The road west wound through ridges that looked like the ribs of the earth. Dry wind scraped at stone, carrying the smell of dust and brittle grass. Moss rode ahead on Bran, the chocobo's talons clicking against the rock. Behind him, Dole and Lyra walked in quiet rhythm, while Cid lagged just a little, muttering about terrain and bad empire planning.
Kain brought up the rear, his spear resting across his shoulders as if it belonged there more than in any rack or stand.
"Can't imagine what the empire was thinking," Cid grumbled. "No rivers, no mines, no forests. Just rocks and dust. Even the dirt's thin."
"Maybe that's the test," Kain said. "See who can make something out of nothing."
Lyra frowned. "Or who they can get rid of without dirtying their hands."
"Call it what you like," Dole said. "It's still exile dressed as duty."
"Enough," Moss cut in quietly. "We're out here to scout, not to argue."
They fell silent, the crunch of boots and talons filling the air. After an hour, the landscape began to change. The dirt gave way to faint veins of pale blue light threading between cracked stones, weak, fading traces of aether.
Dole crouched, tracing one with a gloved finger. "Fresh," he murmured. "Something passed through recently."
Lyra's eyes swept the plains. "Aether beasts?"
"Could be," Moss said.
That was when the rustling started. Slow at first, then circling, measured, deliberate.
"Form up," Kain ordered.
Six wolves emerged from the grass, thin and sharp, boned, their eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. One among them stood taller, its fur threaded with veins of dim blue light. It didn't snarl. It simply stared, and the others seemed to wait for its signal.
Kain's gaze hardened. "Only one's aether, touched. The rest follow its lead."
Before Moss could answer, the creature barked sharply, and the pack lunged.
Steel met fang. Moss caught the first beast mid, leap, driving his blade through its side. Dole moved up beside him, fire bursting from his palms to scatter the others. Lyra's wards flared in soft white light, keeping them standing as claws raked and teeth snapped.
Cid swung his wrench like a hammer, cursing as one wolf clamped onto his sleeve. Bran charged, kicking it away with a screech.
The fight was tight, fast, messy, wolves snapping from every side.
Then Moss glanced toward Kain. "Kain, ?"
The dragoon had vanished.
"Where'd he, " Cid started, before ducking a lunging wolf.
"He's gone!" Lyra cried, stepping back as two wolves pinned her between stones.
Dole raised a hand, flames bursting outward again, catching one in the chest. "He does this," he gritted. "Trust me."
The pack pressed closer. The aether wolf circled, its veins pulsing brighter, a low hum rippling through the air like a vibration in bone. It moved differently, smarter. Its gaze shifted between them like it was counting.
Moss grunted, kicking another aside. His sword was slick, his breath rough. "We can't keep this up forever."
Dole nodded, drawing in more aether from the faint traces still in the air. "Then we don't. We end it fast."
The aether wolf leapt. Dole hurled a wave of flame, but it cut through the fire, striking him in the shoulder. He fell back, Lyra's magic flaring to catch him before he hit the ground.
Then came the sound. A sharp whistle from above, like air being torn apart.
A shadow dropped through the haze.
Kain hit the ground like thunder. His spear split two wolves clean through, the shockwave scattering dust and bodies alike. The remaining wolves faltered, panic flashing in their eyes. The aether, touched one snarled, lunging again, only for Bran to intercept, claws raking deep.
Moss finished it in a single, measured strike. The beast convulsed once, then stilled. The faint blue light bled away into nothing.
Silence followed. The air smelled of burned fur and stone dust.
Lyra knelt beside the bodies, her brow furrowed. "Only one was an aether beast," she said. "The others were normal wolves… but it was leading them."
Dole held the faintly pulsing crystal Serra had given him. It glowed weakly as it drew in what little vapor lingered from the fallen creature. "Feels like the aether was bound to it somehow. The others just followed."
Kain pulled his spear free, flicking blood from the tip. "Even nature's beginning to obey what it shouldn't."
Moss looked out toward the horizon where the veins of faint light stretched, barely visible against the dust. "Then we're getting close to something."
Kain rested his weapon against his shoulder, gaze steady. "Whatever it is, it's watching back."