"Mmm, thank for the lunch, Professor," Serina says, stretching her arms overhead with a satisfied sigh."I take back all the mean things I said about your stairs."
After everything, she got to appreciate the mountain top breeze ruffled her now-dry blonde hair.
Vance chuckles, "I'm still a professor, Einhart. Even I know better than to send hungry students into a fight. You can't think straight when your stomach's growling louder than the mobs robots you'll be facing."
He leaned against the stone railing as he gazed out at the forest stretching below, a vast sea of green that disappeared into a hazy blue horizon.
He gestured down at the forest, his voice growing steady and serious. "Welcome to my trial area. That entire woodland, from the river in the north to the cliff in the south is where you'll be tested. The portal square is right behind me."
The three of them turned to see a large, glowing blue square etched into the stone, pulsing with soft light that cast dancing shadows across the ground.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Vance said, noticing their wide eyes. "High-tech stuff, invented by a close friend, one of the other trial professors. He's the one who manages all the mob robots the school uses for training too."
Seth stepped forward, "Powered by mana crystals, right?"
"Correct," Vance said with a small smile. "Before, mana crystals were rare, we had to ration them for only the most important equipment. Especially since the Queen passed the law forbidding the hunting of Bounds."
"But after the appearance of Strays, there's no hesitation anymore... they leave behind crystal shards when they're defeated, just like regular Bounds. Not as pure as natural ones, but they work just fine for something like this."
Kara leaned in, her silver eyes fixed on the crystal as it glow brighter. "So, It's activating?"
"Just warming up," Vance explained. "Give it another minute. When it's ready, the light will turn white, that's when you step on together."
"Remember, each of you will be teleported to a random location. Your first objective is to find each other."
"Along the way, you'll encounter mob robots programmed to attack on sight, so feel free to destroy them if you need to defend yourself."
Kara tightened her grip on her jacket, "How will we find each other? The forest is so big..."
"Trust your instincts," Vance said, a small smile playing at his lips. "And remember, teamwork isn't just about being in the same place. It's about knowing your friends well enough to anticipate where they'd go, how they'd act."
He nodded toward the glowing square. "When you've all reunited, head for the heart of the forest to retrieve a small chest I've place there. You'll know it when you see it."
Serina gripped her greatsword tighter, a determined grin spreading across her face. "Perfect. Let's do this. Everyone, you ready to make scrap metal out of those mobs robots?"
Kara looked at Serina, then at Seth. The two people who'd gone from strangers to her teammates in just a day.
She nodded, her silver eyes steady. "Ready."
The hot-headed boy gave a short, sharp nod. "Let's get this over with."
"Whenever you're ready," Vance said, stepping back to give them space. "Once you step onto the portal, there's no turning back until you complete the trial or fail."
Serina grinned, "Alright team.. uh.. no name yet, but we've got heart! Let's go find each other, grab that chest, and show Professor Vance what we're made of!"
They stepped onto the glowing portal square together, the blue light intensifying until it swallowed them whole.
In three separate flashes of light, they vanished from the mountain top, scattered like stars across the vast green forest below.
The older man smile, "Good luck, future Arcanist.."
. . .
A blue light fades, and Serina lands in a tangle of roots and ferns, her greatsword slamming into the dirt to catch her balance.
She pushes herself up, brushing moss off her skirt, and looked up at the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy.
'No Arcana to imitate this time,' she reminds herself, grinning despite the danger. 'Good. Let's see what my baby weapon can do.'
WHIRRRRR!!
Just in time, three mob robots emerge from behind a cluster of oak trees, boxy metal frames with spinning saw blades for arms and red sensor eyes that lock onto her instantly.
They're tall, fast, and loud as hell.
"Alright, tin cans," Serina yanks her greatsword from the ground, twirling it in a wide arc that sends leaves flying. "Let's see what you've got."
The first robot charges, saw blade whirring. Serina doesn't dodge— she meets it, planting her feet and slamming the flat of her sword into the robot's side.
CLANG!
The robot spins off course, crashing into a tree trunk.
Before it can recover, the second lunges. She steps back, planting her foot as she twists her wrist, then swings upward. The edge of her sword slices through its metal torso like butter.
SCREECH
It crashes to the ground, sparks flying from its broken joint.
The third robot circles her, sensor eye flickering. It darts left, then right, trying to find an opening. Serina follow it with cool focus, spinning her sword in a lazy circle at her side.
"Come on, slowpoke! I've got friends to find!"
It pounces. She doesn't dodge - instead, she lifts her sword high, then brings it down hard on the ground in front of her.
The impact sends a shockwave through the dirt, making the robot stumble. In that split second, she's on it - leaping onto its back, wrapping one leg around its frame, and driving the hilt of her sword into its sensor eye.
CRACK!
The robot goes limp, and she hops off, landing lightly on her feet. She wipes sweat from her forehead, twirling her sword one last time before resting it on her shoulder.
"Not bad for no Arcana," she mutters, scanning the forest for any sign of Kara or Seth. "Now where are those two...?"
.
.
.
.
