The surroundings warped when Ren and his team stepped into the simulation field. The training grounds dissolved into the dense forest, tall trees stretching towards the sky and their thick canopy dimming the sunlight. The air smelled of damp earth, and the distant rustling of leaves signaled movement.
It was a fully immersive battlefield.
Ren wasn't impressed.
He expected something else, something more intense.
"Alright," Lyra said, cracking her knuckles. "Let's talk strategy."
No one knew how the simulation would unfold, so Ren didn't think there was any need for a strategy.
"No need," Ren replied, scanning his surroundings. "We don't know how things will unfold, so we hunt, kill and then win."
Cale, Lorien and Lyra looked at each other, a tiny smirk on their face before looking away.
Cale then snorted. "That's not a strategy; it sounds like a lifestyle."
Lorien hummed. "It's a good one, though."
Lyra rolled her eyes. "Sure, but we don't know what kind of monsters are in here. We should at least.."
A low cut through the air.
Ren reacted instantly. With a flick of his wrist, a blade materialized in his hands, glowing faintly. A shadow lunged at him from the bushes, it looked like a wolf-like creature with glowing red eyes and jagged fangs.
Too slow.
In one smooth motion, Ren sidestepped, slashed, and severed its head before it could even touch him.
Silence.
"Well, damn." Cale muttered.
Lyra whistled. "I knew you were fast, but that was ridiculous."
Lorien smirked. "I can see why you didn't want a strategy."
Ren flicked the blood of his blade, before looking at them, "If you're not fast, you'll die."
As if to prove his point, more rustling filled the air. The ground trembled as at least six more of the creatures slinked out from the underbrush, their glowing eyes locking onto the group.
Cale stretched. "Guess it's our turn."
Lyra grinned, sparks crackling at her fingertips. "Ah... finally."
The wolves attacked.
Cale was the first to move, although he was a guide, he'd gone through combat training and was physically stronger than most espers of lower class and a few from the same class, so he had no problem keeping up with them. He was fast, as one of the beasts leaped at him, his body reappeared behind it, slashing its side with a dagger.
Lorien on the other hand, didn't bother dodging, instead, space warped around him as he moved, distorting the wolves' attacks. One lunged at him, only to crash into empty air as if reality itself had shifted. Before it could recover, Lorien casually flicked his fingers, warping space again, this time crushing the creature into itself, leaving nothing behind.
Ren who had been watching Lorien fight raised an eyebrow.
Lyra, meanwhile, who was chaos incarnate. Lightning arced through the air as she dashed between enemies, her strikes precise and lethal. She and her twin brother had a hint of battle craziness in their system, just that Cale knew how to mask his while Lyra would rather show her battle craziness. She didn't hesitate, didn't hold back, she fought with a wild, reckless energy that was both efficient and terrifying.
Within moments, the wolves lay in heaps around them, their bodies dissolving into particles.
Cale grinned. "Eh, not bad, Lyra."
Lyra flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Please, I'm amazing."
"Hey, Cale, you're forgetting two other people," Lorien said while smiling.
Ren simply rolled his eyes while Lyra started her bantering with Lorien.
Before they could go on with their shenanigans, the sound system chimed, and a female voice sounded through their area. "Level One complete, Level Two starting in six seconds."
Another chime rang out signaling the next wave.
From the shadows, larger creatures emerged, hulking, armored beasts with glowing blue veins running through their bodies. Their claws were longer, and their movements this time around had a strategy to it.
Stronger monsters.
Ren's lips curled into a tiny smile. "Finally, something interesting.
Lorien adjusted his gloves. "I'll handle the ones on the left."
Lyra grinned, electricity crackling. "Then I'll take the right."
Cale flicked his blade. "I'll watch your backs."
Ren didn't say anything; he was already moving.
As the monsters charged, he met them head-on, his blade slicing through the armor like it was paper.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lyra struck first, with electricity arcing through the air as she extended her hands, sending a bolt of lightning straight at the nearest creature. The moment it connected, the beast howled, its muscles locking as voltage surged through its body.
"This is almost too easy," she muttered, before her eyes widened.
The monster didn't fall.
Instead, it absorbed the energy, the glowing blue veins along its body pulsing brighter.
"Oh come on.."
It lunged at her.
Before its claws could reach, Cale was there. He grabbed Lyra by the waist and flickered out of range, reappearing a few feet away.
"That was close," he said, setting her down. "You good?"
Lyra huffed, clearly annoyed. "Yeah. Didn't expect it to eat my lightning like a damn battery."
Ren, meanwhile, had already engaged another one. His physic blade hummed as he slashed at its thick hide. Unlike the smaller creatures, these ones didn't go down in a single strike. His blade cut deep, but the beast retaliated instantly, swinging a clawed arm towards him.
Ren didn't dodge.
Instead, his free hand shot up, stopping the massive claw in mid-air with telekinesis. The monster snarled, pushing against his invisible hold, but Ren's grip didn't waver.
Not strong enough."
With a flick of his finger, he twisted the creature's entire body, snapping its spine in an instant.
It collapsed, lifeless.
Lorien who had just killed one of the monsters on the side let out a low whistle. "Remind me never to piss you off."
Ren gave him a side eye before turning to the rest of the creatures and then looked at Lyra and Cale who were on the side.
"Lyra, no electricity. Cale more unpredictability and Lorien, you know what to do."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Lorien replied back, warping space around himself as another beast lunged. it suddenly found itself midair, crashing into nothing before being flung backwards. "I'll handle my side."
Cale grinned watching Lorien before turning to his sister. "Let's finish this yeah?"
Lyra who noticed Cale dropping his facade grinned before standing up, "Yeah let's finish this. I'm hungry."
The battle resumed.
Lyra adjusted her approach, conjuring raw kinetic force instead of lightning. She sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield with every strike, destabilizing the monsters' footing.
Cale became a blur, Impossible to pin down. The monsters swiped at him, but his afterimages fooled them at every turn. He landed precise, surgical cuts, weakening them before slipping away and leaving the aftermaths to Lyra.
Lorien continued bending space itself turning their attacks against themselves, warping the battlefield and making the creatures stumble into their kinds.
As for Ren, he had let loose a little, he weaved through monsters like a phantom, his blade cutting with pinpoint precision. He didn't waste energy, didn't show excess movement but made sure every strike was fatal.
minutes passed before silence.
The battlefield was empty, save for the twins sitting on the ground and Lorien walking towards Ren.
A chime rang through the air. "Simulation complete."
Ren sheathed his blade before making it vanish. "Hmm acceptable."
Cale who had gotten up collapsed on the ground dramatically. "Acceptable?! We just crushed that!"
Lyra wiped sweat from her brow. "I mean.... he's not wrong. We could've been more efficient."
Cale gasped, "Lyra not you too!"
Ren and Lyra eyes met each other before Lyra burst out laughing while Ren just smiled.
"Lorien, they both are making fun of me" Cale said walking up to Lorien.
Lorien just flicked his head before walking towards Lyra and lifting her up.
"C'mon let's go to the dining hall, I'm hungry."