11:34pm, The Alps.
Snow crunched faintly under four pairs of skis gliding down the powder-white slope, their figures blending with the night. No one spoke for the first few minutes. Then, Rielinne's voice cracked through the static.
"Keep your eyes sharp. We're clpse."
Naelle adjusted her hood, her breath forming a slow plume in the frost.
"Tch. You could've told me to 'stay frosty,' y'know. Feels like I'm skating through a damn freezer."
Iserra chuckled through the comms. "You do know we can't suffer from heatstroke or hypothermia because of our body constitution, right?"
"Easy for you to say," Naelle shot back. "We are all steaming like hot potatoes because of that."
Syraleh, the oldest of them all, who skiing ahead of the two, spoke without looking back. "Focus. You can complain after we're done. Right now, keep your angles tight. We're getting close."
The four moved in a diamond formation, weaving through the trees toward the faint golden glow of the campsite below. From their vantage, the lights looked calm. The moment they slid past the last tree line and took in the full view, Rielinne's stomach sank.
She blinked once and then zoomed her goggles' view.
"Hold on. Something's wrong."
"What is it?" Iserra asked immediately, slowing beside her.
"Count the guards. Now."
The others paused, adjusting their visors. Through the augmented display, the camp lit up with motion signatures.
Syraleh exhaled sharply. "That's… that's double from earlier recon."
Naelle whistled. "You gotta be kidding me. They brought in reinforcements overnight?"
"They didn't just bring reinforcements."
Rielinne flicked her wrist and the scanner on her gauntlet pulsed, sending out a quiet wave of Flux analysis. The readings that came back made her throat tighten.
"These new signatures are stronger. A lot stronger."
"How strong we talking?" Iserra asked, squinting toward the flickering tents.
"Over a hundred guards total. And… hold on. Six of them stand out."
"Six?" Syraleh repeated. "As in—"
"As in significantly stronger," Rielinne confirmed. "Their Flux signatures are dense and too controlled. They're not regular guards. They're elites."
The line went silent for a heartbeat.
Even Naelle, who always had something witty to add, said nothing. The only sound was the wind's whistle and the faint hum of Rielinne's scanner. Finally, Iserra broke the silence.
"Do we tell the others?"
Rielinne didn't hesitate. "No."
"What?" Naelle snapped immediately. "Wait, what do you mean no? That's six elites! Shouldn't Lady Hinesia or Miss Verdamona at least—"
"They'll know soon enough. And they'll handle it better than we ever could."
Her gaze flicked to the ridge above where three faint figures stood motionless against the night sky, watching over them.
"We leave the six to Lady Hinesia, Lady Xaessiarerich, and Miss Verdamona. That's their field."
Syraleh nodded quietly, accepting it immediately. "Understood."
Naelle groaned. "Fine, fine. But it's your call if those six turn this place into a snowstorm."
Iserra's voice softened through the earpiece. "Rielinne never misses a call. Let her think."
Rielinne didn't answer immediately. She lowered herself to a crouch, sliding behind a snow-covered rock and pulling out a pair of binoculars from her system inventory. The glass lenses flickered faintly blue as they synced with her scanner. The camp came alive under magnification. There were soldiers pacing in patterns, clusters of tents forming organized zones, and right at the heart of it all was something that hadn't been there before.
A lantern.
It floated half a meter above the ground, chained by thin metal threads that pulsed with light. Several guards stood around it, rifles slung over their backs.
"What the hell is that?" Naelle whispered, noticing the reflection in Rielinne's lenses.
Rielinne zoomed in further. "That lantern… it wasn't in the scans from earlier."
"Could it be a decoy?" Syraleh asked, lowering her visor.
"No. Look closely. It's generating an Xana field. It's low but stable. That means it's important."
Iserra tapped at her wrist pad, running her own scan. "She's right. It's new, and the guards around it aren't rotating like the others. They're stationed permanently."
Rielinne leaned back slightly, processing fast. "They increased security because of that. Whatever that lantern is, it came recently. It's either linked to the fragment or something meant to protect it."
"Okay…" Naelle muttered, pulling out her own binoculars from her waist. "So what, we grab it?"
"Exactly."
The others looked at her in disbelief.
"You're joking. We'd be in the middle of over a hundred armed Fluxers."
"Iserra, some will chase and some will stay behind. Either way, the moment we take it, we split their formation. It's the best distraction we'll get."
Naelle sighed loudly. "You really are insane."
"You say that like it's a bad thing. Naelle, you'll be the one to grab it."
"What? Why me?" Naelle said, though she already knew the answer.
"Because you're the fastest, and the only one with Occultare strong enough not to trigger their sensors."
