(Third Person POV)
The clouds above moved in a symphonic melody, as it drifted across the sky with the sun shining in delight. The gentle breeze stirred a person unconscious in a deep-cut gourge. A woman sprawled under a cradle of grass, her expression held a peaceful grace.
"...mnh~" She stirred awake.
Her raven black hair floated as she seated from where she slumbered. Her eyes, the color of dull amber, flickered open— not in panic manner, but with bewilderment and confusion. She remembered nothing, as the sound of chirping birds interrupted her inner turmoil.
She pressed a hand on her temple, wincing. Then, a shadow appeared in front of her vision.
"You alright?"
The voice had an ethereal allure, it sounded familiar, yet not at the same time. As her vision cleared up, there she saw— A young man with pastel-blue hair.
She blinked at him, cautious. "I... Think so."
"No, I don't think so." He offered her a hand, she gave a faint "thanks" then grabbed onto it. "A lady like you shouldn't really lay down on dirt, you know?"
Before she could speak again. "Hey! There you are!" Another voice rang out behind him— youthful, curious, and slightly concerned.
Two figures came into view, navigating the narrow path on the gorge. One, a composed woman with long, sweeping hair and sharp eyes— Yangyang. The other, a shorter girl with a spring for her steps and an energetic grin to match— Chixia.
"We were worried when we noticed something amiss. But thank goodness you both are alright. I'm Yangyang by the way, and she's Chixia." As they approached, Yangyang's eyes narrowed slightly. "Those marks on your hands..." She reached out, pointing at the subtle, sigil with a frequency design embedded on the woman's skin. "Tacet marks. And that terminal— shaped like a gourd. You're both resonato–?!"
Yangyang noticed something weird. On the arm of the man, his tacet mark was not subtle at all, it was humongous. It trailed from the back of his hand up to his shoulder.
"What kind of tacet mark is that?!" Chixia beats out what Yangyang was about to say. "That's not normal at all! We have to get you checked out to Baizhi!"
Rover gazed at the pastel-blue haired man, as the man noticed the piercing gaze and immediately their eyes met.
"By the way... What was it that you were about to say?" The man continued as he averted his staring contest with rover. "Resona..."
"Resonators?"
"Yes, what's a Resonator?"
Yangyang nodded, gaze flicking between the two. "You don't know? Do both of you have amnesia or something?"
Yangyang joked but both of them immediately nodded in unison, earning a deadpan from her.
Rover explained the predicament of hers and the young man beside her in...
Chixia then inquired. "Now that we know the situations of the two... Do you guys have names you remember?"
Both of them shook their heads in denial once more.
"In any case, it's crystal clear, that I and... Probably him... Are not going to know our identities for the time being."
"Well..." Yangyang stepped forward, with an idea in mind, "since you cannot recall your names... How about we call you both 'Rovers' for now? It suits people who wander and seek answers. I'm assuming you both want answers."
Rover nodded. "That's fine."
"Rover? Seriously?" The man deadpanned. "Couldn't think of another name?"
"Oh~? How about you name yourself then?" Chixia smugly teased. "I bet you will name yourself something weird~"
"Hmm... Oh–!" The man got on a thinking pose, then bumped his palm like a gavel hitting a surface. "Griseo~ cool right?!"
"Gri... Seo?" Chixia deeply thought about it for a second, as she too agreed it sounded good. "What does that mean? Surely, it means something amazing?"
"Nah... It just means grey."
And so, amidst the wuthering waves of fate, two strangers with no past were given names. Rover and Griseo— two resonators whose paths, for better or worse, were now bound to the future.
Yangyang stepped forward, eyes scanning towering stone walls as if she was mapping every nook and cranny in her mind. "This place... Is the Gorges of Spirits." She finally said, voice low with a strange reverence. "We're just outside of Jinzhou, in the outskirts of Huanglong."
As the mention of that place— Jinzhou— Rover's breath caught.
The wind seemed to pause.
A flicker danced across her memory— not a vision, but a sensation. A warmth, tension, and a weight of familiarity. She couldn't place a hand on it, but the name gave her a sense of longing. She wasn't alone in this— she gazed once more on the pastel-blue haired man— now named Griseo.
"Jinzhou..." Griseo muttered under his breath. "That sounds... Oddly familiar."
Rover caught onto his muttering, then silently nodded in agreement.
