The world stretched vast and endless before them, a sea of green swaying gently beneath the weight of the sky. Each blade of grass bent in rhythm with the whispering wind, catching the light of the midday sun like scattered fragments of glass. The dirt path beneath their feet wound lazily through the open plains, its course uncertain, vanishing into the horizon where earth and heaven met in a quiet embrace.
Harriet walked with easy strides, the loose fabric of his sleeves swaying with each step, gloved hands resting at his sides as if caught in an unseen breeze. His golden hair shimmered under the sunlight, blending almost seamlessly with the glow of the sky. Beside him, Geschicht trudged along, his leather-bound journal tucked under one arm, the other hand constantly adjusting his hat as the wind toyed with it.
The world felt different out here—vast, untamed, unshaped by stone or steel. No towering walls hemmed them in, no shattered ruins whispered of old tragedies—just the road, the sky, and the wind dancing through the tall grass.
The wind carried their voices as they walked, a steady breeze rustling through the endless stretch of green. Harriet exhaled, watching the sky, his golden eyes tracing the drifting clouds as if searching for something beyond them.
"I think I should somehow improve myself," he said, his tone light but thoughtful. "The way I am now… it wouldn't be enough if I want to reach further."
Geschicht glanced at him, adjusting the grip on his journal. "Further?"
Harriet nodded. "Yeah, I thought my power was just enough. I could grab, lift, fight, and do things as well as anyone else. But after everything… I see now that I was just standing in one place, thinking I was already moving." He tilted his head, a lopsided grin forming. "I want to be faster. Stronger. Smarter. I want to push past what I thought was my limit."
Geschicht hummed. "Well, if so… then we should register with the Ident Order."
Harriet blinked, then let out a chuckle. "Just like that?"
"Just like that." Geschicht shrugged. "You need a path, right? The Ident Order gives that. Connections, training, resources—whatever you need to go 'further.' Besides, you're already doing things that get their attention." He tapped his temple with a knowing look. "Might as well make it official."
Harriet considered it, tilting his head as he mulled it over. "I guess… that's not a bad idea." His grin widened. "Sounds like fun, actually."
Geschicht shook his head. "You say that now, but the Ident Order isn't all glory and adventure, you know."
"I know," Harriet said, stretching his arms—or at least, making the motion of it. His gloved hands swayed slightly at his sides. "But I've already decided—I won't stop here. I want to see how far I can go."
Geschicht sighed. "You really don't take things slow, do you?"
Harriet only laughed, golden eyes gleaming like the sun overhead. "What's the point of slowing down?"
Geschicht let out a small huff as he slipped his backpack off his shoulders and set it down on the dirt path. "Let's see," he murmured, fingers rummaging through its contents. The wind played with the edges of his coat as he dug through spare parchment, ink bottles, and a few wrapped rations before finally pulling out two neatly folded letters, each stamped with a star-shaped seal. He held them up with a small grin. "With this, we can join any association we want. And with our achievements, they'll definitely accept us."
Harriet raised an eyebrow, stepping closer. "Where did you get those?"
Geschicht flicked the letters between his fingers before tucking one into Harriet's palm. "Uwe gave them to me. Said Jelle thought we might want to join the Ident Order."
Harriet glanced down at the letter, rubbing his thumb over the wax seal. "Jelle, huh? She really thinks ahead."
Geschicht smirked. "Well, she is a Grade 3 Ident. That's kind of her thing."
Harriet let out a short chuckle before turning the letter in his hand. "And you? What do you think?"
Geschicht leaned back on his heels, arms crossing loosely. "Honestly? It makes sense. We're already caught up in things way bigger than us. Joining the Ident Order would mean structure, backing… and fewer people trying to throw us in prison for getting involved in things we 'shouldn't.'" He tilted his head. "Not that it's ever stopped us before."
Harriet laughed. "True enough." He paused, rolling the thought over in his head. "And if we do this, we'd get stronger too."
"That's the idea," Geschicht agreed. "Training, resources, knowledge—we'd have access to everything." He tapped his chin, then added with a smirk, "Of course, you could always reject the offer and keep doing things your way—running in headfirst."
Harriet grinned. "You mean running in 'hand' first?"
