The floating capital of Virelith came into view at sunset.
It hovered above a vast circular landmass carved with layered spiritual formations. Towers of white crystal pierced the sky, connected by bridges of condensed light. At the city's center stood a colossal spire that radiated authority across the entire Outer Domain.
Kael slowed.
"That's not just a city."
"No," Lyra replied. "It's a monitoring nexus."
He glanced at her.
"You've been here."
"Yes."
"Voluntarily?"
Her pause was subtle.
"Efficiently."
Kael filed that answer away.
As they approached the outer perimeter, layered scanning fields washed over them in waves.
[System Notification: Suppression Field Detected]
[Infinite Output Dampened by 18%]
Kael's jaw tightened slightly.
He didn't like suppression.
Lyra noticed.
"Control your reaction," she said quietly. "The field measures instability spikes."
"Relax," he murmured. "I'm behaving."
At the entry gate, armored cultivators wearing silver-and-gold insignias stood in formation. Their auras were disciplined, synchronized.
Military.
One stepped forward.
"Names. Origin. Cultivation tier."
Kael smiled faintly.
"Kael. Independent cultivator."
The guard's eyes flickered with faint array light.
"And your companion?"
"Lyra Vale."
The guard paused.
Recognition.
"Optimization host," he muttered under his breath.
Kael heard it.
So did Lyra.
Interesting.
They were known.
That meant records existed.
"Both of you are ordered to attend evaluation at the Central Spire immediately," the guard continued.
No hostility.
Just inevitability.
Inside the city, the atmosphere shifted.
Markets bustled below floating platforms. Cultivators sparred mid-air. Scholars inscribed glowing formations into hovering tablets.
But beneath the surface—
Kael felt tension.
Eyes tracking them.
Measuring.
Analyzing.
[System Alert: Multiple Data Acquisition Attempts Detected]
Lyra walked calmly beside him.
"They are recording your energy fluctuations."
"Good," Kael said softly. "Let them try to understand it."
She looked at him briefly.
"You're not worried?"
"No."
He smiled faintly.
"They're looking at the surface."
The Central Spire interior was silent.
Polished floors reflected the light of rotating formation rings embedded in the ceiling. In the center of a vast chamber stood a circular platform surrounded by seven elders seated in elevated positions.
Their pressure filled the room.
Each one far beyond Level 30.
One of them leaned forward.
"Two anomalies," the elder said calmly.
Lyra stepped forward half a pace.
Kael remained still.
"You triggered a dimensional rupture three hours ago," another elder continued.
Kael shrugged lightly.
"Self-defense."
A faint ripple of restrained power passed through the chamber.
The lead elder's gaze sharpened.
"You were not fighting a cultivator."
Silence.
Kael and Lyra exchanged the smallest glance.
Careful.
The elder continued:
"You were evaluated."
That word hung heavy.
Evaluated.
So they knew.
"How much do you know about growth systems?" Kael asked evenly.
The elders did not react outwardly.
But something shifted in the air.
Finally, the lead elder spoke:
"Enough to know that when two activate in the same domain…"
He paused.
"…the Hunters follow."
Kael's pulse slowed.
Not fear.
Focus.
Lyra's voice was controlled.
"You have encountered them before."
"Yes."
"And survived?" she asked.
The elder's eyes hardened.
"Some of us did."
A projection formation activated above the platform.
An image appeared—
A shattered realm.
Cities erased.
Cultivators frozen mid-motion like statues of glass.
At the center—
A being similar to the one Kael and Lyra fought.
But larger.
More stable.
"This," the elder said quietly, "is Phase Two."
Kael felt something click into place.
Phase Two.
So the entity they fought…
Was only Phase One.
The elder's gaze locked onto them both.
"You have accelerated their interest."
Lyra's voice remained even.
"What is your objective?"
"To contain growth beyond safe parameters."
Kael smiled slightly.
"Define safe."
Silence.
The elder answered:
"Growth that does not destabilize reality."
Kael didn't reply immediately.
Instead, he felt his system humming softly.
Not agitated.
Not flaring.
Observing.
Learning.
He finally spoke.
"And if growth is the only way to defeat them?"
The elder's eyes narrowed.
"Then you must learn control."
That word lingered.
Control.
Kael's gaze sharpened subtly.
Not suppression.
Control.
Very different.
Lyra looked at him.
She saw the shift.
Not rebellion.
Calculation.
Good.
He was evolving already.
As they exited the chamber, Lyra spoke quietly:
"They will try to guide your growth."
Kael nodded.
"I know."
"And if they attempt to limit it?"
He looked ahead toward the heart of the city.
"Then I'll learn what they know first."
He turned slightly toward her.
"And then decide."
For the first time since they met—
Lyra studied him differently.
Not as unpredictable chaos.
But as emerging strategy.
High above Virelith—
A thin fracture appeared in the sky.
Almost invisible.
Watching.
Waiting.