Sun-drenched and ringed by old branches twist together like gnarled fingers, the forest heart opens up into a wide clearing.
In the very center, a stone pedestal rises from the grass and on top, a small wooden chest, its surface dark polished, with a silver lock that catches the light like a winking eye.
"Finally!" Serina grins, bouncing on her toes as she starts toward it. "That was way too much walking for a chest that small."
"Wait." Seth's hand shoots out to grab her arm, his split-colored eyes narrowing as they scan the clearing.
The air is still. . . too still. No birdsong, no rustle of leaves, just the heavy thud of their own hearts. "Something's wrong here."
Kara tenses, her crimson gun already in hand. Yuri pokes his head out of her hood, his tiny nose twitching.
"Ghrrrl.." He lets out a low, warning growl, his eyes fixed on the tall grass behind the pedestal.
THUMP.
The ground shakes once, so softly they almost miss it.
THUMP. THUMP.
Louder this time. . . rhythmic, heavy, like a drumbeat from the earth itself.
Then it emerges.
A boar the size of a bus, with coarse black fur that looks like twisted wire and tusks curved like scimitars, sharp enough to slice through stone.
"Whoa… that's a massive Bound." Serina whispers, her grin fading as she grip her greatsword into place. "A rare one, too. Metalhide boars are supposed to live in dessert caves, not forest clearings."
The boar lets out a deafening snort, hot air billowing from its nostrils, and its red eyes lock onto them.
Without warning, it charges.
"Scatter!" Seth yells, diving to the side just as the boar's tusks crash into the spot where he stood.
Serina acts on instinct, she plants her feet, grips her greatsword with both hands, and swings it hard at the creature's side.
CLANG!
The sound echoes like a blacksmith's hammer on anvil. A jolt shoots up Serina's arms, making her teeth rattle, the hide doesn't even flinched.
"Holy—this thing's tough!" she yells, starting to leaped back.
Before the boar spins around, its tusk grazing her shoulder, and she stumbles back, clutching the spot where the metal-like fur tore through her uniform.
Kara fires three shots in quick succession.
THUNK-THUNK-THUNK!
Bullets bounce off the boar's hide like pebbles, leaving no mark. It turns its attention to her, and she teleports behind a tree just as its tusk crashes through the bark.
The hot-headed boy swings his scythe, purple lightning crackling along the blade. He slices at the boar's flank.
ZAP-CLANG!
But instead of frying the creature, the lightning sparks off its iron fur and fizzles into the air. The boar just snorts, shaking its head like it's been bitten by a fly.
"Tch," Seth hisses, his jaw tightening. "Insulator. My lightning's useless."
The boar wheels around, barreling for Serina once more.
I can't meet this head-on again..! She drops into a crouch, gliding through the grass toward its front hooves — aiming to slip beneath its belly while it's in full stride.
A dangerous gambit. The creature is gargantuan, one misstep, and she'd be crushed flat.
But she's quick — and for a fleeting moment, she's inches away, sword lifted to strike the soft fur beneath its frame.
Yet the Metalhide boar sees it coming. Just as her blade nears its mark, it slams its front paws down and twists its bulk sharply to the side —
"What the—?!"
—its flank crashing into her before she can dart clear.
CRASH!
At the exact moment of impact, the gem on her uniform blazes bright white barrier springing up around her in the blink of an eye.
It shatters into stardust the second it takes the hit, but it soaks up the worst of the force, sending her flying toward a tree.
"Sena!" Kara teleports next to her, helping her up. "Are you okay?"
"Just… out of breath." she gasps, gritting her teeth as she glances at the flickering gem on her chest. "That thing hits like a bulldozer — and it's fast for something so big!"
The boar spins toward them both, snorting furiously.
Seth darts forward, driving his scythe into the dirt. Waves of purple electricity rippling out to crackle around its hooves, yanking its attention away.
"Retreat!" he shouts, his voice cutting through the tension. "We can't win like this — we need a plan!"
.
.
.
.
They fall back into a narrow ravine choked with ferns, the boar's snorts fading behind them as it guards the pedestal. Serina slumps against a rock, pressing a hand to her dimmed gem, while Seth paces back and forth, his scythe resting against his shoulder.
"Okay," Serina huffs, catching her breath. "So direct hits are out. Lightning's out. Bullets are out. What works on this thing?"
She lights up suddenly. "Hey — Kara! That thing you did yesterday with your gun? The one that left an ash trail? If you crank the limiter, maybe you can punch through its hide!"
Kara's face falls, shaking her head. "Can't. I used the limiter yesterday during our duel. It needs at least a full day to recharge. If I try again now, it might overheat and break."
