The message arrived without sound.
It appeared across Riku's interface at midnight — no animation, no build-up, just plain white text over a gray screen that flickered like static behind his eyes.
[GLOBAL SYSTEM NOTICE]
[PROTECTION PERIOD: 3 DAYS REMAINING]
[FIRST BLOOD MOON WAVE INBOUND]
[Survival Rate: <26% (Projected)]
[Rewards for Survivors: Access to Tier-2 Resources, New Territory Unlocked, Feralcore Drop Rates x2]
Riku read it twice, then once more just to make sure it wasn't corrupted.
Three days.
That was all the time left before the world shifted.
The Emberfolk reacted with a kind of grim routine. They had seen Blood Moons before — not the full waves, but scouts, roving horrors that fed on chaos and took strange shapes. They began sharpening weapons, reinforcing the outer barricades, and speaking of family names they hadn't used in years.
The Lorian did not prepare with hands.
They prepared in dreams.
Thalya entered a self-induced trance called the "Deep Stare," fasting and sleeping in the pond-chamber. Her body didn't move. But every now and then, the moss around her curled backward, and the Dreamweavers would whisper that she had glimpsed a "blade of red that walks on no feet."
The soldiers trained harder. Riku pushed them harder still.
And during a midnight rotation near the edge of the southern cliffs, something clicked.
Literally.
It was the sound of a lock opening inside his head.
[FOLD TRIGGERED – RANDOM EVENT: TRAINING INTENSITY SPIKE]
Target: Emberfront Patrol Units (x44)
FOLD TYPE: QUALITY MULTIPLIER (x2.0)
Effect:
– Reflex speed increased by 100%
– Pain tolerance doubled
– New Trait: Formlock Coordination (units move in near-synchronous formation, even under stress)
Note: Fold visible only in performance – no visible system signature emitted
Riku watched the change unfold in real time.
The Emberfront squads, who had already been elite, suddenly began to move like clockwork — no verbal cues, no delay. When one stepped into guard position, another mirrored the stance. When they clashed in training drills, their footwork rippled like a chain reaction.
Even Juran took notice. He pulled Riku aside.
"They're starting to fight like they've shared bones," he muttered. "You sure they're not overtraining?"
"They're syncing," Riku said simply. "Maybe it's tribal memory settling."
Juran grunted. "Useful. Also... disturbing."
Later that day, Riku walked the perimeter — inspecting reinforced towers, weapon caches, fallback shelters, emergency smoke stacks. For all his system could do, he still needed to win this with planning. If the Fold triggered again, it'd be a bonus. But he'd never rely on it.
He was halfway across the outer barricade when the sky pulsed red.
Not color.
Temperature.
The air felt hotter, thinner. The vines recoiled. The moss dimmed.
A new message appeared — visible to all Sovereigns, not just Riku.
[SYSTEM ALERT – BLOOD MOON WAVE DETECTED]
[Wave ETA: 48 Hours]
Monsters: Unclassified / Entry Points: Variable / Behavior: Nonlinear
Warning: Some incoming entities may defy natural law
Riku closed the message and turned to his armory crew.
"Inventory check. I want every obsidian blade tested. Every emberstone charged. Every spearhead carved to command."
The Fold wasn't just a secret.
It was the one thing he couldn't plan around.
But blood?
Blood he understood.
And the Blood Moon was coming.