The base lights flickered.
Ronan sat up slowly on the cot, wincing. His body felt heavier, like the simulation hadn't truly ended. Lyra placed a warm hand on his shoulder, her brows drawn together in worry.
"Don't move too fast," she said. "Kael said you went into some kind of seizure after the message appeared. You were glowing—literally."
He looked at his palms. No glow now… but the power was there, just under the skin, like something coiled and waiting.
"I saw six of them," Ronan whispered. "The Judges. Even in simulation, they were overwhelming."
Lyra didn't reply. She just sat next to him, quiet.
After a moment, she said, "Then we need to get stronger too."
He glanced at her. "You don't have a system."
"I don't need one," she replied. "I'm not here to be the strongest. I'm here for you."
Her words landed heavier than they should have. Ronan met her eyes, searching them for anything hidden—but she wasn't hiding anything.
Before he could speak, the alarm flared across the base.
*BZZZT!*
*"Attention: Unidentified aerial presence detected. Cloaking barrier compromised. Emergency lockdown initiated."*
Kael's voice roared through the hallway. "Everyone to defensive stations. Now!"
Ronan stood, the ache in his body already fading. "Let's go."
***
Outside, the skies were dark and boiling with clouds. A low hum pulsed overhead as an airship—one not belonging to the Resistance—descended slowly toward the forest ridge beyond the cliffs.
Ronan narrowed his eyes. "That's not the Circle. Too small. Too focused."
A sharp voice spoke beside him. Commander Rythe, cold-eyed and steel-backed, appeared with a pair of scouts.
"We believe this is a Vanguard test squad. Not Circle—but Circle-sponsored. A warm-up team."
"A warm-up for what?" Lyra asked.
"For judgment," Rythe said grimly. "They send these teams before the real Judges arrive. To stir panic. To flush out system users."
Ronan's jaw clenched.
*"Then let me face them."*
Rythe raised an eyebrow. "You're barely recovered."
"They're coming anyway. I can't wait."
She studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Take Lyra. And Kael, if he volunteers. But make it clean. Fast. No system flares."
***
They approached the ridge under cover of nightfall. Ronan's senses had grown sharper since Layer III. Every vibration in the earth, every shift of wind—he felt it like whispers against his skin.
Lyra moved quietly beside him, twin blades strapped to her back. "Nervous?" she asked.
"Not about the fight," he said. "About what happens if I let too much power slip out."
She smiled faintly. "Then don't."
In the clearing beyond the trees, five figures emerged from the ship. Each wore gray-and-gold armor—lightweight, flexible, and marked with the symbol of *Trial*. Vanguard soldiers.
"Hold," Ronan said. "Let them speak."
The leader—a tall woman with short, copper hair—stepped forward.
"System wielder," she said, her voice amplified. "We know what you carry. Surrender your core and you'll be taken in peace."
Ronan stepped out into the open. "No."
The woman sighed. "Then this is a judgment rehearsal."
In an instant, the Vanguard charged.
Ronan reacted faster than he expected—his core responding with tight, refined bursts of force. He didn't go full power. Just enough to deflect, disarm, and dismantle.
Lyra was a shadow beside him—dancing, dodging, striking.
They moved like they had trained for this together for years.
Within three minutes, it was over.
Four soldiers were unconscious. The fifth crawled backward, hand outstretched. "W-we weren't told you'd be… this evolved."
Ronan knelt beside him. "Tell them I'm not ready to be judged yet. But I will be".
And then, to everyone's surprise—Ronan let him go.
***
Later that night, back at the base, Ronan stood on the observation deck.
Lyra joined him. No words for a while.
Then, quietly, she said, "I was scared tonight."
"You didn't show it."
"I wasn't scared of them," she replied. "I was scared… that I might lose you. You were different out there. Focused. Fierce."
Ronan turned toward her, his expression softening. "I can't afford to hesitate anymore."
"I know," she whispered. Then, softer: "But you don't have to face this alone."
Something in that moment shifted. They stood closer than before. Close enough to hear each other's breath.
Ronan looked into her eyes. "Lyra—"
She smiled. "Not yet."
He nodded. "Okay."
But they both knew—it wasn't *no*. Just *not yet*.
And for now, that was enough.
---