Kara materializes in a quiet clearing, surrounded by tall wildflowers that brush against her knees.
"Nyak!" Yuri yelps, scrambling from her hood to cling to her arm, his tiny claws digging in.
"Shh, it's okay," she whispers, drawing her crimson gun. Her silver eyes scan the treeline, no robots yet but she can hear the distant whir of motors.
She takes a step forward, then freezes at the sound of whirring above her.
They're small, with thin metal wings and tiny needle-like projectiles loaded in their underbellies. One dives at her, and she ducks instinctively, her hand flying to her gun's holster.
Fighting head-on isn't her style.
She touches the ground with her free hand. A cluster of red spider lilies blooms at her feet. She fires a shot at a tree across the clearing.
THUNK—! another lily sprouts from the bark.
The first robot charges. She vanishes in a swirl of crimson petals, reappearing atop the tree branch. The robots spin in confusion, their sensors scanning the empty spot where she stood.
Kara aims her gun, the crimson glow intensifying. She fires two shots not at the robots, but at two more trees on opposite sides of the clearing.
Two more patches of lilies bloom.
She teleports to the first new spot, then the second, moving so fast she's just a flash of red and black. The robots whirl around, trying to track her, firing needles at random that stick into the bark around her.
One of them finally catches sight of her and attack. She rolls to the side, stopping right behind it -and fires a shot at its back.
BANG!—sparks fly, and it staggers forward.
Another robot turns. She jumps, touching its metal shoulder mid-air, and a lily blooms there.
Before it can react—she teleports onto its shoulder, firing a point-blank shot into its sensor eye. It shuts down immediately, and she leaps off as it falls.
The remaining two robots converge on her. She teleports to the center of the clearing, then fires a shot at the ground between them, a lily blooms and she uses it to jump over their heads, landing behind them.
She fires two quick shots, one into each of their backs.
CLANG-CLANG!
They collapse, and silence falls over the clearing. Kara lets out a deep breath, petting Yuri's head to calm him down.
"Okay... that's done," she says quietly, looking toward the direction of the distant whirring. "I hope I can find them soon."
.
.
.
.
Seth lands on a rocky outcrop overlooking a narrow stream, his feet finding perfect balance as the blue light fades.
He grips the hilt of his scythe— tall as he is, with a curved black blade that glints like obsidian and pulls it from the loop on his back.
The weapon hums softly in his hand, as if it's hungry for a fight.
WHIRRR-THUD
Five robots emerge from the undergrowth on both sides of the stream.
Bulkier than expected, with thick metal frames, two saw blades per arm, and red sensor eyes that lock onto him instantly.
They fan out, blocking his path to the forest's heart.
Seth click his tongue. He drops into a low stance, the scythe's blade dragging lightly across the rock.
A faint purple glow begins to crackle along his arms - awaking to life.
The first two charge across the stream, water splashing up around their legs. Seth moves forward in one fluid motion, swinging his scythe in a wide arc.
The blade slices through the air with a sharp slice and the purple lightning leaps from the metal, arcing across the stream to strike both robots at once.
ZAP-CRACKLE!
Sparks explode from their frames. They stumble, short-circuiting, and tumble into the water with a loud SPLASH.
The remaining three spread out to flank him- two on the left, one on the right.
Seth spins, his scythe whirling in a tight circle. Lightning crackles along the blade's edge, forming a purple terrain around him to block out the first flanker's attempt.
He kicks out with his right leg, catching it in the torso, then brings the scythe down hard on its shoulder joint.
CLANG
The metal snaps. He yanks the blade free, then flicks his wrist—a bolt of lightning shoots from his fingertips, striking the second left flanker square in its sensor eye.
The last robot charges from the right, both saw blades spinning at full speed. Seth stood still as he plants his feet, grips the scythe with both hands, and lets the lightning build, purple arcs dance across his body, making his hair stand on end.
"Too slow,"
.
.
.
[Thunderbolt]
A massive wave of purple lightning release from his body, spreading out wide that covers the entire ravine.
The lightning hits all three robots at once, their armor melts, their circuits fry, and they collapse in a heap of smoking metal.
Silence falls. Seth lets the lightning fade, the purple glow dying from his arms and scythe died down. He wipes a drop of sweat from his forehead, then looks out over the forest, his split white-and-purple hair blowing in the breeze.
"Took longer than expected," he mutters, his gaze narrowing in the direction of the forest's heart. "They better be heading this way. Or else, I'm doing this alone."
. . .
Kara watches Yuri's nose twitch as he sniffs at a clump of grass,"You got something, boy?"
"Rwaf!" He lets out a happy bark, paw up as he statue toward a narrow path lined with ferns.
They weave through the undergrowth, every path a maze of twisted roots and thorny bushes. as they focus on the scent.
"Is this... Sena's?" Kara asks, picking up wrap mint candy on the ground near a stream.
Yuri barks enthusiastically, then suddenly freezes. His ears perk up, and he spins around, staring at a small bright blue butterfly [Bound] fluttering just above a patch of wildflowers.
"Yuri, no—wait, we're on a trail!"
