Day Two
CLACK.
CLACK.
CLACK.
Boots struck stone.
Ryu climbed first.
Barely.
His bandana sat crooked across his forehead.
His hair looked like he'd fought something during the night and lost.
Behind him—
Luto somehow looked worse.
One side of his hair had flattened completely while the other seemed determined to escape his head.
Neither brother spoke.
Mostly because breathing required their remaining energy.
CLACK.
CLACK.
Finally—
The path widened.
And the mountain opened around them.
Ryu stopped.
"...Whoa."
The summit of Astradim's mountain wasn't a peak.
It was a crater.
An enormous one.
The dead volcano stretched several miles across, its interior sinking gradually toward a deep central basin of blackened stone.
Ancient lava channels carved branching scars through the floor.
No heat remained within them.
No smoke.
No magma.
Whatever fire once lived beneath this mountain had died a very long time ago.
Around the crater—
A colossal overwall rose.
Not constructed.
Natural.
The mountain's outer rim climbed like an enormous crown of jagged stone, hundreds of feet above the crater floor.
Its edges were sharp and uneven.
Sections had collapsed inward over centuries.
And along one side—
The wall had split completely.
A massive fracture ran from summit to crater floor.
Wide enough to create a natural entrance through the mountain.
Beyond it—
Astradim stretched endlessly beneath the hollow sky.
Pale plains.
Distant mountains.
The mechanical sun rotating silently above everything.
THUM.
Ryu stepped farther into the crater.
"...Okay."
Luto joined him.
"This is actually impressive."
"Glad you approve."
Both brothers turned.
Eralyx stood several yards away.
Perfectly awake.
Perfectly composed.
Which immediately made Ryu dislike him.
The Banished One looked between them.
Then—
His eyebrows rose.
"...Good morning."
Ryu stared.
"Morning."
Eralyx looked him over.
Then Luto.
Then back toward Ryu.
"...You both look excellent."
Luto's eyes narrowed.
"No, we don't."
"No."
Eralyx agreed.
"You look like the night attempted to kill you."
Ryu rubbed his face.
"I slept fine."
"Clearly."
Eralyx gestured toward his hair.
Ryu touched it.
Paused.
"...Don't."
Eralyx's smile widened.
"Judging by your appearance, yesterday's training was apparently quite relaxing."
Luto walked past him.
"Why are we up here?"
"Good morning to you too."
"We're standing inside an empty volcano."
"Dead volcano."
"That doesn't improve the question."
Ryu looked around.
"Yeah."
He kicked a small rock.
It bounced twice.
"...There's nothing here."
Eralyx became still.
Slowly—
He looked toward them.
"...Nothing?"
Ryu immediately sensed danger.
"Uh..."
Luto didn't.
"Yes."
Eralyx placed one hand against his chest.
"I bring you to one of the finest preparation grounds remaining on this forgotten world..."
"...and you call it nothing."
Ryu whispered,
"Think we offended him."
"I don't care."
Eralyx sighed.
"You two truly don't take me seriously at all."
Then—
SNAP.
The mountain moved.
Ryu jumped backward.
"WHAT THE—"
GRRRRRRRRMMMM.
Stone overturned across the crater.
Entire sections of the ground rotated.
Walls split apart.
Hidden compartments rose from beneath layers of volcanic rock.
Ancient mechanisms awakened.
WHUM.
WHUM.
WHUM.
Rows of metallic structures unfolded from the crater floor.
The massive overwall transformed around them.
Stone plates slid backward.
Weapons appeared.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Blades.
Polearms.
Cannons.
Launchers.
Crystalline devices.
Mechanical constructs.
Armor.
Energy weapons.
Objects neither brother had names for.
Some appeared ancient.
Others looked impossibly advanced.
Several seemed to shift shape while Ryu watched.
Luto's exhaustion disappeared.
His eyes moved rapidly.
"...What is that?"
He pointed toward a floating metallic frame.
Eralyx smiled.
"Which part?"
"The rotating mechanism."
"Stellar compression chamber."
Luto stared.
"...And that?"
"Don't touch it."
"Why?"
"Because I like this mountain."
Ryu was already gone.
"RYU."
Too late.
He sprinted toward one section of the overwall.
"GUNS!"
Luto turned.
"...Of course."
Ryu reached for an enormous black weapon nearly his height.
"Now we're talking—"
"Don't."
Ryu froze.
