_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5" style="border:0px solid">"That's definitely not normal," Elijah said, crouching beside a massive oak tree. Its bark had been peeled away in a spiral pattern, revealing charred wood underneath. The burn marks weren't random but formed an almost geometric design, like lightning had been deliberately guided along the trunk.

  Alexander knelt beside his brother, running his fingers over the scorched pattern without quite touching it. "Third one we've found with this exact pattern. Whatever did this, it's not random forest fires."

  Lyra circled the tree, her amber eyes narrowed in concentration. She pulled a small metal tool from one of her many pockets and carefully scraped a sample of the charred wood into a vial. "The burn depth is consistent across all three sites. And look—" She pointed to the ground where the roots emerged. "The soil's crystallized in pces. That would take temperatures way beyond what natural lightning produces."

  Alexander nodded, making a note in his interface journal while keeping his voice low. "Valeria, would you mind checking the perimeter? I'm concerned about predators being drawn to these sites."

  Valeria hesitated, clearly reluctant to miss whatever they might discuss, but eventually nodded. "Twenty-meter radius?"

  "Make it fifty," Alexander said. "Some of the rger predators have been stalking us since yesterday."

  Once Valeria was out of earshot, Alexander activated the secure communication channel Lyra had created. A subtle vibration against his temple confirmed the connection was active.

  "Okay, we've got about five minutes," he said, his voice barely above a whisper though the others could hear him clearly through the secure channel. "What are we dealing with?"

  Elijah closed his eyes, his expression becoming distant. "The whispers change near these trees. They become... I don't know how to describe it... rhythmic? Like something's trying to establish a pattern."

  "Some kind of electrical entity," Lyra said, examining her sample. "These burn patterns aren't random destruction—they're more like a signature or a territorial marking."

  Alexander stood and surveyed the surrounding area. The fallen forest of Floor 6 had seemed chaotic at first, but now he could see subtle patterns emerging. Trees weren't simply toppled randomly—they all pointed away from a central region they hadn't yet explored.

  "Have either of you noticed how your interfaces behave near these sites?" Lyra asked, tapping her temple where her own modified neural interface connected. "Mine picks up weird fluctuations, like static but with a pattern to it."

  "Now that you mention it," Elijah said, "I've been getting ghost notifications. Thought it was just a glitch."

  Alexander pulled up his map overy and marked the three burn sites they'd found. "If we triangute these locations..." He drew lines connecting them and extending outward. "They all point to this valley about two kilometers northeast of us."

  "That has to be where the guardian is," Elijah said.

  Lyra was already digging through her inventory, pulling out various scraps of metal and crystalline components she'd been collecting. "We need to prepare for electrical attacks. These patterns suggest it can direct energy with precision."

  Riva approached from behind, arms full of the materials they'd asked her to gather. "Found those weird blue vines you wanted, Lyra. They were growing all over a lightning-struck boulder."

  "Perfect," Lyra said, taking the strange flora. "These conduct electricity but in a controlled way. I can use them to create channels that divert energy around our gear rather than through it."

  Alexander watched as Lyra began working, her fingers moving with practiced precision as she wove the blue vines around metal components. "How long will these modifications take?"

  "For all of us? A few hours," Lyra said without looking up. "Longer if you want proper testing."

  "We need to test them," Alexander confirmed. "No point having protection that fails when we need it most."

  Elijah pointed to the east. "There's a small clearing about half a kilometer that way where I noticed minor electrical discharges between trees. Not dangerous enough to cause harm, but good for testing."

  Alexander nodded. "Perfect. Valeria will be back soon, so let's keep the testing discussion on standard comms." He deactivated the secure channel just as Valeria reappeared through the undergrowth.

  "Perimeter's clear," she reported. "But there's something strange about the wildlife. All moving in the same direction—away from that valley." She pointed in exactly the direction Alexander had identified.

  "Animals know when something dangerous is nearby," Alexander said, allowing himself a small smile at the confirmation. "We should follow their example—at least until we're better prepared."

