"Eh?" Lisanna and Elysia blinked in unison, the sudden appearance of the crimson-eyed girl pulling them from their sparring focus
Terra just tilted her head, her expression one of pure, mild confusion.
Elysia, ever the regal noble, was the first to recover, her composure hardening like first frost. Her tone turned glacially cold, each word a perfectly formed icicle. "You have not been seen for some time, and your first act upon returning is to disrupt our testing?"
Lyra flicked a dismissive, almost bored glance at Elysia, not even bothering to fully face the noble heiress.
"Testing?" she scoffed, the word dripping with disdain. "You call this... poking... a test? I'll show this new girl a real test. Do whatever you want when I'm finished with her."
Elysia crossed her arms with an audible huff, the very picture of noble indignation. She turned her head away, her silver-blue hair catching the light. "I find no need to argue with your savage ways."
She had long since learned that engaging Lyra in a battle of wills was a fruitless, infuriating exercise in frustration, a lesson that saved her considerable energy.
Lisanna, by contrast, giggled, the sound like chiming bells. She shrugged, an elegant, fluid motion of her shoulders.
"Be my guests, I suppose," she chirped, her golden eyes dancing. "I know Orion will stop anything too crazy."
Lyra acted as if she hadn't heard the last part of the comment. A chilling, predatory smile—a razor's edge of anticipation—curled her lips. She took another deliberate step towards Terra, and her aura began to rise.
It was not a simple surge of power like Elysia's oppressive cold or Lisanna's searing heat. This was something else entirely.
A pressure rippled across the facility, an energy that felt sharp, discordant, and fundamentally wrong. The very air began to hum, a low, invasive thrum that seemed to bypass the skin and vibrate deep within their bones.
While the raw Aether output only slightly surpassed the high C-Rank level Elysia and Lisanna had displayed, the nature of it was fundamentally more violent. It was an aura that promised to tear things apart from the inside out.
Terra's eyes, however, lit up with that same, pure curiosity. Her focus shifted entirely from the other two women to the newcomer.
"Oh," she observed, her head tilting again in thought. "You kind of look and feel like Orion," she said, "but uhm, I guess like... more wilder? Is that the right word?"
Lyra's smile widened, but it held no warmth, only the promise of violence. "Wilder, eh? Then defend this wild attack."
She punched out.
There was no finesse, no grand, wind-milling gesture. It was a brutal, economical motion—a simple, straight punch into the empty air. But the world screamed in protest.
BOOOOM!
A deafening, discordant howl ripped through the air as a fist of pure, kinetic violence shot from Lyra's knuckles. It was not a beam or a projectile, but a compressed, golden construct of pure, solidified vibrational force.
It hummed with a visible, terrifying distortion, and as it soared at staggering speeds, the reinforced Aether-steel floor in its path didn't just crack; it disintegrated, the vibrations pulverizing metal and concrete into fine, weightless dust.
Terra's eyebrows jumped. "Oh."
The casual observation was gone, replaced by sudden, intense focus. She hurriedly slapped both hands flat against her Diamond Shield. A sheen of sweat, the first she had shown, finally appeared on her brow.
Her Aether flared, and the crystalline diamonds glistened brighter than ever before, taking on a near-liquid luminescence as she poured every ounce of her will into their structure.
The resulting explosion was the most violent yet.
A thunderous, world-shaking detonation sent a greater shockwave ripping through the facility. It wasn't the clean bang of the ice or the whoosh of the fire; it was a deep, resonating GONG that shook the entire facility to its foundations, followed by a high-pitched, abrasive shriek as Lyra's Aether warred with the shield's perfect lattice.
Stormy, chaotic winds filled with pulverized debris sliced through the air.
When the dust and chaotic energy finally subsided, Lyra narrowed her eyes, her crimson gaze sharp.
The Diamond Shield was still standing. But just barely.
A dense web of large, spidering cracks now covered its entire surface, originating from a single, pulverized impact point. The entire construct was visibly shaking, the vibrations still rattling through its structure, as if it were on the verge of shattering into a million pieces. And yet, it held.
Terra's arms trembled from the sheer, bone-jarring strain, her breathing becoming slightly ragged. She looked at Lyra not with fear, but with a burning, academic curiosity.
"Woah... that could've really hurt if I wasn't careful," she panted slightly. "Uhm, were you actually trying to seriously hurt me?"
The question was so genuine, so utterly devoid of accusation or fear, that it momentarily caught even Lyra off guard.
Lyra clicked her teeth. "No shit," she said bluntly, her voice flat. "I want to see if you're up to a base standard."
