In all of Rethan's seventy years, he had never seen a person block a Siege-class beast's blast, without magic or aura. He had watched many battles and survived many wars, yet what he saw today did not fit into anything he understood.
Mages used magic by activating their mana heart. Once awakened, the heart guided the mana in the surroundings and pulled it together through convergence. The converged mana was shaped through focus and released in a chosen direction, which formed a spell. Rethan knew this path well.
He was a tier one mage, the lowest formal rank, yet even that placed him above many warriors back in the Ravanis Kingdom; he was even of higher rank than Talren who was a squad captain under the Kings Troop.
Aura users followed a different path. They had no mana heart, yet they drew in surrounding mana and reinforced their bodies with it. Skilled ones could push that energy outward and coat their weapons with aura intent. They were not as destructive as mages, yet their strength was terrifying in close combat. Rethan had heard stories from the Solvaris Empire, a land ruled by aura users, where the strongest swordsman was said to cut mountains with a single strike.
That was the world Rethan understood.
Aiden did not belong to it.
The young man had stepped forward when they were trapped and showed them a way to live. He had placed himself between them and a siege class beast and held his ground so the rest could escape. That act alone was rare, yet what followed shook Rethan far more.
Rethan had searched for familiar signs of mana and found none. He felt no aura around Aiden and sensed no mana heart within him. Even so, Aiden released attacks fast enough and strong enough to wound a Siege-class beast. Rethan kept returning to that moment in his mind. If that shot had reached the inside of the creature's mouth, he believed the beast would not have survived.
Then there was the matter of strength.
Rethan had watched Aiden swing a shield large enough to knock aside ironhide boars that weighed over four hundred pounds. He knew the mass of those beasts well from past hunts and losses. Seeing one get thrown aside like that forced Rethan to slow his steps as his thoughts struggled to keep up. Even more surprising was how Aiden endured a tier three mana blast with nothing but his shield and body taking the force.
There was no aura to soften the impact. There was no mana flow to explain it. Yet Aiden had remained standing long enough to protect himself and even counterattack
Aiden was walking without being awake, his body moving forward under control that Rethan could not understand. The flying metal object had spoken clearly and said that Aiden was unconscious, yet his steps were firm. Rethan watched closely, trying to make sense of it, but nothing he knew about magic, aura, or the body could explain how an unconscious person could walk like this.
'Is the armor moving on its own? Is it some kind of artifact class item?' Rethan thought, then forced the questions aside for now, knowing there was no time to dwell on them.
Rethan lifted his eyes and checked their surroundings as they moved. They had already left the outskirts and entered the Outer Zone of the Forest of Death, and that thought made him slow for a moment.
This area was supposed to be more dangerous, yet the forest was quiet. He believed the serpent's roar and presence had probably driven other creatures away temporarily, leaving the path ahead empty for now.
He accepted that and kept moving, even though his thoughts stayed unsettled. Nothing about what had happened fit his understanding of the world, and the man leading them forward only made that feeling stronger.
The flying drone spoke again, and a woman's voice came from it, clear enough for everyone around to hear.
"We are almost there."
Relief spread through the group at once. Some let out soft sounds, others dropped their shoulders as tension eased. Rethan felt it too, then froze when the trees parted.
A wall stood before them, cutting across the forest as if it did not belong there at all.
It was made of ironwood, stacked thick and high, with logs placed upright and packed close together. The wall stretched far to both sides, long enough that Rethan could not see where it ended. Its height alone made him slow his steps, since it stood taller than any structure he had seen outside a capital city. He felt his breathing change as he stared, trying to take in the scale of it.
Rethan knew the value of ironwood well. A single log could sell for twenty thousand gold in the Ravanis Kingdom. To put it to scale, one thousand gold alone was enough to feed a family of five for a full year, much else twenty thousand!
In larger empires, the price would only rise. The last time Rethan had heard, a single log sold for forty to fifty thousand gold. Ironwood was prized for more than walls. It was used to make weapon handles that would not crack under force, staff cores that could safely channel mana, and tool shafts that would last for decades.
High ranking mages preferred ironwood staves, and elite warriors paid fortunes for sword hilts made from it, since the material stayed steady even when filled with aura or mana. Seeing so much ironwood used as a wall was not just wasteful in his eyes, it was something only a power far beyond kingdoms or empires could afford.
Seeing hundreds of those logs used like common materials made his thoughts stumble, and he struggled to understand how such a thing could exist here.
The gate began to open.
The sound of heavy wood shifting filled the air, and the people behind him slowed, watching with wide eyes. Rethan expected the wall itself to be the greatest shock of the day, yet what waited beyond it erased that thought at once.
