Beyond The System
Chapter 190: The Second

I pulled my hand away from the obelisk and exhaled, long and low. For everything I’d seen, all that memory had revealed, I still felt… disappointed. It would mean something to Serith. Deeply, probably. But to me? Practically nothing. No mention of the libraries. No clues. Just fragmented glimpses of memories that couldn't help.

Sure, there was the Bloodline evolution, something that was definitely important, especially for the others. And the Kingdom of Stars, a name way too close to the State to be any sort of coincidence. Then there were the Engineers, a group completely new to me.

“Hey, Griffith—” I turned to call out, but the words stalled halfway. He was gone. Not wandering or standing nearby. Just gone. My attention snapped to the snake, still breathing steadily, resting.

“I—it didn’t.”

The big guy’s underground, Luna chimed in, saving me from the next logical step: demanding answers and possibly carving into serpent guts. Though... I’m sure the others would’ve noticed if he’d screamed from being eaten.

A quick glance confirmed it. Thea and Elric were still locked into cultivation, probably deep in Spirit Refinement.

So naturally, I went with the most rational response. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN UNDERGROUND?!”

Ahhh! Luna pulsed a deep green, shock, mixed with a healthy dose of panic. Don’t scream! Nearly wilted over here!

I cleared my throat, trying for a more civilized tone. “Sorry. Needed to get that out. And hey, surprising you is always a bonus. Never hurts to keep you on your toes... or whatever.”

Hurts me, she grumbled. Anyway, yes. His energy dipped away suddenly. I barely caught him burrowing before it vanished. Foolish, honestly. I get the temptation, being a plant is really great, but not as easy as it looks.

I scanned the earth around us, searching for any obvious disruption, something big enough to fit that mountain of a man, but there was nothing until—there.

A hole. Small, just big enough to hold a fist-sized rock. “A breathing hole?” I muttered, crouching beside it. I leaned down, squinting into the void. Pitch dark, and my Spiritual Sense refused to stretch down that far in this environment.

Still… I could’ve sworn I heard something like labored breathing.

“Luna, can you see anything?”

Nope.

I sighed. This was the first time I’d seen Griffith act so impulsively. Usually he was the one reining me in. We all have our moments, I guess. Not that I’m the best example of caution, but leaving us here with the serpent? Just a bad move.

Wyrem, I reached inward. You’ve been quiet.

Luna shifted around me, leaves tensing slightly. He’s been like that a while. Said something about trying to pull another memory. I’m… skeptical. Snake guy’s energy absorption hasn’t changed a bit. So did the method he was taught even do anything?

No surprises there. “Any progress with your Spiritual Refinement?” I asked, remembering Wyrem’s concern about her.

Her petals curled inward. Something I hadn’t seen her do before. Annoying, she muttered. No matter what I try, the energy rebounds. I push, it pushes back. I’ve tried everything I can think of, especially with your ridiculous plan but…

She stopped there. Frustration finished the sentence for her.

“Any idea why?” I asked gently.

I don’t know, she sighed. Maybe I’m just not meant for spirit stuff. She hesitated. I want to do this with you. I really do. But it’s starting to feel hopeless.

I blinked. “Not meant for spirit stuff?” I repeated. “You are literally the most spiritual being I know. You see in energy.”

…Mmm, she grumbled, unconvinced.

“Come on. That’s not it. You can tell me. Something's up”

She recoiled a little, blue bleeding into a muted grey-green. You won’t like it.

I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. I want to know anyway. I’ll help, no matter what.”

I want to go home, she whispered at last. I had friends. Not a lot, but sproutlings like me. I want to tell them everything I’ve seen. Even the old guys… I miss my family.

I paused, thinking it through. How it felt, back when all my friends had vanished. The ache of isolation. The relief of seeing Marcus, an actual human being, face to face.

Luna was a communal creature. She was born to connect. Her species, smart enough to hold rituals, to communicate in a way unique to her kind.

Wyrem and I had filled some of that space I'm sure, but it turns out, we weren’t even close in our guesses on her issue.

She didn’t have any troubles because she hated her elders… Well maybe that too, but she missed her them—her people. Wyrem and I were her friends, maybe family too, but I could understand, it wasn’t the same. Not for me. Not for her. I even doubt it for the worm, though, he seemed old enough to bear it.

We’ll find a way back, I told her right away. Shouldn’t be hard to survive there now. We’re both stronger. Way stronger.

Her leaves unfurled slightly.

I thought you hated it there. I didn’t—

You didn’t want to bring it up because of one bad experience I had? I interrupted. Come on. You said it yourself before, we can talk about anything. We’ve literally been each other. We’ll go back. I don’t know how or when, so I’m sorry about that. But I’ll figure it out. I’ll make it happen.

A glow spread through her, pink blooming across her body, fading into a warm yellow, then bright orange. I—Thank you... She hesitated. Your friend’s energy is getting low.