"Hm, well, your power is really neat," Terra mused, seemingly recovering her breath as she analyzed the feeling. "I don't think I've ever seen Aether that tries to break things from the inside. But my diamonds are perfect. They have no 'inside.' So you can't ever break them that way."
That simple, honest declaration, spoken not as a boast but as a statement of conceptual truth, made Lyra blink. Then, a low, chilling chuckle escaped her lips, a sound that held a dangerous new interest.
"You can't ever break it, eh?" she purred. "Then shall we test that theory?"
A hint of an unfathomable, terrifying aura began to rise from her, a power far beyond what she had shown before. The humming in the air didn't get louder; it stopped. A dead, horrifying calm fell over the facility—the absolute stillness before a molecular storm, the promise of her power to remotely detonate the very air.
But right at that moment, Orion was suddenly standing directly in front of Lyra.
He moved at impossible speeds, occupying the space between his sister and his new bonded, his gaze blank and his presence utterly, terrifyingly calm.
No aura radiated from him at all, which was, in itself, profoundly more intimidating than any show of force. He was the conceptual void at the heart of a hurricane.
"I think the testing went well, right?" he said, his voice soft but carrying an unmistakable, unchallengeable note of finality.
Lyra's crimson eyes narrowed, flicking from Terra's shaking, near-broken shield to her brother's impassive face. She scoffed, a sharp, dismissive sound. The dangerous, world-ending aura around her vanished as if it had never been.
"Hmph. Whatever," she muttered. "At least she's better than the common riff-raff you keep picking up around here."
Without waiting for a response, her form flickered, and she was gone, disappearing towards another section of the vast facility, likely to vent her frustrations on the training grounds.
Orion watched her go with a wry, almost invisible smile before letting out a small sigh.
Terra, her shield disassembling into glittering motes of light, walked up to him, scratching her head. "That... is your sister, right? She's kind of weird too... but it's kind of fun."
Orion chuckled lightly, a genuine, warm sound. He took Terra's still-trembling hand in his. He channeled a sliver of his Aether—not ice, not light, but a gentle, pure warmth that flowed into her. It soothed the vibrational rattling in her arms and sent a pleasant, tingling shiver down her spine.
"Being this kind of 'weird' is better than the noble's kind of 'weird,' eh?" he teased.
Terra blinked, looking down at their joined hands and the pleasant, restorative feeling, then back up at his face. "Oh... uhm, you really do feel nice. It's like you're one of my heaters back at home. But way better."
"That's one way to put it," Orion nodded, his smile genuine.
At that moment, Lisanna and Elysia walked over to them, the immediate threat having passed.
Lisanna giggled, her golden eyes sparkling with renewed mischief. "Ah, these days are about to get so much more hectic. Excited, Ellie?"
Elysia let out a long-suffering sigh, pressing her fingers to her temple. "Excited? Haah... I can only take this as practice for when more... unique characters inevitably join us in the future."
Lisanna just laughed, her eyes brighter than before, filled with the promise of more chaos to come.
...
Miles away from the C-Rank Republic of Cascadia , across the hostile, Aether-warped Broken Wastelands, the world operated on a different scale.
Aboard the ASF Vanguard, an Aether-forged naval fortress-carrier that served as the flagship for the Argent Federation's 3rd Fleet, an atmosphere of disciplined order reigned.
Inside one of its many sterile, metallic conference chambers, a mission briefing was taking place.
Sitting at the head of a polished chrome table was an imposing man with a sharp, analytical gaze that seemed to miss nothing. Even sitting, his presence was a palpable force, like the crushing, suffocating pressure of the deep ocean. He wore a luxurious, perfectly pressed dark blue and silver uniform, adorned with medals and a unique insignia—a trident crossed over a shield—that marked him as a high-ranking officer.
This was Major Corbin Stone, a Mid-Tier B-Rank powerhouse of the Argent Federation.
Across from him sat three younger Talented individuals in the standard-issue private-rank uniforms. Despite their low rank, each one exuded a pressure that was flawlessly contained at the early-tier B-Rank. Their postures were perfect, their gazes sharp. Even sitting casually, they were clearly elites, superior to most veteran heroes of the same tier.
In the center of the table, a holographic projector displayed the details of their next assignment. The contents, however, caused the three privates to scrunch up their brows, their gazes flashing with poorly concealed annoyance.
One of them, a young man with fiery red hair, finally muttered under his breath, "Seriously? Is this seriously what high command is wasting our time on?"