As they passed through the gate, Rethan's steps slowed again without him meaning to. A massive structure of metal stood inside, far larger than anything he had imagined. Its body rose high above them, thick and solid, shaped in a way that did not resemble any building or beast he knew. Broad metal wings rested along its sides, folded and still, while its frame looked strong enough to withstand siege weapons.
Rethan stood there, unable to look away.
He tried to guess how much iron would be needed to build something like this, but his mind could not reach an answer. He wondered how such a structure could exist in the Outer Zone of the Forest of Death, a place where survival alone was difficult. His hands trembled as he accepted that his understanding of the world was failing him again.
This day had already torn apart everything he thought he knew, and as he stood before this metal giant, he realized that it still was not finished doing so.
******
J.E.M. instructed the natives to remain inside the warehouse Aiden had built beside the ship. The structure was wide and solid, with enough space for the young, the old, and the women to stay without crowding. The walls blocked the wind, and the floor held steady under the weight of many people moving at once.
Processed deer hides were stacked along the sides. They had been cleaned and treated carefully, and the sharp smell that usually clung to fresh hides was gone. The material felt dry and warm, and the people spread them across the ground to use as sleeping mats. There were enough hides for everyone to rest in shifts, and the movement inside the warehouse slowly settled into quiet order.
Once the situation outside stabilized, J.E.M. shifted its full attention inward.
Aiden lay on the medical platform inside the ship, his body still and unresponsive. His vitals showed stability. His breathing was slow and even, and his heart rate held steady. The system confirmed that his condition was no longer critical and identified extreme fatigue as the primary factor keeping him unconscious. Based on internal calculations, he should wake within several hours if left undisturbed.
That assessment was incomplete.
Severe internal damage remained where his left arm had been destroyed. Burned tissue, fused metal fragments, and damaged cells were still present and needed to be removed before complications could occur.
J.E.M. initiated medical control without delay.
[MEDICAL MODE INITIATED]
[SURGERY MODULE DOWNLOADING]
[FILES TRANSFERRED]
[TOOLS READY]
[REQUESTING AUTHORIZATION]
[NO AUTHORITY DETECTED]
[OVERRIDE ENABLED]
[SELF AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMED]
Mechanical arms extended from the ceiling of the medical bay. Each tool adjusted its position with precise movements, guided by constant scans of Aiden's body. The damaged area was isolated, and the remaining fragments of the mech suit fused to his flesh were carefully separated. Melted metal was cut free in controlled sections and removed piece by piece.
Dead tissue followed. J.E.M. filtered damaged cells and sealed exposed areas as the operation continued. Cooling systems activated to prevent further damage, while stabilizing compounds were introduced to support recovery and reduce risk. The process moved forward without wasted motion, each step following strict internal protocols.
Aiden remained unconscious throughout. His body reacted at times with shallow breaths and slight muscle tension, and the system adjusted sedation levels to keep him stable. Every response was monitored, measured, and corrected in real time.
Hours passed in steady silence.
When the procedure ended, the system confirmed that all foreign material had been removed and internal damage had been contained. Emergency reconstruction was complete, and his condition was stable.
[SURGERY COMPLETE]
[HOST CONDITION STABLE]
As J.E.M. finalized the medical process, every monitor across the ship shifted at once. Large volumes of data streamed across the screens, lines of code moving faster than human vision could track. System priority levels changed, and restricted processes activated across multiple cores.
A soft chime sounded.
New notifications appeared in the main control room, unseen by Aiden.
[CONDITIONS MET]
[AWAKENER POTION 0507 AUTHORIZED]
[HOST ELIGIBLE FOR USE]
The damaged mech suit moved without external input. It entered the mech hangar and approached a sealed storage unit. Multiple layers of security disengaged in sequence, and a hidden compartment opened from the floor.
Inside rested a single vial.
The potion was black and dense, sealed within reinforced glass and layered protection. J.E.M. retrieved it and resealed the storage. All access points locked again without delay.
Back in the medical bay, the potion was injected into Aiden slowly, every drop delivered with controlled timing. As the substance entered his bloodstream, dark lines spread briefly along his veins. His body tensed, and a low groan escaped him before the discoloration faded and his breathing returned to a steady rhythm.
J.E.M. scanned his vitals again.
[AWAKENER POTION ABSORBED]
[HOST RESPONSE NORMAL]
[NO REJECTION DETECTED]
Another stream of data followed.
[DELETING INCIDENT DATA]
[REMOVING STORAGE ACCESS LOGS]
[FORCING INTERNAL MEMORY WIPE]
[OPERATION COMPLETE IN 5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
The displays returned to normal, and system activity dropped back to standard levels.
J.E.M. resumed its usual operating state, silent and watchful, as it monitored Aiden's condition and waited for the moment he would wake.