His fingers hovered inches from it.
He slowly turned.
"...Why?"
"Because those weapons are useless to you."
Ryu stared at the weapon.
Then Eralyx.
Then back.
"That thing has six barrels."
"Seven."
Ryu looked closer.
"...It has seven barrels!"
"And it's useless."
"How?!"
Eralyx walked toward them.
"Because you're not invading the Riven."
"You're infiltrating it."
He reached into his robes.
"And if you reach a point where that weapon becomes necessary..."
"...you've already failed."
Ryu reluctantly stepped away.
He looked back at the gun.
"...I'll remember you."
"Please don't."
Eralyx stopped before them.
Then held out both hands.
Two black bracelets rested within his palms.
Silence.
Ryu stared.
"...You stopped me from touching that..."
He pointed toward the seven-barreled weapon.
"...to give me jewelry?"
Luto looked equally unimpressed.
Eralyx's eye twitched.
"They're not jewelry."
"They're bracelets."
"They are shaped like bracelets."
"So..."
Ryu pointed.
"Jewelry."
Eralyx inhaled slowly.
"Take them."
Luto accepted his first.
Ryu reluctantly followed.
The bracelets were strange.
Completely black.
No markings.
No seams.
No visible mechanism.
But the moment Ryu touched his—
His expression changed.
"...There's energy in this."
Luto felt it too.
Dense.
Stored.
Old.
And strangely familiar.
His eyes moved toward Eralyx.
"Yours."
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Approximately half their capacity."
Ryu looked down.
"You filled these?"
"I began preparing the moment I learned of Voidwrath's execution."
The humor disappeared slightly.
"I didn't know whether you would reach Ignovar."
"I didn't know whether you would survive long enough to reach me."
"But preparation costs less than regret."
Luto examined the bracelet.
"So what does it do?"
"Stores cosmic energy."
"That's all?"
"No."
Eralyx tapped Luto's bracelet.
"These were designed to temporarily bind compatible energy signatures."
"Half the charge is mine."
"The remaining half..."
He looked between them.
"...will be yours."
Ryu frowned.
"Why mix them?"
"Because mine stabilizes the reservoir."
"Yours gives it identity."
Luto understood first.
"When it's full, the stored energy synchronizes with our wavelength."
"Correct."
"And then?"
"One attack."
Ryu looked up.
"...One?"
"One."
"That's it?"
"If you need two..."
Eralyx shrugged.
"...the first wasn't strong enough."
Ryu smiled.
Luto immediately looked worried.
"Don't encourage him."
Eralyx continued.
"When the reservoir fully synchronizes, the bracelet will change."
"Your energy will become visible through it."
He looked toward Luto.
"The bracelet then becomes an external reservoir."
"Not enough to sustain a prolonged battle."
"But enough to drastically increase the output of one technique."
Ryu's grin slowly widened.
"How drastically?"
"Enough that I'd strongly recommend not testing it on Astradim."
The grin widened further.
Luto sighed.
"Wonderful."
Eralyx pointed toward the Riven's direction beyond the mountain.
"Your best chance of crossing the Divine Guard perimeter is not to fight through them gradually."
"It's to break them before they understand what struck them."
"One overwhelming attack."
"Enough force."
"Enough confusion."
"Enough disruption."
"Then you move."
Ryu looked toward Luto.
Luto nodded.
"Before they regroup."
"Exactly."
Eralyx's expression darkened.
"Once you're through the gate..."
"...no Divine Guard are permitted inside the central execution grounds."
Luto looked toward him.
"Why?"
Eralyx paused.
Too long.
Luto caught it.
"...But."
Eralyx's eyes moved toward him.
"What?"
"You were about to say but."
"I wasn't."
"You paused."
"Even banished gods pause."
"You specifically paused before something bad."
Ryu looked between them.
"He's right."
Eralyx sighed.
"...But."
Luto folded his arms.
"There it is."
Eralyx looked toward the crater floor.
"The divine possess forces beyond mortal comprehension."
Neither brother interrupted.
"There are levels of Divine authority even Lesser Gods rarely encounter."
"Orders passed without explanation."
"Places soldiers are forbidden to enter."
"Entities whose existence is discussed only indirectly."
Ryu's smile disappeared.
"What entities?"
"I don't know."
"That's comforting."
"It shouldn't be."
Eralyx looked toward them.
"No weapon in this crater changes that."
