Inside the arena.
Stan and Maru stood face-to-face in the center of a circular ring glowing white.
Mousta leaned toward Khaled.
"Let's toss in a few weapons for this match."
Khaled frowned. "Why?"
"Maru doesn't have superpowers like Stan. He has no chance. At least give him one weapon so he can keep up."
"Fine," Khaled sighed. "Let him pick something that suits him."
"No!" Mousta insisted. "Let's scatter a few weapons around the arena. Make it fair."
Khaled shrugged. "I doubt Stan will use any hand-weapons… but yeah, let's do it."
Silence filled the hall. Everyone in the stands watched, waiting for Khaled's signal to start the match.
Khaled stepped forward. "Alright. Since our new friend Maru has no superpowers, we'll throw a few weapons into the ring. Either of you can grab whatever you want."
Stan smirked. "All good. I'll leave the weapons to him—I'm terrible with them anyway, haha."
Khaled set a three-minute timer, then shouted: "Ready…? Fight!"
Maru moved instantly—fast, circling around Stan, heading toward a sword stuck in the ground.
Stan didn't move. He watched calmly, shifted into a fighting stance, and raised his hand.
The ground shook beneath Maru's feet.
Before Maru reached the sword, massive roots burst from the floor, grabbing it.
Maru leapt—clean, sharp—dodging the roots, closing in on a thicker one holding the blade.
He kicked the root hard, knocking the sword loose.
Then he flipped across the ground, narrowly avoiding a huge root slamming down behind him.
The impact shook the arena, kicking up dust.
And suddenly—Maru had the sword.
Stan chuckled. "Well, well… that's impressive for someone without powers."
Mousta watched from the corner, pride clear on his face. Khaled saw it.
"You look proud of your student," Khaled teased.
"He's not my student," Mousta replied flatly.
Ethan whispered to Connor, eyes glued to the ring. "He's agile. And fast!"
Connor squinted. "I guess… I misjudged this Asian guy."
"That's why they say never judge a book by its cover," Ethan said.
Connor stared at him. "Since when are you wise?"
Ethan burst out laughing.
Maru sprinted toward Stan, weaving through roots twisting out of the ground.
He slashed at any root that nearly hit him.
He cut one coming from behind—dodged another from below—only to get smashed head-on by a thick root crashing down in front of him.
Maru fell, the sword skidding away.
Stan stepped forward. "You're evasive. Fast. And agile. But still… human-level."
Up in the higher seats, Almy scribbled notes about Maru.
He's very skilled… but without superpowers, he's in danger, she thought.
Maru pushed himself up, eyes on the sword far ahead—just as one of Stan's roots grabbed it.
The blade rose… into Stan's hand.
Stan inspected it. "Hmm. Nice sword. Light. But I don't need it."
He tossed the weapon out of the arena.
Maru whispered, "I'm in trouble…"
He scanned the ground—his eyes locked on two daggers a few meters away—and bolted toward them.
Stan narrowed his eyes. "Now what? Where are you going?"
Maru snatched the daggers, dropped into a low stance.
With Stan's gesture, tree-roots detonated from the floor—writhing like giant serpents—lunging for Maru's legs.
Maru jumped lightly, spun in the air, striking the roots with rapid, precise dagger cuts.
Breathing hard, he muttered, "This is too much…"
Stan pushed harder.
Giant roots bent toward Maru.
Sharp branch-spears stabbed from every angle.
Maru dodged, rolled, sliced—
—but the pressure increased.
He grew slower.
Tired.
A root finally coiled around his right leg—tight.
Stan lifted his hand.
The root lifted Maru straight into the air—upside down.
Maru exhaled sharply. "Okay…"
Connor snorted from the stands. "He flipped him like a rat. Haha!"
Mousta crossed his arms, focused.
Khaled glanced his way.
"It was obvious from the start Maru couldn't win," Khaled said. "But… for someone without powers, lasting this long against Stan is impressive."
Stan called up to Maru. "Your performance was amazing. I didn't expect you to last this long."
But then—
The temperature around Maru dropped.
Cold mist rolled off the air.
Mousta noticed it from afar. "What… is that?"
"Where?" Khaled looked around, confused.
Ice crystals formed around Maru's right hand.
He stared at his own fingers—shocked.
Then he clenched his fist.
A glowing ice blade formed.
Stan's eyes widened. "Ice?!"
With one motion, Maru sliced through the massive root holding him.
He crashed to the ground along with the severed chunk, dust blasting outward.
Mousta froze. "He has powers!"
Khaled stepped forward. "Then… he'll need to rank up. He might join our team."
In the stands, Connor and Ethan stared in silence.
Ethan whispered, "Wow… this guy is full of surprises."
Connor nodded. "That explains his cold personality."
Up in the higher seats, Almy stopped writing.
"Oh my god… this changes everything."
She erased several notes and rewrote them.
Maru stood firmly, staring at the glowing ice blade in his right hand, cold breath pouring from his mouth.
Stan smiled. "So. That's your power."
"Huh?" Maro looked up at him, dazed—
—and the match timer rang.
Mousta rushed inside, excited.
"I knew you were hiding something!"
He grabbed Maru in a crushing hug. "I'm proud of you, man… you're gonna be one of the strongest mutants among us!"
Maru groaned in pain. "Was… was this necessary…?"
Mousta stepped back, smiling like a leader who just found a rare treasure.
Khaled approached. "You should've told us. Your power is extremely valuable to the Alliance."
"I didn't even know until now…" Maru answered quietly, still shocked.
Connor and Ethan walked over.
Ethan grinned. "You were awesome, man!"
Connor slapped Maru's arm. "That was insane, Ice man."
He paused, thinking. "Hmm… from today on, I'm calling you Dido."
Ethan blinked. "Dido?"
"Yeah. He fights like a ninja and uses ice powers. Perfect name."
Connor turned to Maro. "What do you think, Asian dude?"
Khaled raised his voice to all of them.
"Alright, guys. Looks like we officially have a team now. Connor, Ethan, Maru, and me—we'll be the main squad for special ops. Starting tomorrow, we begin training and team bonding."
Connor asked, "What about Mousta and Stan?"
Stan answered, "We're here to help you sharpen your combat skills. But each of us has responsibilities in the village."
---
Inside the university. Main library.
Noise. Movement. Students everywhere.
At one table sat Boris, fresh out of a lecture, waiting for Simon and Hana.
Scrolling through his phone, he noticed a group at a nearby table—four guys, two girls—loud, laughing, joking.
Then a tall woman approached them, wearing high heels, formal clothes, and a long hijab draped over her head. She had a commanding presence, her footsteps echoing as she walked.
The group's faces changed instantly.
Boris watched them argue.
Suddenly, one guy—with long hair and a long winter coat—snapped. He raised his voice at the woman.
And in a split second…
He froze.
His eyes turned pitch-black.
Dark veins spread around them.
Like something had taken control of him.
Boris whispered to himself, unsettled:
"What… is that?"
"Did you expect Maru to hide this power?
Share your thoughts below!"