The last of the tall grasses gave way beneath their feet as the terrain shifted beneath them. The vibrant greens faded into duller, cracked earth, littered with dark stones and patches of dry, brittle moss. The air thickened. Warm, heavy, carrying a faint bite of sulfur that Axel recognized instantly.
Selene glanced sideways, her expression tightening. "We're getting close."
Axel nodded, eyes scanning the horizon where jagged blackened cliffs rose sharply, outlined against a sky tinged with an ominous red-orange glow. The volcanic terrain lay before them. An unforgiving landscape of scorched rock and molten rivers hidden just beyond sight.
The temperature rose steadily, beads of sweat forming at their temples despite their steady pace. Small tremors rippled beneath their boots, subtle at first, then growing steadily in strength.
They caught up with Joseph and Elise not long after. Joseph's movements were erratic. He weaved through the terrain like he didn't know where he was going, or worse, like he was trying to shake someone. Elise trailed behind him, clearly confused but too stubborn to say anything.
Axel didn't bother asking questions. If Joseph wanted to play dumb, he could die dumb. He let the two of them go, their figures drifting farther into the haze of rising heat and dust.
Selene stepped in closer, her breath brushing against his ear. "Is it alright if we leave them behind? They're doing more harm than good."
"Just thinking that," Axel replied. "Let them die alone. Come on."
He moved ahead without waiting for a response, already more focused on what lay beyond the next ridge.
And there, like a stroke of fate, he spotted two figures locked in combat at the edge of a scorched plateau. One of them he recognized instantly: Landon, sharp and relentless, a blur of motion as he darted around a massive molten bear. The other… Axel squinted. That was Rodrick, wasn't it? The kid from Ravenveil. The one in the same club as him and Mico.
Rodrick wasn't doing much besides panicking. He dodged left and right like a headless chicken while Landon handled the real fight.
Axel turned to Selene. "Do you want to help?"
Selene's eyes lit up. "We can set up an alliance. A powerful teammate in exchange for two useless ones."
No further words were needed.
Selene raised her bow. One clean shot. The arrow sliced through the hot air and buried itself deep into the bear's shoulder, drawing its attention instantly. The beast let out a roar, lava drooling from its maw as it abandoned Landon and charged toward its new target.
Axel didn't wait.
Mana surged through his legs, into his sword, reinforcing every fiber of muscle and steel. He launched forward, rising high with one powerful leap, then came crashing down like a guillotine. The blade met the bear's molten skull and instead of melting, it drove straight through. Reinforced by mana, it cut cleanly, silencing the creature in one deadly blow.
No points flashed. A shame.
"Axel! Thanks for the help," Landon called out, jogging toward them.
Rodrick followed, still a little winded. "A-Axel. Do you remember me?"
Axel looked him over once, then gave a nod. "I do. Rodrick, right?"
Rodrick lit up, practically beaming. "Yes!"
"Where's the rest of your team?" Landon asked, glancing behind them.
"They left," Selene answered flatly.
"Oh." Landon frowned. "I ditched mine too. They were dead weight. But this guy," he jabbed a thumb at Rodrick, "just kept following me."
Rodrick gave an awkward, apologetic grin.
Axel stepped forward, calm as ever. "Do you want to join ours?"
Landon didn't hesitate. "Hell yeah." He offered a fist, which Axel bumped without missing a beat.
Selene leaned in close again. "...Are we taking him with us as well?" she murmured, eyes flicking toward Rodrick.
Axel paused. Rodrick was weak, but he was in Mico's club and Mico wouldn't invite anyone without a reason. There was something buried in that kid. Some kind of potential.
"Why not," Axel said. "We're all students, after all."
That was enough. Selene didn't argue. Rodrick gave them a grateful nod, barely hiding the way he lit up inside.
With their group now four strong, Axel glanced toward the distance, toward the looming volcano with its jagged summit and faint curls of smoke.
"We should get out of here," he said. "That volcano's about to blow."
The others froze. Landon blinked. "How do you know?"
Because it was written in the book, but he couldn't tell them that.
His eyes drifted to the jagged ridges of the volcano, smoke curling faintly from its summit. He let out a slow breath.
"I've seen this before," he began, voice low but steady. "The ground here isn't just cracked, it's shifting. There are more frequent tremors, subtle at first, but increasing in intensity. The air carries sulfur, which means gases are escaping underground. That usually happens when magma is rising closer to the surface."
He pointed to the dark stones scattered on the path.
"See those? Fresh volcanic rock. It's still warm, barely cooled. That means recent activity." Axel's gaze sharpened. "Also, look at the steam vents over there. They're blowing hotter and more often than normal."
Landon frowned, glancing nervously at the rumbling earth.
"Most importantly," Axel said, "the wildlife's reacting. Birds flying away from the volcano instead of toward it. That's instinct. Even in simulations, they mimic natural responses."
He paused, meeting each of their eyes.
Landon cracked his knuckles, determination settling over him.
"Then let's get moving. Thanks for the heads-up, Axel."
Rodrick nodded, eyes wide but trusting.
"Nice eyes~" Selene complimented.
They made their way out of there, heading south. They were a good distance away when the air shifted, a sudden gust blowing warm and dry against their backs.
Then the volcano erupted.
A blinding flash lit up the sky as fire and smoke burst violently from the crater, a pillar of molten rock launching upward like a spear aimed at the heavens. The sound followed a second later. A deafening, concussive boom that shook the earth and sent flocks of simulation birds screaming into the crimson-tinted sky.
From the jagged summit, molten lava spilled over in glowing rivers, cascading down the mountainside in thick, oozing waves. Ash billowed upward, darkening the sun and casting an eerie twilight over the land. Chunks of red-hot debris rained down far from the blast, slamming into the surrounding terrain with enough force to gouge deep craters in the ground.
Even at their distance, the heat reached them in pulses, like the breath of a beast.
"Holy—" Landon began, but stopped, stunned.
Axel turned briefly to look, the orange light flickering in his eyes. "There it is," he said quietly.
Then, he smiled. A genuine, happy smile. It was almost sadistic as he read the messages that popped up in front of him.
[Teammate Joseph Calign Has Died]
[Teammate Elise Doyle Has Died]