The morning mist hung low over the forest. Dew clung to Reynar's cloak as he crouched beside Sylvie, both watching the corrupted stone circle from a camouflaged ridge. The ritual site pulsed faintly with mana, almost as if it breathed.
"Still no movement," Sylvie whispered.
Reynar nodded. "That just makes me more nervous."
Back at the temporary camp, Liora adjusted the scope on her enchanted longbow. "We've seen no activity for two days… which means something's about to happen."
They'd taken turns surveilling the area. The system had registered faint fluctuations in the mana signature every few hours—small enough to go unnoticed by regular detection, but persistent. Something—or someone—was maintaining the tether.
"We need to know who's coming," Liora said. "And why."
Sylvie tapped a claw on the rock. "Then we set a trap."
That night, under the cover of fog and starless sky, the trio moved.
Liora laid enchantment glyphs in a wide perimeter around the ritual basin—traps that would trigger silent alerts if crossed. Reynar used the system's crafting interface to lay proximity sensors made of glowroot crystal and spider silk thread—nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Sylvie vanished into the trees, her footsteps silent as breath.
Everything was ready.
Hours passed.
Then… the system pinged.
[System Alert] – Intrusion Detected. Glyph Perimeter Breached.
Reynar's eyes snapped open.
He and Liora slipped into position on opposite sides of the ritual site. Through the scope of her bow, Liora spotted movement—two figures, both clad in black robes with pale white gloves. One carried a sack that faintly dripped red.
"Blood," she whispered. "Fresh."
The robed figures moved with ritualistic purpose, placing new sigils around the stone circle. One of them pulled a flask of thick, dark liquid and poured it into the basin.
Reynar's stomach turned. "That's not just blood. That's… void extract."
"They're deep in the cult," Liora said, voice tight. "These aren't pawns. They're ritualists."
He could hear Sylvie breathing through the crystal communicator. "Should we move in?"
"Not yet," Reynar murmured. "Let's see who they answer to."
A third figure emerged from the shadows. Unlike the others, this one wore no robe—only sharp, dark armor trimmed in gold. His face was hidden beneath a white mask carved with runes. But his voice was unmistakable.
"I bring word from Lord Castien," he said to the ritualists. "You have four more days. Then this rift must be ready to bloom."
Reynar tensed.
Liora's eyes widened. "He's here."
The ritualists bowed. "It will be done. The sacrifices have been prepared in Windrest. We only need the rift to open."
Reynar's heart pounded. Windrest wasn't just supporting the rift—they were feeding it.
The masked figure stepped closer to the basin. "Let the Outcast and his little companions think they're winning. Their deaths will feed the gate when it matters most."
And then he vanished in a flash of shadowstep magic.
The ritualists began packing up.
Reynar whispered, "Now."
Three blurs burst from the woods.
Sylvie struck first, her claws slicing through one ritualist's shoulder. Liora fired an arrow that pinned the second's hand to the stone, forcing a scream. Reynar moved in with his twin daggers, their edges glowing with purified mana.
One ritualist went down. The other tried to escape—until a surge of black mana burst from the basin.
The remaining cultist screamed as the blood inside the stone ignited, consuming his body in a violent flash.
The stone cracked.
But the ritual was disrupted.
Later, back at the camp, Reynar sat in silence, the burned scent of void blood still lingering on his gear.
"They're using Windrest as a reservoir for sacrifices," he said. "And they know we're here."
Liora's voice was cold. "Which means next time… they'll come prepared."
Sylvie looked at both of them. "Then so should we."
[System Update]Rift Countdown: 6 Days RemainingDisruption Progress: Ritual site integrity compromisedBonus Objective Unlocked: Confront the masked enforcer (identity unknown)
Affinity UpdateLiora: 89%Sylvie: 55%
They had seen the enemy.
But the enemy had also seen them.