Ether: Pulse of the Forgotten

The battlefield was silent.

Not the kind of silence that came after victory, but the kind that settled into the bones, heavy and suffocating. The kind of silence that felt wrong, because too many people had fought and died here.

Kai staggered, his breath still coming hard, his limbs trembling with exhaustion. His body wasn't ready to move, but he had to. His mind told him he should be celebrating, that they had done something impossible, but he couldn't shake the feeling of hollowness in his chest.

Grant was dead.

Luca was dead.

Eryn was dead.

Three warriors who had fought beside him, who had held the line—gone.

And yet, he was still here.

A hollow laugh bubbled up in his throat, but he swallowed it down. Instead, he forced himself to stand, wiping the blood from his lips.

"Everyone okay?" His voice was rough, but it carried.

Sasha let out a slow breath, lowering her bow. "Define okay."

Talia gave a weak chuckle, still kneeling in the dirt. "If not dead counts, then yeah."

The remaining fighters—not many—nodded. Some were bruised, cut, limping. But they were alive.

That meant something.

Then—

DING!

The system flared to life, and Kai barely had time to brace himself before his vision blurred with notifications.

⸻

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]

Territory Claimed: Titan's Fall

Leader Appointed: Kai [Level 30]

Second Class Unlocked

⸻

For a moment, he couldn't even react.

Level 30.

He had been climbing fast, but this fast?

The air felt different around him, the weight of something new settling over his body. His energy was sharper, heavier, like something inside him had finally clicked into place.

A second class.

His fingers curled into fists, the lingering pressure of the Shear Cutter still burning through his veins.

I need to check it later.

Because right now, there were bigger things to deal with.

______

No one spoke much as they worked.

The ground was hard, uneven, but they dug anyway. The bodies of the fallen—Grant, Luca, Eryn, and the others who had died before them—were gathered.

Kai stood over Grant's body for a long moment. The man had been the strongest of them, the kind of warrior who held things together even when it seemed impossible.

And now?

Kai was standing in his place.

Leader of the territory.

He hated it.

But the system didn't care.

Talia wiped the sweat from her brow. "You gonna say something?"

Kai exhaled slowly. He wasn't good at this.

But Grant had earned more than just silence.

He looked at the group. The survivors.

"We shouldn't be here," he said. "This tutorial isn't built for us to make it. It's designed to break us. To test us. To make us turn on each other, to weed out the weak. And yet—"

His eyes swept over them. "We're still here."

A pause. A heavy breath.

"Because of them."

"We don't know what happens next," he said, his voice rough, worn from exhaustion. "We don't know if this land is permanent, or if the tutorial will throw us somewhere else by the time it's over."

He scanned the survivors and the dead

"But right now, we're here. Right now, we have something. A place to regroup. A place to breathe. And right now…"

His gaze swept over them.

"I don't plan on letting anyone or anything take that from us."

Sasha nodded slowly. Talia exhaled, shaking her head with a tired smirk.

"Almost sounded like a leader there for a second," she muttered.

Kai let out a short, bitter chuckle. "Almost."

And with that, they buried their dead.

_____

The moment the graves were filled, the system's voice returned.

⸻

TERRITORY BONUSES UNLOCKED

Leader Appointed: Kai (Temporary Rank: Lord)

•Skill: Dominion's Will – Slight increase to energy recovery and combat awareness within the claimed area.

•Skill: Commanding Presence – Allies in your temporary domain gain a small boost to stamina and morale.

•Unique Bonus: ???

⸻

Kai clenched his fists.

It wasn't permanent. Even the system seemed to be implying that.

So this place won't last forever.

That meant whatever they built here, however they used this time, it had to count.

And then, another notification appeared.

______

Personal Rewards

Stormfang Gauntlets (Rare) – Boosts hand-to-hand strikes and energy-based attacks.

As he saw the notification a box appeared in front of him. Opening the box he saw a pair of gauntlets.

Kai turned the gauntlets over in his hands, their darksteel plating cool and heavier than expected. The reinforced knuckles gleamed under the dim light, intricate wind-carved etchings running along the surface, almost like veins pulsing with something unseen. He flexed his fingers, feeling the sheer density of the metal—these weren't just for show.

The weight settled in, solid, overbearing. Definitely heavier than he was used to. He rolled his wrists, testing the fit, and for a moment, it felt like they would slow him down. Then, the moment he channeled even a flicker of ether, something shifted. The gauntlets adjusted, as if recognizing him, the heaviness fading into a perfect balance between power and control. The air around his hands stirred, responding to the latent energy woven into the metal.

He exhaled, throwing a quick jab. The force behind it carried more than just his strength—the movement sliced through the air with a faint distortion, a whisper of cutting wind trailing behind his fist.

Yeah. These would do just fine.

______

Class evolution.

His first class had been Ether Initiate, but now?

Now, he was at Level 30. He had survived a boss fight that should've killed him, and the system was recognizing that.

But before he could even process his next step—

A new notification appeared.

⸻

SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT WARNING: ONE TERRITORY BOSS REMAINS UNCLAIMED

FAILURE TO CLAIM WILL RESULT IN RELEASE INTO THE WILDERNESS IN 48 HOURS

______

Kai's stomach dropped.

One boss left.

And if no one took it down…

It would be set loose.

Sasha cursed. "You think that thing's worse than Gorran?"

Kai exhaled. "If it's still alive this long?"

His fingers tightened.

"Maybe no one went to fight it. We have time not like it will come directly here. From where the territory markers were, there were two other territories closer to it than them, they could stall. They could pray that the others would take it down. The only question is.. which boss was still alive.

______

They didn't even get a full hour before the next problem showed up.

The scouts returned first, sprinting toward the camp, their expressions grim.

Kai turned, already bracing himself. "What is it?"

One of the scouts stopped to catch his breath. "People."

Kai frowned. "Survivors?"

"Yeah." The scout, Banon, wiped sweat from his brow. "A lot of them. Some are coming this way—probably looking for safety."

That made sense. After the bosses fell, after the system changed the rules, people were bound to scatter and regroup.

But Bannon didn't look relieved—he looked worried.

Kai caught the shift immediately. "And?"

Bannon hesitated. "There's another group. Further back."

Something in his tone sent a chill through Kai's spine.

"How many?"

Bannon swallowed. "At least twenty. Moving slow. Organized." His hands curled into fists. "And they're not running."

Silence stretched over the camp.

No one had to say it. A large, armed group, moving with intent? That wasn't just a bunch of scattered survivors.

That was something else.

Talia exhaled, adjusting the grip on her daggers. "They could just be another group like us, holding together."

Sasha wasn't convinced. "Or they could be something worse."

Kai exhaled slowly.

They had just buried their dead. Their bodies were still sore, their minds still wired from the battle with Gorran.

And yet, here they were.

He opened his eyes. "Get everyone ready."

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

Kai looked past her, toward the half-built fortifications, toward the remnants of the battlefield that had nearly killed them all.

"We don't know who they are," he said. "But if they come looking for trouble—"

His fingers clenched.