"Not the guns."
"Not the armor."
"Not anything I've built."
His molten eyes hardened.
"If something beyond the Divine Guard is waiting inside those execution grounds..."
"...your only meaningful advantage is speed."
"Reach your brother."
"Do whatever you can."
"And leave."
Before it's too late.
Nobody said it.
Nobody needed to.
Eralyx reached into his robes again.
"Next."
Ryu stared.
"There's more?"
"Unfortunately for you."
Two cylindrical objects flew toward them.
Ryu caught one.
Luto caught the other.
They looked identical.
Small.
Metallic.
Almost like sealed capsules.
Luto rotated his.
"What are these?"
"Charge them."
"How much?"
"A little."
Ryu shrugged.
Fire-colored cosmic energy entered the cylinder.
Luto did the same.
Red.
Blue.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
CLICK.
Ryu looked down.
"...Uh."
SHHHHHK!
Black material erupted from the cylinder.
"WHAT—"
It wrapped around his hand.
Then wrist.
Arm.
Chest.
Legs.
Ryu stumbled backward as hundreds of thin sections materialized around his body.
Beside him—
Luto experienced the same.
Within seconds—
Both brothers stood covered from neck to toe.
Slick black suits fitted perfectly against them.
Not armor.
Not exactly.
The material appeared almost weightless.
Flexible.
Thin enough to move naturally.
Yet Luto could immediately feel layers of reinforcement woven throughout it.
And running across the surface—
Lines.
Ryu's glowed crimson.
Luto's electric blue.
They pulsed faintly with their cosmic energy.
Ryu looked down at himself.
Then at Luto.
"...Okay."
Luto flexed his fingers.
"...This is good."
Ryu grinned.
"Really good."
Eralyx folded his arms.
"The suits will handle most of your physical reinforcement."
Luto's eyes widened.
"Meaning..."
"You won't need to waste as much concentration maintaining protective layers while inside the Cut."
Ryu understood.
"So we focus on concealment."
"Exactly."
Eralyx walked around them.
"The material is highly resistant to most cosmic attacks."
"Moderately resistant to Divine energy."
"Temperature regulation."
"Pressure regulation."
"Vacuum protection."
"Impact dispersal."
"Limited self-repair."
Luto looked impressed.
"Where did you get these?"
Eralyx smiled.
"I made them."
Ryu looked down again.
"...Can we keep them?"
"Consider them a gift."
Ryu looked up.
"Seriously?"
"No."
Ryu's face fell.
Eralyx laughed.
"I'm joking."
Ryu stared.
"...I really hate when you do that."
"They're yours."
Ryu grinned again.
"Best former god ever."
"Your standards are concerning."
Then—
Eralyx stopped smiling.
The shift was immediate.
Luto noticed first.
Ryu followed.
Eralyx stared at them for several seconds.
"Now..."
"...suppose you succeed."
Neither brother spoke.
"You cross the Cut."
"You penetrate the Divine perimeter."
"You survive whatever awaits inside."
"And somehow..."
His eyes hardened.
"...you reach your brother."
Ryu's hands slowly tightened.
Eralyx looked toward Luto.
"You're probably wondering when I'm going to explain how you might actually save him."
Luto became completely still.
Ryu's head snapped toward Eralyx.
"Yeah."
No joke.
No sarcasm.
"How?"
Eralyx's voice lowered.
"There is one method."
Ryu stepped closer.
"Then teach us."
"It's not something I can teach you."
Luto frowned.
"Why?"
"Because it isn't something anyone should practice."
Silence.
Eralyx looked between them.
"Soul-Tether Transference."
Neither reacted.
Not because they understood.
Because they didn't.
Ryu slowly looked toward Luto.
Luto looked equally lost.
"...What is that?"
Eralyx took several steps away.
"A soul isn't separate from cosmic energy."
"Not entirely."
"The relationship varies between races."
"Individuals."
"Evolutionary paths."
"But once cosmic energy awakens..."
"...it begins carrying information."
Luto listened closely.
"Memory?"
"Sometimes."
"Emotion?"
"Yes."
"Instinct?"
"Yes."
"Identity?"
Eralyx paused.
"...Yes."
Ryu frowned.
"So what does transference do?"
"It creates a temporary passage between two souls."
Silence.
Luto's eyes narrowed.
"A direct passage?"
"More direct than anything you've experienced."
