Orion, Orion, Orion. That foolish eldest son of the City Lord. Tave let out a long sigh as the meeting finally came to an end after that short, yet truly memorable exchange.
Because yes, Orion was exactly the kind of leader who pushed his team to fight with everything they had… by hurling harsh words at them.
His approach was brutal, as if saying, If you die, it's because you were stupid. You're better off dying quickly than becoming a burden to me. No one's going to save you. Survive on your own. If you can't function independently, you're useless to the team.
A load of absolute nonsense. But still, after that, the meeting dispersed, and everyone went their separate ways to finish their own preparations. Some chose to get in one last round of training, others double-checked their supplies, and the rest headed to the rooms that had been arranged for them. After all, their departure was scheduled for the break of dawn the next day.
Tave, on the other hand, had already taken care of everything. So he spent the rest of the day in quiet meditation, focusing on strengthening his core within the stillness of his room. Fang was curled up peacefully in a corner, only stirring now and then when a passing insect dared to wander too close.
Night fell.
Tave opened his eyes, feeling a decent improvement in his core, though there was still no sign of a level breakthrough anytime soon.
Then came a soft knock at the door.
"Tave... are you asleep?" It was Lily's voice.
Tave rose to his feet and opened the door, stepping aside to let her in.
"Lily?" he asked, a hint of curiosity on his face.
"I brought something from Father," she said.
"What is it?"
Lily raised her right hand, positioning her fingers as if holding something delicate. The ring on her ring finger began to glow, a soft green light spreading to her thumb and index finger. Between them, a small object shimmered into view… it was a ring. A ring etched with a delicate green leaf pattern.
"It should be a storage ring," Tave whispered to himself, recognizing the design.
Lily held it out to him. "This is a two cubic space storage ring."
Tave froze for a moment, slightly agape. Two cubic space? That was twice the capacity of Lily's own storage ring. It was impressive, far more than he had expected.
He looked back at her. "He gave it to me?"
She nodded. "Yes."
He gave another small nod, though a question lingered in the back of his mind, why hadn't his father given it to him personally? Ever since Tave completed the selection test, the man hadn't once approached or spoken to him. Not that he really cared… or did he?
"Try it," Lily said.
Tave slid the ring onto the ring finger of his right hand.
He walked over to the table, unpacking his belongings from his rucksack. Grabbing the first box, he channeled his Gaia force into the object and mentally commanded it to enter the ring.
Just like that, the item vanished, sucked in effortlessly from his grasp.
It was incredible.
Not that he didn't understand how storage rings worked. He did. He knew everything about them, down to the smallest details. They were commonly used by those wealthy or powerful enough to afford such a luxury. But experiencing it firsthand... that was something else entirely.
One by one, he placed his items into the storage ring, and finally, he even tucked the empty rucksack inside, just in case he needed an extra bag later.
Last, he picked up his sword. With a breath and a simple command, the blade vanished from his hand.
A wide smile spread across his face.
He stepped into the middle of the room, raising his arm in a swift slashing motion while simultaneously summoning the sword again. But the motion was too fast, his grip slipped, and the blade tumbled toward the floor.
He reacted instantly, diving forward and catching the sword just before it hit the ground.
Lily chuckled softly. "You're going to need some practice with that. But I think it's worth learning before our expedition tomorrow."
Tave grinned and nodded. "Thanks, Lily. I'm so happy."
"You don't have to say that. And… bye." She gave a little wave, then turned and quickly stepped out, shutting the door behind her without another word.
"Just like that? No small talk? My little sister, really?" Tave said to himself, half amused, half baffled.
***
The next morning arrived, and Tave and Lily made their way toward the meeting point, just before the main gate of the Knight Academy. True to the discipline expected from each of them, everyone appeared nearly at the exact same time, perfectly aligned with the schedule they had all agreed upon.
"Hi, everyone!" Oriana greeted the group, her tone light, clearly making an effort to lift the atmosphere. It was a gesture that should've come from Orion, yet he simply stood there, silent and rigid.
Orion's gaze sweeping past everyone without a word. Without even confirming if the full team had arrived, he turned his back and began walking. Fortunately, everyone had shown up on time.
Each member of the team already understood their designated position within the formation. Tave walked at the rear, with Lily and Oriana just ahead of him. This kind of arrangement was standard even outside the rift itself. It was part of building instinctive habits for formation discipline once they entered one.
They headed toward the carriages prepared for them, two in total, waiting quietly along the road.
Without delay, they climbed aboard, and their early morning journey began.
The location of the rift gate wasn't far from the city, just about an hour's ride by carriage. Its placement in an open area made it far easier to access compared to a gate hidden deep within forests or difficult terrain.
Tave shared his carriage with Lily and two others, both men, one a defender, the other an archer.
A Gaia Rift typically has several defining characteristics, most notably its tier and size. Some rifts can only accommodate five individuals, while others can be vast enough to allow entry for up to a hundred personnel. Once a team enters the rift, the portal remains open. Only until the maximum capacity is filled. After that, it seals.
More importantly, once inside, there's no way out unless the team successfully completes the rift's main challenge, which usually takes the form of a Rift Boss.
Unless every participant inside gets wiped out, the rift will remain in its current state. It won't reset or allow re-entry until it's either conquered or fully expired. And when a rift expires without being cleared, its contents spill out into the outside world, unleashing chaos and creating a far bigger problem than anyone wants to deal with.
After completing the journey and with the first light of dawn stretching across the horizon, the team disembarked and gathered before the swirling vortex of energy. Several knights stood guard nearby, maintaining a quiet watch over the gate.
Orion didn't say a word. Without waiting, he stepped straight into the rift. Tave sighed, unsurprised by the action. One by one, the rest followed, disappearing into the light.
There was one more phenomenon that could happen during a rift expedition, something called an Emergency Rift. It was caused by a sudden spike in concentrated Gaia Force, triggering a shift in the rift's nature. Once this happened, the rift's difficulty would skyrocket, often making it comparable to one or even two tiers higher.
The chances of it happening were slim.
Though, ironically, Tave had used that very scenario multiple times in the story he wrote for the original protagonist.
Now, only Lily and he remained outside, along with Fang.
"Let's go, Lily," he said.
She nodded softly and stepped into the rift first.
Surely, Tave wasn't about to walk into an Emergency Rift on his very first expedition.
Right?