The mechanical system voice continued to resonate across the devastated plain with a neutral tone that contrasted with the smoking chaos surrounding them. Brando stared at his KryoWatch as the Evolution Points numbers updated on the display, but the figures seemed unreal, as if they belonged to someone else's life. 1000 Evolution Points for nearly dying. Good deal? Who could say.

  "Grrlll... wuff..." Rusty emitted another weak whimper, barely moving his head against Brando's chest. The small Pseudo-Glacial still seemed dazed. His three eyes opened and closed in irregular sequences, as if struggling to focus on reality.

  "Hey, Rusty," Brando whispered, gently stroking his companion's fur. "What happened to you out there? You acted like you'd seen death itself."

  During the final battle against the Mechanical Colossus, Rusty had completely malfunctioned. He hadn't behaved with his usual predatory instinct that drove him to attack, but something very deep blocked him. He had taken a lightning bolt full-on and seemed slightly burned but hadn't suffered much damage, and this meant that taking lightning was simply a trigger that activated the encounter with a Mechanical Colossus. They didn't want to face another one, so now Brando would be very careful to prevent Rusty from getting caught again.

  "Maybe he sensed something we couldn't perceive," Eleonora suggested, crouching beside them. Her fox ears moved nervously, as if still trying to pick up invisible signals in the air. "Pseudo-Glacials have senses beyond ours. He might have detected some kind of energy resonance or something like that, who knows."

  Brando nodded, but something in Rusty's behavior still troubled him. It hadn't been fear he'd seen in his eyes. It had been something more instinctive and wild. As if that lightning zone had awakened some primordial instinct within him. Maybe it was connected to his Pseudo-Glacial nature? To that part of him that remained wild despite his bond with Brando? Who could say, clearly Rusty wasn't able to communicate in human language.

  ZAP!

  A dull rumble crossed the sky, interrupting his reflections.

  "Shit," Giordano hissed. "The lightning has started again."

  The thunder had returned to manifest with the same ten-second frequency. Everything was back exactly as before.

  "We need to move," Tommaso added forcefully. And he wasn't wrong, this wasn't a safe place at all, they couldn't know what might happen if they stayed there. For all they knew, some new enemy to face could arrive at any moment and they certainly weren't in condition to fight again.

  Brando tried to stand but his legs trembled dangerously. The burns on his back made themselves felt with a sharp pain that took his breath away. The burned skin pulled every time he moved, creating torment that radiated along his entire back.

  "Wait," Alessio intervened, grabbing his arm. "The wounds need to be treated. Those burns could get infected, and—"

  ZAP!

  The rumble intensified, and a new lightning bolt fell less than fifty meters from them, pulverizing a boulder of Colossus debris.

  "Treatment can wait," Brando grunted, gritting his teeth against the pain. "Getting across the plain is priority number one."

  He took Rusty in his arms, ignoring the protest of his bruised ribs. The small Pseudo-Glacial didn't protest as usual about being carried; instead, he seemed strangely focused. And then they began running and stopping under each lightning rod tower again, exactly as before.

  "Hey," Brando whispered as they ran, "don't panic like before, okay? Whatever happens, stay with me."

  Rusty made a subdued sound, more determined than frightened, and Brando felt this time was different. His companion was no longer in the grip of primordial terror from before, rather he felt he could trust Brando and remained quiet in his arms.

  The cracks guided them across the devastated plain for what seemed like kilometers, though it was probably only a few hundred meters. Time lost meaning when every ten seconds you had to calculate where you'd be when the next lightning bolt split the air. Brando counted the seconds in his head like an obsessive mantra: seven, eight, nine, lightning!

  For Brando, every movement was pure torture. The burned skin on his back tore with each step, bruised ribs sent sharp stabs through his chest, and his arms trembled from the effort of holding Rusty while running. But Brando gritted his teeth so hard he could hear the enamel creak, pushing forward through pure, blind determination.

  Finally, the luminous cracks led them toward a structure that rose from the ground like a beacon of hope. A twenty-meter-tall metal tower with a glittering surface that reflected the sky's lights.

  "It's a medical tower," Eleonora said as her ears perked up with excitement. "Look, there's the first aid symbol."

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  Indeed, a red cross pulsed gently on the metallic surface, and when they approached, a section of the wall opened automatically with a soft hydraulic hiss.

  [The system has detected multiple injuries,] announced a synthetic female voice from within. [Entry authorized for medical treatment.]

  Brando didn't need to be told twice. He rushed inside, immediately followed by the others, just as another lightning bolt shattered the ground where they had been seconds before.

  The tower's interior was a circular room perfectly illuminated by panels that emanated warm, reassuring light. Six alcoves were carved into the walls, each containing a single walnut-sized, dark brown truffle that emitted a sort of golden electricity.

  "What the fuck are those?" Giordano asked, cautiously approaching one of the alcoves.

  [Certified Energy Truffles,] replied the synthetic voice. [Advanced medical formulation. Guaranteed free of side effects. Consumption recommended for complete recovery of physical energy and accelerated healing.]

  Brando stared at the nearest truffle. The smell it emanated was a strange mix of vinegar and chocolate that should have been disgusting yet was strangely appetizing. The golden discharges running through it were intermittent but didn't seem dangerous at all.