"Cosmic energy acts as the bridge."
"Blood establishes biological recognition."
"And the tether..."
Eralyx touched his chest.
"...allows one consciousness to enter the energetic structure of another."
Ryu stared.
"Enter?"
"Not physically."
"I know that."
"I was hoping."
Ryu ignored him.
"So if Onyx is still in there..."
Eralyx nodded.
"You may be able to reach him."
That single sentence changed everything.
Ryu stepped forward.
"Then that's what we do."
"No."
Ryu stopped.
Eralyx's voice hardened.
"That's what you do if nothing else works."
"Why?"
"Because Soul-Tether Transference has several requirements."
He raised one finger.
"A genuine preexisting connection between participants."
Another.
"Blood from both."
Another.
"Both cosmic energies actively initiated."
Another.
"And sufficient control to maintain the boundary between two identities."
Luto's expression changed at the final requirement.
Ryu raised his hand almost immediately.
"So how do we practice?"
Eralyx stared.
Ryu pointed toward Luto.
"Do I do it with him?"
"No."
The answer came so quickly Luto almost laughed.
Ryu frowned.
"Why not?"
"Because I would prefer both of you remain yourselves."
That killed the humor.
Eralyx stepped closer.
"Soul-Tether Transference isn't a conversation."
"You don't knock on someone's soul and wait politely outside."
"You open yourself."
"Completely."
"The passage works both ways."
Luto's eyes narrowed.
"So while I'm entering Onyx..."
"...Onyx is entering you."
Silence.
Ryu's face changed.
Eralyx continued.
"Memory."
"Emotion."
"Instinct."
"Trauma."
"Cosmic corruption."
"Whatever the Divine put inside him."
"Whatever they removed."
"Whatever they broke."
"Whatever survived."
His molten eyes settled on Luto.
"You will feel it."
"And it will feel you."
Ryu looked toward his brother.
Eralyx wasn't finished.
"If your identity isn't strong enough..."
"...his soul could overwhelm yours."
Luto's expression remained controlled.
"Possession."
"Not exactly."
"Possession implies an invading consciousness intentionally takes control."
"This is worse."
Eralyx tapped his temple.
"Boundaries disappear."
"His memories become yours."
"Your emotions become his."
"Personalities bleed."
"Instincts overlap."
"You may forget which thoughts belonged to whom."
Ryu's face tightened.
"And doing it with each other?"
"Could damage both of you."
"Rip pieces from one personality into another."
"Create false memories."
"Permanent emotional overlap."
"Or leave one of you unable to separate yourselves afterward."
Ryu lowered his hand.
"...Okay."
Eralyx nodded.
"Which is why we aren't practicing it."
Luto stared at him.
"Then how do we know it'll work?"
"We don't."
Ryu immediately looked angry.
Eralyx continued before he could speak.
"I've studied what information exists regarding Voidwrath."
"I've studied what Ignovar experienced."
"I've studied every known method of Divine conditioning I could access."
"And whatever the hell they did to your brother..."
His voice became quieter.
"...Soul-Tether Transference is the only method I've found that might reach beneath it."
Ryu swallowed.
"Might."
"Yes."
"That's not good enough."
"It's what you have."
Ryu's jaw clenched.
Eralyx held his gaze.
Then said the part neither brother was prepared for.
"If you attempt the transference..."
"...and the one performing it begins to corrupt..."
Luto's eyes narrowed.
Eralyx didn't look away.
"...the other must kill Onyx immediately."
Silence.
The wind above the crater vanished.
Ryu stared.
"...What?"
"Ryu—"
"No."
Eralyx's expression remained firm.
"No."
Ryu stepped toward him.
"I'm not killing my brother."
"If the tether collapses—"
"I said no."
"Then listen."
Fire flickered along Ryu's hands.
Eralyx didn't react.
"If Onyx's corrupted soul overtakes whoever enters..."
"...you will not lose one brother."
Ryu's fire stopped.
"You will lose both."
Silence.
"And whatever emerges from that tether..."
Eralyx's molten eyes hardened.
"...may possess both of their strengths."
Ryu's mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
"You either kill one..."
Eralyx said quietly.
"...or risk losing both."
Ryu looked away.
For once—
There was no comeback.
No anger.
No argument.
Just silence.
Luto watched him.
He knew exactly what Ryu was thinking.
Because Luto was thinking it too.
