Into the Argentum Spires
The cavern still echoed with the dying roar of the Rot-Scaled Monarch, its final scream fading into a trembling hush that settled over the five girls. Though the battle was over, their bodies still shook, throats raw from breathing smoke and adrenaline. The air was thick with the metallic scent of green dragon blood, sizzling against the cracked stone floor.
Luna Frostborne wiped the sweat from her brow—only to realize it was already turning to thin frost along her fingertips.
Her hands trembled.
Mega Ice… I actually did it.
She stared at her palms, watching faint crystalline mist gather between her fingers like newborn stars.
Then—
A cold chime rippled through the cavern.
⟢ SYSTEM UPDATE
Element Evolution Complete
Luna Frostborne → Mega Ice
Lifespan Increase: +500 Years
A pulse of icy aura burst from her chest, spiraling outward in magnificent arcs of pale blue. The cavern floor crackled beneath her as frost spread like fractal veins.
"Luna… your aura—" Liora breathed, eyes wide.
Before Luna could answer, another chime rang.
⟢ SYSTEM UPDATE
Element Evolution Complete
Liora Greenhaven → Mega Nature
Lifespan Increase: +500 Years
Verdant energy erupted around Liora—bright, ancient, alive. Vines unfurled from the cavern floor, sprouting leaves in an instant as if the very earth worshipped her presence. The scent of fresh rain rolled through the cavern, banishing the dragon's acidic stench.
"Whoa—! L-Liora, the plants are glowing!" Aria exclaimed.
"Sorry! I—I can't control it yet!" she replied, cheeks flushed with shock and excitement.
Another chime.
⟢ SYSTEM UPDATE
Element Evolution Complete
Aria Harmonix → Mega Resonance
Lifespan Increase: +500 Years
Aria gasped as radiant rings of vibrating light expanded from her chest, humming like ancient temple bells struck by unseen hands. Her hair lifted as if weightless, dancing to a silent melody only she could hear.
"It feels like… every sound in the world is inside me," she whispered, awestruck.
A sharp breeze tore through the cavern—clean, powerful, familiar.
Skyler's turn.
⟢ SYSTEM UPDATE
Element Evolution Complete
Skyler Aeris → Mega Wind
Lifespan Increase: +500 Years
Wind burst around her in a spiraling halo. The air itself bowed to her presence, forming a humming vortex that whipped her hair and clothes with reverence.
Skyler blinked.
"I… feel like I could fly forever."
Lyra placed a hand on her shoulder—and time trembled.
A final chime echoed through the cavern. Deep. Echoing. Eternal.
⟢ SYSTEM UPDATE
Element Evolution Complete
Lyra Timekeeper → Mega Time
Lifespan Increase: +500 Years
A ripple of shimmering temporal energy unfolded around her. The stone beneath her flickered—aging, reverting, aging again, trapped in a loop just for an instant before settling into stillness.
Lyra inhaled, eyes glowing with shifting golden gears.
"So… this is Mega Time…"
For a moment, the five of them simply stood there—bathed in their evolving auras, overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of what they had achieved. Their chests rose and fell in unsteady breaths.
We're not the same girls who walked into this forest.
Luna swallowed hard, eyes stinging.
They weren't just stronger.
They were evolving into something legendary.
Something feared.
Something respected.
Something… profitable.
Luna choked back a laugh.
Mega Wizards earn more in a month than a whole noble family makes in a year.
She could already see the numbers, the future, the new life that awaited them.
But they had one destination left before that dream became real.
The Argentum Spires.
The journey out of Darkwood Forest felt surreal. Every step carried the subtle thrill of newfound power. The wind felt lighter. The soil felt warmer. Sounds resonated differently.
And Skyler—
Skyler had become a force of nature.
She extended her hand, and the air swirled beneath their feet, lifting them effortlessly.
"Everyone ready?" she asked, her smile uncharacteristically soft.
Luna grabbed her arm.
"I trust you."
Lyra placed a stabilizing palm on the vortex. "I'll anchor time around us. This should prevent any turbulence."
Aria grinned.
"And if the wind crashes, I'll cushion the impact with resonance."
Liora added, "And I'll grow vines to catch all of you if you fall!"
Skyler pouted. "Do you all think I'm going to drop you!?"
"No," they chorused.
"Yes," Lyra added.
Skyler gasped. "Traitor!"
Laughing, the five of them rose into the sky, riding a spiraling updraft that shimmered with Mega Wind.
The world below blurred into streaks of green and gold as they soared.
Hours later, the Argentum Spires revealed themselves—vast silver towers piercing through clouds, reflecting sunlight like celestial blades. Their peaks shimmered with ancient barrier magic, rippling with soft white energy.
Luna's heart pounded.
This… this is the place where everything changes.
They descended gently onto a marble platform veined with glowing silver lines. Cool wind swept through the plaza, carrying whispers of dormant power.
"I'm sure it's around here somewhere," Luna murmured, scanning the sprawling silver labyrinth.
The Argentum Spires stretched endlessly—bridges looping into thin air, stairways spiraling into the clouds, luminescent glyphs drifting like fireflies.
"I think I see something," Aria said, pointing ahead.
At the far edge of the platform, a faint glow pulsed—a crescent-shaped archway emerging from the silver haze. It was carved from white stone that glowed faintly blue, as if moonlight lived within it. Floating silver shards framed its form, humming with ancient energy as runes spiraled across its surface, alive with soft pulses of light.
Luna felt her breath catch.
The Sanctuary.
The place where Mega Wizards were born.
Where destinies were rewritten.
Her fingers pressed against her chest as her heartbeat steadied—fast, but resolute.
We're finally here.
This… is our evolution.
