Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss

Most of the awakeners and guild members had already fallen asleep wherever they could find space, their bodies giving in after using up every last drop of energy during the fight.

A few still remained awake, mostly the guards of Solaria and some support-class awakeners who were tending to the wounded or organizing supplies. Others were simply too tired to sleep, staring up at the sky with dazed expressions, unsure if the calm would last or if the dragons would suddenly return.

Near the large campfire at the center of the resting zone, Isabella stood on a crate with her hands on her hips. She raised her voice so it could reach every ear still awake.

"Everyone who isn't working, get some sleep. We can't win tomorrow's battle if we collapse from exhaustion. Rest while you can. That's an order."

Some people chuckled softly at her stern tone but obeyed, finding places to lay down as the camp began to grow quiet again.

At the far side of the camp, where a small pot of soup had been cooked by the volunteers from Solaria, Dayanara Cruz stood holding a wooden bowl in both hands. Her hair was messy and her clothes were stained from the earlier chaos, but her eyes were full of determination as she carefully walked toward the area where Alexa sat on a flat stone under the shade of a tree.

"Guildmaster Alexa," Dayanara called softly as she approached, her voice calm and respectful.

Alexa looked up, surprised to see her, then offered a small tired smile. "Dayanara… You should be resting. Are you okay?"

Dayanara nodded and gently offered the bowl of soup. "I came to thank you. You saved me earlier. I would've fallen if you didn't catch me. I owe you my life." Need character sheets and glossaries? Visit MV^LEM^PYR.

Alexa waved her hand weakly. "I'm fine. You don't owe me anything. That's your portion. You need to eat and rest."

But Dayanara shook her head, her hands still holding the bowl. "You've done more for this battle than I ever could. You've been standing at the front since it started, giving commands, saving lives, getting hurt, and still you fight. You need this more than I do."

Alexa hesitated, her lips parting to say no again, but Dayanara's eyes were steady.

"Please don't say no. I won't sleep well if I know you haven't eaten," Dayanara added quietly.

Alexa looked at her for a moment, then slowly reached out and took the bowl.

"…Thank you," she said gently, her voice almost a whisper.

Dayanara gave a small smile, then sat down nearby, pulling her knees to her chest and letting the silence settle between them.

Most of the awakeners were asleep now, Then, suddenly, the ground trembled.

It was not a sharp shake but a low and steady rumble that made the stones roll slightly across the dirt, and the soup bowl in Alexa's hands shifted just enough that she had to quickly hold it steady.

She blinked and looked around, her body tensing as the rumble grew stronger.

Dayanara quickly stood up beside her, clutching her chest as the vibrations traveled up through their feet and into their legs.

"Did you feel that?" she asked, her voice shaky.

"Yes," Alexa answered as she slowly rose to her feet and placed the soup bowl on a nearby crate.

She looked toward the walls, where some of the standing guards were turning their heads too, their hands tightening around the hilts of their weapons.

More people began to stir. Some of the awakeners who were asleep opened their eyes and slowly sat up.

Others were startled fully awake as small pebbles bounced near them or when the tents began to shake gently in the ground's deep humming.

"What's going on now?" someone muttered as they rubbed their eyes, looking around in confusion.

Seoha, who had been lying on the grass with her arms under her head and her sword beside her, jolted awake as the trembling in the ground grew stronger.

Her eyes snapped open and her body shot upright into a sitting position, her expression suddenly serious, as if her instincts had screamed danger before her mind could catch up.

Around her, others were beginning to wake too, some rising groggily, others blinking in confusion at the vibrations they now felt beneath them.

On the far side of the camp, hidden in the shadows near the base of the outer wall, Gideon had been watching in silence.

But now his head snapped up, and he froze. There was a loud sound in his ears, one that others didn't seem to hear yet a sharp, rising ringing that pierced through his skull like a blade.

He groaned and grabbed both sides of his head, his brows furrowed, a sudden panic flashing in his eyes.

No, not a normal sound.

He knew this feeling.

His wings burst from his cloak in an instant, stretching wide and flaring with urgency.

Without wasting a second, he shot into the air, flapping hard against the wind, flying just above the heads of the resting awakeners. His eyes scanned the horizon, and then he shouted with all his strength, his voice booming across the field.

"COVER YOUR EARS! EVERYONE! COVER YOUR EARS NOW!!!"

Some turned their heads in confusion, blinking sleepily, others looked up at him with puzzled expressions, unsure why Gideon was yelling. Then it hit.

A sound unlike anything they had heard before filled the air.

It was not a simple roar.

It was a monstrous wave of sound, deep and loud, rolling in from the east like a crashing storm, shaking the air itself.

A single dragon roar, carried not just by the throat but with some unnatural force behind it, ripped through the skies with such strength that the trees bent and the dust leapt from the ground.

It hit them like a wall.

Many did not cover their ears in time.

Some who were still lying down screamed instantly, curling up and pressing their heads to the ground, blood already dripping from their ears.

The sound made their skulls vibrate, like their brains were being squeezed. A few who had just stood up fell back down hard, their hands clutched to the sides of their heads as they shouted in pain.

Even Alexa, who had been talking to Dayanara just moments ago, flinched and covered her ears a second before the roar came.

She gritted her teeth as the blast of sound pushed through her, like heavy wind carrying knives. Her vision shook, her legs slightly wobbled, but she endured it.

Nearby, other top rankers like Lauren, Choi Jieun, Seoha, and Daewon reacted just in time, covering their ears and planting their feet. Still, even they staggered a little, wincing from the intensity.

The wall guards above collapsed, some dropping their weapons as they screamed.

Cups shattered. Crates tipped over.