Chapter 15 – Threads of Terra
The fire crackled gently, sending thin streams of smoke curling into the twilight. They had set up camp beneath a crescent moon, surrounded by ancient trees and the soft hum of insects. Kuro sat cross-legged near the flames, his sword lying beside him. Yumi leaned back against a tree, eyes half-lidded with contentment. Alice sat sharpening her knife with mechanical precision, while Lady Seren arranged herbs over a cloth. Rhea, the armored knight, lounged nearby, watching the flames with an unreadable expression.
It was peaceful—for now.
Kuro finally broke the silence. "Alright, I'll bite. What exactly is Terra?"
Seren glanced up with a soft smile. "A fractured world. Bits of forgotten empires, sleeping monsters, and places where time folds in on itself. Most people here are born with an affinity—elemental, spiritual, or physical. Nobles tend to train early; commoners survive however they can."
Rhea snorted. "And then there's you. The clueless hero from nowhere."
Kuro smirked. "I wear that badge with pride."
Alice quirked an eyebrow. "So people level up like in games?"
"Not quite," Seren said. "You gain strength through resonance—actions, emotions, events that leave a mark on your spirit. The system just... tracks that."
Yumi looked thoughtful. "So even healing helps me grow?"
Seren nodded. "Especially healing."
Kuro leaned forward. "And monsters? Dungeons?"
"Plenty," Rhea replied. "Ruins with buried tech. Caves with ancient curses. Some call to people like us. Others just try to eat us."
He absorbed the words, trying to piece the map in his mind. It was a land of threads—woven fates, tangled powers, and unseen danger. And he was just beginning to stitch himself in.
"What's the strongest thing you've seen?" he asked.
Rhea stared into the fire. "A wyrm with a name. It whispered in dreams. Took three entire squads to bring it down, and only two of us came back."
A beat of silence followed.
"Noted," Kuro murmured.
Rhea stretched with a faint smirk. "If you're hoping to survive on sarcasm and sword flips, you better keep up. I wouldn't mind testing your reflexes someday."
Kuro laughed. "I'll make sure to upgrade my dodge settings before then."
Night deepened. Seren cast a ward around the camp, her fingers glowing faintly. Yumi curled into her bedroll, Alice took first watch, and Rhea leaned back against a rock, one eye open.
Kuro wandered a few steps away, into the clearing's edge. He looked up at the twin moons, their light casting shadows across the grass.
He opened his system silently:
[System: Activate Local Scan]
...Scanning...
Result: 1 Uncharted Dungeon Located
Distance: 3.4 km East
Threat Level: Moderate
He smiled to himself.
"Time to grind."
Chapter 15 – Threads of Terra
The fire crackled gently, sending thin streams of smoke curling into the twilight. They had set up camp beneath a crescent moon, surrounded by ancient trees and the soft hum of insects. Kuro sat cross-legged near the flames, his sword lying beside him. Yumi leaned back against a tree, eyes half-lidded with contentment. Alice sat sharpening her knife with mechanical precision, while Lady Seren arranged herbs over a cloth. Rhea, the armored knight, lounged nearby, watching the flames with an unreadable expression.
It was peaceful—for now.
Kuro finally broke the silence. "Alright, I'll bite. What exactly is Terra?"
Seren glanced up with a soft smile. "A fractured world. Bits of forgotten empires, sleeping monsters, and places where time folds in on itself. Most people here are born with an affinity—elemental, spiritual, or physical. Nobles tend to train early; commoners survive however they can."
Rhea snorted. "And then there's you. The clueless hero from nowhere."
Kuro smirked. "I wear that badge with pride."
Alice quirked an eyebrow. "So people level up like in games?"
"Not quite," Seren said. "You gain strength through resonance—actions, emotions, events that leave a mark on your spirit. The system just... tracks that."
Yumi looked thoughtful. "So even healing helps me grow?"
Seren nodded. "Especially healing."
Kuro leaned forward. "And monsters? Dungeons?"
