Tobin’s smile spread slowly.He stepped through the broken opening with Lyle and Cassa behind him, all three dirty and scratched from the bat fight.Dust clung to their robes, blood stained Lyle’s sleeve, and Cassa had a shallow cut across his cheek that had already stopped bleeding. Their eyes moved across the hidden cavern, taking in the glowing ore veins that ran thick across the walls, the pale crystals hanging from the ceiling like frozen rain, and the rich mana light that filled the entire space with warmth.Tobin looked around slowly, letting the silence stretch while his smile widened.“Looks like we found something really good after all.”Knox immediately caught the we and his mood darkened. His fingers tightened near his bent knife while his jaw clenched hard enough to ache.Serena’s voice went cold. “Knox and his summon found the cavern.”Tobin turned toward her and smiled politely, like she had just made a reasonable point he was considering. “We are one registered missio

The Burrowclaw blocked the broken entrance, its amber eyes fixed on the group while its claws scraped slowly against the stone floor.They were still alive, but the situation had turned worse because the only clear way out was now controlled by the strongest beast in the cavern.Serena kept a thin layer of illusion-light moving around the group, not enough to create full false bodies, but enough to blur their exact positions and buy a few seconds if the Burrowclaw lunged. Her Light Spirit Fox stayed close to her leg, its glow dimmer than before and its three tails flickering weakly.Knox noticed that Serena was still calm on the outside, but her control had tightened too much. Her jaw was set, her breathing measured, and her fingers stayed perfectly still near her belt. That meant she was burning through mana faster than she wanted to admit.Tobin held his spear low with his Hooktail Lizard guarding the front angle, its tail curved and ready. Lyle kept his Ironhorn Bullhound beside hi

Knox did not waste time explaining his full plan.He only looked at Cassa and said, “One thin ash burst when Serena moves. Just one. And control it.”His intent was clear.Cassa’s hand tightened on his weapon, and he nodded once. His Ashspine Jackal’s embers flickered slightly brighter.Knox spotted a straight knife lying near the wall, half-hidden under dust and broken shell fragments. He crossed to it quickly and picked it up. The borrowed knife was not special, but it was sharp enough if he could reach a soft point.He tested the weight once, then stepped forward.Serena gathered her mana.Her Light Spirit Fox was barely glowing, its form thin and translucent, but she pulled the light close instead of spreading it through the chamber. The glow concentrated around her body, tight and controlled.The Burrowclaw watched her because it already knew she was the one bending its kills away.Its amber eyes tracked her movement, patient and certain.The Burrowclaw moved.It climbed along th

The tunnel was falling apart behind them. Dust kept spilling from the ceiling in thin streams, and the Prism Ore glow along the walls flickered in broken pulses, bright then dim then bright again. Every few steps the ground shifted under their feet, small movements that warned of bigger ones coming. Nobody had the strength left to argue about direction or pace. The only reason they were still moving was that the people who hated each other inside the academy were forced to keep each other alive out here. Lyle had one arm under Knox, taking most of his weight. Knox could feel the reluctance in the way Lyle held him, but Knox could barely walk, so the reluctance did not matter. Cassa half-carried Tobin a few steps ahead, because Tobin’s legs kept folding under him without warning. Serena stayed at the back with her Light Spirit Fox reduced to a faint outline of light, guiding the group forward whenever the tunnel went dark enough to lose the path. Ignis trailed close to Knox’s leg

The Mission Hall Review Chamber was already set before Knox and Serena reached it.The frozen Hollowvein file glowed on the central review screen, large enough for the whole room to read.Frozen Contribution File Reopened.Resource Share Frozen.Manual Review Pending.Tobin, Lyle, and Cassa sat on one side of the chamber. Tobin’s head was bowed slightly, but his eyes were clear and cold when he lifted them toward the door. Lyle sat beside him with his shoulders squared, holding a confidence that did not quite reach his face. Cassa kept his hands folded in his lap and his gaze low.Professor Crane stood near the screen. Her posture was still, her expression giving nothing away.Marrec Vale waited by the review table, calm and polished, the brass ring resting on his folded hands.And Darius Vorden was already seated.That was the first thing Knox noticed.Darius. Not summoned as a participant or a part of the mission at all. Seated at the table like he belonged there, with a clear line