The ground of Ashwake Yard was still warm from the last clash, and the dust had barely settled.
"Sit," Ivara said.
She didn't raise her voice, but they obeyed instantly—half from instinct, half from exhaustion.
Squad C-707 dropped onto the uneven dirt. No chairs. No shade. Just five Cadets in matching black training suits and boots, sweat still clinging to their necks and backs.
"Alright," she said, voice smooth as ever. "Now that your little warm-up's out of the way…"
She didn't finish the sentence right away—just let it hang there, her gaze sweeping across them.
The squad stayed silent, but every eye was locked on her now. Even Cael stopped flexing his wrist long enough to listen.
"This week won't be just drills. You're going on a mission."
Every head jerked up.
Vanna blinked. "Wait—already?"
Demitri glanced at the others. "We haven't even gone through the basics."
"You'll learn faster through missions," Ivara replied.
Liria looked straight ahead but stiffened slightly.
Even Raith's brows drew in. He hadn't expected that either.
Cael's voice cut through the silence. "But we're Cadets. We just got enrolled yesterday."
"Yes," Ivara said, completely unfazed. "And what else did you get?"
Silence.
Raith was the first to answer, quietly, "The requirement."
Ivara nodded. "Exactly."
She stopped pacing and faced them again. "One thousand Mission Points. That's what you need to graduate. And you have two years to do it."
Everyone looked around, suddenly more sober.
Cael crossed his arms. "So we just keep doing missions until we hit that number?"
Ivara smiled slightly. "If it were that simple, Camp 70 wouldn't have a ninety percent failure rate."
That landed hard.
She continued, calm as ever. "Most missions handed to this camp are bottom of the barrel. Escort duties. Relic cleanup. Resource checks in minor zones."
"You know how much that's worth?" she asked.
"100 points each?" Vanna tried.
Ivara smiled. "It's worth 10 to 20 points, split across five members. Sometimes six, if a support Tuner joins."
Kev would've groaned if he were here. Vanna looked like she wanted to.
Raith did the math in his head and didn't like what he saw.
"And on top of that," Ivara added, "Camp 70 rarely gets a mission every day. Why do you think?"
No one answered.
She looked around. "Because who in their right mind commissions missions to the lowest-ranked camp in the Outer Region?"
Demitri looked away. Liria kept her gaze forward, jaw set.
Nobody argued. Because she wasn't wrong.
"But." Her voice shifted just slightly. "Sometimes… we get better."
The squad looked up again.
"Sometimes, it's the Warden's name that pulls missions. Not the camp's."
Raith watched her carefully.
So did Cael. "You saying we've got better because of you?"
"I'm saying," Ivara replied without offense, "you're lucky I'm not just here to babysit."
That landed differently. No pride. Just a fact.
Vanna tilted her head. "So… what's the mission?"
Ivara glanced sideways—then her eyes slid to Raith.
"It's tied to Shatterveil."
That name hit like a cold breeze. Raith's chest tightened. He remembered now.
Her voice. Her presence.
She'd been there.
She was the Enforcer that day.
The one who gave them a chance to explain themselves.
The one who gave the order to register them as Tuners.
Raith met her gaze. Ivara didn't blink. She just smiled, faintly.
The others didn't notice the exchange.
"Shatterveil?" Cael echoed. "Is it a Force Field?"
"F-grade Force Field," Ivara confirmed. "We're going to explore it."
"Wait," Vanna said, sitting up straighter. "We're going into a Force Field? Just like that?"
"I've never even seen one," Demitri muttered.
Liria was silent, but her shoulders had gone rigid.
Raith kept his expression calm, though inside, everything felt heavier.
They didn't know. Not like he did.
They hadn't set foot inside Shatterveil.
They hadn't seen what waited past the portal.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Vanna asked.
Ivara's tone didn't change. "It's an F-grade. And you're not going alone."
Her hand rested calmly on her hip. "You're with a Warden."
