[ESHE]
A signal flared in the sky.
Not a flare.
Not a glyph.
Something older. A soul beacon.
She turned to Amani. "That's not natural."
"No," Amani said. "It's a call."
"To what?"
Amani drew her bow. "War."
[RJ]
He didn't need to see the sky. He felt it in his teeth.
The corrupted beast that killed Kymel hadn't left the planet.
It had gone deeper. Feeding. Growing.
And now, it called challengers.
Sway stood beside him, glyph flickering between blue and red.
"You think it's a trap?" Sway asked.
Rj's eyes burned.
"I think I want it to be."
[TUMA]
He arrived at the location first.
A rocky basin carved from starlight and lava.
He was meditating, balancing fire and ice glyphs across his arms when the others arrived — one by one.
Amani.
Eshe.
Rj.
Sway.
He stood as the winds shifted.
"You all felt it too."
Amani nodded.
Rj cracked his knuckles.
Sway yawned.
Eshe smiled — just barely. "We're actually all here."
They stood in a loose circle — strangers, but connected by something larger.
Rj crossed his arms. "We working together, or tripping over each other?"
Amani: "Until the beast is dead… we work."
Then came the sound.
Low. Rumbling.
Like tectonic plates groaning.
A shadow slithered over the cliffs.
Then — it rose.
[THE BEAST]
Phase One: "Corrupted Eater"
25 ft tall Dozens of glyphs stitched into its flesh — stolen from fallen students Six limbs Armor of bone and godmetal Moves like smoke and thunder
All five students dropped into formation.
> [TEAM STATUS SYNCED]
> [BATTLE RECORDING ACTIVE]
> [Trial Modification: Cooperative Combat — High-Tier Threat Detected]
[TEAM LOADOUT]
RJ
Role: Frontline Bruiser Glyph: [Abyssal Fist], [Soul Cage] Emotion Triggered Boost: Rage Loop
TUMA
Role: Elemental Controller Glyph: [Polarity], [Equilibrium Burst] Strategy: Disrupt field, control temperature shifts
ESHE
Role: Healer / Support Glyph: [Solar Guard], [Radiant Mend], [Featherfall] Passive: Aura Restoration
AMANI
Role: Precision Sniper Glyph: [Hawk Eye], [Solar Tag], [Rapid Draw] Passive: Kill Confirmed
SWAY
Role: Time-Tech Manipulator Glyph: [Pause], [Rewind], [Patchwork Blink] Passive: Glitchshift (dodge phase)
Tuma raised his staff.
"Synchronize your glyphs."
Eshe's aura flared. "Shield going up."
Amani notched three arrows. "I'll tag its hearts."
Sway's eyes glitched into code. "I'll stall time when it goes feral."
Rj grinned.
"Let's kill a god's mistake."
The beast screamed.
They charged.