The next day.
The piercing alarm had stopped after three hours, but Grayridge's atmosphere hadn't returned to normal.
Ethan stood at the window, looking out at the square. The four blue streaks in the sky remained—now longer, sharper, vibrating with a steady rhythm like the breathing of something about to wake. On the monitoring pillars, lights blinked between red and yellow, unstable.
"What did they say, Mom?" Ethan asked when Maria entered the room.
"D.I.S. says the situation is 'temporarily stabilized,'" Maria replied, voice weary. "They told everyone to stay indoors. A special team from the city will arrive this afternoon."
"Special team?"
Maria nodded. "Soldiers. Guns. Equipment. They say they'll 'protect' the village." She paused, looking at Ethan. "But I think... they have other missions."
Ethan didn't answer. In his jacket pocket, the mysterious metal fragment vibrated softly—not as strongly as last night, but more steadily, as if counting down. He felt it waiting for something.
By afternoon, more trucks came.
Reinforcements for the soldiers already here—two massive armored trucks rolled into the square. The ground trembled under their weight. Wheels nearly as tall as a person, bodies of gray-black metal with visible armor plating. On each vehicle's roof, an EC-Turret machine gun was mounted, barrel long, with a glowing blue crystal at the base.
When the vehicles stopped in the square, the rear doors opened with a hydraulic hiss. The rear doors opened with a hydraulic hiss. Soldiers jumped out—not ordinary soldiers, but D.I.S. special forces.
They wore gray-green light armor—flexible, but still solid-looking. On their shoulders were metal frames embedded with crystals—small crystals glowing blue, creating a thin energy shield around their bodies. Each carried an EC-Carbine—automatic rifle, metal body, long crystal tube running along the barrel that emitted a soft humming when powered on.
Ethan lingered at the edge of the square, watching. He counted twelve soldiers—all with EC badges on their shoulders. The lowest was EC9.
A man stepped down from the first vehicle—tall, broad-shouldered, close-cropped hair and a cold, unreadable face. On his shoulder was a Captain's badge and an EC badge reading "EC7." He swept his gaze around the square, eyes sharp as knives.
"That's Kaelen Voss," an old voice rang out beside Ethan. Old Orin—the storyteller from the festival—stood there, face pale. "He came to Grayridge last year. Back then there was a Tier E leak in mine level 3. He... he killed the monster with one strike."
"One strike?"
"Yeah. I didn't see it. But the miners told me: he just waved his hand, a crescent of blue light flew out, and the monster—big as a truck—was cut in two. Like the space around it was... torn." Old Orin spat.
Ethan's heart pounded.
Kaelen walked into the church—where the village chief and elders were waiting. D.I.S. soldiers began setting up tents, unloading equipment from the vehicles. Some kept their guns up and patrolled the square. Others carried large metal crates into the tents.
Ethan moved closer. A young soldier—a short-haired woman—was explaining to some curious children:
"This is an EC-Carbine," she pointed at the gun. "It doesn't fire regular bullets. It fires energy pulses."
"Can it kill monsters, ma'am?" A child asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "Energy pulses are especially effective against dispersed monsters. Hit the core, and they vanish. Works best on Tier E and D—the kind that show up in small rifts."
"What about this?" The child pointed at the pistol on her hip.
"EC-Pistol," she drew it. "Sidearm, for close range. Very effective against shadow-dwellers."
Ethan filed it away, examining the EC-Carbine closely—saw the crystal tube glowing blue, tiny patterns running along its length. When the soldier flipped a switch, a humming sound rang out, and the fragment in his pocket vibrated more strongly.
It was reacting to the crystal.
When the soldier turned away, Ethan waited until no one was watching, then moved closer to the EC-Carbine on the table. He reached out, about to touch the crystal tube—
"Don't."
A hand grabbed his wrist. Ethan jumped, turning. A tall male soldier was looking at him with cold eyes.
"D.I.S. equipment. Don't touch," he said.
"I... I was just looking," Ethan said.
"Look from a distance." He released his hand but stayed on guard. "Kids shouldn't be wandering around here."
Ethan stepped back, but inside, he had already sensed it: when near the crystal, the mysterious metal fragment vibrated strongly. As if absorbing energy from it.
The realization hit him—the fragment was feeding on the crystal's energy, growing stronger with every pulse.
That evening, the village chief—Mr. Harver—called a meeting in the square.
Everyone stood in a large circle, faces worried. Mr. Harver stood on a small platform, beside him Kaelen Voss. Tent lights shone on them both, casting long shadows on the ground.
"Dear neighbors," Mr. Harver began, voice trembling. "As you all know, this morning there was an alarm. D.I.S. has confirmed: Grayridge is... in an area at risk of rift occurrence."
Whispers rose from the crowd.
"But don't worry," Mr. Harver continued. "D.I.S. has sent a special team. They will monitor, measure, and stabilize the situation. We believe—"
"Stabilize for how long?" Old Orin stepped out from the crowd. "Years ago you said the same thing. Then Ardent Hollow mine disappeared without a trace."
