Sophie smiled from above, circling steadily atop her gryphon while Tor chased after Pudding with the other. Even from this vantage, she hadn't been able to track Cane's movements.
Sophie: Ask Zen about the tats. They're so intricate.
Clara: No way. Did you see that boulder she flung? It probably weighs as much as I do.
On the ground, Cane gave Sophie a wave. "Alright, let's do some drills. We brought you out here for a reason—to prep for a critical mission. It matters to me, so if we pull this off, I won't forget what you've done to help."
"We're at your disposal," Zen replied earnestly. "Thanks again for asking us."
"We need to test a few setups. See what sticks." Cane glanced at his team. "In this run, only one of us can be 'captured.' Dhalia, you're Jonas."
Dhalia shrugged like she'd expected it. "No one appreciates me until they're bleeding out."
"Not true! I love my Dhalia," Clara chimed in, hugging her.
Dhalia rolled her eyes. "Great. Release me."
She pulled a folding chair from her storage ring and plopped down with exaggerated grace.
Zen's eyes widened. "Seriously? You all have storage rings?"
"We started with one," Cane said, dragging a chunk of boulder over and pulling chalk from his pouch. "Now the full squad's got them. I'd recommend grabbing a copper ring—basic model, but worth it."
As he spoke, he sketched the layout of the Zuni camp from memory—based on Elohan's recon.
Beto took up the role of the roaming guard, mimicking the route Elohan had observed. Zen and Lume would play tented soldiers—relaxed but ready to respond if something went wrong. Hondo was posted beside Dhalia.
"Elohan said Jonas had an assistant," Cane noted, eyeing Hondo's spot. "But he never worked with anyone. Even when I was his apprentice, I worked alone. That assistant's a watchdog."
Cane touched his falconer rune. "Pudding, you're on sentry duty. Hoot if anyone gets near."
HOOOACH.
Zen grinned. "That bird looks so grumpy. Can I have him?"
"Nope. He sees through stealth, and his night vision's off the charts."
"Damn it," Zen muttered. "Even your bird is elite."
The teams pitched tents, modeling the camp as closely as possible to the real one. As the final peg was hammered down, Cane checked his rune.
Cane: Take notes for us, Sophie?
Sophie: Of course.
Cane gave a short whistle, and Moxie fell in at his heel. They jogged away from the camp to begin.
Fergis: Let's start simple. Shift in, toss the captive in your ring, and shift out.
Cane: Got it. Round one.
He linked with the ringworld, slipped through—appearing instantly at Dhalia's side—and pulled her into the ring.
HOOOACH.
Pudding hooted an alert. Seconds later, Beto, Zen, and Lume were already closing in.
Cane pulled Dhalia back out and reset. "Nogo. I'd have taken at least one hit before extraction."
Dhalia: What was that?
Clara: Didn't you just stealth?
Dhalia: No, I was in a meadow. Sunny. Kinda nice, actually.
Cane: Right, I should've warned you. That's my ringworld. I can store objects or people there.
Clara: Wait. Really? Can I see?
Cane: Later.
Round two involved the wolves.
Fergis and Tazi approached from the north, opened a rift, then slipped through. Seconds later, a second rift opened beside Dhalia.
HOOOACH.
Too late. Pudding hooted again. Fergis was yanking Dhalia when he got spotted.
Hondo groaned. Even knowing they were coming hadn't helped. Pudding saw through it all.
For the next few hours, they rotated through setups. Different angles. Variable timing. Stealth runs, fast rift drops, rune-lures. Nothing worked—until they used the wolves to rift on top of Pudding, removing him from the equation entirely.
Finally, the fire crackled as they gathered to rest. Roasted meat passed hands, and Cane stirred the flames.
"We've got a problem," he said. "There were four ravens in the real camp. Even if one spots us, whoever it's tethered to will know. And if Jonas is tethered—Terror will know."
"This setup's too clean," Fergis said. "I'll sketch some basic ice runes. Zen's crew can place them where we won't expect."
"Good idea," Cane said, taking a seat beside Sophie as she passed him her flask. He took a sip and passed it back.
