The plastic tropical air clung, almost smothering. Lian crouched deep in the ferns, constricted chest but agile mind. The chaos of the first half of the qualifier had taught him something crucial: this wasn't about being strongest, about beating every contender. This was about timing and survival.
Sixteen would qualify. Sixteen alone.
Let them take the lead," he whispered to himself, drawing in only the faintest whisper of breath. "The seniors will get their time in the sun. I just need to be present at the end."
From where he stood, he watched the strongest third-years clear the battlefield. Gao Ming trampled the jungle floor, his earth-groaning strides sending drones and juniors scattering. Huo Tian cut through the canopy, air distorting around the inferno of his flame. Lin Shu's sword cut through obstacles and opponents with icy loveliness, and Bai Xuan's invisible pressure field shoved anyone daring enough to get in her path.
It did not take long. One at a time, the seniors slid into the base with their spoils. Gao Ming, Huo Tian, Lin Shu, Bai Xuan, and four others whose names echoed down the academy halls. Ten spots. Ten already occupied.
The crushing reality stuck Lian. Six places left.
He slowly exhaled. No longer recklessness. He had pointed out two locations earlier — one concealed far inside a cliff overhang, the other wrapped around vines behind a waterfall. Now that the threats had departed, these locations were available for the taking.
Cautiously, quietly, Lian moved. Webs supported him trunk to trunk, his shape lost in the foliage. He reached the cliff hollow first. The flag hung limply, deserted. A quick snap, webbing encased, and it sprang into his palm.
"Six," he whispered.
He didn't linger. A swift climb, a swing, and he stood at the sound of the falls. Spray encased the rocks, but his instinct for danger led his hand. He leaped, web shot out, grasped the flag in mid-leap. His chest heaved and fell, water running down his face as he landed on a moss shelf.
"Seven," he said, his voice trembling with relief. He had enough. He could qualify.
His path to the base wasn't a distance away anymore — but nothing on this station was ever easy.
As he tumbled back down into the jungle ground, figures emerged out of the trees. There stood a group of second years, four of them, their smirks practiced, their positions loose but firm. One, tall and gaunt with a hooked scar above his jawline, stepped forward.
"Well, well. A first-year with a whole set," the one with the scars sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Turn them over. You don't need to qualify. Better you creep away now than be embarrassed afterwards."
Lian froze, his thoughts reeling. He had wanted to avoid just this.
But he saw movement beside him — Xia stepping out of the shadows, her eyes icy and electric flame running along her fingers. Beside her, Rui shifted as well, his presence already making the leaves on the trees ripple in small crescents.
The second-years grinned broader. "Appears we caught three birds with one stone," another slurred, a large kid cracking his knuckles. "Better still."
Xia's lips pinched in, her voice gentle but biting. "You want us to hand them over? Attempt to take them."
Rui laughed, bitter and savage, his eyes glinting. "Finally. I was going out of my mind."
Lian adjusted his stance, webbing curled between his fingers. His nerves screamed at him, but his danger-sense kept him balanced — steering, reminding him where the blows would land.
The second-years fired first. The scarred warrior slammed a palm into the ground, shards of stone leaping upward like wicked spears. Lian rolled aside, webs releasing to sweep him out of harm's way. Rui charged through the torrent of flying rocks, compressed air bursting from his palm to send rock scattering like dust.
Xia charged forward, electricity smoldering in sparks. She punched her fist into the plump boy's chest — a crackling shock that sent him flying back, body convulsing.
"You little—!" he snarled, but Rui was already there, a gust blade cutting a shallow gash across his arm, forcing him to back away.
Another second-year sent Lian, a whip of concentrated Qi flashing at his neck. His danger-sense stung, and he ducked barely in time, webs spraying out to catch the whip halfway through the arc. He tugged with every ounce of strength, sending the attacker reeling off balance, then plunged forward on reflexive impulse with a punch to the belly. The boy doubled over, breath knocked from his lungs.
The scar-faced leader yelled, slapping his hands together. The earth beneath Xia erupted, shattered pillars of stone shooting out. But Xia was liquid, shape-changes with each bolt of lightning. She landed on one of the pillars, her gaze sharp. Electric fire crackled from her fingers, a bolt flashing down to blast the scar-faced boy's shield. He reeled, lips compressed hard against the shock.
Rui dived in immediately, wind swirling into a maelstrom about his arm. Laughing harshly, he thrust the packed gust into the man's chest. The shock slammed him back into a tree with a joint-shuddering crack.
Two of the second-years were on the ground. The two others tried to regroup, desperation shining in their eyes. One pulled up a wall of stone, the other called forth spears of hardened Qi and launched them rapid-fire.
Lian snapped into motion. He leapt high, webs flicking to snatch the spears midair, redirecting them back toward their caster. At the same time, Rui's wind shattered the barrier like glass, and Xia dove through the opening with a brilliant strike of lightning that crashed into the remaining pair.
The clash ended almost as suddenly as it had begun. The second-years groaned on the ground, defeated.
Xia breathed out, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. Her gaze flicked to Lian for an instant, gentler for a moment before she looked away. "Pathetic. They expected us to just give up?"
Rui stiffened, the smile still on his face. "That was entertaining. They should have come at me with better opponents." But his eyes snapped to Lian, keen, almost feral, before he shifted away again.
Lian gripped the flags in his harness tighter. His chest still shook, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He had made it through. They all had.
But reality was evident: time was not on their side. Ten spaces already taken. Six remaining. And now, with opponents and foes closing in, those six would not be given up without a fight.
He glanced at Xia, who stood tall and calm, and Rui, whose eyes were starved for more. His heart tightened.