Silence fell.
Kaelen stepped forward. "The incident at Ardent Hollow is something no one wanted to happen," he said, voice cold. "We did everything we could."
"An incident?" Old Orin laughed mockingly. "An entire mine, two hundred people, vanished in one night, leaving no bodies, no traces. And you call that an 'incident'?"
"You're violating Article 7," Kaelen said. "Spreading restricted information."
"I'm not spreading anything," Old Orin replied. "I'm just asking: what do you plan to do with Grayridge?"
Kaelen looked at Old Orin for a long moment. Then he turned to the village chief. "We will establish a monitoring station here. For the next 72 hours, all villagers must remain within the central area. We will measure everyone's EC, check for anomalous frequencies, and stabilize the Boundary."
"72 hours?" Maria stepped out from the crowd. "And what happens after that?"
"After that, if the situation stabilizes, we will withdraw," Kaelen answered. "If not..." he paused, "we will evacuate the village."
Gasps rang out.
"Evacuate?" Mr. Torin—Lyra's father—asked. "We've lived here our whole lives. Where would you have us go?"
"To the major cities," Kaelen replied. "D.I.S. will arrange temporary housing."
"Temporary for how long?"
"Until it's safe to return."
"And if it's never safe?" Old Orin asked.
Kaelen didn't answer. That silence was the answer.
After the meeting, Ethan saw Liam.
He stood in the corner of the square, alone, looking toward the D.I.S. tents. When he saw Ethan, Liam waved, signaling him to come over.
"You okay?" Ethan asked.
"I'm okay," Liam nodded, but his face was tired. "They... asked me about Father. About the ARC-KEY Project."
"What do they know?"
"More than I thought," Liam sighed. "They know Father once found a mysterious metal fragment. They know it disappeared after he went missing. And they suspect... someone in the village is keeping it."
A chill ran down Ethan's spine. He realized the thing he found was the ARC-KEY that D.I.S. had been searching for all this time—also the thing Father wanted to hide.
"How did you answer them?" Ethan asked cautiously.
Liam looked straight into Ethan's eyes. "No. I said I don't know where that fragment is." He paused. "But Kaelen... he doesn't believe me. He suspects I'm hiding something."
"He suspects you?"
Liam sighed. "Because I'm Father's eldest son. They think if anyone knows, I'm the most likely suspect."
In his jacket pocket, the ARC-KEY fragment lay still—but it felt heavier than ever. He desperately wanted to tell Liam about finding the ARC-KEY in the dragon cave, but feared it would put him and his family in danger.
"There's one more thing," Liam said, voice lower. "I overheard Kaelen and a technician talking. They mentioned 'C-27'. And a name: 'Ardent Hollow'."
"Ardent Hollow..." Ethan recalled. "The mine that disappeared."
"Right. And the experiment code was also C-27." Liam looked straight into Ethan's eyes. "I think... they plan to repeat that experiment here in Grayridge."
"But why?"
"I don't know yet," Liam answered honestly. "But C-27 isn't a stabilization experiment. It's something else. Something... dangerous."
That night, Ethan couldn't sleep.
He lay in bed, listening to D.I.S. soldiers patrolling outside. Spotlights swept past the window, creating moving shadows on the ceiling. The humming of equipment rang out from the square—steady, irritating, like ringing in the ears.
Ethan sat up, looking out the window. Outside, the square was bright as day under D.I.S. lights. Soldiers patrolled, guns ready. Boundary monitoring equipment operated continuously, screens displaying wave graphs rising and falling.
And in the sky, the four blue streaks remained—clearer, longer, like four cracks about to break.
72 hours. Three more days.
But three days to do what? To "stabilize"? Or to... activate?
He recalled Old Orin's words: "Ardent Hollow disappeared in one night."
And Liam's words: "C-27 isn't a stabilization experiment."
C-27. The code sounded like a label stamped onto a coffin—cold, final, clinical.
His heart pounded. If that was true—
This didn't look like help. It looked like a setup.
And if that was true—Ethan, with the ARC-KEY fragment in his possession—might very well be the target of that experiment.
The next morning, D.I.S. began EC measurements.
They set up a mobile station in the square—a large tent with modern machinery. Villagers lined up, entering one by one to be measured. Each person wore a metal band on their wrist, placed their hand on an energy conductor board, and the machine would read their EC.
Ethan stood in line, heart pounding. He knew: if the machine read his true EC, something abnormal would happen.
Stay calm. Keep vibrations low. Don't let the ARC-KEY react.
His turn came. A young female soldier smiled: "What's your name?"
"Ethan Gray."
"Put this on." She handed him a small metal band. Ethan put it on his wrist—it felt cold, as if it was scanning his entire body.
"Place your hand on the board."
Ethan placed his hand on the conductor board. It glowed faintly blue. The screen beside it displayed a graph—a waveform oscillating steadily.
Then the waveform... jumped slightly.
