Beyond The System
Chapter 153: The Obelisk

“Something at the center?” Lyra asked. “Is it dangerous?”

“No idea, but there’s a ton of energy flowing there.” I tried pushing my senses through the thick tree canopy, but something blocked me. Either my limits or something deeper hidden within.

Griffith gave a cautious glance around us. “We should be careful then. If there’s energy, beasts are likely nearby. Even if they aren’t hostile…”

Anything can become dangerous when its desire rises, Wyrem chimed in ominously.

It took a little longer, but eventually, we got close enough to shore for a few of us to hop out and drag the raft further inland.

Marcus raised his voice, dead serious. “Alright everyone, stay alert. We’ll move slowly, find a place near fresh water, then get the lay of the land.” His eyes landed on me. “Use that special vision of yours. Anything glowing—”

“Yeah, I’ll keep my eye out.”

The dogs moved into formation, mine naturally taking point, with Marcus directly behind, flanked by Griffith and Drake.

The rest of us formed an oval-shaped defensive ring, keeping Velea, Lyra, and Trevor protected at the center. Miss Star and Sia took up positions at the back.

We stepped cautiously into what felt like a tropical forest. I glanced back at Marcus with a smirk. “No monster trees, Marcus!”

He visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh heavy enough to show genuine relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“You’re definitely going to explain that at some point,” Thea insisted, wearing a teasing grin.

I shrugged lightly, maintaining my focus on our surroundings. “Not much to explain. Monster trees behave like traps. Leaves are like blades. They eat meat.”

I wonder what meat tastes like, Luna pondered. Can we please switch soon so I can try?

Sure, I joked, maybe we’ll actually switch bodies and I’ll try blood instead.

Sure!

Elric broke the tense silence first, his voice barely above a whisper. “Feels really quiet… you sure nothing’s stalking us?”

“Of course I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But nothing’s popping out at me yet.”

Griffith turned sharply, hissing with genuine irritation, “Too much talking! FOCUS!”

That definitely shut us up… at least for a few minutes.

Soon enough, though, boredom set in. We started using phantom whisper instead, finding a safer way to chat without disturbing our vigilant leader. It was funny, running for my life used to be terrifying, but now, casually walking was boring enough to kill.

“How about building treehouses?” I suggested, perfectly serious.

Sia immediately reacted, voice filled with disbelief. “Why the heck would we do that? A normal house would be fine, right?”

“Your dad’s pretty good at building treehouses,” I replied, sticking my tongue out at her.

She started raising her hand in a gesture I was pretty sure was rude, but Miss Star caught her, gently but firmly pushing the hand back down.

“Heh,” I snickered, only to stop immediately under a stern look from Miss Star.

“Heh,” Sia mocked right back, smirking.

Miss Star sighed in exasperation, shaking her head as if officially giving up.

“I’d like a big house,” Lyra said dreamily.

"Big family?" I teased silently.

Thea playfully shoved my shoulder. "Why do you tease her so much? She never bothers you!"

Lyra surprised me, smirking right back. "You don’t want a big family, Thea?"

Thea’s ears turned a vibrant pink. Behind her back, I flashed Lyra a thumbs-up, which she subtly returned.

Suddenly, the dogs froze, causing all of us to halt abruptly. They weren’t growling or tense, just cautiously sniffing the air. Moments later, they adjusted our course and resumed their steady pace.

“You know, we could set up camp anywhere. I can make water after all,” I reminded them.

“ME TOO!” Vel shouted enthusiastically.

Marcus paused mid-step, sighed deeply, and then continued onward, seemingly resigning himself to the chaos.

“Must be nice having your own personal reservoir, Thea,” Elric joked.

Just as we were about to move forward, something caught my eye far ahead. A stream, wide enough to lay a couple of full-grown men across and deep enough to reach my shins.

“Marcus!”

“Peter, I swear—”

“There’s water nearby,” I interrupted quickly.

His expression shifted instantly from frustration to focus. “Oh, move up then.”

I took point, though the dogs already seemed to be heading that way. The gentle burble of flowing water reached us as we approached. It struck me as odd that despite the chaotic flow of World Force here, the area felt completely peaceful. Sure, the occasional small creature skittered by, but nothing seemed threatening.

I glanced back at the group. “This look like a good spot to set up?”

Marcus, Miss Star, and Griffith stopped, carefully assessing our surroundings.

Marcus turned to Griffith. “What do you think? Can you work here?”

“It’ll take some time, but it shouldn’t be too hard,” Griffith considered thoughtfully. “I’ll need someone to keep watch, and there is the other matter.”

Miss Star nodded firmly. “I don’t think we should leave any unknowns.”

Griffith’s eyes shifted decisively to Drake. “Take your brother and Peter. Everyone else stays here.”

Drake practically bounced with eagerness until Griffith’s voice cut in sharply, eyes more serious than I'd ever seen.

