The cave was quiet.
Not silent—Jou never slept—but quiet enough to feel the weight of breathing. A low, rhythmic hum pulsed from deep underground, as though the planet itself had a heartbeat.
Kaiell sat at the edge of the cave's entrance, knees drawn up, pistol across his lap. His eyes scanned the jungle below. Bioluminescent spores drifted through the air like ghost-flies, and in the canopy, creatures moved in jerky, inhuman rhythms.
Behind him, Joran slept lightly, twitching every so often, lips moving with half-spoken dreams. They had agreed to take turns—four hours each.
Kaiell's turn came first.
He watched the jungle like it owed him something. Like if he stared long enough, it would blink.
But instead, something else blinked.
His scanner lit up. A green flash, followed by a low chirp.
"NEW INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE RECEIVED – PLAYBACK MANDATORY."
He hesitated, then tapped the screen.
A Kruger sigil flickered, then dissolved into the cold face of Commander Seth—a live transmission this time. His crimson-lit armor seemed to glow from within, and behind him, something large and indistinct pulsed in a containment field.
"Candidates," Seth said, voice metallic, almost inhuman. "You have survived the first phase. That is more than most."
Joran stirred at the sound, sitting up slowly, rubbing his face. "What now…"
Kaiell motioned for silence.
Seth continued.
"You were chosen not only for resilience, but for potential. Survival is only one threshold. Power is another."
The screen changed. Diagrams appeared—veins glowing, bones shifting, bodies surrounded by a faint aura.
"Within all organic life lies a latent energy signature," Seth said. "A dormant field known as Viora. It does not awaken under normal conditions. It must be ignited—through the merging of two catalysts:
A life-threatening moment, where death is imminent.
An overwhelming exertion of will or strength.
When these occur simultaneously, the body undergoes a chemical chain reaction, forcing it to generate a core—called the Nova Index."
Another diagram appeared: a glowing mass forming in the chest cavity, pulsing outward through nerve channels like a second heart.
"This is how legends were born. Your ancestors called them witches. Sorcerers. Demons. Gods. The truth is simpler: they survived something they shouldn't have... and refused to die."
The final screen faded into blackness. Seth's face returned.
"Do not chase the Nova Index. It must find you. The jungle will give you many chances. Most of you will fail.
Some will die.
A few… will awaken.
That is what it means to become a Kruger."
The transmission ended.
The scanner went dark.
For a moment, the jungle outside felt even more alive—like it had been listening too.
Joran leaned forward, eyebrows raised. "So… magic is real?"
"No," Kaiell said quietly. "It's worse."
They sat in silence, the weight of the information pressing on them like gravity.
"Do you think… that could happen to us?" Joran asked. "The Nova thing?"
Kaiell stared out into the jungle.
"I think we're on a planet that wants us dead. And we both already carry too much pain."
A pause.
"Which means…" Joran muttered.
Kaiell nodded. "We're halfway there."
Hours passed.
Joran took his shift, while Kaiell dozed lightly, his fingers still curled around the grip of his pistol. The scanner blinked now and then—no enemies nearby, but movement… constant movement. Jou was always hungry.
But inside Kaiell's chest, something stirred.
Not fear.Not adrenaline.Something deeper.
Something beginning.