The canopy thinned as Jimmy stepped past the hanging vines and crooked roots. The jungle here had been… broken.
Cracked branches, blackened bark, and deep claw grooves painted the nearby trees. The soil still shimmered faintly with residual aura discharge — signs of a recent battle. Steam hissed from a shattered root as he passed.
Jimmy paused, his blindfold shifting slightly in the wind.
He could smell char in the air. And somewhere close… magma.
He whispered through his mind:
"Luna... was this recent?"
From within his Garden, Luna stirred and replied, her voice dry as mist:
"Onnn onnn... Tree sap's still warm. It's not over yet."
Then, he saw them.
Atop two jagged boulders stood Zirae (A14) and Rykarn Vohl (C07), like kings surveying the battlefield.
Beneath them were six more contestants, seated or crouched in formation. Eight in total.
Zirae sat with perfect poise, legs crossed, her cloak flaring in the breeze. Behind her, Strikavax, her a lightning eagle whisp
It blinked once, releasing a sharp chirrrrrk, eyes fixed on Jimmy.
Next to her, Rykarn leaned back on his elbows, shirtless as ever, laughing.
His Whisp, Moltrailk, a massive magma-shelled beast with glowing orange vents across its back, trudged in lazy circles, cracking stone beneath it with each step. Steam coiled around its horns like rising snakes.
And among the group…
Jimmy noticed a face.
That same boy — the one who had once tailed him silently one days ago in the night mist, hoping to steal a tag… only to turn away when he sensed Jimmy's silent trap waiting in the dark.
Now? He sat proudly behind A14.
G10 – Velarn Kette
Whisp:Gravmock – Ground
A thick-bodied quadruped with rotating drill-shoulders. Velarn chewed a stalk of wheat. His Whisp sniffed the ground with a low rumble.
E05 – Kreeva Darnell
Whisp:Scintafrost – Ice/electric type
A crystalline fox with static-coated tails. Kreeva had frost-tipped gloves and smirked at Jimmy. "Blindfold boy again?"
A22 – Derinth Sols
Whisp:Salkrow – Flying
Perched on his shoulder was a jet-black bird with glowing green eyes. Derinth flicked his coin as he leaned on his elbows.
D14 – Fenro Quile
Whisp:Treknaught – Rock/Grass
A moss-covered quadruped with hardened bark armor. Fenro yawned. "Why is everyone stopping for this?"
C19 – Taya Silve
Whisp:Floriska – Grass
A petal-skirted deer with floating blossoms around her. Taya just glared with disapproval.
B 12 - Tayla Finch
Whisp:Spyndrel – Bug/Psychic
A spider-like whisp with silver threads trailing behind. He didn't speak. Just stared at Jimmy, unsure.
................
Zirae, noticing the still figure at the tree line, squinted.
"Oh… him."
Rykarn chuckled, sitting up.
"Didn't this one vanish for one days straight? Must've been hiding behind moss."
Kreeva:
"Or chasing butterflies. He looks like a ghost cosplaying a tree."
Velarn:
"I heard his Whisp's just a water-type. Cute. Should've stayed home."
The air started to shift.
Jimmy said nothing.
Zirae rose, flicking a coal off her shoulder and looking down at him with mock kindness.
"Aw… are you lost, little mute? You look fragile. Like a broken badge just waiting to be handed over."
She made a shooing gesture.
"Come now — be a good boy. Hand over your tag and toddle off before someone gets scuffed."
Rykarn whistled, stretching.
"Should we just let Moltrailk chase him for fun? Maybe he'll run straight into the barrier and forfeit himself."
Fenro:
"Nah, he's just frozen. Like a statue."
Jimmy didn't move.
Then…
Luna emerged beside him, glowing softly with water and static trails. Her mane crackled faintly.
Jimmy spoke.
Soft. But clear.
"Luna… are you ready?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Are we running?"
He shook his head.
"No. We're taking their tags."
There was silence.
Then, sudden laughter.
Rykarn burst out:
"Did you hear that? He thinks he can take all of us!"
Zirae smirked, waving her hand.
"Go. Someone go clip his dreams. Do it quick before he decides to be poetic."
Kreeva stood up, confident.
"I'll go. One Water-type? This'll be a rinse."
But the boy with Spyndrel, who once turned away before, suddenly stepped in front of Kreeva.
He held his hand up, trembling slightly.
"Don't. Don't mock him."
Everyone turned.
"I saw him before. The fog, It wasn't normal. His Whisp knew I was behind him."
Zirae's eyes narrowed.
"You mean you ran before? Embarrassing."
Jimmy stood silent, Luna pacing forward like a stalking ripple.
The moment shifted.
The jungle went still.
Even Strikavax's wings pulled tighter.
.................
🎙️[Remote Feed Begins – Lingrithm Live Channel 7: Special Combat Forest Relay]
Static flickers—then cuts to a glowing hologram in the upper sky, projecting a translucent cube like a floating jumbotron. Across Kirim, Vatican, Nexus, and the outer training cities, viewers tune in.
A deep, baritone voice, crisp and electric with theatrical flair, cuts in over jungle ambience.
🎤Commentator #1: "Aster Vonn," Lead Combat Analyst
"Wait… what's this? Feed just caught movement near the Fractured Grove in Delta Zone—"
"Zoom in. There. That lone figure with the black coat. Is that… the blindfolded boy again? Oh-ho… we have a storm brewing."
Camera pans over Jimmy, standing like a shadow beneath the broken canopy.
🎤Commentator #2: "Ricka Solenn," Battle Strategist & Lingrithm Host
"Are you kidding me, Aster? That's the same contestant with no recorded team, no alliance, and no broadcast interviews. That's the mute boy who's been in three different sectors and no one able to defeat him!"
Aster (amused):
"He's not just surviving, Ricka. He's circling. Calculating. And now… walking straight into the hornet's nest. That's A14 and C07 — Zirae and Rykarn Vohl. Ranked in the top 10 from of the Trials last update."
🌀 [Visual Overlay in the Sky Jumbotron]
- Team A14: Zirae & Strikavax
- Team C07: Rykarn & Moltrailk
- Allies: G10, H05, A22, D14, C19, and the Unregistered (Suspected to be B27)
Ricka (tense):
"Look at the positioning. Two atop boulders, six below — a war camp. And this mute kid just walks up like it's a Sunday stroll?"
"This might last day for that boy. Eight tags? They're going to bury him—wait—wait, what's that?"
🎥 Zoom in on Luna — water shimmering over her fur, mane glowing faintly with storm-charged light.
Aster (voice deepens):
"He just said… 'We're taking their tags.'"
Silence. Then…
The jungle falls to eerie silence as Luna steps forward. Strikavax flares its wings. Moltrailk stops pacing.
And somewhere—quietly—one of the six says:
"Why do I suddenly feel heat?"
.....................
Suddenly rain started to fall.
jimmy said 'Aqua Charge'.
Gravmock 'rock blast'.
Scintafrost 'electric shock'
Salkrow 'wind cutter'
Treknaught 'leaf beam'
Floriska 'hexa vines'
Spyndrel 'hypnosis'
To be continued...