Chapter 140: The General’s Breakthrough

Night enveloped New Frontier Settlement, leaving the Elemental cultivation facility illuminated by rows of silver lamps. Reinforced walls surrounded the central chamber, where crystalline instruments monitored every fluctuation in elemental energy.

Raviah stood beside the main control console, reviewing the safety parameters for the third time on her terminal.

Across the chamber, Rhyder Drakeheir removed his dark military jacket and stepped onto the central cultivation platform. His dark shirt clung to his broad shoulders, and his expression remained perfectly composed despite the unknown risks awaiting him.

“You can still withdraw,” Raviah reminded him, keeping her voice steady over the internal speakers.

Rhyder glanced toward her station. “You have asked me that six times.”

“And I will ask you a seventh if necessary,” she countered without flinching.

A faint, subtle smile touched his lips. “Then my answer will remain the same.”

Raviah did not smile back. Joren’s unexpected advancement had already demonstrated how quickly the prototype could push a core beyond its natural biological limits.

Rhyder possessed far greater control and combat experience, but his immense strength made the experiment more complicated, not less. A high-rank core contained denser energy and operated under immense internal pressures that their current instruments could barely measure.

She had carefully reduced the prototype’s concentration, divided the administration into controlled stages, and established emergency stabilization procedures.

Elias monitored the diagnostic equipment from the adjacent control station, while Daniel secured the facility entrance with a small military detail.

“No one enters unless I authorize it,” Raviah ordered, looking over at Daniel. “If the readings become unstable, shut down the energy feed and prepare the emergency containment field immediately.”

“Understood, Doctor,” Daniel replied, taking his post at the heavy blast doors.

Raviah turned back to face the platform. “Begin with ordinary energy circulation. No forced advancement. We will observe your baseline response before introducing the refined compound.”

Rhyder sat cross-legged on the platform and slowly closed his eyes. His core began to pulse with a deep rhythm.

A restrained pressure filled the chamber as elemental energy gathered rapidly around him.

Unlike Joren’s initially unstable signature, Rhyder’s energy moved through his body in disciplined, perfectly balanced currents.

His core maintained a steady rhythm, while his root regulated the flow with practiced precision.

The diagnostic instruments registered stable circulation across every channel.

“Baseline readings are normal,” Elias reported through the communication system.

Raviah stepped onto the platform carrying a prepared dose inside a syringe. “Last chance to change your mind, General.”

Rhyder opened one dark eye to look at her. “Are you trying to persuade me to leave?”

“I am trying to make sure you understand that I will not sacrifice your life for a successful experiment,” she answered firmly.

His expression softened, his gaze searching hers. “I know. That is why I trust you to conduct it.”

For a brief moment, Raviah had no response. She administered the first measured dose and immediately returned to the monitoring station.

The compound entered Rhyder’s system, and his core responded with a subtle, immediate increase in energy circulation. The intricate silver lines embedded across the platform illuminated warmly beneath him.

“Energy absorption is increasing,” Elias reported, watching the streams of data. “No abnormal biological activity detected.”

Raviah extended a thin thread of her biological root toward Rhyder, observing the interaction between the compound and his core.

The medicine was stimulating genuine recovery without drawing detectable energy from his healthy tissues. His energy pathways were adapting gradually, their internal capacity expanding as his core stabilized.

“Continue at the current rate,” she instructed Elias. “Do not increase the concentration.”

Minutes ticked by in tense silence. Rhyder’s breathing deepened into a rhythmic pattern. The elemental energy surrounding his body grew denser, pressing against the chamber’s containment field. His core pulsed faster, then settled into a stronger, deeper rhythm.

Suddenly, the primary diagnostic display flashed with bright warning banners.

[CORE ADVANCEMENT DETECTED.]

[ENERGY CAPACITY: INCREASING.]

[BREAKTHROUGH THRESHOLD: APPROACHING.]

Raviah stepped closer to the glass. “Rhyder, how do you feel right now?”

“Pressure,” he answered through tightly clenched teeth. “But it is manageable.”

“Describe its location,” she demanded, her eyes scanning his vital signs.

“Centered around the core,” he grunted, holding his posture rigid. “The energy pathways are expanding.”

She checked the scrolling biological readings. His heart rate had increased noticeably, but it had not crossed the established safety threshold. No significant cellular or tissue damage was detected, and his root remained remarkably stable.

“Hold your current circulation,” she instructed smoothly. “Do not force the breakthrough. Let your core complete the adjustment naturally.”

Rhyder followed her directions without hesitation. The internal pressure inside the chamber intensified.

A wave of silver-blue light erupted violently from the platform, sweeping across the entire room. The containment field vibrated, and several monitoring instruments briefly lost their telemetry before reconnecting.

Raviah’s root surged forward instinctively, stabilizing the ambient energy around Rhyder before the volatile fluctuations could spread further. Then, with a deep pulse that physically shook the chamber, his core settled into a brand-new configuration.

The central diagnostic display updated instantly.

[CORE ADVANCEMENT: SUCCESSFUL.]

[PREVIOUS RANK: CONFIRMED.]

[NEW RANK: CONFIRMED.]

Elias stared at the terminal results in absolute shock. “His core has advanced!”

Raviah barely heard his exclamation. Her attention remained fixed on Rhyder, using her root to check his energy pathways for microscopic damage.

“Rhyder, open your eyes,” she commanded softly.

He opened them slowly. The familiar darkness of his gaze seemed sharper and more intense beneath the fading silver light. His elemental energy was denser, far more controlled, and markedly stronger than before.

“Any pain? Numbness? Difficulty circulating energy?” she asked rapidly, stepping onto the platform beside him.

“None,” he replied, looking up into her eyes. “You were beside me the entire time.”

“That was not an answer to my medical questions,” she said, though her voice softened.

“It was the one I wanted to give,” Rhyder murmured.

Raviah exhaled a long breath, relief briefly overcoming her stern clinical expression.

Then the diagnostic instruments began sounding a rhythmic alarm once again. She turned toward the monitor display.

Rhyder’s core was actively emitting a distinct waveform beneath its established energy signature. It was faint at first, almost indistinguishable from background interference, but it strengthened with every single pulse.

Elias rapidly recalibrated the optical scanners. “That is not part of his previous signature!”

Raviah extended her biological root toward Rhyder’s core. The moment her translucent energy touched it, the unfamiliar waveform responded instantaneously.

The primary chamber lights flickered wildly. A bold new warning appeared across the central screen.

[SECONDARY ENERGY FREQUENCY: DETECTED.]

[ORIGIN: UNKNOWN.]

Raviah stared at the scrolling readings in disbelief as a pulse emerged from deep within Rhyder’s core. It did not match his known root, nor did it match the compound they had administered.

And when she reached out with her energy to examine it again, the unfamiliar frequency answered her root as though it had been waiting for her touch.

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