The little canine leaps toward it, chasing the poor butterfly in a flurry of panicked and the pet's excited yelps, completely forgetting the scent he'd been following.
"Yuri!" Kara hurries after him, tripping over roots as she goes. By the time she catches him perched on a rock, swatting at the butterfly with his tiny paw..
They're trail is long gone.
She sighs, scooping him up. "It's okay... we'll try again."
"KARA! YOU OUT THERE?!"
Just then, she hears a familiar voice echo through the trees - loud, bright, unmistakably Serina's.
Kara's head snaps up as she yelled back. "Sena! I'm her—!"
BOOOOM!!
A deafening explosion rips through the air, right in the direction of the blonde. When the smoke clears, there's only silence.
"...Sena?" The brunette whispers, her heart sinking.
She hurried toward the blast site, but by the time she gets there, all she finds is a pile of smoking robot scrap and a single blonde hair caught on a pine needle.
Kara picks it up, twisting it between her fingers. "Almost...."
. . .
Serina wipes robot gunk from her blade and flops down into the once flying bot she'd just chased. "That was fun, but seriously— where'd those two run off to? I could've sworn I caught Kara's voice a little while back...."
'Okay me. Think,' She thought then picked up a stick, drawing on the dirt. 'Forest heart is north. Seth's practical, he'll go straight north. Kara's careful, she'll take the safer west path that follows the river. . . maybe.'
"I should find Kara first then go together to the meeting place, if Seth was really waiting there." She grins, proud of her plan.
She starts walking, humming as she goes. Along the way, she spots a tree with a red spider lily blooming on its bark.
Kara's lily. Her face lights up. "Yes! She was here!"
She follows the trail, one on a rock, another on a fallen log until they lead her to a stream. She wades across, splashing water up her skirt, and looks around.
No brunette in sight. But she does see fresh footprints in the mud.
Big, heavy, definitely the hot-headed boy.
She starts walking in the direction of the footprints, calling out as she goes. "SETH! KARA! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I FOUND KARA'S TRAIL!"
Just then, she hears a gunshot echo from the trees ahead - sharp, clear, Kara's gun. She breaks into a run. "KARA! I'M COMING!"
She rounds a corner and nearly slams into a group of five new robots, their saw blades whirring. "Ugh, really? Now?"
She draws her sword, diving into the fight. By the time she's done with them, the gunshots have stopped. She runs to where she heard them, but all she finds is an empty clearing, with two more lilies blooming on the trees and a faint scratches.
"Just missed her," she mutters, kicking a piece of robot scrap. "Fine! If they won't come to me, I'll go to the heart and wait. They have to get there eventually."
. . .
Seth strides through the forest, his scythe resting on his shoulder, every step purposeful. He doesn't waste time looking around, he knows exactly where the heart is, and he's heading straight for it.
He passes a stream, and doesn't notice the fresh footprints in the mud that belong to the blonde, made just minutes before.
In the distance, through a pine grove, Kara's call for Serina is muffled by the shriek of metal. A robot jumps out at him. He slices through it with one quick swing of his scythe, purple lightning crackling along the blade.
"Annoying," he mutters, not breaking his stride.
He reaches a small hill overlooking the forest heart, a circular clearing with a tall boulder in the center.
But there's no one there.
He leans against the boulder, crossing his arms. "Five minutes from the heart," he mutters, checking his Slate. "They should be here by now... I hope."
He waits, pulling out his water bottle.
Five minutes pass. Ten minutes. Fifteen.
He lets out a long sigh, tapping his foot impatiently. "Where the hell are they...?"
Elsewhere in the clearing, hidden from his view, Kara slumps to her knees, catching her breath. "I'm at the big gray boulder... where are you guys?"
Serina's voice pops up immediately through her direction. "KARA! I'm at the big gray boulder too! Where are you? I don't see you!"
Seth's eyes widen, voice sharp. "You're both at the boulder? I'm already here— I don't see either of you!"
There's a beat of silence.
Then Serina says, "I'm leaning against the west side!"
"I'm on the east side...." Kara follows quickly.
Seth pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm on the north side."
Another beat of silence.
The two girls walk around the boulder, and finally see each other.
"OH MY GOSH!" Serina exclaims, running over to hug the brunette. "I took the west detour through the river to find you—did you go through there, Kara?"
Kara nods. "I did... but I was there right after you left. I saw your candy wrapper on the ground!"
Seth groans, as if nursing a headache. "I walked straight past there but didn't see either of you —oh, what in the elven name, this is so stupid...."
"HOW did we miss each other THIS many times?!"
The blonde chuckles, leaning against Kara's shoulder. "Alright, alright. The heart is just five minutes from here. Let's go since we're all together now."
The brunette nods, and Yuri jumps around, tail wiggling happily.
As they walk toward the forest heart, Serina grins. "Hey, at least this makes for a good short story! 'The Team That Missed Each Other At The Same Boulder'— it's got a ring to it!"
Seth just shakes his head. "Don't even think about making that our team name."
With that, their First Trial begins. . .
The group finally reunite.