  Hours ter, the team stood at the edge of the testing clearing Elijah had identified. Thin arcs of electricity occasionally jumped between the scorched trees, creating an eerie blue glow in the deepening afternoon shadows.

  "Everyone check your modified gear," Alexander instructed, securing the forearm guards Lyra had created for him. The metal ptes had been carefully wrapped with the blue vines, with small crystalline nodes positioned at key points.

  Lyra moved between team members, making final adjustments. "Remember, these won't make you immune—they'll just redirect enough energy to prevent serious harm. Direct hits will still hurt."

  "Better than being fried," Riva commented, wincing as she adjusted her chest pte. "Though these vine things feel weird against the skin. Kind of... tingly."

  "That's them responding to your body's electrical field," Lyra expined. "It means they're working."

  Alexander stepped forward toward the clearing. "I'll test mine first. Elijah, be ready with healing if this goes wrong."

  "Always am," Elijah replied, though his voice was tense.

  Alexander took a deep breath and stepped into the clearing, moving deliberately toward two trees with visible electrical activity between them. As he approached, the small arcs of lightning seemed to intensify, reacting to his presence.

  A sudden crack split the air as a bolt jumped from one tree and struck his forearm guard. Alexander flinched instinctively, but instead of pain, he felt only a warm vibration as the energy dispersed around the modified armor, blue light briefly coursing through the vines before dissipating.

  "It works!" he called back, examining his unharmed arm.

  One by one, the others tested their gear, with simir results. Only Valeria's modifications seemed less effective, requiring Lyra to make additional adjustments—though Alexander noted with a hidden smile that she'd deliberately used a less efficient design for their corporate observer.

  As they completed testing, Alexander noticed something else about the clearing. "There's another pattern here. Look at how the ground slopes."

  The others followed his gaze. The clearing wasn't level—it tilted noticeably, but not in a way that seemed natural for the terrain.

  "It's like gravity is pulling at an angle," Elijah said, allowing a small stone to roll from his palm. Instead of moving straight down the slope, it curved in a strange arc.

  "The guardian doesn't just control electricity," Lyra murmured. "It's affecting gravitational fields too."

  Alexander nodded, his mind already formuting approach strategies. "We'll need to account for both in our attack pn. Unpredictable footing could be as dangerous as the lightning."

  "Which means we need to keep moving," Elijah added. "Standing still makes us easier targets for both."

  Alexander surveyed his team, noting their modified gear, determined expressions, and the new awareness in their eyes. Despite the danger ahead, he felt a surge of confidence. They were more prepared than they'd been for any previous guardian.

  "We'll approach from three directions," he said, pulling up a topographical map on his interface. "The valley has these three ridgelines that provide some cover and multiple retreat options." He marked routes for each team member. "We'll coordinate the final approach through standard comms, but have the secure channel ready if we need to adjust strategy."

  Valeria studied the map with a professional eye. "The northern approach looks most vulnerable," she observed. "Who's taking that route?"

  "I am," Alexander said without hesitation. If anyone was going to take the most dangerous path, it would be him.

  As daylight began to fade, they gathered their remaining supplies and prepared for the next day's confrontation. Alexander caught Lyra's eye as she made a final adjustment to his shoulder guard.

  "These modifications," he said quietly. "They're beyond what most technical specialists could create with these materials."

  Lyra's hands paused for just a moment before continuing their work. "You learn to be resourceful when you grow up with nothing," she replied, not meeting his gaze.

  Alexander knew there was more to it—her skills went beyond resourcefulness—but he simply nodded. Whatever secrets she kept, they could wait. Right now, her abilities were keeping his team alive, and that was what mattered.

  "Get some rest," he told everyone as darkness settled over the fallen forest. "Tomorrow we face the Storm-Felled Ancient, and we'll need all our strength."

  In the distance, a low rumble of thunder seemed to answer his words, and for a brief moment, the entire forest was illuminated by a fsh of blue lightning, revealing the true scope of destruction that surrounded them—and hinting at the power of what awaited them in the valley beyond.