Trials of Ascension
The air around the Argentum Spires shimmered with sacred silver mist, brushing against their skin like feathers woven from light. Power lingered here—ancient, patient, and watchful.
Luna exhaled slowly. The cold mist from her breath crystallized for a heartbeat before dissolving into nothing.
So this is it…
The place where people become Mega Wizards.
Excitement and dread twisted together in her chest as her Mega Ice-enhanced senses sharpened, turning the world into crystal clarity.
Aria stepped closer, eyes wide as the runes reflected in them like dancing stars. "So… that's the entrance."
Luna nodded, unable to look away.
Together, the newly ascended Mega Element wielders stepped forward, bathed in the otherworldly glow of the archway—unaware of the trials that awaited beyond it.
As they approached, the air grew warmer, softer, almost reverent.
A woman was waiting for them.
A priestess—draped in flowing white cloth threaded with argent silk—stood at the center of the arch. Her long, silver hair drifted behind her as if underwater. When she smiled, it wasn't merely kind; it was ancient, like she'd witnessed countless lifetimes.
"Welcome, young ones," she greeted, bowing her head slightly. "Your auras… they shine brighter than most who come here. I sense that you are seeking the path to becoming Mega Wizards."
Luna's pulse jumped.
She can tell? From just looking at us?
The priestess lifted one hand, and the runes across the entrance flared with light, bathing the entire courtyard in a gentle flash.
"We know why you have come. And we honor your resolve."
Then, something unexpected flickered before the group—bright, sharp, and electronic.
A system window.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
Sanctuary Detected: Argentum Spires – Trial Grounds
Eligibility: Confirmed
Mega Evolution Registered
Lifespan Increase Applied: +500 Years
All Party Members Updated Successfully
Even though they already received the update before, the system reaffirmed their new state as if acknowledging the beginning of a greater path.
Lyra exhaled, shoulders shaking slightly as she whispered, "Five hundred more years… It still feels unreal."
Skyler swallowed hard. "That's enough time to… live multiple lifetimes."
Liora placed a hand on her chest. "Then we can't waste it."
Aria stared at her trembling hands.
Mega Resonance… I still don't fully understand what I've become.
But she squared her shoulders.
No—this is the path I chose. I can't stop here.
The priestess continued, her voice carrying effortlessly through the courtyard.
"To become one of the Mega Wizards, you must prove your mastery over your element by confronting its greatest weakness."
She raised her hand, and the world around them shifted.
The ground trembled.
Light bent.
And suddenly—
Five pathways unfolded from the courtyard like blooming petals, each one marked with a floating sigil representing their elements.
The priestess's eyes gleamed like silver fire.
"There are only three Mega Wizards in existence," she said.
"Kael Elastor – Mega Rubber.
Nova Aetherwynd – Mega Neutrality.
Riven Nexusborn – Mega Connection."
The names struck like thunder.
These weren't merely famous figures—they were legends.
Unreachable. Untouchable.
"And now," the priestess continued, "five more stand on the threshold."
Luna's throat tightened.
Five… us. Can we really stand among monsters like them?
But the cold aura rising from her skin told her the truth:
Yes. They could try.
The priestess gestured to the pathways.
"Your trials await. Each one is designed to exploit the greatest vulnerability of your Mega Element. Overcome them, and you will be acknowledged by the Sanctuary."
She pointed first to the path that glowed like molten metal.
---
Luna Frostborne – Mega Ice → Trial: The Magma Forge
A gateway of flaming stone towered at the end of the path, radiating unbearable heat. Rivers of magma flowed like serpents through cracks in the rock, belching steam into the air.
The very sight made Luna's breath hitch.
The heat felt like knives against her cold-affinity skin.
Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest.
Fire… why did it have to be fire?
But she stepped forward anyway.
"Your ice will melt," the priestess said softly. "Unless your resolve freezes the flames."
Luna clenched her fists.
"I'll make it."
---
Liora Greenhaven – Mega Nature → Trial: Boulder Crater
The ground split open into an enormous pit filled with colossal stone pillars and shifting plates of earth. The terrain moved on its own, grinding and crushing anything in its path.
"The earth will not yield to gentle nature," the priestess warned.
"It will try to break you."
Liora took a shaky breath.
Good. Let it try.
---
Aria Harmonix – Mega Resonance → Trial: The Mirror's Labyrinth
A spiraling mirrored hall stretched endlessly, reflecting infinite copies of herself. Every footstep echoed too loudly. Every sound warped unnaturally.
Her chest tightened.
This place… It feels like it wants to tear my mind apart.
"Resonance relies on harmony," the priestess said.
"This labyrinth will shatter it."
Aria nodded with trembling lips. "Then I'll find a new harmony."
---
Skyler Aeris – Mega Wind → Trial: The Balanced Scale
Two towering platforms suspended in midair by invisible force fields swayed dangerously with even the slightest movement. The wind here was hostile, chaotic—refusing to obey him.
"Wind without restraint is destruction," the priestess said.
"You must find balance where none exists."
Skyler gritted his teeth.
If the wind won't listen… I'll make it.
---
Lyra Timekeeper – Mega Time → Trial: The Harmonic Caverns
A tunnel of glowing crystals hummed with oscillating frequencies. Each vibration twisted the flow of time itself—speeding it up, slowing it down, warping it unpredictably.
Lyra felt vertigo slam into her.
Time… It's slipping around me…
"Control time," the priestess whispered, "even when it breaks."
Lyra steadied herself.
"I will."
The priestess stepped back, her voice echoing like a soft command from the heavens.
"Go. Prove your mastery. And rise as the next Mega Wizards."
The five girls exchanged one last look—fearful, determined, and burning with hope.
Then—
They each stepped into their trial.
And the world swallowed them whole.