Those were the numbers Damian saw above Lyra Veyrin.
But she stared at him in shock when she seemingly saw his numbers, so much so that when others adjusted their visors, their gazes quickly shifted to Damian, surprise flashing in their eyes.
Lyra blinked to make sure she was seeing the numbers correctly before speaking softly.
"Command your visor to show you your own Energy Levels..."
She almost whispered it, like he needed to see it for himself to understand why everyone stared. And Damian... felt a foreboding chill as he spoke.
"Show my energy levels."
...!
The AetherSight ZENTHRA Visor in his right eye responded. It pulsed softly, as though recognizing the voice of its bearer. A subtle wave of harmless electric light swept through his body and the small form of Kitsuul resting on his shoulder. Then, a glowing string of holographic text appeared in his field of vision.
Unlike the white text from earlier, these words shimred green.
[250 Entropic Energy Value – Tier III Initiate Beast]
[250 Entropic Energy Value – Tier III Initiate Interstellar Beast Master (100%) Resonance]
...!
He was classified as a Tier III Initiate Interstellar Beast Master.
There were only three tiers at this level—and he stood at the top boundary of Initiate, alongside Kitsuul.
And this was after they’d veiled their power to under... five percent.
What did this an?
That his true energy level and Kitsuul’s was already overflowing near the peak of Initiate class?
Was he on the verge of becoming a Symbiotic Resonance Interstellar Beast Master, or outside of the designations of others, was he already there?
His thoughts burned with possibility. Lyra Veyrin shook her head slowly, as if to say he wasn’t reacting nearly enough.
"Maybe you don’t get it—but the percentage of resonance between a Beast Master and their beast shows potential and power. Most cap out at 70%, maybe 80%. And those are newly discovered talents. You’re... 100%. That’s only ever been recorded in the strongest Guardians. And never this early."
Her words carried shock and awe- enough that even Guardian Flaborn, already striding toward a sleek, high-speed bullet train on the underground floor, turned her head.
"What?"
She’d heard it. So had the rest of the Trial Guardians. They all turned to look at Damian.
Flaborn frowned. She waved her hand, summoning a set of Visors, slipping one on as she studied Damian.
And... her eyebrows rose.
"Well, fuck sideways. Looks like we’ve got an actual talent here. And a Stackborn, no less..."
Her voice lowered, contemplative as her gaze studied Damian. Then she turned and waved everyone forward.
"Don’t dawdle. If your visors are on, move out. And try not to get jealous of the only 100% Resonance Trial Guardian since... Guardian Valentine Bateman, yes?"
...!
The words fell calmly. No one else noticed, but Damian did—how Serena, the Serpent Queen, trembled slightly at the ntion of the na she’d been searching for.
He didn’t have ti to linger on it.
Because even with his power veiled, even with suppression layers in place, he still ranked among the strongest Trial Guardians. Only Serena and Ariana ca close.
He ignored the stares and stepped into the sleek bullet train. Lyra followed beside him, eyes still gleaming in disbelief.
They’d spoken earlier before he left her place- agreed it was best not to stir trouble or advertise what existed between them.
Inside the streamlined train, gazes lingered on Damian. Even Flaborn was watching him as the train began its rapid departure to so undisclosed zone.
SKEE!
The tracks whined sharply as the train shot forward. Flaborn continued, her tone steady.
"Those of you with less power—follow soone stronger. For this Entropic Rift Dive, Serena leads. I won’t be joining you. ZENTHRA protocol requires you to treat this like a live operation. No Guardian to shield you. You’ll face the horrors of Entropic Beasts directly. So Trial Guardians have died during Rift dives. So be alert. Watch everything."
Her tone hardened.
"Understood?"
And...
"Understood!"
The Trial Guardians responded in unison, voices firm.
The bullet train was blindingly fast. Damian couldn’t guess how far they’d traveled in just a few minutes while Flaborn briefed them. But eventually, it began to slow.
The doors slid open.
Beyond them, an even darker corridor than before. One with a single circular light source... and far heavier concentrations of Predator Drones and heavily ard Androids. Their weapons crackled with Aether circuitry.
At the center of it all...
A tear in space.
Like a page of reality had been ripped open.
An incandescent, violet portal floated at its center, buzzing and humming with a steady vibration.
An Entropic Rift.
"Let’s go, newbies. We ain’t got all damn day. You’ve got five hours to clear this Basic Entropic Rift."
Guardian Flaborn led the way, the others trailing her out of the bullet train and into ZENTHRA’s heavily fortified underground facility.
Drones, hovering and ground-based, scanned everything with surgical precision.
Flaborn moved to a console tethered to rows of cables and devices that monitored sothing Damian couldn’t quite grasp. Once the readings satisfied her, she nodded.
"Serena, make sure nobody dies this ti, okay? I’ll stay for maybe an hour. If I don’t hear distress calls, I’ll leave to handle the Breach fallout. I’ll return after that. Any questions from the rest of you newbies?"
She turned to Damian, Lyra, and Vixor.
They shook their heads.
She gave Serena a sharp nod. The Serpent Queen stepped forward with her Void Serpent curling behind.
Above Serena and her Void Serpent, Damian could see the numbers that made her the most powerful here- well, as far as they knew, anyways.
[399 Entropic Energy Value – Tier III Initiate Beast]
[299 Entropic Energy Value – Tier III Initiate Interstellar Beast Master (75%) Resonance]
Powerful numbers, even though Damian’s actual power eclipsed hers.
But she took the lead at this mont.
The Trial Guardians now faced the Entropic Rift.
A dazzling purple tear in reality—with an unknown number of deadly entities inside.
As Damian stared into it, he felt a strange sensation.
He turned to Kitsuul—who was staring at the Rift, eyes gleaming.
As if... she’d just found sothing delicious.
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