“Do. Not. Engage. Understand? Return immediately if anything happens. If you’re forced to fight, run. If you can’t run—”

Drake waved dismissively. “I got it, don’t worry.”

Griffith pulled out the small cube that flashed with light. Then tossed a smooth, onyx-colored rectangular object over. “One use only. Do not waste it.”

“You’ve got the partner?” Drake raised an eyebrow.

“Always on me. But again—”

“Only if we have to,” Drake finished for him. He turned sharply, facing Elric and me. “Alright, boys, let’s go.”

I exchanged a confused look with Elric. “Uh, go where exactly?”

Elric looked, for once, equally lost.

“To the center of the island,” Drake explained calmly, his usual playfulness completely absent. “Like Helen said, we need to clear the unknowns.”

I glanced back at the others, skeptical. “And them?”

“Staying put,” Drake stated firmly, clearly leaving no room for debate.

Sia wasn’t having it. She stepped forward defiantly. “No. We—”

“Will watch over the others,” Drake cut her off, gentle but firm. “Helen can’t handle everything alone. She’s strong, but she’s still a mage and she hasn’t even started raising her stats with cultivation.”

That was one drawback of the harmonic foundation. No early transformations meant no immediate stat increases. Sure, body refinement could cover some ground, but that was slow going too.

“What about Dad, then?” Sia snapped, her frustration evident.

Marcus rubbed the back of his head, giving her an apologetic smile. “I’ll take the dogs and scout the rest of the island.”

“No more arguments,” Griffith ordered sternly. “They’ll move quickly with just the three. Elric and Peter have the best observational abilities anyway.”

I stepped toward Thea, meeting her eyes reassuringly. “I’ll be back soon. Like they said, no engaging.”

Elric leaned closer, whispering quietly, “At least not with monsters. Although… she kinda counts as one, doesn’t she?”

“Alright…” Thea murmured softly, pretending she hadn’t heard that part.

“Come back soon,” Lyra said, smiling gently at Elric.

He returned the smile warmly. “Of course.”

Drake let out an exaggerated groan. “Ughhh. Come ooon. This is getting to be way too much. I miss the ‘because I told you to’ days.”

Without waiting for more words, he jogged ahead.

Elric and I quickly followed after him. “Nothing’s stopping you from going back,” I pointed out jokingly.

“My homicidal brother is,” Elric said grimly. “None of us can go back.”

“Quiet, you two.” Drake’s voice turned commanding as he glanced back at us. “Elric, use Unveiled Perception when we get close. Peter, same as before. Anything heading our way, warn Elric immediately.”

He paused just long enough to leap over a fallen log, picking up the pace. “And Elric, be ready to blind it with that skill of yours.”

We both nodded in acknowledgment, pushing ourselves faster to match Drake’s swift strides.

Bounding through the forest, I scanned the dense greenery around us. The tropical plants, lush and vibrant, hinted at frequent rainfall. Not that I was suddenly an expert on jungle climates.

Small reptiles darted across leafy fronds or clung to the trunks of squat trees with broad leaves, and the ground beneath us was damp and springy, scattered with broken twigs and moist debris.

Activating True Sight, I watched the chaotic currents of World Force grow denser and faster, all flowing toward a single point at the island’s heart.

Closer. We were getting close now.

“Elric, get ready. I still can’t see past whatever’s ahead.”

I can’t either, Luna interjected, a hint of worry in her voice. It’s like something’s deliberately blocking our Spiritual Sense.

Elric gave me a sharp nod, muscles tensed and ready. We slid to a sudden stop, frozen by the sight before us.

“What the—” My voice faltered as I stared.

“Drake…” Elric’s voice dropped, uneasy.

“Yeah. Not good.” Drake shook his head slowly. “If we could find it easily, then so could others.”

We approached carefully, our movements cautious but steady. Oddly still, no creatures, no immediate threats lurked nearby. Only an unnatural surge of power, visible only to me.

“What is it?” I whispered, awe-struck.

“No clue, man,” Elric murmured back, eyes locked forward. “But someone clearly built it, right?”

Before us stood a single spire.

A perfect pearl-colored obelisk, as tall as a grown man. The energy of the world rushed into it, but didn’t linger, reflecting off it instead, channeling outward toward the sea, presumably toward another island.

“It’s thicker here…” The words slipped out softly, as if speaking louder might disrupt the delicate energy flow.

Much more potent, Luna agreed quietly.

Wyrem’s voice came in sharply, urgent and laced with fear. Peter, this might be too dangerous. Ask them what they know, and if they have no answers, you need to leave immediately. If others in this world have knowledge of cultivation, or if any can sense like you…

Despite Wyrem’s warning, the potential before me was impossible to ignore. Danger, sure, but more importantly... opportunity.

“This is a treasure,” I said, barely louder than a breath.

“What?” Drake glanced at me sharply.

I stared at the spire, feeling excitement rise. “Imagine how fast you could all progress with this.”