The passage glowed with soft green light as they stepped through, leaving the damp darkness of the caves behind. That familiar stomach-dropping sensation of floor transition hit them all—like missing a step on stairs—before their feet touched solid ground again.

  Lyra blinked rapidly, her eyes watering as they adjusted from cave darkness to—

  "Whoa," she breathed.

  Sunlight. Actual sunlight streamed down from above, bathing everything in warm golden light. They stood at the edge of what seemed to be an endless garden, stretching as far as they could see. Neatly arranged beds of pnts in every color imaginable created patterns across the ndscape. The air was thick with the mingled scents of herbs, flowers, and rich soil.

  After the cold, damp caves, the warm air felt like a physical embrace.

  "Floor 5: Medicinal Gardens," Alexander read from his interface. "Resource identification and gathering floor. Caution: Poison mechanics active."

  Elijah was already crouching beside the nearest pnt bed, examining the leaves of a purple-stemmed herb with obvious excitement. "This is redroot sage! It's incredibly rare outside controlled corporate facilities."

  "Don't touch anything yet," Alexander warned, scanning the horizon with practiced efficiency. "Standard transition protocol. Riva, perimeter sweep. Valeria, high point reconnaissance. Elijah, resource assessment but no collection until we've secured a position. Lyra..." He paused, realizing she didn't have a standard role in their protocols.

  "I'll scan for tech signatures," she offered. "See if there are any systems or structures nearby."

  Alexander nodded. "Good. Everyone back here in fifteen minutes. Stay within sight range."

  As the team dispersed to their tasks, Lyra pulled out her cobbled-together scanner. She'd managed to repair it with parts from the guardian's chamber, though it was still operating at maybe 60% capacity. She calibrated it to search for energy signatures that might indicate technology or infrastructure.

  While the scanner worked, she took the opportunity to observe her new teammates in action. She'd been part of temporary alliances before, but never anything designed to st. The way they moved with practiced coordination spoke of extensive training and experience working together.

  Alexander moved with confident efficiency, each step deliberate as he established defensive positions even in this seemingly peaceful environment. Old habits from that fancy military academy, probably.

  Elijah had a completely different energy. Where Alexander was all strategic precision, his twin moved with genuine wonder, carefully examining pnts with a healer's trained eye but also clear appreciation for their beauty.

  Riva circled the perimeter with weapon ready, alert but not anxious. A professional doing her job.

  Valeria had climbed a small rise for better visibility, making notes in her interface with quick, precise gestures. Her posture remained rigid, occasionally gncing toward Lyra with barely disguised suspicion.

  Lyra's scanner beeped, pulling her attention back to her task. It had detected faint energy signatures about half a kilometer east—likely some kind of structure or instaltion.

  When they regrouped, Alexander immediately organized the information efficiently.

  "Perimeter clear for approximately 300 meters in all directions," Riva reported. "Some movement beyond that—non-hostile signatures according to my scanner. Possibly maintenance NPCs."

  "Elevation increases gradually to the north," Valeria added. "There appears to be a central hub structure about two kilometers from our position. Multiple paths converge there."

  Elijah could barely contain his excitement. "This pce is incredible! I've identified twenty-three medicinal pnt species already, at least eight of which have direct healing applications. There's silverleaf mint that accelerates health regeneration, bloodvine that can be processed into antidotes, ghost orchids that enhance focus..."

  "Eli," Alexander cut in gently, "the short version?"

  "Right, sorry." Elijah grinned. "Basically, this floor is a goldmine for a healer. But I also spotted some pnts with warning markers on my interface—probably the poison mechanics mentioned in the description."

  Alexander nodded, then looked at Lyra. "Tech signatures?"

  "Some kind of structure or instaltion about half a kilometer east," she replied, showing him the scanner reading. "Power levels suggest basic infrastructure, not defensive systems."

  Alexander absorbed all this information quickly, then pulled up a bnk map interface. "Let's establish Base Camp Alpha here. Proximity to the entrance gives us a retreat option if needed. We'll start with a systematic exploration pattern." He sketched quick lines on the map. "Spiral outward, maintain line of sight with at least one other team member at all times."

  As they set up camp, Lyra watched the practiced way they unpacked and organized supplies. Each person knew their role without needing instructions. She felt awkwardly out of sync, until Elijah approached with a small bundle.

  "Here," he said, offering her what looked like a standard-issue med kit. "Everyone should have one. I've been meaning to give you this since you joined."

  Lyra took it cautiously. "Thanks." The kit was small but comprehensive—clearly corporate grade, not the scavenged supplies she was used to. She examined it for tracking devices or tampering, a habit too ingrained to break.

  Elijah noticed but pretended not to. "The yellow capsules are good for rapid energy restoration. The blue ones help with sleep if you need it."

  "Thanks," she repeated, tucking the kit into her inventory. "I'll repce anything I use."

  "That's not—" Elijah started, then seemed to understand something. "Right. Team resources. Use what you need, repce when you can."

  Once camp was established, Alexander assigned exploration paths. "Buddy system in this new environment. Elijah and I will take the north quadrant. Riva and Valeria, west quadrant. Lyra..."