“What?!” I snapped my head toward the hole, immediately activating True Sight. “I thought you couldn’t see anything?!”

Well?! Mostly nothing, she snapped back, already slipping back into her usual tone. What would ‘oh, there are some brown wisps of energy coming from the hole’ even help with? Iknew he was alive. Still is. But you know? Maybe you should—

“Oh right.” I inhaled sharply and focused, circulating my energy. Then I dropped to my knees and started digging. A second later, I summoned the cloves, shaping ice past the nails into shovels.

Refining my new weapon like this was one of my better ideas. Lots of utility. And, wow… I could dig.

Within minutes, I was down to my full height, dirt flying in arcs behind me, flung far away.

“HOW DEEP IS HE?!” I shouted, still unable to sense his presence clearly. Only the thin thread of breath coming through the hole confirmed anything.

No idea, Luna said. And I mean it this time.

Rumble.

“…What was that?”

Rumble… Rummmmble.

The ground shifted beneath me, trembling like a mini-earthquake. Then a scream from below, and I don’t mean a metaphor. Actual screaming.

“Commander! Are you—”

"AHAHAHA...!"BOOM!

The earth exploded under me. A literal eruption of stone and soil that blasted upward with his laughter, and Griffith came bursting out of the pit like a geyser of muscle and pride... right fist first.

He punched me square in the jaw, several rocks flying in as backup.

All that panic I'd just been feeling? Gone. Instantly replaced by the kind of sharp, annoyed regret. I flew straight out of the hole, rocketing through the air toward a suspiciously lumpy dirt mound resting on a snake’s snout.

“I swear, him and Asumund have to be related,” I muttered, more to myself than anything, wind rushing past as I braced for the impact. I twisted mid-air, redirected my momentum with a Silencing Current, and landed—Thump—right onto the pile.

I stared straight into the eyes of a very annoyed serpent.

“Ahem…” I didn’t try to explain myself. I just hopped off, brushed away the dirt and pebbles, and gave the poor beast a couple reassuring taps on the head. Then I turned.

Griffith was standing there, arms out, waiting.

“Ughhhh,” I groaned, mirroring his posture. “At least you waited... Fine.”

Then I found out what real G-Force felt like.

He grabbed me in one fluid motion, swinging me with so much power my mind actually rattled. Tossed, caught, tossed again. Slapped through slides of dirt and pebbles—Those ones actually stung a bit, and achieved some decent air time. Then enough repetition that even a child would’ve been jealous.

But I let it happen. Let the oversized scholar have his moment.

Thankfully, it ended with one last enthusiastic toss, Griffith setting me down gently.

“Sorry for, erm…” He rubbed the back of his neck, half-apologizing while brushing past the whole ordeal. “I disappeared too. You’ll have to forgive me. My more rational thoughts took over.”

That… didn’t sound quite right, but I let it slide.

“I saw a vision,” he continued. “A world forming. Mountains rising, landmasses shifting, continents pulling apart—”

“A big cosmic animal?” I cut in, guessing the usual.

He blinked, confused, had tilted like I’d just barked at him. “Uhhh, no? I was going to say marshlands forming. Plains stretching out. Plant life starting to root… dirt stuff,” he finished.

You’re not on a roll today, Luna added dryly.

Helpful.

You’re welcome! she chirped with zero shame.

“Anyway. Take a look.”

He closed his eyes, holding out both hands. And just as he usually did, energy pulsed outward, and a thin barrier shimmering to life around him. His normal barrier. Not really sure what he wanted me to see, but his eyes opened, waiting. Expecting praise, I think.

I gave him a flat look. “Okay, so you I'm guessing you didn’t just activate a skill. You’re manipulating the energy itself. Which sounds cool, except elemental tanks like you can usually do that with earth anyway. So…?”

He nodded once, slow. “I don’t know how I know. I just do. Something's changed, Peter. It’s more than just bending the element—I feel… connected to it now.”

I wasn't reacting much outwardly, but truthfully, inwardly? My heart was pounding hard enough to echo. Stronger than when I faced the snake.

“You really did it?”

He grinned wide. “Earth Essence. I think so, anyway. You said you formed a core to absorb, right? So I’ll know for sure soon.”

I mirrored the grin, the tension cracking just enough for pride to slip through. “So… more open to the dragon fire idea now?”

His smile vanished, eyes wide. “What? No! Absolutely not! Listen, Peter, I’ve dealt with earth for—like I said, decades. I’ve studied its behavior, its temperament, the structure of its force—”

“I know basic physics,” I shot back. “We’ll be careful, but I have to do this. We all do.”

He looked troubled again, the weight of it pulling at his posture. But finally, he exhaled and gave a slow, reluctant nod. “I know you do. We’ll move forward... cautiously. But also, what kind of physics?”

“Ask Trevor.”