(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don't hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

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The light faded, and Seris opened her eyes to a muted grey landscape.

She blinked once, letting her vision adjust. The terrain around her stretched wide, uneven rocks, ridges scattered between dull patches of grass, and a few sparse trees standing alone in the distance. The air felt dry, faintly metallic, and she could sense the faint hum of mana suspended in it.

No one was nearby. She checked twice.

Her instincts told her she was alone. For now.

She exhaled, steadying her breathing, and began moving.

Her steps were light but deliberate, leaving barely any trace on the sanded stone. She scanned the terrain for vantage points, paths, or anything that resembled elevation.

'Best to get higher first,' she thought.

The system had made it clear that visibility and control mattered; if the map was going to shrink, positioning would decide survival. She wasn't interested in wandering aimlessly until compression began.

Half an hour, maybe less, before the first contraction.

The sound of her own steps filled the silence. Occasionally, a faint breeze passed, carrying dust. She followed it, assuming the direction would lead toward a more open zone.

After several minutes, she found what she was looking for, a plateau not too far ahead, slightly raised and surrounded by shorter ridges. She climbed it easily, fingers steady on the stone edges. The vantage point gave her a better view of the landscape.

She could see two valleys stretching into a small forested patch to the east and a canyon-like depression to the west.

In the distance, faint glimmers of light. A shrine.

She stared at it for a while, noting its faint pulse. The sigil glow was regular, meaning it wasn't occupied.

She tapped her pocket lightly. The sigil stone was still there.

'It's better than moving without direction,' she thought.

She started toward it.

The shrine wasn't far, perhaps ten minutes at her current pace. It was built into the ground, circular, with faint symbols circling a flat platform of polished stone. Runes flickered gently along its edges, light-blue and steady.

She stepped closer and studied it. There was no visible mechanism, just the altar and the faint hum of stored mana.

Placing her hand above it, she could feel the mild warmth radiating from its core. It felt stable.

She hesitated only briefly before placing her sigil stone on the altar. The runes brightened, faint particles of light circling the base.

"+1," she murmured as the faint number shifted on the surface.

So it worked.

The glow steadied into a constant rhythm — one pulse every second. She sat down on the nearest rock, eyes scanning the horizon. From this position, she could see several hundred meters in every direction.

No movement.

She waited. A minute passed. Another point registered.

She adjusted her sitting posture, resting her elbow on her knee. The silence was unbroken except for the steady hum of the shrine.

She picked a small pebble and tossed it between her hands absently, keeping her gaze steady.

Five minutes in, a shift — faint, almost imperceptible. A noise.

Her eyes flicked to the left. Dust movement, subtle. Someone approaching from behind the ridges.

She didn't stand immediately. Instead, she slid the sigil stone from the altar, the glow dimming slightly but remaining active. She held it loosely at her side.

A figure came into view, another participant, dark hair, light uniform. Male, older by a year or two, maybe more experienced. His eyes landed on her immediately, then on the altar.

"So, you found one," he said evenly.

She didn't respond. She just stared at him.

He approached slowly, stopping a few meters away.

"Mind sharing?" he asked, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"No," she said simply.

He chuckled softly, rolling his shoulders. "Didn't think so."

He lowered his stance slightly, testing the air, gauging her.

She stepped back, expression calm, the sigil stone still in her hand. Her mind traced the possible routes around the shrine. Three paths, one uphill, two descending slightly. The best option was to move diagonally, keep distance, retain sightlines, he might be preparing an ambush and as much as she had confidence in herself, she had a limit.

He lunged first, straightforward but fast. She dodged sideways, using her smaller frame to stay out of reach. The movement was clean, no panic, no rush.

He turned quickly, adapting, pressing again. She let him push her two steps back before countering, sliding past him as his footing shifted. A small strike to his shoulder disrupted his balance.

He stumbled, eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not bad."

She didn't answer. Her breathing remained steady.

A fight wasn't about landing hits; it was about control. She won't try to win through power; she would outlast his rhythm. The moment his tempo faltered, she'd take the opening.

The memories of her cousin's training echoed in her mind.

He came again, a feint followed by a low sweep. She stepped over it lightly, pivoting just enough to push his arm aside. He overcommitted.

That was enough.

She used his momentum against him, shifting her weight to send him forward, off balance. He fell to one knee, eyes widening. Before he could recover, she stepped in close, lightly striking the back of his neck with the edge of her hand.

He crumpled.

She watched him for a moment to confirm. Unconscious.

Her eyes drifted briefly to his pocket, his sigil stone. She crouched, pulling it out and merging it with her own. The faint glow on her stone shifted.

"Two," she murmured.

She stood, looking at him once more. He would fade soon, safe ejection.

Her attention returned to the shrine. It was still active, faintly pulsing. She replaced her sigil stone on it and sat again. The rune light stabilised, marking her control once more.

Minutes passed. The point counter ticked upward, one pulse per sixty seconds.

The horizon stayed still, the silence returning like before.

She leaned slightly backwards, eyes tracing the clouds above.

Somewhere else in the field, others were moving, fighting, losing or winning.

That was fine. She wasn't in a rush.

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