Location: In transit – Dimensional Drift Corridor
Time: [Uncharted – Forced Drift Initiation Detected]
Ren had just finished packing.
Which in his case meant: grabbing a single scarf, yelling at Snarksteel to stop transforming into a shovel, and punching a wall goodbye.
Yxtrielle was behind him now.
And yet—
he hadn't taken a single step toward any ship, gate, or anchor vein.
REN (confused):
"...Where's the exit again? Shouldn't there be, I dunno, a door?"
The Aetherium Core inside his chest pulsed softly.
Once.
Twice.
And then—everything shattered.
Not violently.
Not painfully.
Just… inside out.
AETHERIUM CORE (very helpfully):
> USER_UNDECIDED::AUTO_CORRECTION_PROTOCOL_ENGAGED > DESTINATION_SELECTED: "10th Planet – Solmerea" > REASON: "Most Shit Left Unexplored, Dumbass"
REN (staggering):
"Wait—WAIT—NO NO NO I HAVEN'T EVEN EATEN YET—"
Flash.
Reality turned sideways.
Ren's body stretched across multiple coordinates and landed with an annoyed grunt.
📍Location Recalibrated
Planet: 10 – SOLMEREA
Region: Crimson Petal Borderlands, Edge of Dominion #3 – Bone Gardens
REN (groaning):
"...I hate when the system decides things for me."
He stood up in a dry field of cracked white stone and twisted thornwood vines.
The Bone Gardens stretched for miles in all directions — part graveyard, part shrine, part political flex from the Crimson Petal Dynasty.
A constant red mist drifted in the air, tinged with the scent of lavender and threats.
SNARKSTEEL (from Ren's back):
"Oh good. Red mist. Definitely doesn't scream 'ancient necromancer dynasty hide-and-seek hell zone.'"
FROST:
"You could've at least asked someone before warping into the most haunted province in the Dynasty."
REN (deadpan):
"Tell that to the magical chest nugget controlling my coordinates."
AETHERIUM CORE (still helpfully):
> SYSTEM OBJECTIVE: SEARCH :: VERGE_FRAGMENTS > AVAILABLE ZONES – PLANET 10: > — [✔] Synn Thalorith – The Singing Dunes (COMPLETE) > — [❌] Crimson Petal Dominion – The Bone Gardens > — [❌] Oth'Rel Exarchy – The Clocktower of Silence > — [❌] Vanyress – Deep Spire Archive Ruins > — [❌] Outer Drift Rupture – COORDINATES UNKNOWN
REN (rubbing his face):
"Right. So I've still got four stops to make.
Fantastic."
He pulled out a cracked map crystal Kael left behind.
It lit up again — this time showing detailed fragment signatures only the Aetherium Core could decode now.
Each blinked dimly on Solmerea's vast surface, marked by warped coordinates and entropy signatures.
REN (to himself):
"Alright.
Bone Gardens first.
Clocktower next.
Then the Archives.
And if I don't die of glyph cancer or bureaucratic boredom… Drift Rupture."
TIME (mocking whisper):
"Oooooh the Bone Gardens~
So romantic.
Perfect place for a date with someone who wants to stab your bloodline."
SPACE:
"You sure this is the best planet to start looking for your other half? What if he's literally just on vacation in Threxil?"
GRAVITY (flat):
"Your other half will be drawn to you.
But you must pass the places you forgot first."
Ren sighed.
Deep.
Soul-level sigh.
REN:
"Okay. Fine.
No more avoiding it.
No more half-truths.
I'm finishing what Kael started."
The Bone Gardens groaned quietly in the wind.
Somewhere deep inside them…
a fragment stirred.
Watching.
Waiting.
And smiling.