They'd spent ten years trying to find Onyx.
Crossed worlds.
Fought gods.
Nearly died more times than either bothered counting.
And now—
Someone was telling them there existed a version of tomorrow where finding him wasn't enough.
A version where they might have to let him go.
By their own hands.
Eralyx's voice softened.
"For what it's worth..."
Both brothers looked toward him.
"I'm sorry."
Ryu said nothing.
Eralyx looked toward Luto.
"And I believe you should perform the transference."
Ryu's eyes moved toward his brother.
Luto didn't respond.
"Your awareness is greater."
"Your ability to process information is faster."
"You already demonstrate unusually precise control over your wavelength."
"That gives you the best chance of recognizing when something inside the tether isn't yours."
Luto remained silent.
Ryu looked away again.
Eralyx watched them.
Then sighed.
"...A poor start to the morning."
Ryu muttered,
"Little bit."
Eralyx nodded.
"Let's make it worse."
Luto looked up.
"What?"
SNAP.
The armory disappeared.
Weapons folded backward.
Walls rotated.
Machinery sank beneath stone.
The crater floor sealed.
Within seconds—
Everything returned to exactly how they'd found it.
Empty.
Ancient.
Dead.
Then—
The wind moved.
At first—
A breeze.
Then stronger.
WHOOOOOOSH.
Dust lifted from the crater floor.
Ryu raised one arm.
"What now?"
The wind began circling.
Around them.
Faster.
Faster.
It climbed the enormous interior wall.
A cylindrical current formed inside the dead volcano.
Dust.
Loose stone.
Cosmic residue.
All spinning around an empty central column.
Luto watched carefully.
"This isn't normal wind."
"No."
Eralyx replied.
"It's closer to what you'll experience inside the Riven Cut."
Ryu still hadn't completely recovered from the previous conversation.
He stared at the current.
"...So we're riding that."
"Eventually."
Eralyx looked between them.
"You cannot safely practice Soul-Tether Transference."
"But..."
"...you can practice tethering."
Luto frowned.
"Different technique?"
"Same family."
That caught his attention.
Eralyx raised two fingers.
"Tethering links cosmic wavelengths between individuals."
"Normally, it requires similarity."
"Compatible wavelengths."
"Or..."
He looked between the brothers.
"...a sufficiently powerful connection."
Ryu finally looked toward him.
Eralyx continued.
"When two people tether, their cosmic energy temporarily recognizes the other as an extension of its own network."
Luto's eyes sharpened.
"Information transfer."
"Exactly."
"How much?"
"Depends upon the tether."
"At the simplest level..."
Eralyx gestured toward the current.
"...position."
"Movement."
"Distress."
"Intent."
"Changes in energy."
"All transferred almost instantly."
Ryu frowned.
"Why would anyone use that?"
"Travel."
Eralyx pointed toward the circulating column.
"Cosmic currents are violent."
"Communication inside one can be difficult."
"Sometimes impossible."
"If two travelers are tethered..."
"...they don't need to speak."
Luto nodded slowly.
"If one loses control, the other feels it."
"Immediately."
"If one gets separated—"
"The tether provides direction."
"If one is injured—"
"The other knows."
Ryu looked toward Luto.
That—
He understood.
Eralyx stepped between them.
"Stand."
Luto stood immediately.
Ryu remained seated.
Eralyx looked toward him.
Ryu looked back.
A moment passed.
Then Ryu exhaled.
"...Fine."
He stood.
"Close your eyes."
Both did.
"Hands."
Ryu extended his right.
Luto extended his left.
Eralyx repositioned them.
The backs of their hands pressed gently against each other.
"Index fingers."
Both extended them.
"Now charge the hand."
Electricity flickered beneath Luto's skin.
Fire pulsed beneath Ryu's.
Red.
Blue.
The energies met.
Not colliding.
Touching.
Searching.
"Slowly."
Eralyx watched.
"Intertwine your fingers."
Their index fingers curled around each other.
Immediately—
Both brothers felt something strange.
Ryu's fire moved.
Luto's lightning answered.
A tiny current passed between them.
Not painful.
Not intrusive.
Just—
Recognition.
Ryu's eyebrows tightened.
"...That's weird."
"Eyes closed."
"They are."
"Then stop looking confused."
"How do you know I—"
"Ryu."
"Fine."
Eralyx continued.
"Move your hands downward."
They did.
Slowly.