  "I can handle the east quadrant solo," she said quickly. "My scanner will warn me of threats."

  Alexander frowned slightly. "Not standard protocol for new environments."

  "I work better alone sometimes," she insisted. "Especially when scanning. Other people mess with the readings."

  It wasn't entirely true, but she needed space to process. Everything was happening too fast—the guardian battle, joining a real team, this complete environment change. Her survival had always depended on careful observation and independent decision-making. Being integrated into an established team with set protocols felt like trying to read a book while someone else turned the pages.

  Alexander studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Take this then." He pulled a small communication device from his pack. "Check in every fifteen minutes. Any threat signature, you retreat immediately and call for backup. Clear?"

  "Clear," she agreed, accepting the device. It was more advanced than anything she'd seen outside corporate inventories. Another reminder of the vast resource gap between social csses.

  As they prepared to head out, Lyra caught snippets of conversation between the twins.

  "—think she's actually going to stay?" Alexander asked quietly.

  "Give her time," Elijah replied. "Trust issues don't disappear overnight."

  "We need cohesion to survive—"

  "And we'll get there. She just needs space."

  Lyra pretended not to hear, adjusting her scanner with focused attention. It was strange having people talk about her concerns as if they understood them. Stranger still that Elijah seemed to actually get it.

  The exploration proceeded smoothly. The gardens were expansive but organized, with clear paths between growing areas. Lyra followed the energy signature east, eventually finding its source—a small maintenance shed with automated gardening equipment. Nothing valuable, but worth noting on the map.

  During her exploration, she encountered two NPCs—humanoid figures tending the gardens. They acknowledged her with polite nods but continued their work without conversation. Their movements had that slightly too-perfect quality that marked them as system constructs rather than pyers.

  When she returned to camp, the others were already there. Elijah had collected small samples of safe pnts and was organizing them carefully. Alexander was updating their map with the information gathered. Riva was preparing a simple meal from their supplies, while Valeria maintained a watchful position at the camp's edge.

  "East quadrant is mostly garden beds with a maintenance shed here," Lyra reported, transferring her data to the main map. "Two NPCs, non-interactive. No resource caches or threats detected."

  Alexander nodded, adding her information to the map. "Good work. West and north are simir—primarily cultivation areas with maintenance NPCs. There's a water source about a kilometer north that seems clean. And Elijah found some useful medicinal pnts we can harvest tomorrow."

  Lyra gnced at the neat rows of pnt samples Elijah had arranged. Despite herself, she was impressed by his knowledge. He noticed her looking and smiled.

  "Want to see something cool?" he asked, holding up a small blue flower. "This is night whisper. The petals glow in the dark and can be used to treat insomnia."

  Lyra approached cautiously, examining the flower. "Where'd you learn all this pnt stuff? I thought Architect-css pyers focused on combat and strategy."

  "Medical specialization," he expined. "I've been studying healing and botanicals since I was twelve."

  "By choice?" she asked skeptically.

  He ughed. "Yeah, actually. Not everyone follows the expected path."

  Something about his tone made her look up, catching a glimpse of something genuine beneath the privileged exterior. Maybe there was more to these Architect-css twins than she'd initially assumed.

  As evening approached, the garden's lighting changed—soft bioluminescent pnts began to glow, providing gentle illumination. The effect was beautiful and somewhat surreal after the harsh functionality of the caves.

  While eating dinner, Alexander outlined the pn for the next day. "We'll expand exploration in all directions. Primary objectives: resource gathering, especially medicinal pnts; mapping major ndmarks; and identifying potential threats." He looked at Lyra. "Would you be willing to upgrade our communication devices with what you learned from the Floor 4 guardian? The frequency manipution might be useful here."

  It was a small thing—asking rather than ordering—but Lyra noticed the difference. "Yeah, I can do that. Some of the components we collected should work."

  Later, as the others prepared for sleep, Lyra sat a little apart from the group, running diagnostics on her equipment. The weight of the day's experiences settled on her shoulders. Guardian battle. New floor. New team dynamics. It was a lot to process.

  She gnced at the others—Alexander reviewing pns for tomorrow, Elijah organizing his medical supplies, Riva cleaning her bde, Valeria making notes in her interface. They worked together with the ease of long practice. Where did she fit in this carefully banced system?

  Trust was a luxury in the Unaligned sectors. You survived by keeping your options open and your expectations low. These people had fought alongside her, shared resources, included her in their pns... but how long would that st? What happened when her usefulness ran out, or when css differences reasserted themselves?

  Alexander looked up, catching her eye across the camp. He gave her a small nod—simple acknowledgment, neither demanding nor dismissive. Just recognition that she was there, part of the team.

  Lyra nodded back, surprised by how such a small gesture could feel significant. She still wasn't sure how much to trust these people or how long this alliance would st. But for now, in this strange garden under a fake sky, she'd give them a chance to prove themselves different from what she'd been taught to expect.

  Tomorrow would bring new challenges in this vibrant, potentially dangerous environment. But for the first time since entering the Game, she wouldn't face them alone.