The fracture above the factory district collapsed.
One moment, the dimensional tear was still shimmering faintly against the sky; the next, it folded inward like a closing wound. Then the sky simply returned to normal.
For a moment, the members of Aurora Covenant just stood there, waiting for the battle adrenaline to fade. Kairos slowly looked around the empty, silent yard. "...That's it?"
Lucien nodded. "The gate is gone."
Mira stretched her arms over her head. "That was way shorter than the S-rank."
"Thankfully," Seris added, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Garrick rested his heavy shield against the concrete. "Everyone alright?" A round of nods answered him.
Kairos exhaled, the weight of the moment finally hitting him. "...My first gate."
Lucien reached over and briefly ruffled the boy's hair. "You did well."
Kairos looked mildly offended, shifting away. "...I literally just stood there."
"That's called surviving," Mira said, leaning over the railing of a broken loading dock.
Then, the air shimmered again. Silver light unfolded before each of them—different from the earlier notices. These windows were larger, clearer, and stabilized simultaneously in front of everyone.
[Gate Completion Confirmed]
[Gate Rank: D]
[Gate Type: Breach Gate]
[Participants Registered:
* Lucien Ardent
* Nox Caelis
* Garrick Stonevale
* Seris Elowen
* Kaida Myrr
* Orion Vale
* Mira Solenne
* Kairos Arvane]
[Calculating Contribution...]
Mira leaned closer to the floating text. "...It's listing us."
"It tracked who entered the gate," Kairos whispered, staring at his own name.
Numbers began appearing beside each name: enemy eliminations, support influence, damage output, and control contribution. Kairos blinked slowly. "...It tracked all that?"
"Yes," Nox answered quietly.
The screen shifted again.
[Reward Distribution Initiated]
The first name appeared.
[Lucien Ardent
Contribution Rating: S
Reward:
* Mana Crystal × 12
* Minor Enhancement Catalyst × 1]
A faint flash of light formed in Lucien's hand. Small, crystalline objects appeared, glowing softly with contained energy. Lucien turned one between his fingers. "...Mana Crystal."
Kaida leaned in. "That name sounds suspiciously valuable."
"Do you think we can sell those?" Mira asked, tilting her head. No one answered—at least, not yet.
The list continued.
[Garrick Stonevale
Contribution Rating: A
Reward:
* Mana Crystal × 10
* Reinforcement Fragment × 1]
A small metallic shard appeared in Garrick's palm. He studied it carefully. "...No idea what this does."
Kaida smiled. "Then we get to experiment."
[Orion Vale — Rating: A | Reward: Mana Crystal × 9, Precision Catalyst × 1]
[Seris Elowen — Rating: A | Reward: Mana Crystal × 8, Restoration Catalyst × 1]
[Kaida Myrr — Rating: A | Reward: Mana Crystal × 9, Shadow Conduit Fragment × 1]
[Mira Solenne — Rating: A | Reward: Mana Crystal × 8, Summoning Medium × 1]
Mira held up her glowing reward. "...Medium?"
"What does it do?" Kairos asked.
Mira shrugged, but she was grinning. "No idea. But I like it."
Then the screen shifted again.
[Kairos Arvane
Contribution Rating: C
Participation Type: Observation
Reward:
* Mana Crystal × 2]
Two small crystals appeared in Kairos's hands. He stared at them. "...I got something."
"You entered the gate," Lucien said, smiling faintly.
Kairos turned the crystals over. They pulsed with a faint, steady energy. "...They're warm."
Then, the final name appeared.
[Nox Caelis
Contribution Rating: S
Reward:
* Mana Crystal × 10
* Unknown Catalyst × 1]
A thin shard of silver crystal appeared in Nox's palm. Unlike the others, it emitted a faint, shifting glow. Kaida immediately leaned closer. "...Interesting."
Nox closed his hand around it. "We'll examine it later."
The system window changed one final time.
[Reward Distribution Complete]
[Future gate clearances will distribute rewards based on:
* Gate Rank
* Contribution
* Participation]
The silver windows faded, and the yard returned to normal. For a few seconds, no one spoke. Kairos looked down at the crystals in his hand again. "...So." He glanced at the others. "Do you think these are important?"
Mira raised one of hers toward the light. "It came from a gate." She grinned. "So probably."
Then, a sound reached them—a distant, persistent humming in the sky. Lucien looked up. "...Drones."
Kairos turned. Dozens of media drones were approaching the containment perimeter. They had been waiting for the gate to disappear, and now they were moving in fast.
Mira waved enthusiastically. "Hi!"
Seris rubbed her temple. Lucien stepped forward. Someone had to talk to the press—and he knew Nox Caelis absolutely would not.