Whoosh...
Yangyang was about to speak once again when her body tensed. She tilted her head, as if listening to far beyond their ears. "Wait... Do you feel that?" Her expression grew serious. "There's a shift in the Etheric Sea."
Griseo averted his gaze from two beetle-like creatures duking it out. "The what...?"
Yangyang turned sharply, already scanning the sky. "A convergence— the Etheric Sea's fluctuating. That means a new Tacet field is forming nearby."
The once calm air, now buzzed with a strange, invisible pressure. The subtle hum was unnatural and unnerving. Like a discordant frequency thrumming just beneath the surface of sound. Even rover felt it in her bones— as if the world itself had drawn a sharp breath.
Chixia groaned, checking her terminal. "Great. Just perfect timing. The Etheric Sea's been messing with our terminals. We can't send or receive anything."
Griseo picked up the bettle that won the battle. "So were cut off?"
"Yeah." Chixia said with a sigh, already pulling her twin pistols around onto her back.
"Which mean it's not safe to stick around. We need to meet up with Baizhi. She's waiting at the fallback point west of here. It's our emergency rally zone when things go south."
Griseo pondered. "Ah! I have forgotten to ask who this baizhi is..."
Chixia giggled, her eyes filled with mischief. "You'll soon find out~"
"That's sounded way too ominous or is it just me?"
Rover stifled a laugh, a soft, fleeting sound— but it shone in her eyes like sunshine cresting through morning fog. It was the first smile she'd shown ever since awakening, and for a moment, the weight of confusion and forgotten memories lifted.
Griseo noticed it, glanced sideways at her, and smirked quietly to himself.
"Alright," Yangyang said, adjusting the weapon on her side, her tone returning to it's usual focus. "Let's move. If the tacet field expands, we want to be away from it."
The wind kicked up once more as the group began walking, boots crunching over gravel and dirt. Above them, the sky had subtly shifted— thin tendrils of pale enegry stretched across the air like cracks in glass, pulsing faintly with the ominous rhythm of a growing storm.
Behind them, the Gorges of Spirits watched in silence.
And before them, the path to jinzhou— and everything it might awaken— awaited the duo.
.
.
The narrow trail wound deeper into the Gorge like a vein through ancient stone, worn smooth by wind and time. Shadows stretched long across the craggy walls as the sun slowly lowered, casting fractured light through the cliffside canopy. As they made their way forward, the wind grew restless, curling through the rocks with a whispering edge— like something unseen was listening.
Chixia walked a few steps ahead, her eyes darting from ridge to ridge with barely masked tension.
"This place gives me the creeps," she muttered, her voice shifted for lightness. "Keep your eyes peeled. Tacet discords love to pop out of nowhere in places like this."
Rover glanced around, the unease coiling tighter in her chest. "Hopefully... We'll be safe."
Griseo grumbled, "...You did not just say that."
She looked back, confused. "Why?"
"Because..." He said dryly, "now were definitely not safe."
As if summoned by fate— or irony— a sudden screech tore through the gorge.
The air fractured.
From above, a taced discord lunged, leaping down the cliff like a blackened shard of the sky. It's grotesque, warped form twisted with pulses of etheric energy— limbs jagged and assymetrical, it's many eyes glowed with hostile intent.
"Oh, come on!" Griseo grumbled once more. "You just had to jinx it!"
The Taced Discord landed with a thunderous impact, sending a wave of force rippling through the narrow path. The group staggered, dust and gravel kicked into the air— but before panic could set in, instinct took hold.
Step, step.
Rover and Griseo stepped forward,
No signals, no words.
Their tacet marks shimmered— right for Rover, and left for Griseo— in a flare of light, a sword bloomed from Rover's palm, and twin pistols for Griseo like extensions of their will. The metal shimmered with a ghostly glow, resonating with an energy that felt foreign and utterly theirs.
Then they moved.
Together.
Slash!/Bang!
Blade and guns arcing in mirrored pathways, they rushed the discord in perfect unison— Rover striking up front, as Griseo slid to shoot below, standing up from his position, they weaved like two waltz dancer in perfect rhythm. It wasn't just coordination— it was intuition, something deeper than memories.
A piroutte of steel and shadow.