Not strongly. Just a small ripple. But enough to make the female soldier furrow her brow.
"Strange..." She tapped a few keys. "There's slight interference."
"Is there a problem, ma'am?" Ethan asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
"No... it's just your frequency is a bit... special." She looked at the screen more closely. "Normal. But there's a secondary oscillation—not dangerous, just... slightly different from others. Like you have two frequencies overlapping."
She looked at Ethan. "Have your parents ever worked near rifts?"
"My father... died in a mine accident," Ethan said.
She was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry." A pause. "All right. You're cleared. Next."
Ethan stepped out, palms sweating.
But when he stepped out of the tent, he saw Kaelen standing outside, looking straight at him. His eyes were cold, like shards of ice.
That look said it—Kaelen had noticed.
That afternoon, Ethan hid in the library.
Mrs. Moira wasn't there—she'd been taken for EC measurement. Ethan sat in a far corner, opened a book, but couldn't read. His head was full of chaotic thoughts:
C-27. Experiment. Ardent Hollow. Liam suspected. 72 hours.
He took out the ARC-KEY fragment, examining it closely. Under the afternoon light, it glowed faintly—as if absorbing light, converting it to energy.
Absorbing energy. Every second that passes, it grows stronger.
The realization settled like ice in his chest: D.I.S. wasn't planning to save Grayridge. They planned to sacrifice it.
And if that was true—everyone here—Mom, Lyra, Liam, all seven hundred people—would all die. Everything would be like Ardent Hollow, leaving no trace.
Ethan gripped the ARC-KEY fragment tightly.
No. I won't let that happen.
What could he do? He was just a kid—no weapons, no training. How could he fight D.I.S? Fight Kaelen—someone who could tear apart a monster with just one strike.
I need help.
But help from whom? Liam was under surveillance. Mom had no power. The village chief didn't dare oppose D.I.S.
Only one person. The only person who went with him into the dragon cave.
Lyra.
That night, Ethan snuck out of the house.
He waited until Maria was asleep, then climbed through his bedroom window, jumping down to the backyard. Strong wind blew his hair into his face. In the sky, the four blue streaks glowed clearer—like four giant eyes looking down.
He ran along a small alley, avoiding D.I.S. spotlights. Lyra's family forge was at the village's edge—a small stone house, smoke still rising from the chimney.
He knocked on the back door. A few seconds later, Lyra opened it, face surprised.
"Ethan? What are you doing here at this hour?"
"I need to talk to you," Ethan said, voice serious. "About... what we saw in the cave."
Lyra looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. "Come in."
They sat in a small room behind the forge under the oil lamp's weak glow—where Mr. Torin stored equipment. The sound of hammering rang out from outside—Mr. Torin still working, unaware two children were discussing something that could change the village's fate.
He told Lyra everything—that D.I.S. came not to save but to experiment, about the EC measurement machine detecting his frequency, about Kaelen's suspicious eyes, and about Ardent Hollow's disappearance.
Lyra listened, face gradually paling.
"You think they'll... sacrifice the village?" she asked, voice trembling.
"I'm not certain," Ethan answered honestly. "But Ardent Hollow was the same. And the experiment code is the same: C-27."
Lyra was silent for a moment. Then: "So what do we do?"
"I don't know yet," Ethan said. "But I need your help preparing."
"Preparing what?"
"Preparing an escape route," Ethan said. "If I'm right—in three more days, Grayridge won't be safe. We need to find a way out."
"But D.I.S. is guarding all the exits."
"Then we find another way," Ethan said. "Through the forest. The route Father used to get to the cave."
Lyra looked at Ethan. "Are you sure?"
"No," Ethan answered honestly. "But I have to try."
Lyra nodded. "Okay. I'll prepare. But you have to promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Don't throw your life away trying to be a hero."
Ethan looked at her, wanting to promise. But couldn't. Because he knew: when the time came, he wouldn't abandon anyone.
"I promise," he said—a promise he knew he would break.
When Ethan returned home, it was late.
He climbed through the window, lay down in bed, but couldn't sleep. In his mind, a vague plan began to form:
Day 1 (today): Prepare. Find escape routes. Hide food, water.
Day 2: Observe D.I.S. Find holes in their guard perimeter.
Day 3: Before C-27 activates, lead everyone away.
Not a perfect plan. Not a certain plan. But it was all he had.
Ethan closed his eyes, clutching the ARC-KEY fragment tightly.
And in sleep, he dreamed of the black dragon—the dragon in the cave—looking at him with sad eyes, saying:
"The price to mend the world, child, is not life. But your humanity."
"I know," Ethan whispered in reply in the dream. "But if that's the only way..."
"Then what will you choose? Save the world, or keep your soul?"
Ethan didn't answer. Because he didn't know.
And perhaps, he would never know—until he faced that choice.
But one thing he knew: 72 hours remained. Three days. And after that—Grayridge would never be the same again.
Or worse—Grayridge would be erased.