Ravine spun around, her voice sharp with confusion. "Different skillset? Why would Mother Phoenix do such a thing when we need all the help we can get?" She paused, pointing directly at Zhon. "And why did YOU wait until we were about to leave to tell us?"

  Zhon raised his hands defensively, then let them drop. "I realized it while I was hiding during the wolf attack, looking through my inventory. There was a new menu that wasn't there before—that's when I saw the skill tree." He glanced between his teammates. "I only have one point though."

  "As to why she might have restricted our access from the start, I can only think of two reasons," he continued.

  Ravine put her hands on her hips. "Go on."

  "Well, for one, it might be due to the same reasons we have a limitation on the number of abilities we can hold at the same time. Like our bodies couldn't handle it, so she found a way to ease us into it."

  Roan interjected, "Even so, a quick notice from her could have been helpful, just to let us know."

  "Yeah, I suppose so," Zhon agreed.

  Irene stepped forward. "What about your other theory?"

  "Oh, um, yeah. The other reason I could see as plausible is that she wants us to evolve like humans—by earning it with our actions."

  Roan shook his head. "I don't know. This doesn't seem right." He turned to Ravine. "Either way, let's check it out."

  They all nodded in unison and pressed their left palm buttons, each projecting a holographic menu.

  Roan gave a faint smile. "Well, would you look at that. I do have one too... although I still don't have access to it yet."

  "Same here," Irene nodded.

  "Mine is unlocked, though it says I have two points," Ravine observed.

  Zhon repeated in surprise, "Two points? I only got one." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But then again, you're the one who faced the most adversities between all of us... well, except Aria." His voice grew sad as he glanced at her motionless form.

  "Go on, try it!" he encouraged.

  Ravine nodded and studied her interface. "The first skill I'm forced to take is called... Piercing Slash." She tapped on the skill, and a message appeared: "Are you sure you want this skill?"

  "What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I—"

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  As soon as she pressed yes, her eyes blazed with brilliant light and she levitated slightly, energy coursing through her body before she gently touched down again. She breathed hard, then slowly brought her respiration under control.

  Another system message appeared: "Skill successfully learned! You are now free to explore the skill tree as you please!" before disappearing.

  She examined her options. "So the tree is separated into three categories: Survival, Attack, and Special Abilities." She glanced at Roan, then back at the menu. "Since we're only going to be a two-person team, Survival seems to be the wisest choice here." She sighed. "Although I definitely would have liked to invest in Attack. Oh well."

  "Let's see... we have: Boost movement speed by 12%, Boost damage negation by 15%, and Boost reflexes by 14% as the starting skills." She paused, rubbing her chin. "Movement speed seems to be the best option here. We already have the drone giving us support, and Roan seems to be a ranged-type soldier. If I want to be able to help him effectively, I need to be faster. All right, movement speed it is!"

  She pressed the skill and felt a tingling sensation in her feet—not painful, more like a gentle tickle. Another message flashed: "Movement Speed increased by 12%!" before vanishing.

  "Phew. All right, let's go."

  Irene waved at them. "You two be safe. I'll make sure nothing happens to them."

  Roan and Ravine nodded before descending the building's stairs.

  Once they were outside, Roan commented, "Ten kilometers. We should be fine, especially with that drone with us."

  Ravine gave a small smile. "You know, I didn't take you for the chatty type."

  Roan smiled back. "What can I say? I'm usually pretty shy, but considering it's just the two of us, I figured working on our communication would be effective." They continued walking toward the factory.

  Ravine gazed into the distance toward the Ostankino facility. "I just hope we'll be fine."

  Meanwhile, back in the building, Zhon had begun cleaning Aria's body when he discovered something troubling. A strange liquid was spreading through Aria's internal systems, resistant to all his cleaning attempts.

  Irene approached. "How is it going? The repairing, I mean."

  Zhon exhaled heavily. "I just finished cleaning her body, but there's this liquid that won't wash away no matter how much I work at it. From what I can see, it's spreading through her internal systems. Any idea what it could be?"

  Irene shook her head, her eyes narrowing as she examined the brownish substance. "Whatever it is, we need to get this checked out immediately. Especially if it has to do with those wolves you encountered earlier."

  "Yeah, the database doesn't have anything on it yet, but I'll continue her repairs. If it becomes a problem, I'll handle it," Zhon said.

  Irene stood up. "Okay, I trust you."

  Back with Ravine and Roan, they continued through the desolate streets of Moscow. In the distance, they could see the Kremlin, drained of color and half-destroyed.

  Roan scoffed. "That used to be a symbol of Russia, and now it looks like any other building here. Crazy how things change, huh?"

  Ravine shrugged. "Things are only special when we make them special. When it stopped receiving the treatment it used to get, it lost its significance and became just like the rest of them."

  Roan gave her a sidelong glance, then nodded. "Well, that's one way to put it."

  "If you're done sightseeing, we're here," she announced.

  Before them stood a massive industrial complex—the Ostankino factory.

  Roan looked up at the imposing structure. "This is like a museum to us, isn't it? Isn't this where humans made our first prototypes?"

  "Yeah," Ravine confirmed. She turned to him, her expression becoming serious. "From here on out, we must stay focused. We don't know what we're stepping into, and my sensors don't detect any life yet."

  Roan smirked confidently. "Let's go then—to our ancestors."