One struck, one aimed and shot, parried and moved— again and again. When Rover sidestepped, Griseo followed. When she deflected with the flat of her blade, Griseo aimed for the hand as it shattered, she spun in to strike the opening. It was not training— it was muscle memory etched onto the very souls.
The tacet discord screamed as Rover closed in, her blade crossing in a burst of light, while Griseo aimed at the TD's head and shot— then, silence.
The Discord's form collapsed in on itself, fading into etheric mist. Their weapons dissolved moments later, vanishing into shimmering particles that drifted into the air like fireflies.
The Gorge was quiet once more.
Griseo looked down at his left arm, the enormous tace mark still faintly glowing against his skin. He flexed his fingers, slowly, brows furrowed. "What... Was that?"
Rover stood beside him, her eyes fixed on the less noticeable smaller tacet mark on her right hand. Her expression was unreadable, but her silence was heavy with thought.
"We moved like..." Griseo shook his head. "Like we've fought together before. Like we've done this a hundred times."
"A thousand," Rover said quietly.
Behind them, chixia let out a low whistle, stepping forward with a grin. "Well, would you look at that~ That was awesome! You two just synced— like total pros!"
She gave a small heroic pose. "I, the great Ma Xiaofa, officially declare you the coolest I've met today! Especially yo—"
"Chixia," Yangyang cut in, exasperated.
"—Right, Chixia, Chixia," She waved. "But still! That was some serious Resonator-level teamwork!"
Griseo smirked. "Aw~ Jealous you're not as graceful?"
"Excuse you?" Chixia puffed her cheeks, pointing an accusing finger. "I am extremely graceful, thank you very much! You just wait until I save your butt next time!"
He chuckled. "Looking foward to it, Ma Xiaofa."
Her eyes flared. "Chixia!"
Rover smiled again— faint, but genuine.
Yangyang, arms crossed, stepped between the banter. "Still... This kind of synchrony doesn't happen randomly. It's rare. Natural synergy like that usually means you two were partners once. Before all this. Before your memories were lost."
The words hung in the air like a mystery box— an invitation to dig deeper in the past they had yet to reclaim.
Griseo didn't answer.
Neither did Rover.
But then, she glanced at him. Just a moment. A quiet look that lingered— not suspicion, but contemplation.
As if she was trying to recognizehim.
He met her eyes, smirked faintly.
She shook her head, looking away with a soft breath— barely a smile, barely a frown. It was subtle, but she noticed something in his expression too; a flicker of curiousity, or maybe disappointment.
He noticed her gesture, The headshake. And for some reason... It made him think.
They walked on, but something between them had shifted. Not trust, not quite. But a question, echoing louder than before.
Who were we to each other?
And as the wind brushed through the gorge again, neither of them had the answer— but they knew the question wouldn't go away.
The gorge gradually gave way to open air, the narrow stone walls yielding to a broader expanse of windswept cliffs and craggy outcroppings. The sunlight, once fragmented through jagged canyon teeth, now stretched freely across the landscape, casting the earth in the golden hues of approaching evening.
Chixia was the first to break the silence, throwing her arms wide with a theatrical sigh of relief. "Finally! Outta the gorge! I was starting to feel sore in every part of my body!"
Griseo quirked a brow, "You're overly dramatic."
"Oh... shut it will you?! Try living with cliffs on both sides for hours!" Chixia shot back, sticking out her tongue. "Anyway— next stop, Jinzhou! City of resonance! Beacon of safety! Home of spicy noodles and comfy beds!"
She pointed ahead dramatically. In the distance, faint structures could be seen rising from the terrain— walls, towers, and shimmering glints of resonance barriers that pulsed gently against the sky.
Yangyang nodded beside her. "Jinzhou is heavily protected. It's built atop a powerful Resonance Nexus— that's what stabilizes the Etheric Sea in the area. Combine that with the perimeter fortification, tacet scanners, and layered Resonance barriers, and you've got one of the safest places in Huanglong."
Rover watched the distant city in silence, her hand absently touching the tacet mark on her hand. Something about the name of the place still tugged at her thoughts like a half-remembered song.
Yangyang continued, more matter-of-fact. "Strategically, it's a vital border city. Jinzhou sits right by the Desorock Highland and the Norfall Barrens. It acts as a gate for everything that moves through Huanglong's northern territories."
Chixia hummed. "Yeah, let's hope it stays that way. Wouldn't want some freak Tacet Discords sneaking past all that fancy techs."
