Night settled gently over the valley, but sleep did not come easily.
Ash lay on his back, staring at the ceiling of the house the system had provided, replaying the feeling of Lunaria's killing intent pressing him into the ground. Even now, with the air calm and quiet, his body remembered the suffocation—the certainty that if Lunaria had wanted him dead, there would have been no struggle at all.
Outside, the waterfall whispered endlessly, a curtain of sound that masked footsteps and thoughts alike.
At dawn, Lunaria woke them.
No warning.
No voice raised.
Just presence.
They felt him before they saw him—standing at the edge of the clearing, hands folded behind his back, aura completely sealed.
Ash frowned. Completely gone…?
"Today," Lunaria said, "you will learn how to erase yourselves."
Riven blinked. "That sounds unhealthy."
"It's necessary," Lunaria replied. "Killing intent is loud. Power is loud. Even confidence can be loud."
He turned slowly, eyes sweeping over them.
"But the deadliest hunters are the ones who arrive unannounced."
Juno crossed his arms. "You mean suppression?"
"Suppression is crude," Lunaria said. "Anyone strong enough will still feel you."
He stepped forward—and for a moment, Ash lost sight of him.
Not because Lunaria moved.
But because Ash's awareness slid right past him, like his mind refused to acknowledge Lunaria's existence.
Ash's breath hitched. "What the—"
"This," Lunaria said, his voice suddenly beside Ash's ear, "is concealment."
Ash spun, heart pounding.
Lunaria stood there, close, eyes calm.
"I did not lower my power," Lunaria continued. "I redirected perception."
Kael's jaw tightened. "You hid from us."
"No," Lunaria corrected. "I hid within you."
The lesson began immediately.
They were ordered to walk the perimeter of the valley—slowly, deliberately—while Lunaria moved among them unseen. Every time one of them sensed something—a chill, a pressure, an instinctive warning—they were to call it out.
They failed.
Again and again.
Lunaria appeared behind them, beside them, sometimes directly in front of them—yet their eyes slid away unless he chose to be noticed.
"This is not stealth," Lunaria said as he reappeared in the center. "Stealth relies on shadows. This relies on certainty."
"Certainty?" Ash echoed.
"When you believe you are unseen," Lunaria said, "the world agrees."
Riven scowled. "That makes no sense."
"It doesn't have to," Lunaria replied. "It works."
He gestured to Kael. "Try."
Kael inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. He compressed his aura inward—not suppressing it, but folding it tight, aligning his presence with the ambient mana of the valley.
When he opened his eyes, Ash frowned.
"Where did—oh."
Kael was still there.
But he felt… thinner. Less defined.
Juno tilted his head. "I can see you, but my mind keeps telling me you're not important."
Kael smirked faintly. "I'll take that as progress."
Ash tried next.
He failed spectacularly.
No matter how hard he focused, his presence spilled outward—his emotions, his intent, his attachment to Lunaria, all bleeding through.
Lunaria watched him quietly.
Then he stepped closer and placed two fingers lightly against Ash's chest.
"Your problem," Lunaria said softly, "is that you don't want to disappear."
Ash froze.
"…What?"
"You want to be seen," Lunaria continued. "Acknowledged. Needed."
Ash's throat tightened.
"That's not weakness," Lunaria added. "But it will get you killed."
He stepped back.
"Let go," Lunaria said. "Just for a moment."
Ash closed his eyes.
He thought of nothing.
Not duty.
Not fear.
Not even Lunaria.
Just existence—quiet, empty, unclaimed.
When he opened his eyes, Riven startled.
"Holy—Ash, when did you get there?"
Ash blinked. "I… didn't move."
Lunaria nodded. "Good."
Juno succeeded last—his control allowing him to blend into the environment like a fixed point, unnoticed because he belonged.
By midday, they could all partially conceal themselves.
By evening, they could walk past one another without immediate notice.
Exhaustion set in.
They gathered near the waterfall, sitting in silence as mist cooled their skin.
Ash finally spoke. "Lunaria… who are we hiding from?"
Lunaria watched the water fall, eyes distant.
"Things," he said, "that hunt by instinct."
Riven frowned. "Like monsters?"
"Like gods," Lunaria replied.
The word settled heavily among them.
Lunaria stood.
"Rest," he said. "Tomorrow, we combine everything."
Ash looked up. "Everything?"
Speed.
Combat.
Killing intent.
Concealment.
Lunaria met their eyes, one by one.
"Yes," he said quietly. "Because soon… you won't have the luxury of choosing which one to use."
The waterfall roared on.
And somewhere far beyond the valley—
Something shifted.
Unseen.
But no longer unaware.