Although the Zephar Petals, well, now Florinthos the Evergreen Sage, aka Flori, had surprised Ian with his transformation, he didn't let it throw him off for long.
He quickly returned to his usual schedule, and soon it was time to head out to the power plant in Bienvern Woods.
Myrra hugged him tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. "I'll miss you…"
Ian smiled, resting his hand on the back of her head. "I'll be back soon."
"You better," she muttered, not letting go just yet.
He chuckled. "It's only a few days."
Myrra lingered around him for a second longer. "You take care, okay?"
"I always do," Ian said, giving her a final squeeze before stepping out the door.
From somewhere behind them, Flori chirped, "Bring back something for me."
Ian glanced back. "I'll see what I can do."
He left Flori in Myrra's care. Ian didn't fully understand how powerful Flori had become, but even before the transformation, it possessed strange and unpredictable abilities. Now, whatever he was, Ian figured he'd be more than capable of protecting Myrra if anything went wrong.
Besides, he hadn't left without precaution. He'd informed a few trusted friends and even dropped a subtle hint to Yeonelyth. She'd teased him, of course, but based on his past encounters with her, Ian suspected she'd keep an eye out.
And that was enough.
Ian arrived at Ial Themar later that morning and met with Master Malon in front of his workshop. Apart from Master Malon, there was also another member joining them on the trip.
Dirue, a sharp-featured elven woman with silver-green eyes and hair tied in intricate cords, nodded at Ian in greeting. She was a First Order and an intern like Ian, though more senior. Dirue hailed from Syre Academy. While not as grand as Rulmose, Syre was well-respected across Ial Themar and had its own distinct focus.
Ian nodded in return, he had met with her before.
Malon looked up. "Good. You're both here. Let's head out."
They boarded the vehicle and headed toward Bienvern Woods.
The trip to Bienvern Woods didn't take long. The forest came into view gradually, dense, tall trees with pale bark and bioluminescent moss clinging to the trunks. The foliage shimmered faintly in the filtered sunlight. These weren't ordinary woods; the forest here was known to adapt subtly to energy fluctuations, which is likely why the power facility was built nearby.
Malon glanced out through the canopy. "We're here."
As they approached, the power plant came into view.
The structure was partially embedded into a low hill, surrounded by thick-rooted trees. It looked grown as much as built, its exterior formed of a composite of metallic vine-like supports and flexible stone plating, shaped in a way that harmonized with the forest. A low, constant pulse of energy radiated from its center.
They stepped out, Ian and Dirue examining the exterior deeply.
Dirue glanced around. "Looks stable enough."
Ian said nothing, just followed Malon toward the entrance.
An elven man was already waiting there, broad-shouldered, square-faced, with a maintenance coat stained with faint blue soot. His beard was short and patchy, eyes tired but alert.
"Master Malon," the man greeted with a nod.
"Garren," Malon replied, shaking his hand. "Still keeping things from exploding, I hope?"
"Most days," Garren said with a dry chuckle, then glanced at the others. "These the interns?"
"This is Ian, from Rulmose," Malon said. "And Dirue, Syre Academy."
Garren gave a quick nod. "Welcome to ILT Twelve."
He motioned them in, leading the way toward a side corridor. "We've set up a few quarters in the auxiliary block. Nothing fancy, but clean."
They followed him down a narrow hall, walls lined with embedded conduits that pulsed faintly. Their quarters were modest, metallic interiors with fold-out bedding, a central console, and panel lighting.
After settling in, they regrouped and followed Garren deeper into the station.
The corridors grew wider as they descended, walls smooth and matte-black, traced with glowing veins of copper and cyan. Panels occasionally hummed to life as they passed, adjusting to their presence. They eventually reached a central control gallery: an amphitheater-like room overlooking a vast, enclosed shaft that extended deep into the ground.
Below, the Kyrrite source could be seen.
The power plant had been built directly around it, a natural formation of Kyrrite embedded deep into the earth. The crystal mass pulsed softly, its surface shifting between dull green and faint gold. It radiated a steady hum, which reverberated through the floor.
Kyrrite was a condensed form of proto-energy, a rare yet incredibly stable energy source. From everyday appliances to advanced machinery, Kyrrite's energy was used ubiquitously, its efficiency and long-lasting nature made it the backbone of many industries and cities, keeping everything powered without interruption.
The crystal itself grew over centuries, accreting from the deep strata of the world where raw energy seeped and settled. In places like Bienvern Woods, where the natural energy lines converged, it formed in enormous underground clusters.
They did some basic inspections and checks that day, nothing unusual. The staff here had things under control, and their team just added a second layer of assurance.
By nightfall, the halls quieted. Lights dimmed slightly, following the forest cycle outside. Everyone turned in.
The next morning, Master Malon called them together for a group meeting in one of the briefing halls. They reviewed the facility layout again and split up, each assigned to a section for more thorough inspection.
The day passed in routine checks. Ian handled diagnostics on the regulation arrays near the lower floors. Nothing unusual, until he reached one node that seemed slightly off. The energy reading flickered for a moment, only for a second, but it didn't match the surrounding flow.
He frowned, activated Mindbloom, and scanned again.