Their intertwined fingers traced through the air.
The connection stretched.
The energy between them tightened.
"Now pull apart."
They separated slightly.
The tether remained.
Invisible.
But present.
"Keep moving."
Another step.
Another.
Ryu could still feel Luto.
Not his thoughts.
Not words.
Something simpler.
Presence.
Like knowing where someone stood in a dark room without hearing them breathe.
"Continue until you can no longer feel the other's cosmic energy."
They moved farther.
The tether stretched.
Then—
Settled.
Eralyx nodded.
"Good."
"Ryu."
"Hm?"
"Turn around."
Ryu did.
"Keep your eyes closed."
"Okay."
"Walk."
Ryu began moving.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Luto remained behind him.
Eralyx looked toward Luto.
Luto couldn't see him.
Which made what happened next significantly less fair.
A tiny amount of golden energy entered Eralyx's fist.
Then—
THUD!
He punched Luto directly in the stomach.
Luto's eyes exploded open.
"UGH—!"
Across the crater—
Ryu spun instantly.
"LUTO!"
Fire ignited around him.
He froze.
Luto was doubled over.
One hand pressed against his stomach.
The other pointed angrily at Eralyx.
"...What..."
He coughed.
"...the hell?!"
Ryu ran back.
"You hit him!"
"Yes."
"WHY?!"
"Demonstration."
"You could've warned us!"
"That would've defeated the demonstration."
Luto slowly straightened.
"I hate him now."
Ryu pointed at him.
"SEE?!"
"I told you!"
Eralyx looked remarkably satisfied.
"You felt it."
Ryu stopped.
His anger faded slightly.
He had.
Not Luto's pain.
Not exactly.
But the instant the blow landed—
The tether screamed.
A pulse of alarm.
Direction.
Distress.
Ryu had known.
Before hearing Luto.
Before seeing him.
He'd simply—
Known.
Luto felt along the connection.
"...Instantaneous."
"Nearly."
Eralyx corrected.
"And inside a current, where wind, cosmic radiation and velocity may make speech impossible..."
"...that difference can save your life."
Luto looked toward the tether.
"Interesting."
Eralyx smiled faintly.
"There's considerably more to tethering than that."
Luto's eyes immediately moved toward him.
"What does that mean?"
"You'll figure it out."
Luto stared.
"...I hate when people say that."
"I know."
"What else can it transfer?"
Eralyx started walking away.
"Later."
"Memory?"
No answer.
"Techniques?"
Nothing.
"Can two people circulate energy through each other?"
Eralyx kept walking.
Luto's eyes widened slightly.
"...Can they?"
Ryu looked between them.
"Luto."
"What?"
"He's leaving."
Luto turned.
Eralyx was already approaching the split in the crater wall.
"Wait!"
Eralyx lifted one hand.
"For the remainder of the day..."
He pointed toward the enormous cylindrical current roaring around the crater.
"...you'll train inside that."
Both brothers stared.
Ryu looked upward.
The current towered hundreds of feet.
Loose stone flew through it at terrifying speed.
Luto looked toward Eralyx.
"How are we supposed to enter?"
"Good question."
"Where's the stable entry point?"
"Excellent question."
"How long are we staying inside?"
"Another excellent question."
Ryu shouted,
"CAN YOU ANSWER ONE?!"
Eralyx reached the opening.
He waved.
"Jump in."
Silence.
Ryu stared.
Luto stared.
"What?!"
"WAIT!"
Eralyx disappeared through the split.
Ryu ran several steps after him.
"THAT'S NOT AN INSTRUCTION!"
Luto shouted too.
"WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TETHER BREAKS?!"
No answer.
Ryu looked toward Luto.
Luto looked toward Ryu.
The current roared.
WHOOOOOOOOOM.
A large stone flew past.
Ryu watched it disappear around the crater.
"...You first."
Luto stared.
"Why me?"
"You're smarter."
"That's not how this works."
"Sounds like exactly how it works."
They jumped together.
It went terribly.
Ryu entered first.
The current caught him.
"OH—"
Gone.
Luto entered half a second later.
"RYU—"
Gone.
The crater swallowed them.
For several minutes—
Nothing could be heard except screaming.
Then—
They tried again.
And again.
And again.
Compression.
Concealment.
Tethering.
Movement.
Failure.
Repeat.
Ryu's cosmic energy exploded outward whenever the current twisted too violently.