Seth pushes off the wall, his split-colored eyes already scanning the ravine and the clearing beyond.
He's quiet for a moment — then his jaw sets, and he turns to them, his voice sharp and decisive.
"Listen up. Here's the plan — and I don't want any arguments."
Serina raises an eyebrow. "Bossy much?"
"Got a better idea?" Seth snaps. "You're down one barrier already, and we're running out of time before sunset hits. Either my plan works — or we fail."
Kara nods, her silver eyes wide with attention.
"Serina," He starts, pointing at her. "You're still the distraction. I want you to circle it, swing at its head and tusks — make it angry, make it chase you in circles. The more it spins, the more likely it is to slow down or expose its belly."
He turns to Kara. "You'll use your Arcana to move above it. Trees, rocks, anywhere high. When it's spinning from chasing Serina, it won't see you drop down. Your gun might not break the hide, but if aim for its eyes, the only soft spot we've seen, you can blind it."
"And you?" The blonde asked.
"I'll wait at the edge of the clearing." He taps his scythe against the ground. "Once it's blind and disoriented, I'll hit it with everything I've got — not lightning, just raw force. The scythe's blade is obsidian, it might cut through the belly if we get a clean shot."
He glares at both of them. "Timing is everything. One wrong move, and we're done. Got it?"
Serina salutes, a determined grin returning to her face. "Got it. Let's show this desert pig who's boss."
Kara swallows hard, her hands trembling slightly. "Okay. . ."
. . .
Serina charges first, letting out a loud battle cry that echoes through the clearing. "Hey, bulldozer! Over here, bet you can't catch me!"
The boar roars, a sound like grinding stone, and charges — but she's already dancing out of the way, circling it in wide, fluid steps.
Her blade clangs against its tusks with each swing, sending sparks flying. With every taunt, she coaxes it to spin faster and faster, its hooves kicking up clouds of dust that turn the air thick and hazy.
"Too slow! Can't even catch a girl with a big sword?" she yells, grinning even as a tusk grazes her thigh.
The boar snorts furiously, its red eyes wild with rage, spinning so fast its massive body stumbles for a split second, front hooves slipping in the dust.
That's Kara's cue.
She touches the rough bark of a nearby tree, and a red lily blooms there, its petals glowing soft in the hazy light. In a swirl of crimson, she teleports to the tree's highest branch.
The height makes her dizzy. She grips the branch so tight her knuckles locked shut, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps that catch in her throat.
Below, the boar spins like a top, Serina a flash of blonde dancing just out of its reach. The sound of their fight, yelling, roaring, the thud of hooves blends into a deafening roar that fills her head and makes her ears ring.
'Do not mess this up, don't mess this up, don't mess it up. . .'
The brunette forces herself to raise her crimson gun, her hands trembling so hard the weapon shakes in her grasp.
She squints past the dust, trying to focus on the boar's red eyes — tiny, bright dots in the blur of black fur. Her finger hovers over the trigger, her heart hammering against her ribs so hard she's sure it'll burst.
'Everyone's counting on you. You'll let them both down.' The thoughts flood her, sharp and cold. She squeezes the trigger. . .
The bullet flies wide.
.
.
.
THUNK!
.
.
.
Her heart dropped.
She missed.
For a second, everything goes still. The boar stops spinning dead in its tracks. The dust settles just enough for it to lift its head. . . and its red eyes lock directly on Kara, high up in the tree.
"KARA!" Serina yells, and hurried toward her— but she's too far, still on the other side of the clearing.
The boar rears up on its hind legs, its massive frame stretching high into the air. Its tusks, sharp as scimitars, slice through the branch Kara's standing on with one clean snap.
CRACK.
The branch gives way. Kara falls, her stomach lurching, Yuri yelping and clinging to her hood.
She fumbles for a spot to plant a lily, her fingers scraping against air, bark, nothing. . .
Until the last second, when she touches a low-hanging twig.
A lily blooms, and she teleports just as the branch crashes to the ground. She lands hard in the grass, rolling several feet, her gun skittering away from her.
Before she can get up, the boar is on her — its massive hoove raised high, ready to crush her into the dirt.
"MOVE!" Seth darts forward from the edge of the clearing, his scythe raised.
In that split second, he sees his chance — the boar's head is lowered, its red eye wide open and unguarded. YHe aims the obsidian blade straight for it, pouring all his strength into the swing.
Just as the tip of the scythe is about to connect, a faint, golden barrier flickers into existence in front of the boar's eye.
CLANG!