"Plenty," Rhea replied. "Ruins with buried tech. Caves with ancient curses. Some call to people like us. Others just try to eat us."
He absorbed the words, trying to piece the map in his mind. It was a land of threads—woven fates, tangled powers, and unseen danger. And he was just beginning to stitch himself in.
What's the strongest thing you've seen?" he asked.
Rhea stared into the fire. "A wyrm with a name. It whispered in dreams. Took three entire squads to bring it down, and only two of us came back."
A beat of silence followed.
"Noted," Kuro murmured.
Rhea stretched with a faint smirk. "If you're hoping to survive on sarcasm and sword flips, you better keep up. I wouldn't mind testing your reflexes someday."
Kuro laughed. "I'll make sure to upgrade my dodge settings before then."
Night deepened. Seren cast a ward around the camp, her fingers glowing faintly. Yumi curled into her bedroll, Alice took first watch, and Rhea leaned back against a rock, one eye open.
Kuro wandered a few steps away, into the clearing's edge. He looked up at the twin moons, their light casting shadows across the grass.
He opened his system silently:
[System: Activate Local Scan]
...Scanning...
Result: 1 Uncharted Dungeon Located
Distance: 3.4 km East
Threat Level: Moderate
He smiled to himself.
The fire had dulled to soft embers by the time Kuro returned to the circle, his boots silent on the moss. The others were quiet now, either asleep or pretending to be. Only Rhea remained awake, her gaze flickering toward him in the firelight.
"You wander like a man chasing ghosts," she said.
"Maybe I'm just stretching my legs."
She chuckled, low and warm. "Liar."
He didn't deny it. Instead, he sat beside her, watching the last of the sparks float upward like fireflies.
"You said resonance shapes strength," Kuro murmured. "What if someone doesn't remember who they were? Can they still grow?"
Rhea's eyes narrowed. "You're asking if a rootless man can bloom."
He nodded.
She was quiet for a moment. "I've seen weeds grow through stone. You tell me."
That answer settled something in him — not fully, but enough to hold.
They sat in silence until a rustling snapped both their heads toward the darkened treeline. Kuro's hand was already on his blade, and Rhea reached for her lance. But it was only Yumi, bleary-eyed, approaching with her blanket still wrapped around her like a cloak.
"Couldn't sleep," she whispered. "Too much… energy."
Rhea relaxed. "Then sit. It's a good night to waste on questions."
Yumi settled between them, her voice soft. "Can you tell me about the moons?"
Rhea gestured upward. "Twin sisters — Fenra and Laen. One governs the flow of mana, the other the flow of dreams. When they cross paths in the sky, strange things happen. Some say new dungeons open. Others say people disappear."
Kuro leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "How poetic."
"They're gods to some," Rhea added. "Or gatekeepers. This world has more myths than it has cities."
Alice stirred nearby but didn't speak. Seren, half-asleep, whispered something in an old tongue and rolled over.
The fire cracked again.
Kuro let his thoughts drift as he watched the sky. A world of shifting rules. Moons that whispered. Knights with half-smiles and sharp tongues. And somehow, he'd landed in the middle of it.
"Do you think Terra wanted us here?" he asked, mostly to himself.
Yumi touched his arm. "I think we're exactly where we're supposed to be."
He gave her a rare, genuine smile.
Minutes passed. The air thickened with quiet resolve, the kind that settled between people before a storm.
Kuro opened the system one last time that night:
[System Log – Status Overview]Level: 34Phase: 3EXP to Next Level: 7,890IP: 160,000AP: 58,500EP: 21,000SP: 70,000Equipped: Pulse Phase Blade, Shadow Cloak Mk ICompanions:
Yumi (Summon)
Alice (Independent Ally)
Active Scan:• Dungeon – 3.4km East• Threat: Moderate• Title Effect: Hero of the Ashes (+5% Fire/Explosive Resist)
He closed the menu, the glowing interface fading into the night.
And finally, with the sound of soft breathing all around him, Kuro allowed himself to rest.