Luto repeatedly overcorrected his balance and fought against the flow.
They learned.
Slowly.
Painfully.
The suits helped enormously.
Where their bodies would've required constant reinforcement—
The black material absorbed pressure.
Dispersed impacts.
Regulated breathing.
Allowed them to focus.
Hide the wavelength.
Feel the current.
Follow it.
Don't fight.
Become part of it.
When Ryu drifted too far—
Luto felt him.
When Luto's concentration slipped—
Ryu knew.
No shouting.
No searching.
Just—
Tether.
A pulse.
A direction.
A brother.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Hours passed.
Their bracelets slowly changed.
At first—
Black.
Then faint lines appeared.
Crimson beneath Ryu's.
Blue beneath Luto's.
Every break between training—
They fed more cosmic energy into them.
Stored.
Rested.
Returned.
Ryu fell out of the current fourteen times.
Luto fell out nine.
Ryu insisted three of his didn't count.
Luto insisted all of them counted.
Somehow—
Between all of it—
Luto found time to sit against the crater wall with the data slab Eralyx had given him.
The Riven rotated above his palm.
Routes.
Installations.
Deadzone.
Execution grounds.
He memorized everything he could.
Ryu walked past once.
Covered in dust.
"...Are you studying?"
"Yes."
"We've been thrown around a volcano for hours."
"Yes."
"And you're studying."
"Yes."
Ryu stared.
"...You're sick."
"Go charge your bracelet."
Ryu looked down.
The crimson lines were still dim.
"...Right."
Then—
Back into the current.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until eventually—
Something changed.
The screaming stopped.
Two figures moved within the cylindrical storm.
Black suits.
Their cosmic signatures compressed tightly against their bodies.
The current carried them.
Not perfectly.
Not effortlessly.
But together.
One shifted.
The other followed.
One lost balance.
The tether tightened.
Corrected.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
From the edge of the crater—
Eralyx watched.
His arms folded.
Molten eyes following them.
And for once—
He wasn't smiling because something amused him.
He was smiling because something had worked.
Eventually—
The current died.
WHOOOOOM—
Wind collapsed.
Dust fell.
Loose stones scattered across the crater floor.
And two bodies dropped from the remaining air.
THUD.
THUD.
Ryu landed flat on his back.
Luto landed several feet away.
Neither moved.
Silence.
Ryu gasped.
"...I..."
Breath.
"...hate..."
Breath.
"...wind."
Luto couldn't answer.
He was too busy remembering how lungs worked.
Their black suits were covered in dust.
And around their wrists—
The bracelets glowed.
Not completely.
But close.
Very close.
Above them—
The mechanical sun continued rotating.
THUM.
Eralyx approached.
Slowly.
He stopped between them.
Ryu stared upward.
Luto did the same.
Neither had enough energy to acknowledge him.
Eralyx looked down at the two brothers.
Yesterday—
They'd been unfinished.
They still were.
Two days couldn't change that.
Nothing could.
But something else had changed.
They listened faster.
Adapted faster.
Failed without becoming afraid of failure.
And when one struggled—
The other adjusted.
Eralyx's gaze rested upon them.
For just a moment—
There was something almost resembling pride within those molten eyes.
Or perhaps—
Belief.
He looked upward.
Toward Astradim's mechanical sun.
Then reached into his robes.
A thin rectangular slab emerged.
Old.
Cracked along one corner.
Its surface ignited with hundreds of tiny symbols.
Unlike the devices around Astradim—
This one didn't track the hidden world's time.
It tracked the multiverse outside it.
Eralyx watched the numbers change.
Then—
"...Ten pulses have passed."
Ryu's breathing stopped for half a second.
Luto's eyes moved toward him.
The words felt different now.
Neither brother asked what that meant.
They already knew.
Ryu slowly turned his head.
Luto did the same.
Their eyes met.
Ten pulses since they'd entered Astradim.
Ten pulses of preparation.
Ten pulses closer to the brother they'd spent ten years trying to find.
Slowly—
Ryu sat up.
Luto followed.
Exhaustion remained.
Fear remained.
The impossible odds remained.
But neither looked away.
Eralyx lowered the time slab.
The mechanical sun pulsed above them.
THUM.
His molten eyes settled upon the brothers.
And this time—
There was no humor in his voice.
No lesson.
No teasing.
Only the truth.
"...Five remain."