But the joking ended when they arrived at the designated meeting point.
There was no one there.
A crumbling stone stood amid patches of grass and dirt, overlooking a gently sloping valley— but Baizhi was nowhere to be seen. The wind picked up, brushing against their clothes like a breath held too long.
"... She's not here." Rover said, scanning her surroundings.
Yangyang narrowed her eyes. "That's not right. Baizhi's punctual to a fault."
A sudden twinge passed through her senses. Her eyes widened slightly. "Wait— there's movement in the Etheric Sea."
Griseo looked at her. "You can sense it?"
Yangyang nodded grimly. "The center just shifted... The sea is converging nearby. A Tacet Field has formed— freshly, from the feel of it."
Chixia swore under her breath and pulled her weapons from her holster. "You don't think... she's in it?"
Yangyang didn't answer at first, then finally said, "It's possible."
Chixia groaned, pacing back and forth, her worry bleeding through the cracks in her usual sass. "Okay but like... Why does it feel like the Etheric Sea is following us?! I mean, come on. One ambush wasn't enough?!"
"It may not be following," Yangyang said, still focused, "but were definitely moving with it. Like were caught in it's rhythm."
They crested a rise and froze.
Below them, nestled within the undulating mist and faint violet glow of a newly born Tacet Field, stood a lone figure. She was tall, still, calm and composed— Baizhi. Her hair fluttered in the rising etheric wind, and her Terminal flickered dimly on her wrist. She was staring at something out of sight— still, composed, but alone.
"Baizhi!" Chixia shouted, but her voice bounced off the field's perimeter like a dull echo, swallowed by the shimmering veil.
"Dammit." Chixia growled. "Why is she just standing there?"
"She's probably monitoring the Etheric shift," Yangyang muttered. "She always was too focused for her own good..."
Griseo sat down on a slightly smooth rock, watching the pale fog twisted and coil around Baizhi's figure. "It's not attacking her?"
"Not yet," Yangyang said. "A freshly formed Tacet Field goes through a dormant period. It's unstable, but relatively safe for a short time."
Rover looked to her. "How long does the dormant period last?"
Yangyang shook her head. "Depends. Coould be minutes... or seconds. It varies with the Field's strength, surrounding Ether density, and whether any Discords rested nearby."
"So basically..." Griseo stood up, as he continued, "she's standing in a ticking time bomb..."
Chixia jaw clenched, her usual energy now replaced by mounting tension. "We got to get her out of there."
Yangyang's gaze swept the terrain. "We need to plan this. If we rush in during dormancy, we risk triggering instability. But if we wait for too long..."
Rover stepped forward, eyes never leaving Baizhi's silhouette. "Then we lose her."
Griseo sighed. "Alright. Let's go pull your friend out of the spirit danger zone."
Despite the grimness of the situation, Chixia couldn't help but glance over and smirk. "Look at you~ Getting heroic all of a sudden~"
"Please~" Griseo retaliated with a smirk, as he twirled his guns. "you're just jealous you're not the one being saved like a princess~"
"Hah?!"
Even with the rising stakes, Rover smiled faintly again. It wasn't the chaos she understood. It was them— the way they responded to fear, danger, to each other.
She looked down at her hand once more, the Tacet Mark pulsing gently beneath her skin.
Something deep inside stirred— not memory, but certainty.
They weren't just strangers stumbling into battle. They were walking towards something more complex.
And the answers... might lie ahead, deep in the mist of the Tacet Field.
The wind howled high above the cliffs, sharp and carrying the faint metallic taste of concentrated Ether. At the edge of the ridge, the four stood, staring down into the swirling Tacet Field below— an ethereal basin of lavender mist and luminous motes, pulsing with a rhythm that didn't quite match the heartbeat of the world.
Chixia was the first to move. "Alright–hang on tight!" She grinned, activating her gliding module with a flick of her wrist.
The module unfolded in a burst of Resonance energy, gleaming light weaving itself into semi-transparent wings. One by one, the others followed suit— Yangyang with practice ease, Rover with quiet grace, and Griseo with a casual smirk.
"Race you~" He murmured to Rover just before launching.
They leapt.
The wind caught their wings as the four glided down through the shimmering haze, their figures carving arcs in the mist like falling stars. Below, the outline of Baizhi stood motionless, pale and focused, like a still figure in a breathing storm. Her terminal blinked faintly at her side, and her long black hair rippled as the Etheric air stirred around her.