Naelle groaned dramatically. "You say 'fastest' like it's a compliment. I say it's a death sentence."
Iserra giggled quietly through the comms. "You'll be fine, Naelle. You always are."
"Yeah, yeah. Guess I'm the bait. I'll need cover, though."
"Obviously. We'll give it to you. You get close enough, grab the lantern, and disappear before they even realize it's gone."
Naelle sighed again, pretending to sound defeated, but there was a grin in her voice when she agreed.
"Fine. Guess I'll steal their pretty little lamp."
Syraleh adjusted her stance, looking down at the glowing camp. "So we go with that plan?"
"We go with that plan. Keep formation, keep quiet, and wait for my signal. The moment Naelle takes it, we reveal ourselves and a section of it will chase us."
Naelle crouched low, her breath soft and white against her mask. She pressed her gloved hand to her chest and activated Occultare. Her Xana pulsed once before it vanished completely. Even to the three watching her through scanners, her presence vanished.
Syraleh blinked. "Uh… she's gone."
Iserra whistled under her breath. "Even the Xana readings disappeared. She's getting scary good at that."
"Good," Rielinne murmured, her eyes narrowed behind her visor. "Let's keep it that way. Naelle, don't break the silence. Just go."
There was no response, of course. She was invisible and muted but Rielinne swore she could feel Naelle's little scoff through the comms.
Below, Naelle moved like a shadow. Her skis cut across the snow without a sound, the Xana-infused coating making them glide smoothly. She passed by a patrol of three guards and even though one of them paused, sniffing the air, he shrugged and trudged on.
"Still got it."
She reached the perimeter, slipped off her skis, and crouched low in the snow. Her heart pounded from the rush. She always lived for the part of sneaking through Flux barriers, tricking scanners and dancing through danger. The Argemenes training was brutal so to her, this was nothing.
She stepped between tents, weaving past the warm glow of lanterns. The camp was buzzing with hundreds of Commoner Fluxers running about, guarding strange instruments and relic crates. She caught snippets of their conversation as she slipped by.
> "Outer 7's orders are clear. No one gets near the lantern except the guards."
"How much did he even pay for this operation?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm not questioning the guy who has enough money to hire us."
Naelle's grin widened beneath her mask.
"So it's really him, huh? Outer 7. Who is this guy?"
She slinked between two tents, crouching as the floating lantern came into view. It hovered just above a crystalline pedestal, glowing with faint inscriptions. The guards around it wore armor that shimmered slightly.
"All right, Naelle. You're small, you're cute, you're deadly. Let's make master proud."
She crept closer until she was right under the lantern. Her fingers brushed the air around it, feeling the hum of energy that seemed to reject interference. In one swift motion, she reached up and grabbed it.
For a split second, everything stayed still before a blast of Xana erupted outward. Naelle's cloak shattered.
"Oh, come on!"
One of the guards blinked. "WHAT THE—"
Naelle froze, holding the lantern midair, then sighed.
"Yeah, yeah, you caught me. Catch me if you can!"
And she bolted.
A dozen Flux bolts shot toward her, lighting up the snowy field in a web of glowing blue energy. Naelle ducked, rolled, and darted behind a boulder, laughing breathlessly.
Her comms buzzed.
"Naelle?!" Rielinne's voice snapped through.
"Got the lantern! BUT OCCULTARE'S NOT WORKING! I REPEAT. NOT. WORKING!"
"Wait—what?!" Iserra shouted. "Why not?!"
"I don't know! The lantern is weird! I think it's interfering with my Xana Techniques!"
Syraleh groaned. "Then drop the damn thing!"
"NO! It must be important if it can disrupt my Occultare. I'm not letting it go!"
"Naelle!" Rielinne snapped. "Focus! We're moving toward you now. Hold your position—"
"Uh, yeah, about that," Naelle huffed, sprinting uphill as snow blasted around her, "holding's not really my thing right now! They're like, a hundred chasing me! Help me!"
Even as she said it, her voice was full of laughter. The others burst from the ridge, skiing down in synchronized formation. Rielinne's scanner flickered wildly as Flux signatures converged on Naelle's location.
"Target visual, south slope, thirty meters!" Iserra said.
Naelle skidded into view, panting, the lantern still clutched in her arm as she caught up to them. She was also holding her skis.
"Hey! I found the shiny thing!"
"And half the army found you!" Syraleh shouted back.
Naelle grinned. "Then I guess we're all even! We wanted this, right?"
Rielinne groaned under her breath but couldn't help the smirk tugging at her lips.
"Well, time for us to make a run for it. Go!"
The first phase of the midnight chaos had officially begun.