shrugged as the beast charged like a raging bull. Everyone scrambled out of the way.
Harkel was the first to counterattack. He still struggled to transfer resonance through his limbs, so he focused it in two at a time—his legs. Resonance surged through him, and his speed exploded. He dashed forward, spinning his body and driving a knee straight into the beast's jaw. The impact snapped its head back, powered by the strength his armor granted.
Riven came flying above, launched by Leo's powerful throw. He clasped his hands together, trying to mimic his father's movement to strike down—but the beast opened its mouth and unleashed a green blast of energy. Before it hit, a vine shot out, wrapping around Riven's waist and yanking him aside.
"Thanks!" Riven shouted.
Luka nodded from behind, his hand still glowing green
"Physical attacks aren't working," Nico said,. "Even if we catch it off guard, it adapts instantly. And when we do land a hit, it barely does anything. So how—?"
"Don't force it. Let it flow through you," Riven muttered under his breath. Luka heard him repeating it again and again.
Luka could feel it now—something pulsing faintly from Riven's gauntlets, a rhythm matching his heartbeat.
"Let it flow," Riven whispered once more.
Then he rushed in. The beast swung its tail at him—an attack it had used before—but this time, Riven hopped into the air and seemed to jump again, midair, as if he'd pushed off something invisible.
"What the—?" Riven blinked, confused. "That should be impossible…"
"Don't lose focus!" Kaden yelled, though even he looked stunned. That wasn't something he'd ever seen before.
Riven refocused, resonance flaring along his arms, but as his concentration wavered, the glow dimmed. He punched the beast in the back—it flinched, but its health bar didn't drop much. Still, it reacted.
"Okay, I think I'm starting to get it," Riven said, bouncing on his feet.
"Let me try," Jordan said, stepping forward. He gathered resonance in his legs, sprinted up, then channeled it to his arms. "Let it flow…" He swung his sword, aiming for the beast's leg, but the monster leapt and spun midair, its body twisting like a propeller, heading straight for him.
Kaden was ready to intervene—but before he could, a wall of ice erupted in front of Jordan, blocking the strike long enough for him to retreat. The beast shattered it seconds later.
"Come on, come on…" Jordan steadied himself, pushing resonance into his eyes. The world shifted—he could see glowing orange points flickering across the beast's body, like weak spots.
Instead of charging, he walked forward, calm and steady.
"Jordan, dodge!" Leo yelled, rushing in behind the beast.
"No—wait, trust him," Riven said, holding out his hand to stop Leo.
The beast lunged. To everyone else, it was a blur—but to Jordan, time slowed. He saw the flare of orange energy near its mouth, then another glowing mark on its chest. He slid under the beast's bite, swung upward, and slashed through the weak point with all the resonance he could muster.
A glowing [CRITICAL HIT!] flashed above the beast's head as its health plummeted to 1%.
"Wait—we can do critical attacks?" Skye said, stunned.
The beast staggered and crashed to the ground. Jordan stumbled, clutching his face as tears streamed from his burning eyes.
"My eyes—they burn!" he gasped, rubbing them desperately.
Jude ran over and grabbed his hands. "Stop! You'll make it worse!" She pressed her palms over his eyes, small patches of frost forming to cool the burns.
"Sorry… sorry. Thanks, Jude."
"No problem," she said softly. "You forced resonance into your eyes, didn't you?"
Jordan nodded weakly.
"But you've never trained to that extent," Kaden said, walking up. "Meaning—you saw its weak points, didn't you?"
"Its points?" Jude asked curiously.
"If you channel resonance into your eyes," Kaden explained, "you can see the vital points of a person—or in this case, a beast. Weaknesses others can't see. You saw where I hit it before and used that to your advantage. Good thinking. Honestly, I'm impressed—you maintained it for nearly a full minute. Most people couldn't do that for even a second." He chuckled and patted Jordan's back. "Good job, kid."
"Thanks, Dad," Jordan said, smiling faintly. "How are the others doing?"
"Well…" Kaden looked over nervously. "They're jumping the beast."
Across the battlefield, Harkel and Leo attacked together. Harkel dove low while Leo came down from above, greatsword in hand. Harkel barely dodged the beast's snapping jaws before Leo brought his blade down—but it didn't pierce all the way through. The beast roared in fury.
When it opened its mouth again, Jude thrust her staff forward, freezing its throat. Everyone followed up—Riven, Luka, Skye, and Nico—each channeling resonance into their weapons or limbs. Blow after blow landed until the creature finally crashed to the ground, motionless.
"Okay, that was easier than last time," Leo said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah," Harkel agreed, catching his breath. "And using resonance feels a bit easier now too."
[System: The system has now adjusted slightly to the user's resonance. Users can channel power more freely throughout their body and weapons.]
"Alright, finally!" Riven yelled, grinning. "Now let's get this done and over with!"