She let that sit. And the truth was… she wasn't wrong.
They had felt her power—watched her dismantle them all, one by one, without even tapping into a Force.
If there was anyone who could lead them into a Field and bring them back alive, it was her.
But even so… Raith knew.
Shatterveil wasn't normal, and it was never just about the grade.
***
Raith sat at the end of the table in the dining hall with Kev, Dane, Mira, and Elisa. His tray was in front of him, half-eaten and untouched for a while.
The others were halfway through theirs. Kev was on his second serving. Dane had already cleaned his tray and was casually working on a piece of bread.
Mira was stirring a bowl of soup with her spoon, lost in thought. Elisa sat beside Mira, quietly chewing, eyes lowered—like always.
Dane was the first to notice.
"You alright?" he asked.
Raith blinked. His eyes slowly lifted. "Huh?"
"You've been zoning out since we sat down."
Raith exhaled and leaned back slightly. His voice was low. "My Warden… I know who she is."
Kev looked up mid-bite. Mira set down her spoon.
Elisa looked at him, calm, unreadable.
"She's the Enforcer," Raith said. "The woman from the Shatterveil. The one who watched us that day."
The others froze for a second.
Then Kev nearly choked. "Wait—seriously?"
Raith nodded. "Same voice. Same presence. It's her."
Mira frowned. "You sure?"
"I'm sure."
They all looked at each other, processing that.
Dane leaned forward. "So what does that mean? Why's she here?"
Raith took a breath. "Well… my squad got assigned a mission."
Kev slammed his spoon on the table. "What?! Already?!"
Half the hall turned to look. He didn't care.
"You guys are so lucky," he said. "Already going out while we're still stretching our legs."
Dane raised a brow. "What kind of mission?"
Raith gave a half-smile. "That's the interesting part."
They waited.
"She's taking us into Shatterveil."
The air around the table tightened. Even Kev didn't speak for a second.
Mira's brows pulled together. Dane's expression turned serious. Elisa didn't react at all.
Raith ran a hand through his hair. "She said it's just an exploration mission. F-grade Force Field. Nothing serious."
"But…" Dane prompted.
Raith sighed. "But something feels off. That place… It's not normal. You guys felt it too. That monster we fought—it wasn't some regular Feral Crawler."
Dane nodded slowly. "You're right. It had crystal limbs. Didn't even move like a normal Crawler."
"Exactly," Raith said. "That thing wasn't F-grade. It was mutated and... something about that Field is different."
Mira leaned forward slightly. "Wow. I blasted that thing halfway across a ruined wall."
She was impressed to know that she was able to blast a monster stronger than an F-grade.
Dane's eyes narrowed. "So, what's bothering you?"
Raith lifted his shoulders. "She said it was an exploration mission. But… I think it's more than that."
"What do you mean?" Dane asked.
Raith met his eyes. "I think they believe the Shatterveil holds a secret. Something tied to what happened to us."
Everyone went quiet again.
Even the noise of the dining hall seemed to dull for a second.
Then Kev sat up straight and raised his spoon like a scholar. "Well… obviously," he said, affecting a mock-serious tone. "Five S-grades awaken inside a busted F-grade Field, one of them a Duotune—clearly that place is holding more than shiny crystals and broken panels."
Raith chuckled under his breath. Mira rolled her eyes.
Dane smirked. "So you're saying they should've sent the whole military instead?"
Kev nodded sagely. "If they were smart? Yes. If not the military, at least an airship or two. Maybe a parade."
Elisa finally looked up—not speaking, just listening.
Kev then leaned forward. "Jokes aside… It means they're watching. Someone up top thinks Shatterveil matters."
Raith looked down at his tray. The food was cold now. But his thoughts were hotter than ever.
"Let's just hope," Dane said to him, "they're ready for what's in there when they decided to send a squad inside."
No one replied.
Because deep down, none of them were sure if they were.
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