Geschicht snorted. "You're impossible."
Harriet flicked the letter lightly against Geschicht's forehead. "Well, you're the one sticking with me."
Geschicht sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah." Then, his expression grew slightly more serious. "But really, Harriet—what do you think? Do you want this?"
Harriet stared at the letter again, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Yeah… I do." His voice held no hesitation. "I want to see just how far I can go."
Geschicht twirled the letter between his fingers, eyes scanning the seal once more before tucking it into his coat. He let out a sigh and shrugged. "Honestly, I'd rather work outside of an association. The moment you sign in with one, you get all sorts of restrictions. It's the same for the Houses working under them—rules, obligations, oversight. Too much for my taste."
Harriet raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the whole point? Structure, order, a fancy badge that lets you walk around like you belong?" He smirked. "You're telling me you'd rather be some rogue scholar wandering around with no backing?"
Geschicht chuckled. "You say that like it's a bad thing." He looked up at the open sky, the vast green plains stretching endlessly around them. "There are Houses outside the Twelve Associations, you know. Completely independent. But to start one, you have to be at least a Grade 4 Ident."
Harriet scoffed. "So you're saying we'd need a name for ourselves first."
"Exactly." Geschicht gestured vaguely with his hand. "Right now, we've got achievements, sure. We survived that ruin, got tangled up in a high-profile case, and caught the attention of people like Jelle. But names? Titles? We don't have those yet." He shot Harriet a teasing grin. "I mean, the 'Armless Wonder' has a ring to it, don't you think?"
Harriet groaned, running a gloved hand down his face. "Don't even start."
Geschicht leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Alright, alright, hear me out. If we join an association, we can work our way up to a Grade 4 Ident way faster than if we just wander around doing things on our own. Connections, resources, opportunities."
Harriet crossed his arms, tilting his head. "Didn't you just say you didn't want to be tied down by rules?"
"Yeah, yeah," Geschicht waved a hand. "But think of it like this, we use the system to our advantage. We climb fast, get the title, and then leave to start our own House."
Harriet considered it, then shrugged. "Not a bad idea. It's like riding a boat down the river instead of swimming the whole way."
"Exactly!" Geschicht snapped his fingers. "We just have to choose which association to join."
Harriet smirked. "And then it's a race to Grade 4."
Geschicht gasped dramatically. "Are you challenging me?"
Harriet grinned. "If we're going the same route, might as well see who gets there first."
Geschicht put a hand over his chest. "I'm touched by your confidence. Really. But let's be honest, I'm obviously going to win."
Harriet snorted. "Oh, please. You? Win? You'll probably get distracted by every little thing along the way."
"That's called research, thank you very much," Geschicht said, feigning offense. "Meanwhile, you'll probably get sidetracked trying to save every single person you meet."
Harriet smirked. "Yeah? And what if I do? Maybe that's what'll make me faster."
Geschicht narrowed his eyes playfully. "Fine. You're on."
"Good." Harriet extended a gloved hand. "Let's make it interesting—whoever gets to Grade 4 first gets to name our House."
Geschicht groaned. "Ugh, that's a terrible idea. You have the worst naming sense."
"Then you better win."
Geschicht sighed, shaking Harriet's hand. "I regret this already."
They continued walking, the dirt path stretching endlessly ahead, blending into the green plains that swayed with the breeze. The air was fresh, carrying the scent of grass and earth, and for the first time in a long while, their journey felt peaceful.
Geschicht kicked a small rock along the path, hands behind his head. "So, which association are you gonna join?"
Harriet hummed in thought. "I kinda don't know." His golden eyes drifted to the sky as if searching for an answer there.
Geschicht chuckled. "That's rare. You usually just throw yourself into things without thinking too much."
Harriet smirked. "Yeah, well, this is a pretty big decision. You don't just pick an association like you're picking what to eat for dinner."
"Fair point," Geschicht admitted. He tapped his chin before snapping his fingers. "Well, there's a Champion Association section, Section 9, not too far from here. If we're lucky with the weather, we could reach it in about twenty days."
Harriet's eyes lit up. "That's it, that'll be my place." His voice carried a finality, as if he had been waiting for the right push all along.
