They regrouped as they moved.
Six. Then eight.
The marsh resisted clustering but tolerated coordination under Sera's control. She read terrain like a board state, freezing routes closed, forcing new ones open.
"Our priority is Kaelthar," she said. "This place is guiding us."
Alex listened from the back.
Milo handled forward observation now. Lightning traced faint lines through the fog—safe corridors, fragile and temporary.
Alex focused inward.
When they paused near a patch of glowing fungi, he crouched and summoned his interface.
Status Window
Username: Lumen of the Void
Age: 16
Class: Starkindred
Revolution: Awakening
Void Nightmare: First Nightmare — Perfect Clear
Alignment: Neutral / Wretch
Status Effects:
The soul remembers what reality refuses to forget.
Curses:
Cursed FateYellow Blight
Abilities:
Basic Awareness — 32 / 1000Combat Fundamentals — 32 / 400Ascension — 0 / 100
Magic:
Star Magic — 29 / 2000Orionis Sagitta — 25 / 500
Battle Arts:
Starspear Arts — 27 / 1000
Equipment:
Archaeon Warspear — 987 / 1000Manasteel Kite Shield — 476 / 500Reinforced Bronze Armor — 178 / 200Weapon: Archaeon Warspear — 987 / 1000Shield: Manasteel Kite Shield — 476 / 500Armor: Reinforced Bronze Armor — 178 / 200Boots: Grip-Enhanced Boots — 57 / 60
Runes:
Tempus (V) ×1Chaos (I) ×1Lux (I) ×1Tenebris (I) ×1
Artifacts:
None
Items:
None
He dismissed the window.
The numbers were stable.
He wasn't.
Alex rose, falling back into formation without a word. He followed. He survived.
But beneath the restraint, beneath the silence, responsibility stirred again—unwanted, unextinguished.
The marsh had tested him.
It wasn't finished.