  "And we're supposed to trust this?" Alessio declared skeptically. "After everything we've been through?"

  Brando stared at the nearest truffle, then his attention was stolen by Rusty. The small Pseudo-Glacial had begun sniffing the air around them with interest. He showed no signs of alarm or fear. On the contrary, he seemed hungry. Brando then turned to look at his burned back. It hurt like hell.

  "Rusty isn't scared," Brando pointed out. "And I trust his senses much more than mine. And anyway, if I have a chance to heal, I'd like to take it. I can't go on much longer with these injuries and we certainly can't stay here. If it's a trap, at least I'll die without feeling like I'm being skinned alive."

  Without further hesitation, he grabbed one of the truffles and put it in his mouth.

  For an instant nothing happened. The truffle remained still on his tongue like a bitter stone, and Brando felt panic rising from his stomach. The golden electricity he had seen pulsing in the truffle now flowed along his tongue, creating a tingling sensation that radiated toward his throat.

  For a moment he thought it would kill him, but then he bit down, and suddenly, the flavor exploded.

  It was as if someone had set off fireworks directly on his palate. A cross between aged balsamic vinegar and highest quality dark chocolate that shouldn't have worked yet was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted. The effect was instantaneous and dramatic: he felt a surge of pure energy course through his body, and looking at his hands he saw the burns disappear completely, skin returning smooth and pink as if it had never been touched by fire.

  "Holy shit," he whispered, touching his back. There too, everything perfect. There was no longer any trace of pain, burns, or damaged tissue.

  The others didn't waste time. There were six truffles for six of them. In seconds everyone had consumed their truffles, and the effect was universal. Tommaso saw the cracks in his rock armor seal completely. Alessio felt his entire tin body return to perfect function. Eleonora not only healed from scratches, but noticed that even her reddish fur had regained the luster it had lost during battle.

  "Wow, I feel like I've never fought in my life," Giordano exclaimed, stretching and rotating his shoulders. "Actually, I feel better than when we entered this fucking simulation."

  Brando noticed that Rusty also seemed rejuvenated. The small Pseudo-Glacial hopped around his feet with renewed energy and his three eyes were bright and lively as he hadn't seen them in hours.

  His KryoWatch vibrated with a brief beep. It was the kind of standard notification that usually indicated status updates after medical treatment or rest. A flashing message appeared on the display:

  [PHYSICAL STATUS: OPTIMAL - PARAMETERS UPDATED]

  "Let me check," Brando murmured. After every significant event, it was normal to verify one's progress. It was then that he made the discovery.

  "Wait a minute," he said, staring at the numbers with disbelief. "Giordano, how many points do you have?"

  "1345," Giordano replied, checking his own device after it too had emitted the same routine beep. "Why? What's up?"

  Brando felt an incredulous smile spread across his face. "Me too. Exactly 1345."

  "What the fuck," Giordano looked at him with wide eyes. "We're tied? How is that possible?"

  "You had 845," Brando said, doing the math aloud. "Plus today's 500 makes 1345. I had 345 plus today's 1000. We arrived at exactly the same total."

  Giordano burst into bitter laughter. "So you caught up to me thanks to your stupid heroism? Perfect. Absolutely perfect."

  "It wasn't stupid," Eleonora protested. "It was brave."

  "Same thing," Giordano grunted, but his smile betrayed that he wasn't really angry. "Only the system rewards those who risk their ass to save a Pseudo-Glacial."

  Brando checked Rusty's points and his good mood faded. 380 points, the same as before. The system hadn't recognized his companion's contribution to the battle, despite being fundamental to defeating the Mechanical Colossus.

  "I'm sorry, Rusty," he murmured, stroking Rusty's head. Rusty looked at him with his usual lively gaze, not seeming remotely troubled by the points issue.

  "The system only rewards active and direct contribution," Alessio noted. "In this case, Rusty behaved as support, not as a main combatant."

  Before Brando could respond, a metal wall in front of them began to glow. Lines of golden light formed from nothing, tracing characters that seemed to write themselves in the metal. The letters pulsed with a hypnotic rhythm as they materialized one after another, forming incandescent words.

  "Look," Brando said, pointing to the inscription appearing.

  The others approached, and Tommaso read aloud: "'The eternal sleep must end through two paths. The Predator must choose the Path of Shadow. The Vortex must choose the Path of Light. Only when both are traveled will the final trial manifest.'"

  Heavy silence fell over the room.

  "The Vortex must be Giordano," Alessio said after a moment. "Because of the ring he uses."

  "And the Predator?" Eleonora asked, looking at the group with uncertainty. "Which of us could be...?"

  Giordano exchanged a meaningful look with Brando. Giordano knew well there was something different about Brando's ice. Brando had told him about Predator Ice, but he didn't know the details. In any case, he chose to cut to the chase and take control of the situation.

  "The Predator is Brando," he said decisively, taking charge. "He has particular abilities that fit that definition perfectly."

  Brando nodded, grateful to his friend for handling the explanation without going into details he wasn't ready to share with everyone yet.

  "So we have to split up," Eleonora sighed. "It's inevitable."

  Tommaso nodded gravely. "The inscription is clear. Two paths, two groups."