Geschicht laughed, shaking his head. "Of course. Out of all the choices, you pick the one that lets you fight the most."
Harriet shrugged. "Might as well go all in."
"Well then," Geschicht grinned, "while you're off smashing heads in the Champion Association, I'll be joining the Sage Association's Section 5, the closest one from us. We'll have to part ways in about ten days. You go your way, I go mine."
Harriet looked over at him, their steps still in sync. "And when the time comes?"
"We meet again," Geschicht said simply, a confident smile on his face.
Harriet grinned. "Yeah, we meet again."
As they walked, the sky stretched endlessly above them, the soft breeze rustling the tall grass around them. Harriet tilted his head slightly, a smirk forming on his lips. "So, how do you plan on impressing the higher-ups at the Sage Association? Gonna recite a bunch of old books at them?"
Geschicht snorted, crossing his arms. "Oh yeah, because nothing says 'promotion-worthy' like a ten-hour lecture on forgotten civilizations."
Harriet chuckled. "Well? You gotta have a plan."
Geschicht stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders. "If I really want to stand out, I'll have to bring something new to the table. Something they've never recorded before. They respect knowledge, but they love discoveries. If I manage to uncover some forgotten truth, maybe even an ancient script no one's ever seen before, I'll get noticed pretty quickly."
Harriet gave an approving nod. "Sounds solid. What about the bad side? Anything you gotta watch out for?"
"Easy." Geschicht held up a finger. "They don't like troublemakers. If I get caught up in too many conflicts, they'll see me as reckless instead of insightful. Also, they hate people who hoard information—keeping knowledge for personal gain is a surefire way to get blacklisted."
Harriet grinned. "Guess that means you gotta be careful who you share your notes with."
"Exactly." Geschicht glanced at Harriet. "And you? What's your grand plan to make a name for yourself in the Champion Association?"
Harriet shrugged. "The obvious way is to win fights. If I take down some big shots in training or missions, people will notice me fast."
Geschicht smirked. "Classic Harriet move—solve everything with a fight."
"Hey, it's a Champion Association. They probably like people who can hold their own," Harriet shot back. "But I also gotta prove that I can lead. Champions aren't just about swinging swords around—they need people who can take command in a crisis. If I show I can keep a cool head under pressure, that'll put me on their radar even faster."
Geschicht nodded. "Makes sense. And the bad side?"
Harriet exhaled, thinking. "They value strength, but if I come off as too reckless, they might just see me as a wild card, not someone they can trust. Also, if I win too many fights too fast, I might attract the wrong kind of attention—higher-ups who see me as a threat instead of an asset."
Geschicht raised an eyebrow. "So, basically, you have to be strong, but not too strong?"
"Pretty much," Harriet said with a lopsided grin.
They walked in silence for a moment before Geschicht chuckled. "So, who do you think will impress their association first?"
Harriet grinned. "Oh, that's not even a question. It's gonna be me."
Geschicht scoffed. "You wish. You might be able to throw a punch—or, uh, a psychic punch—but I've got brains and strategy. I'll be at Grade 4 before you even finish your first mission."
"How much further do you think we'll go before we reach the next town?" Harriet asked, adjusting the straps of his bag.
"Depends," Geschicht said, glancing toward the horizon. "If we don't run into any surprises, maybe four or five days. But with our luck, I'm expecting a thorkiln to crawl out of a burrow any second now."
Harriet raised an eyebrow. "A what?"
"You've never heard of a thorkiln?" Geschicht grinned. "It's this big, six-legged creature that burrows underground. Moves like a mole but has these spines on its back that flicker with blue fire when it's about to attack. Old folks say they can sense heat through the ground, so if you stand still, they won't notice you."
The land was quiet, the kind of quiet that wasn't silence but rather a symphony of small sounds—the rustling of leaves, the distant chirping of birds, the occasional gust of wind that sent waves rippling through the fields. It was peaceful, yet filled with a strange energy, as if something unseen lurked just beyond the edge of perception.
Then, without warning, the air changed.
