The collection point looked busier up close.
Not because more people were moving, but because more people were watching.
Noah noticed it almost immediately as the transport beast lumbered through the outer gate. Workers continued carrying crates between storage buildings, harvesters unloaded bundles of gathered plants, and teams moved in and out of the central yard exactly as they should. On the surface, everything appeared normal. Yet conversations lingered longer than necessary. People paused in the middle of tasks to glance toward the same building. Small groups formed, dispersed, and then gathered again moments later. Something had disrupted the normal rhythm of the collection point, and nobody seemed entirely comfortable with it.
The academy handler noticed it as well. Her eyes swept across the camp before settling on a broad-shouldered man standing near one of the storage buildings.
"Marlen."
The man turned immediately. Relief crossed his face when he recognized her.
"You're here."
"What's happening?"
"Nothing serious."
The answer came too quickly.
The handler sighed. "Something's happening."
A few nearby workers exchanged glances. Marlen noticed and rubbed the back of his neck before finally relenting.
"Harvest Team Four is late."
Torin immediately perked up. "How late?"
"Several hours."
Lira frowned. "That's it?"
"No."
The response came from another worker passing by with a crate balanced against one shoulder. He shifted its weight before continuing. "Another team came back yesterday from the wrong direction."
The handler's expression hardened. "What do you mean wrong direction?"
"They left east." The worker pointed toward the wilderness beyond the collection point. Then he gestured in the opposite direction. "They came back from the west."
Silence followed.
Because that didn't make sense.
Noah studied the reactions around him. Nobody looked frightened. Nobody appeared worried about an imminent attack. If anything, they looked confused. Deeply confused. Somehow, that felt stranger than fear.
The unloading process began shortly afterward. The transport beast lowered itself onto the ground while workers removed crates and containers from its back. Preservation boxes meant for harvested Essence Herbs were carried into larger storage buildings. Tools, spare equipment, and supply crates disappeared into nearby structures. One locked metal case, however, received noticeably more attention than everything else.
Mana stones.
Not many, but enough to support operations at the collection point.
Noah found himself watching the transfer more closely than he expected. The academy talked about mana stones constantly. Students trained to earn them. Cultivators spent fortunes acquiring them. Yet here they were being handled alongside ordinary supplies and record books. The sight was strangely grounding. Cultivation wasn't separate from the world. It was woven into it.
While the unloading continued, Noah and the others were directed toward a long wooden building near the center of the camp. The interior was simple but functional. Tables filled most of the room. Maps covered one wall. Shelves held records, preserved plant samples, and years of accumulated reports.
The collection point supervisor arrived a few minutes later.
Unlike Marlen, he looked completely calm.
He was a thin man with greying hair and steady eyes, the sort of person who didn't seem interested in worrying unless given a very good reason.
"You're academy students."
Riven nodded. "Mission escort."
"Good."
Torin leaned forward slightly. "Good because we're useful?"
"No."
The supervisor pointed toward several chairs.
"Good because you'll be staying here overnight."
Torin looked disappointed.
Again.
Noah was beginning to suspect disappointment was simply Torin's natural state.
The supervisor spread a map across the table. Various markings covered the surrounding wilderness. Most indicated ordinary harvesting routes, but several had been circled recently.
"The reports all started here."
His finger tapped a forested section northwest of the collection point.
Lira studied the map. "What's there?"
"Nothing."
That answer drew more attention than any other.
The supervisor noticed.
"At least nothing unusual."
Noah examined the location. It wasn't particularly remote. It wasn't known for dangerous beasts. It wasn't even one of the more difficult harvesting regions. It was simply another section of wilderness managed by the collection point.
Which made the reports harder to explain.
"How many teams?" Riven asked.
"Three."
The room grew quieter.
Three wasn't a large number.
But it was enough to stop being coincidence.
"Same story every time?" Noah asked.
The supervisor nodded.
"They leave. They harvest. They return."
