The moment they landed, everything felt wrong.
Marsh's ground crumbled under their feet, fine red dust lifting into the air with every movement.
Gravity was lighter. A single step sent Peppy stumbling forward, her body overshooting the motion as she flailed to regain balance.
"Ugh—this is too EASY!," she groaned, planting her hands into the soil.
Bear landed more steadily, knees bent, claws digging in.
He straightened slowly, testing his weight, then muttered, "Yeah… this'll take a second."
Around them, everyone adjusted in their own way.
Tuka slammed down harder than expected, rolling once before catching himself with brute strength alone.
He pushed up immediately, unfazed, already grinning.
"Low gravity training? I like this."
Bandri struggled at first, her boots barely gripping the surface.
She steadied herself, fingers tightening around her dagger, eyes sharp as she scanned the empty horizon.
Bandy floated down last—too slowly.
He hovered a meter above the ground, lightning flickering faintly around his body before he finally sank down, boots touching the dust with a soft thud.
His breathing was controlled, but his eyes weren't calm.
They were locked forward.
At Drayke.
He stood several meters away, completely relaxed.
No stumble.
No adjustment.
No hesitation.
As if Marsh's gravity meant nothing to him.
"Well," Drayke said casually, rolling his shoulders, "this is… refreshing."
Chitki staggered upright, her suit recalibrating with a sharp mechanical hum.
Oxygen levels stabilized. HUD flashed warnings—environment hostile, gravity variance detected—before settling into a steady green.
She looked up sharply.
"You knew we'd bring you here."
Drayke tilted his head.
"I hoped."
That was enough.
Bear moved first.
The ground exploded beneath his feet as he launched forward, speed amplified by the low gravity. His fist tore through the air—
—but Drayke vanished.
Air folded.
Space twisted.
Drayke reappeared above Bear, heel crashing down.
Bear crossed his arms just in time, the impact sending him rocketing backward like a meteor, skidding across the surface until he dug in with claws and stopped.
"Still hits hard," Bear muttered, shaking his arms.
Tuka didn't wait.
He leapt.
Not a technique.
Not a power.
Pure strength.
His fist connected—
—or should have.
Drayke warped sideways mid-air, Tuka's punch ripping through empty space. Before Tuka could recover, Drayke's knee slammed into his ribs, sending him spinning uncontrollably until he crashed into a rock formation, stone shattering on impact.
Bandri moved next—low, fast, controlled.
She used the gravity to her advantage, bouncing once, then twice, dagger flashing as she closed the distance.
Drayke smiled.
He caught the blade between two fingers.
The metal screamed.
Bandri's eyes widened just a fraction before Drayke twisted his wrist, throwing her away with brutal precision.
She rolled hard but recovered quickly, sliding to a stop beside Peppy.
"Okay," Peppy said slowly, brushing dust off her jacket. "Yeah. He's annoying."
Bandy stepped forward.
The air around him began to crackle.
Lightning spread across the ground like veins, snapping and crawling outward.
His breathing grew heavier—not uncontrolled, but loaded, like a storm being held back.
Drayke finally stopped smiling.
"Oh," he said softly. "There you are."
Bandy raised his head.
His pupils glowed faintly, electricity leaking from the corners like tears of light.
"You hurt my family," he said, voice steady but burning.
"You took Poppy."
"You lied to us."
Lightning surged upward, tearing into the sky.
Drayke didn't move.
He simply watched...