Major Corbin let out a slow, deliberate sigh, the sound echoing slightly in the quiet, pressurized room.
"These are our orders," he stated, his voice a low, commanding baritone. "And we will carry them out. No questions asked. The Republic of Cascadia... I'm not sure how this mere C-Rank backwater caused two unregistered B-Rank anomalies to suddenly appear, or how they're so easily destabilizing the region, but what I do know is that we will pacify the situation."
Another private, a woman with a cold, aristocratic face, snorted. "Tch. I can't believe our rules of engagement are so restrictive. 'Reconnaissance and discussion?' We can't just walk in and capture those two backwater B-Ranks? Sir, I get it, two B-Ranks suddenly appearing in a C-Rank Province is beyond strange, but what if this is all just some sort of ploy? And for that matter," she scoffed, "just how strong can two B-Ranks who have only ever lived in a C-Rank Province really be?"
The third private, broader and more muscular than the other two, let out a disdainful laugh. "This really does sound like a joke, Sir. I mean, you alone can easily suppress average B-Rank Heroes. This will be over in a mere day. They probably don't even know proper Aether control."
Major Corbin did not share their opinion. His analytical gaze turned cold, sweeping over the three privates with an intensity that made them flinch, the deep-sea pressure in the room suddenly tripling.
"Underestimating a target is the fastest way to a shallow grave," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerously low timber. "You will treat these 'anomalies' as if they were A-Rank threats until I tell you otherwise. We make landfall in Zenith City in three days. Be ready."
The cold, uncompromising tone instantly sobered the three privates. The casual arrogance, born from the power of a major B-Rank Province, vanished, replaced by rigid professionalism. They snapped to their feet and saluted, their voices shouting in perfect unison.
"Understood, Major!"
But even as they stood at perfect attention, a seed of unwavering confidence remained in their souls. They were the elite of the Argent Federation, one of the world's great B-Rank Provinces. They were being sent to a backwater province to investigate two upstarts.
How much of a threat could they possibly be?
...
Nearly a day had passed, and the atmosphere within the Wintercroft estate's opulent training facility had shifted from tempestuous to serene.
The scent of ozone, frost, and pulverized concrete from the previous day's clash of titans had been replaced by the delicate aroma of freshly baked pastries and brewed tea.
With the initial, explosive testing concluded, Orion had gathered Lisanna, Elysia, and Terra for a quiet, relaxing lunch under a holographic sky that mimicked a perfect summer afternoon.
He had even managed to forcefully drag Lyra from whatever shadowy corner she had claimed, insisting she get more familiar with their newest addition.
At this moment, Terra, who was utterly unfazed by the intense training or the fact that Lyra had very nearly shattered her soul's defense, was a picture of blissful contentment.
She sat at the elegant wrought-iron table, her cheeks puffed with a lemon-cream pastry as she examined a high-tech nutrient dispenser with the boundless, scientific curiosity of a child discovering a new toy.
Elysia stood a few feet away, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her silver-blue eyes watched Terra with a complex cocktail of emotions: begrudging respect for the girl's raw, unyielding power, and profound, almost physical annoyance at her complete lack of decorum. It was an affront to generations of Wintercroft etiquette.
Lisanna, ever the cheerful instigator, sidled up to her, a mischievous glint in her golden eyes. She lightly giggled, her voice a warm purr. "Aw, come on, Ellie. She's not that bad. She's actually uniquely dense in a really cute way. Isn't this... refreshing... compared to you and Lyra constantly clawing at each other's throats?"
Elysia flicked a glance at Lisanna before letting out a long, weary sigh. "Refreshing is one word for it," she conceded, her tone crisp. "She is indeed leagues above Lyra in terms of simple temperament. But even then, I find her total lack of awareness to be a tactical liability. She is an open book for any opponent to read."
"Anyone who tries to read her will end up utterly perplexed," Lisanna countered with a chuckle. "Sometimes the simplest answer is the most effective defense. There are no hidden pages, no secret meanings. Just... Terra."
Lyra, who was leaning against a nearby holographic cherry tree that looked utterly real, snorted.
"I'll start giving her props when she's B-Rank." A mocking smile curled her lips as she pushed off the tree, her crimson gaze sweeping over Elysia and Lisanna with open disdain. "Which, I suspect, won't be long. This one seems far more manageable than what Orion had to deal with you two."
The bait was cast, and the fish lunged.
Elysia's composure cracked, and even the usually playful Lisanna narrowed her eyes, their combined auras flaring for a split second in shared irritation.