Torin blinked. "That sounds normal."
"It would be," the supervisor replied. "If they returned from where they left."
That ended the conversation for a moment.
Because every explanation felt wrong.
Eventually Lira folded her arms. "People get lost."
"They know these routes."
"People still get lost."
The supervisor nodded. "One team, maybe. Three different teams?"
His finger tapped the map.
"That's harder to explain."
As afternoon gradually faded toward evening, more workers returned from the surrounding wilderness carrying harvested Essence Herbs, roots, fruits, and other mana-rich resources. The collection point became louder and more active with each passing hour.
Yet one thing remained missing.
Harvest Team Four.
The waiting continued.
The conversations continued.
The sun continued sinking.
Then someone shouted from outside.
"They're back!"
Every conversation stopped.
Nobody panicked. Nobody ran.
But everyone moved.
Quickly.
Noah followed the crowd outside and saw a group of five harvesters entering through the gate. They looked dirty, exhausted, and thoroughly confused.
What they didn't look was injured.
No blood.
No wounds.
No signs of combat.
The supervisor approached immediately.
"What happened?"
The team leader hesitated before answering.
"We don't know."
Nobody liked that response.
"We followed the usual route," he continued. "We started harvesting like normal. Then..." He rubbed his forehead. "After that, we were somewhere else."
Silence settled over the gathering.
Because the explanation sounded ridiculous.
Yet the man clearly believed it.
The rest of his team nodded immediately.
"We should've reached the southern ridge," one woman said.
"Instead we found ourselves near the western cliffs," another added.
Marlen stared at them. "That's impossible."
"I know."
The supervisor's eyes narrowed.
"You crossed that distance without noticing?"
"No."
The answer came instantly.
"We don't remember crossing it at all."
This time the silence felt different.
Not disbelief.
Uncertainty.
Noah exchanged a glance with Riven. Neither spoke. Neither had an explanation.
Eventually the supervisor directed the team inside for questioning. The crowd gradually dispersed, though conversations resumed in lower, more cautious tones than before.
Then one of the harvesters suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
He began searching through his pack.
Everyone nearby paused.
A moment later, he pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle and placed it on a nearby table.
"I forgot about this."
The cloth was unfolded.
Inside rested a fruit.
At least Noah assumed it was a fruit.
It was roughly the size of a clenched fist. Dark blue skin covered its surface, while thin silver veins shimmered faintly beneath the evening light. The patterns almost seemed to move when viewed from certain angles.
Nobody recognized it.
The supervisor frowned.
"Where did you find that?"
The harvester looked genuinely confused.
"I don't know."
A few people laughed.
He didn't.
"I'm serious."
The laughter vanished immediately.
The man stared at the fruit as though seeing it for the first time.
"I don't remember collecting it."
The supervisor carefully picked it up. His thoughtful expression slowly became serious.
"Bring this inside."
Nobody argued.
As the fruit disappeared into the main building, Noah found himself watching it longer than necessary.
A strange fruit.
Missing time.
Harvest teams appearing in the wrong locations.
Individually, none of it made sense.
Together, it made even less.
Night settled over the collection point soon afterward. Lamps flickered to life between buildings, workers finished their remaining duties, and conversations gradually faded as people returned to their quarters.
Before everyone dispersed, however, the supervisor made one final announcement.
"Tomorrow morning, we're sending a survey team to investigate the affected area."
The room quieted.
His gaze shifted toward Noah and the others.
"You four will accompany them."
Torin immediately straightened in his chair.
Finally.
Something was happening.
Noah remained silent. His thoughts lingered on the fruit, the missing memories, and the certainty in the harvesters' voices. None of them had sounded dishonest. None of them had seemed confused about being confused.
Outside the collection point, the wilderness stretched beyond the reach of the lamps, dark and silent beneath the night sky.
Somewhere out there, something had changed.
Nobody knew what.
Tomorrow, they would begin looking for answers.