There it was, a faint disruption. The output seemed fine on the surface, but deeper down, the energy pattern looked... misaligned. As if something had latched on from underneath the visible layer. It wasn't supposed to be dynamic, but it was shifting subtly.
He stepped back and pinged Malon. The Master arrived within minutes.
Malon didn't say anything at first. He crouched down and ran his own analysis. His brows furrowed. "Hmmm... Doesn't seem to be anything off here... but... maybe something is affecting the flow deeper underground," he muttered to himself.
After which he contacted Garren. "We'd like to take a look underground."
Garren nodded. "Sure... I'll guide your way."
They moved quickly, down a narrow path that led below the plant. The air grew cooler as they descended.
At the very deepest point of the plant, they found a cavernous underground chamber where the Kyrrite veins spread out beneath them. The walls were lined with glowing crystalline formations, humming with barely contained power. In the center of the room, a large pool-like formation of liquid plasma shimmered faintly, a condensed version of proto-energy that had coalesced into a semi-fluid form. The pool rippled gently, occasionally sending pulses of energy through the air.
Around the edges of the pool, strange eel-like creatures slithered and leapt from place to place, their bodies semi-transparent, flickering with a faint blue glow. These creatures are Lunqra, Ian had know about them and read about them before coming here. They had long been part of the Kyrrite ecosystem. They helped process the proto-energy within the Kyrrite, filtering and regulating its flow, preventing the buildup of excessive energy that could cause the system to destabilize.
These creatures were vital to maintaining balance, so they were left mostly undisturbed. Workers would occasionally come to clean the area, ensuring that the Lunqra didn't overcrowd or disrupt the energy process.
Ian could feel the immense power of the Kyrrite, but he knew better than to get too close. The condensed proto-energy in its raw form was far too dangerous, getting too close would tear through a normal person from the inside. But the Lunqra, however, seemed to handle the energy with ease, moving through it almost as if they were part of it.
But there was something off. One of the eel-like creatures was behaving strangely. It hovered too long near one of the main conduits, its movements twitchy, its body pulsing in a way that didn't match the others. Then it started gnawing at the energy pathways, slow, rhythmic, as if trying to tear something loose.
"Where did that come from…?" Garren muttered, eyes narrowing.
He didn't waste time. In one sharp movement, he lunged forward and caught it with practiced ease. The creature writhed, energy flickering faintly around it, but he held it steady. As a Second Order and someone who'd dealt with these creatures before, he knew how to handle them.
Master Malon stepped closer, studying it carefully. "Is that a mutation…? Have we seen anything like this before?"
Garren shook his head. "No. But either way, we'll need to clean the pool first. Can't let this build up."
They spent a while inspecting the area more thoroughly, tracing the Kyrrite veins, watching the energy flow. After a round of diagnostics and deeper scans, the readings came back stable. Whatever had caused the disturbance, it hadn't spread.
With that, they turned and began the walk back up.
Later that afternoon, the staff at the power station began cleaning the pool. The strange creature had to be removed before it caused more issues. After a few hours, the process was done, and Malon and the others were called back in.
Garren stood near a containment bench, arms folded, beside a few sealed holding crates. The containers hummed faintly with a containment field, faint pulses of energy keeping the contents stable.
"It seems like there were three of them," Garren said. "The rest looked normal. No idea where these came from or how they slipped in unnoticed. I'll send them for investigation."
He paused, then nudged one of the crates with the toe of his boot. "Want one?" he asked Malon.
Malon didn't even glance at it. "No need."
But beside him, Ian leaned slightly forward, eyes fixed on the creature visible through the translucent pane. The mutated one pulsed faintly, its body curled in on itself but clearly reactive. Different.
Malon noticed. "If you want, you can have it."
Ian looked up, surprised. "Really?"
Garren raised an eyebrow, then gave a small amused grunt. He unsealed the crate, reinforced it with an extra field, and handed it to Ian. "Here. Consider it a gift."
He paused again, then reached for another container. "Take a normal one too. For comparison."
Garren handed over the second crate. The standard eel-creature inside was dull in color, unmoving, just a soft coil of muscle and slitted fins, twitching faintly now and then. Outside the proto-energy pool, it looked like nothing special.
"They're not considered intelligent," Garren added. "We usually just use the extra ones as fodder. Livestock feed, mostly."
Ian carefully packed both into his storage bracelet, a flick of his wrist sealing them inside one of the inner compartments.
The next day, after double-checking everything, Ian and the team wrapped up their inspection at the power station. Satisfied that nothing else was wrong, they started the journey back.
By the time Ian reached his apartment, the place was quiet. Myrra wasn't home, probably off to class, or somewhere else, and Flori wasn't around either, which made Ian wonder if it had gone along with Myrra. He shrugged, deciding to clean up a bit before taking a much-needed nap. His body ached slightly from the day's work, and the rest was well earned.
When he finally woke up, it was later in the evening. He stretched, ran a hand through his disheveled hair, and headed to the main room. He could already smell something familiar wafting from the kitchen.
Myrra was standing there making some drinks. As soon as Ian stepped in, she looked up, her face brightened.
Before he could even think, Ian crossed the room, his hands sliding around her waist as he went in for a kiss. It had been few days, and he'd missed her. But just as their lips almost met, she pulled back with a soft laugh, raising a hand.
"We have guests." she said quietly.