A cloudy evening settled over Luxen Town.
The practice ground beside the shrine was quiet, the air cool and slightly damp from the earlier rain. Gray clouds drifted slowly overhead, dimming the last light of the sun.
Vyvian and Will stood several meters apart, facing each other.
Faye and Rem stood near the wooden fence lining the field, watching silently.
Will rolled his shoulders once and grinned.
"Are you ready?"
Vyvian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yeah."
Will's grin widened.
"Go!"
A sudden surge of Qi pulsed from Will's body.
His frame expanded. His chubby physique tightened and hardened into powerful muscle. His arms thickened, veins surfacing beneath his skin. A long, agile tail burst from behind him and flicked through the air.
His face shifted slightly, gaining primal features. His jaw sharpened. His eyes grew fierce.
He flexed instinctively.
A deep, echoing howl left his throat.
Faye blinked.
"Wow… his whole look changed."
Rem nodded slowly, studying carefully.
"His muscle density increased significantly."
Across from him, Vyvian inhaled slowly.
Blue scutes began forming across his skin, spreading over his arms, neck, and jawline. His pupils thinned into sharp serpent slits. A faint forked tongue flicked out from between his lips.
His voice shifted, stretching into a low hiss.
"Thatsss quiteee interesstinng transformationnn."
Will smirked.
"Yeah. You too."
Vyvian's Qi ignited around him in a cold blue aura.
In the next instant
He dashed forward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he closed the distance in a blink.
Will raised both arms and blocked the incoming punch.
The impact thundered through the field.
But Vyvian didn't stop there.
A burst of ice exploded outward from his body.
The shockwave shoved Will back several steps, boots scraping against the dirt.
Will grinned through it.
"Nice!"
In a flash, he reappeared in front of Vyvian and delivered a powerful straight punch.
The hit landed cleanly.
Vyvian was launched backward and hit the ground hard, sliding across the dirt.
Faye leaned forward slightly.
"He's faster than before…"
Vyvian rolled and pushed himself back up immediately.
Cold Qi gathered around his hands. Ice crystals formed rapidly in the air around him.
With a sharp gesture, he sent them flying.
They shot toward Will like shards of frozen glass.
Will planted his feet and released wind Qi around himself. A spiraling current formed in front of him, deflecting the incoming crystals before they could pierce his skin.
Without hesitation, Will lunged forward again.
His fist slammed into Vyvian's chest.
Before Vyvian could recover, Will released a burst of compressed wind at point blank range.
The explosion of air threw Vyvian several meters back.
He tumbled but quickly rose again.
He began channeling.
Will charged again
But the ground beneath him suddenly glowed blue.
Ice spikes erupted upward violently.
They struck Will and knocked him backward.
Rem's eyes sharpened.
"He's controlling the battlefield now."
Faye smiled softly.
"He's improved so much…"
Tornado
Will stood, brushing dirt from his shoulder.
His aura intensified.
He inhaled deeply and gathered Qi into his core.
"TORNADO!"
Wind roared outward.
A spiraling vortex formed in front of him, pulling dust and loose stones into its rotation.
With a forward thrust of his arm, Will launched it.
The tornado surged across the ground and slammed into Vyvian.
Vyvian crossed his arms to defend, but the force lifted him and sent him crashing several meters back.
He hit the ground hard.
For a brief moment, the field fell silent.
Then
Vyvian slowly pushed himself up.
His breathing was heavier now.
Cold energy began swirling intensely around his hands.
Ice formed over his fists like glowing gauntlets.
He dashed forward again.
Will crossed his arms to block.
But this time
It wasn't a normal punch.
Vyvian's fist collided with Will's forearm.
Instantly, ice spread across Will's arm, freezing it solid in seconds.
Will's eyes widened.
Before he could break free
A thick icy mist burst outward from Vyvian's body.
The temperature dropped sharply.
Will's movements slowed as frost gathered around his legs.
Vyvian stepped in.
Punch.
Punch.
Punch.
Each strike landed clean and fast, enhanced by freezing Qi.
Will tried to summon wind to break the ice binding him—
But the mist kept slowing his reactions.
Finally
Vyvian stepped back.
Both of them stood breathing heavily.
Will looked at the ice still clinging to his arm.
Then he laughed.
"Hahaha… alright."
He raised his free hand.
"I concede."
The icy mist faded.
Vyvian blinked.
The blue scutes slowly receded. His serpent eyes softened back to normal.
Will's monkey form faded as well, muscles shrinking back to his usual build, tail disappearing.
They stepped toward each other.
And shook hands.
"That was awesome," Will said with a grin.
Vyvian smiled, slightly flushed.
"You're stronger than I expected."
Faye hurried over.
"You did so much better than before, Vyvian!"
Vyvian scratched the back of his head, clearly flattered.
"You think so?"
Rem looked at Will.
"Your wind control is impressive. That tornado had great density."
Will smiled proudly.
"Thanks."
He stretched his arms once more.
"Well guys, let's meet again the day after tomorrow. Tournament day. And give it everything."
"Sure thing," Vyvian replied.
They exchanged goodbyes.
Will waved as he headed back toward town.
Vyvian, Rem, and Faye watched him disappear into the evening streets.
The clouds above darkened slightly.
The tournament was close.
Another Arrival
High above Luxen Town, a black raven cut through the sky.
Its wings were sleek and powerful.
The bird descended and landed near the shrine courtyard.
Feathers shifted.
The raven transformed.
Cherri stood there, brushing her dark hair back over her shoulder.
She walked toward the shrine entrance calmly.
Inside, Elder Plat was once again distributing tournament tokens to late participants.
She approached him.
"I'd like to register."
Elder Plat studied her briefly, then handed her a token.
"Welcome to the Luxen Seasonal Tournament."
She took it silently and turned to leave.
As she stepped outside
A sharp pain shot through her shoulder.
She flinched slightly.
"Tch."
She rolled her shoulder once.
The pain faded quickly.
She continued walking.
But her eyes were thoughtful.
Later That Evening
Walking back through town, Vyvian glanced at Rem and Faye.
"Guys… remember Cherri? She said she'd come to the tournament too."
Rem nodded.
"Yes."
"Should we go find her? Maybe she's already here."
Rem shook his head calmly.
"We can. But not today. We should rest."
Faye agreed.
"Tomorrow we can look around town."
Vyvian hesitated slightly.
"Yeah. You're right."
He sounded a little disappointed.
But he nodded.
"Okay. Tomorrow."
The three of them walked quietly under the cloudy evening sky.
Unaware
That Cherri was already in Luxen.
And the tournament would bring more than just friendly competition.