The wind, once gentle and wandering, suddenly stilled. The warmth of the sun dimmed, as if veiled behind something unseen. The grass, vibrant and lively just moments ago, seemed to dull in color, as though a shadow had passed over the land. The shift was subtle, almost imperceptible, but both Harriet and Geschicht felt it at once—a tension in the air, like the world had drawn in a quiet breath and was waiting to exhale.
Harriet slowed his steps. "Do you feel that?"
The ground beneath them trembled—not violently, not with the force of an earthquake, but with the sensation of something stirring. The kind of tremor that suggested something deep within the land had merely shifted.
Harriet tensed. His spectral hands, invisible to all but gods and those beyond mortality, curled instinctively, ready to act. "What was that?"
Geschicht straightened, dusting his palms against his coat. "Either we just stepped over something ancient… or something ancient just woke up."
Harriet exhaled sharply. "That's supposed to be reassuring?"
"No," Geschicht admitted. "But it makes things more interesting, doesn't it?"
For a long moment, they stood in silence, listening. But the tremor did not return. The wind picked up again, the sunlight regained its warmth, and the world seemed to settle back into itself, as though whatever had disturbed it had merely turned over in its slumber.
Harriet shot a glance at Geschicht. "Keep walking?"
Geschicht nodded, though his fingers briefly brushed against the book at his side. "Yeah. Keep walking."
The ground rumbled—not a fleeting tremor, but a deep, guttural quake that sent loose stones skittering across the dirt path. Then, with a force that cracked the earth apart, something massive erupted from below.
A gaping hole tore open in the landscape as the thorkiln emerged, dragging half the underground with it. Its six legs, thick as tree trunks, clawed into the ground, steadying its enormous, segmented body. Dark chitin, marred with streaks of sapphire glow, caught the sunlight, making it look as though veins of molten light pulsed beneath its hide.
Its head—if such a thing could be called a head—was an unsettling fusion of stone and carapace, jagged and uneven, as if it had been hewn from the very rock it had burrowed through. Its mouth, a spiraled maw lined with ridges, released a deep, churning rumble that made Harriet's gut tighten.
The thorkiln was no simple beast. It was ancient, a burrower of the world's bones, a creature that moved through the land.
And then, from the wound it had torn in the earth, water erupted.
Not a trickle. Not a mere surge. A geyser roared into the sky, carrying with it the scent of untouched caverns and deep, hidden reservoirs. The sheer force of it sent a fine mist sweeping through the air, catching the light, making the world shimmer as though reality had turned to glass.
Harriet barely managed to step back before the downpour crashed down. "Move!"
Water splashed at their feet, soaking the edges of their boots, but the spectacle continued. The sky, momentarily filled with the spray, seemed to bend the sunlight in ways it shouldn't.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the geyser stopped.
The water settled into a wide, glassy pool—a newborn lake, still rippling from the force of its creation. But it wasn't just the lake that caught the eye. Above it, arching through the mist and lingering droplets, were three perfect rainbows.
Not pale. Not distant. Vivid. Almost too vivid. Their colors bled into each other like spilt paint across the sky, bending in strange, liquid arcs, as though the air itself had become something more than it should be.
And through it all, the thorkiln simply lingered.
It stood at the water's edge, its luminous lines pulsing slower now, almost content. It tilted its great, segmented head, as if listening to something neither Harriet nor Geschicht could hear. Then, without a sound, it moved—digging.
With terrifying ease, the colossal creature burrowed into the earth once more, each motion seamless, and natural. The hole it had left behind, impossibly deep, began to fill with the very water it had unearthed. Within moments, the thorkiln had vanished, leaving only the lake and the rainbows as proof it had ever been there at all.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Harriet exhaled, raking a gloved hand through his damp hair. "...Tell me that's a rare sight."
Geschicht blinked, still staring at where the thorkiln had disappeared. "If it wasn't, I think we'd have heard about it by now."
Harriet shook his head, eyeing the triple rainbow. "Never thought I'd see something like this on the road."
Geschicht smirked, stepping around a puddle. "We should probably keep moving before the next thing that bursts out of the ground decides it likes company."
Harriet gave one last glance at the still-rippling lake, then sighed. "Yeah. Let's go."
And with that, they left the impossible behind—just another spectacle in a world where even the earth itself seemed to breathe.