"Zen, set up psi traps too. Anything your group is good at. We'll leave camp tomorrow morning—give you a few hours to prepare your defense."
Zen nodded, warming her hands by the fire. Despite the difference in strength and experience, she didn't feel discouraged. Cane's team set a high bar. But now she knew what that bar looked like—and how high her team could climb.
After dinner, Cane's group gathered inside the large tent they'd claimed. It had six cots—one left empty. Tor had brought his own tent and requested to stay in the ringworld overnight to supervise the gryphons and shadow wolves.
Clara: Can I see the ringworld now?
Dhalia: Me too. I barely saw anything last time.
Cane remained on his cot, cross-legged, and closed his eyes to form a union with the ringworld.
A moment later, they all appeared beneath a deep blue sky and warm, golden light. Grass rolled in every direction—thick, vibrant, alive.
Cane's spirit hovered near them, barely shimmering. "Well? What do you think?"
Clara jumped slightly. "Oh! That's pretty amazing."
"We trained here for a couple of months," Fergis said, grinning at Clara's expression.
"When? How is that possible?" she asked, spinning between Cane and Fergis.
"Time flows differently inside," Cane explained. "I can manipulate it. They spent a month here, but only a minute passed outside. We did that twice."
"W–what?" Clara blinked. "A month here and a minute outside? I could nap here between classes… like, the longest nap ever… and not be late?"
Cane chuckled. "In theory."
"You're my new best friend." Clara turned and gave Dhalia a sorrowful pat. "Sorry, you've dropped to second… again."
Dhalia smirked. "Better step up my game… or not."
She crouched and plucked a blade of grass. "This was created here?"
Cane nodded. "All of it. Through creation energy. My understanding's still limited."
Dhalia tilted her head. "But you can bring things in, right? Clara, you're a wood elemental. How's the light?"
Clara raised her palm, and a small sprout coiled upward from it. She closed her eyes. "It's real light. Feels like filtered sunlight—like it's cloudy, but steady. Things would grow here."
"It's constant," Cane added. "There's no night."
Clara's eyes lit up. "Then we could grow things. I still have that living tree I used to shape my focal. Been sleeping on it, actually. But you remember how it works?"
Cane nodded. "Break a piece, it'll grow anywhere."
Fergis's brow rose. "We could plant trees. Build a stable. Even small structures."
Sophie reached out, her fingers drifting through Cane's ghostly form. "You really can't come in here?"
"Not yet. I'd have to remove the ring and physically enter. If I lost control, I'd be trapped inside."
"Leave it to us, brother," Fergis said, already scanning the horizon. "We'll take care of it."
A quiet stillness settled over the group—until Fergis glanced upward. "Uh… someone else is here."
Cane didn't even look up. He pulled the cold iron spiral from his pocket. A heartbeat later, Philas appeared in a shimmer of starlight.
Everyone jumped—except Cane.
"I found the signature earlier," Philas said, stepping through with a pleased look. "Didn't expect to be invited, though."
"I figured you'd show up once I pulled the spiral," Cane said casually.
Philas ignored the stares and scanned the grassland. "My grandson… Of course you're amazing. And you built this with an undeveloped aspect core?"
"Mostly. I united the particles from all three aspects. There wasn't much dark star to work with, but it held."
"I shouldn't be surprised. You're my bloodline. My legacy. And the dreams passed to you made you my protégé."
Cane snorted. "Just taking all the credit, huh, Gramps?"
Philas winked. "Not all. But definitely a healthy portion. Now—who are your friends?"
Cane introduced the team, including Tor—who looked like he might faint meeting a living metallurgist from the First Rise. And of course, he saved the best for last.
"Grampa, this is Sophie. My girlfriend."
Sophie stepped forward with a sweet smile. "It's nice to meet you, Grandfather."
Philas looked delighted. "And it's very nice to meet you."
Cane got serious. "Any change with Jonas?"
"No. Still in the same place. Are you ready to retrieve him?"
"We move after tomorrow's training." He didn't look at the others.
Philas nodded. "Now that I've found this place, I'll be able to visit—whenever you let me in."
"Then we'll talk again once we're in position."
Cane waved, and in a breath, everyone—except Tor—was pulled from the ring.