The blade bounces off, sending a jolt up Seth's arm that makes his already wounded shoulder throb. Enraged, he slams the scythe into the boar's side with all his remaining force
CLANG!—and purple sparks fly, the force of the impact.
"Get back!" he snarls, shoving the scythe deeper into the boar's hide, forcing it to stagger back.
The boar twists in fury, its tusk slicing through Seth's exposed arm.
Blood seeps out immediately, dark against his white skin, but he doesn't let go — he pushes harder, his teeth gritted.
Serina runs in, swinging her greatsword at the boar's head, and finally, the creature roars in frustration and retreats to the center of the clearing, pawing at the ground and snorting furiously.
They stumble back, Seth pressing a hand to his bleeding arm, Serina breathing hard and clutching her sword.
Kara sits on the grass, still shaking, staring at her empty hands. . . her gun lying several feet away, just out of reach.
The boar snorts in triumph, pawing at the ground, ready to charge again.
"Not again," Serina mutters, pulling Kara to her feet. "We need to get out of here, now!"
Seth nods, his jaw tight with pain and fury. He slams his scythe into the dirt one more time, sending a wave of purple electricity crackling across the ground.
The boar flinches, backing off for a split second enough time for them to turn and run, ducking into the thick undergrowth at the edge of the clearing.
They don't stop until they're back in the narrow ravine, the boar's roars fading behind them. The blonde leans against a rock, gasping for air, while Seth slumps against the wall, tearing a strip of fabric under his uniform to wrap around his bleeding arm.
Kara still stands frozen, her eyes fixed on the ground, Yuri nuzzling her hand in an attempt to calm her.
That's when Seth's face twists into a glare.
"What. The. Hell."
"I… I'm sorry," Kara whispers, her voice barely audible. "The dust… it was spinning too fast…."
""Excuses!" Seth barks, a cold, harsh sound that makes Kara flinched. "You had a clear shot from that branch. A perfect shot. But you froze. Again. Like that time in the entrance exam."
His voice drops to a hiss,"You had your opponent beat. His barrier was down to the last one, your gun aimed straight at him— and then you froze. Just stood there. Let him land a lucky hit. Lost. On. Purpose."
Kara stays silent, her hands gripping the fabric of her jacket so tight it shakes. Yuri whimpers, nuzzling her hand harder, but she doesn't feel it.
"I knew it," Seth says, his tone like ice. "You're the same as you were then. Talented, sure — anyone can see that. But you never try. You always hold back. You give up the second things get hard."
Serina steps forward, her face hard as stone. "Seth, stop it. She's scared—"
"Scared?!" He rounds on her, his split-colored eyes blazing with fury. "We could have died back there, because of her! I'm bleeding out, you're down one barrier, and we're about to fail this trial."
"This is why we chose to be Arcanists! We don't let fear make us useless — I don't know about you, but I'm trying to get ready for the Grand Ascend. I don't have time for someone who doesn't take our goal seriously."
"Hey — that's enough!" Serina grabs his collar, yanking him close. "You're being a total jerk right now!"
"I'm telling the truth," he snarls back.
Kara stares down at her feet, rooted in place. The words bounce around in her head — sharp and cold as shards of glass. Her eyes prick with tears, and the familiar knot in her chest swells like a tidal wave, swallowing every thought.
Their angry faces blurring into scratches in her eyes.
'You messed up. . . Useless. . . Nothing will change. '
With each thought, a high-pitched hum sparks in her ears, rising to a deafening din that blots out the world entirely.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
". . I'm sorry. . . "
She takes a step back. Her fingers brush the soft earth, and a cluster of red lilies bursts into bloom beneath her touch.
In a crimson petal storm that fills the ravine, she vanishes.
The din cuts off.
Serina releases Seth's collar, turning slowly, her eyes flying wide. "Kara?"
Only Yuri remains, huddled on the ground, his tail curled downward as he let out a soft whine.
Silence settles. . . heavy, hollow, shattered only by the boar's distant roar.
"Let her mope around," Seth mutters, turning away. "We can still take down that Bound without her."
"Sethwell…." Serina's voice is low, but it carries an anger he's never witnessed.
Before he can react, her hand connects with his cheek.
SLAP!
The sound echoes off the ravine walls. Seth staggers back, his hand flying to his face, staring at her in stunned silence.
"Jerk. . ." She says, her voice quivering. She strides toward the entrance, snatching her greatsword from where it leans against a stone.
The blonde pauses just at the edge of the light. "I'm going after her. Cool your head and have an apology ready when we return. . ." She glances back, her expression steady and severe. "That's an order from your leader."
As she disappears into the forest, he lets out a single, frustrated breath. ". . . Damnit."