Chixia landed on the ground running. "Baizhi! Oh thank goodness you're okay! I swear if you give me a heart attack again—"
But Baizhi brushed past her, silent and calm, as if she'd already registered Chixia's presence long ago.
Her eyes landed squarely on Rover and Griseo.
Especially on Griseo's Tacet Mark...
She stopped just a breath away from them, her cool gaze flitting between their faces, her voice level and precise. "You're both stable? No signs of overclocking?"
Rover nodded. "We're fine."
Griseo smirked. "Still handsome and conscious."
Baizhi didn't smile, but something faint flickered in her expression— acknowledgement, perhaps. Then, a soft hum.
From behind her floated a strange creature— delicate and alien in shape. You'tan, Baizhi's Forte Creature. Drifted towards the two strangers. Like a curious spirit. It's glowing fins fanned gently as it approached Rover, and to their surprise, it imitted a quiet, almost cooing sound, brushing up against her shoulder with featherlight grace.
But the moment it turned to Griseo, who is currently excited to feel You'tan cuddling against him, changed it's demeanor entirely. It's form rigid, and releasing a faint buzzing whine— something like suspicion or distaste.
Griseo recoiled slightly, brows raised. "Uh... Is it supposed to growl like that?"
Baizhi tilted her head slightly, studying You'tan's reaction. "Curious." She murmured. "It doesn't usually display aggression unless it senses distortion... or conflict."
"Distortion?" Griseo echoed, visibly unamused. "I'm perfectly stable, thank you very much."
You'tan continued hovering between them, glaring— or at least, it's equivalent of it.
Rover glanced between the two, sensing something she couldn't place, some undercurrent in the way the creature reacted to Griseo. It was as if it saw something not even she could.
Before more could be said, the field around them screeched.
Rumbling.
A heavy silence followed.
Then the Tacet Field shuddered, its dormant glow flaring violently.
From the heart of the mist came a rumble. The ground quaked. Resonance itself felt like it twisted inside out— and with a bone-rattling roar, something tore through the veil of fog.
A massive shape emerged.
Towering, with a warped crown of fractured crystals where a head might once have been, it's form was jagged and regal— a forgotten monarch carved from corrupted sound. It's limbs dragged a sort of spear behind it, clawed and shifting, and it breathed with a sound like shattering glass.
Crownless.
Baizhi's eyes narrowed instantly. "It's begun. Get ready!"
But before they could react, the crownless screamed, and the world fractured again.
A shockwave burst from it's body, a vortex of resonance energy spiraling outward in a sudden storm. Dust and mist blasted across the field. Vison blurred. The air itself vibrated.
Whoosh.
Rover reached towards baizhi, but in the split second of chaos, she was flung back— along with Griseo. The shockwave pished them across the field, sliding them down a broken slope of fractured stone, where the energy fizzled out just as quickly as it had come.
When the dust cleared, they were alone.
Cut off.
Griseo pushed himself up with a grimace as he held onto his lower back. "W-Well, that's our cue."
Rover stood beside him, her hands glowing with Resonance as she summoned her blade once more. The Tacet Mark on her right hand pulsed in sync with the mounting pressure on the air.
The crownless turned towards them slowly and menacingly, as if recognizing a worthy challenge.
"I'm starting to think we attract this kind of attention." Griseo said, aiming his guns towards it. His Tacet Mark lit with a mirrored flare.
Rover looked at him briefly. "You're not scared?"
He shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "I'm scared I'm going hungry after this."
The Crownless let out another shriek— Ether curling around it's form like a smoke around a flame.
The battlefield formed itself in the mist; a broken ring of stone, pockets of jagged terrain, echoes of Resonance trembling through the grounds like strings being pulled taut.
Rover raised her blade, Griseo followed suit.
And without a word—
They charged.
Together.
.
.
.
Inside the place where the group left earlier, the beetle-like creature that won the battle, crawled in a eerie manner. It's body became tainted with black, purplish, and blue matter. As it crawled towards the dead beetle it killed...
...It ate it's flesh, then suddenly, the dead beetle-like creature came back to life. The two beetles crawled towards another creature as it also met the same fate.
Whatever the tainted creatures touched– it's taint spreads out like a plague.