The wind blowing from the gate was cold.
It wasn't the typical chill of night air; it was something deeper. The draft pulled at their coats and hair as the circular aperture rotated slowly above the coastline, humming with a heavy, restrained force.
Aurora Covenant stood before it.
Lucien was at the front, with Nox right beside him. Behind them, Garrick, Kaida, Mira, Orion, and Seris formed a loose line. The ocean roared somewhere far below the cliffs, but the sound felt distant now—muted by the pressure radiating from the gate.
Lucien looked back at the others once.
"Same formation."
No one argued. Nox glanced toward the aperture, then gave a sharp nod.
"Together."
Lucien stepped forward first. This time, no one stayed behind. Seven figures crossed the threshold at once.
The world shifted. The ocean vanished, the wind stopped, and suddenly, they stood somewhere else.
__
Black sand stretched endlessly beneath their feet. Above them hung a dim violet sky, streaked with thin fractures of pale light that looked like cracks spreading across glass. For a moment, no one spoke. The silence inside the gate was unnerving.
Then Mira whispered, "...Okay." She turned slowly in place. "Where are we?"
Bones covered the ground. They weren't scattered randomly, but layered—half-buried in the sand like the remnants of countless old battles. Garrick crouched, pressing his fingers into the grit.
"...Soft terrain." He stood again, adjusting his footing. "Movement's going to be slower."
Kaida was staring at the sky, her eyes narrowing. "...The dimensional layering is uneven." She rotated her wrist, and a ribbon of shadow formed, then flickered. "...That's annoying."
Orion summoned his bow. The weapon shimmered once, and the arrow misaligned slightly before correcting itself. Orion stared at it. "...Adjustment period."
Seris inhaled slowly. "There's residual death energy everywhere." Her gaze moved across the horizon. "Years' worth."
Then, the system voice echoed in their minds.
[Gate Environment Stabilized]
[Gate Rank: S]
[Objective: Eliminate Gate Core]
Lucien studied the terrain. Nox was already looking toward the horizon. The ridge was still there—jagged black rock rising in the distance. High ground. It was just like before, but something else caught his attention.
The bones were different. In his previous life, they had been buried deeper. Now, many of them were exposed. Nox frowned slightly. It was a small difference, but it meant something had changed.
Lucien followed his gaze. "That ridge."
"Most likely location for the core," Nox said quietly.
Lucien nodded. "Advance."
__
Aurora Covenant began to move. Their boots sank slightly into the sand as they crossed the bone-covered desert. No wind followed them and no sound reached them—just the faint crunch of sand shifting underfoot.
Mira lowered her voice. "I don't like this place."
Orion didn't look away from the horizon. "Focus."
Then, the sand shifted. Lucien stopped instantly.
"Contact."
The ground erupted. Bones burst upward as skeletal figures clawed their way out of the sand. Their bodies assembled themselves from the scattered remains; ribs snapped together, spines locked, and violet fire ignited in empty eye sockets.
There were dozens of them.
Lucien moved first. Golden light ignited behind him as the Authority of Michael manifested, radiant wings spreading outward. His blade formed in a burst of light.
"Frontline engage."
He cut forward, and the first skeleton shattered instantly. But the others surged in. Garrick raised his shield. Stone erupted outward, then tilted slightly before stabilizing as the pressure hit.
"...Still adjusting," he muttered.
Orion released an arrow. The shot pierced cleanly through a skull. The second arrow clipped a rib instead. "...Correction," Orion said calmly.
Kaida lifted her hand. Shadow spread across the battlefield, then overshot slightly, freezing several skeletons in place but disrupting Mira's summoning circle.
Mira blinked. "Hey."
"Your circle was inside my vector," Kaida replied.
"My vector was there first."
Seris moved between them. Golden light flowed outward, reinforcing their stamina and stabilizing small injuries. "Adjust spacing," she said calmly.
The skeleton wave collapsed quickly under the team's combined attacks. Bone fragments scattered across the sand. Then the battlefield grew quiet again.
Too quiet.
Nox's gaze moved across the terrain. "...Something's wrong."
Garrick exhaled. "Too easy."
The ground trembled. Once. Twice. Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"Positions."
The bone field collapsed inward. Sand spiraled downward as something massive forced its way upward. A colossal hand of fused bone burst from the earth, then another. A towering creature dragged itself free from the sand, armored in jagged bone plates.
It stood nearly fifteen meters tall. Its skull opened slowly, rows of spiraling fangs grinding together. The system message flared.
[Gate Guardian Detected]
[Threat Level: S]
Mira stared upward. "...That's bad."
Kaida's smile sharpened. "Oh, this will be interesting."
Lucien stepped forward, the light intensifying around him. "Hold formation."
The creature roared—then stopped. Its burning eyes shifted slowly, deliberately, and locked onto Nox.
Lucien noticed immediately.
"...Why him?"
Nox didn't answer. Because the creature wasn't looking at him like prey. It was looking at him.., like it knew him.