The Leaderboard Incident
The plaza erupted the moment the new rankings were revealed.
A name—unfamiliar, freshly carved—sat boldly among the elite.
Noa. Rank 12.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd before boiling into outrage.
A soldier forced his way forward, his face red with fury. "Who is this kid?!"
Heads turned. Eyes searched. No one recognized the name.
From the back of the crowd, a hand rose calmly.
Noa.
The soldier—Vipul—stormed toward him and seized him by the collar, lifting him slightly off the ground.
"You bastard! I've never seen you in Elysium. Who are you?!"
"Vipul!" Thar stepped in sharply. "Calm yourself."
"How can I?" Vipul snarled.
"I've fought for years to reach that board. And some random brat shows up and ranks twelve?"
Thar's voice hardened. "Stop embarrassing yourself. You'll earn your place someday—don't ruin his."
Noa chuckled softly, utterly unimpressed. "Yeah… I get it. Must be rough getting surpassed by a sixteen-year-old."
Vipul swung.
Thar shoved him back before the blow could land.
"You'd protect him?" Vipul spat. "Easy for you—you're Rank Five!"
A voice thundered across the plaza.
"Enough."
Amity stood above them, his presence silencing the crowd instantly.
"I placed Noa at Rank Twelve myself. If anyone has an issue—bring it to me."
Vipul clenched his fists, then turned away, defeated.
Amity looked at Noa. "My office. Now."
The Mission
Inside the command tent, the air smelled of ink and war.
"So," Noa said casually, "what's the deal?"
Amity folded his arms. "A mission. You, Midnight, and the Dukes."
Midnight pointed to a map.
"Ryujin territory. Two days. Infiltration and intelligence gathering."
"The war starts in three," Amity added. "This has to be done fast."
"We'll handle it," Midnight said.
Amity nodded. "You leave in four hours."
Into Ryujin Territory
Night swallowed them as they rode.
Noa broke the silence. "How much longer?"
"Already tired?" Lunnaux sneered.
"Curious," Noa replied.
"Lies."
"Just shut up."
Midnight cut in. "Enough. Focus."
Zephio leaned closer. "So it's true? You're a monster in a fight?"
"Guess so," Noa said flatly.
"I want to train under you someday!" Jess added.
"I'm not the teaching type."
Lunnaux scoffed. "You're not the anything type."
Noa tightened his grip on the reins. "What's your problem with me?"
Midnight raised a hand. "We're close. Tie the horses."
They dismounted within dense brush and moved like shadows toward the Ryujin camp, silently dispatching sentries and taking their armor.
"Two teams," Midnight whispered. "North: me, Zephio, Jess. South: Noa and Lunnaux."
"No."
"Absolutely not."
"Move," Midnight snapped.
They split.
Chaos
While investigating the southern sector, Noa noticed a jeweler slipping away.
He followed.
Two robbers struck him from behind.
They checked his armor—and froze.
"Elysium spy!"
If we turn him in," the jeweler said slowly, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes, "the Ryujin will reward us handsomely. Gold. Protection. Maybe even status."
Robber 1 swallowed. "You mean… take him to the command tents?"
"Exactly," the jeweler replied. "A live Elysium spy is worth far more than a dead one."
Robber 2 hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. Let's move before someone sees us."
One of the robbers hoisted Noa onto his shoulder and started toward the alley's exit.
That was when Noa's eyes snapped open.
In a single brutal motion, he twisted his body and drove his elbow down. There was a sickening crack as the robber's arm bent the wrong way. The man screamed—but the sound was cut short when Noa spun and smashed his fist into the second robber's throat. The force collapsed his windpipe instantly.
Before the jeweler could even step back, Noa surged forward.
"Y–you—!" the jeweler stammered.
"Relax," Noa said coldly. "You're overreacting."
His fist punched straight through the man's torso.
Blood splattered the alley walls as the jeweler crumpled lifelessly to the ground.
Noa stood there for a moment, breathing hard, blood dripping from his knuckles. Then—
BOOM.
A massive explosion tore through the heart of the Ryujin camp.
Flames erupted into the sky, screams following seconds later.
Noa's head snapped toward the blast. "Lunnaux…"
He sprinted toward the central area, weaving through panicked soldiers, only to realize the situation had spiraled beyond control.
Black-armored troops were pouring into the camp from the eastern flank.
"Kuro…" Noa muttered.
Before he could react further, a hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.
"Move!" Zephio shouted.
Noa was dragged behind a supply tent where Midnight and Jess were already waiting.
"Where's Lunnaux?" Midnight demanded.
"I don't know," Noa snapped. "She split off earlier."
Midnight cursed under his breath. "Damn it. We don't have time—this place is done."
"No," Noa said immediately. "We're not leaving her."
Midnight grabbed Noa by the collar. "Listen to me. I'm the leader here."
Noa shoved him back despite his injuries. "Then lead better."
Zephio stepped forward. "I'm with Noa."
Midnight stared at them for a long second, then turned away. "Fine. But we do this fast."
They plunged back into the battlefield.
Noa spotted Lunnaux almost immediately—engulfed by Ryujin infantry, fighting like a demon. He tried to reach her, but three Kuro soldiers mistook his armor for Ryujin steel and attacked.
It took seconds.
Hands, elbows, raw violence—Noa crushed them all.
A Kuro officer nearby noticed the white-and-gold cloth beneath Noa's armor.
"Elysium!" he shouted. "That one's Elysium"
The Kuro commander's voice boomed across the battlefield. "Elysium is now our enemy as well!"
Chaos doubled.
Noa fought through both sides, wounds opening across his body. Behind him, Zephio cried out—a blade punched clean through his side.
Something in Noa snapped.
He slaughtered five soldiers in moments, barely aware of his own injuries. Blood soaked his back, his legs trembling.
"Jess!" Noa shouted. "Take Zephio and get out. Now!"
Jess hesitated—then obeyed.
Noa turned back toward Lunnaux, cutting down the soldiers around her and shoving her toward an opening.
"Run!"
She tried to follow him—but the crowd swallowed him whole.
Five Ryujin elites surrounded Noa.
He killed four.
The fifth slashed his back open and sent him crashing into the mud.
"Finally," the soldier sneered, raising his blade.
"Time to die."
Thwack.
An arrow pierced the man's throat.
Another. Another.
From the rooftops, a hooded archer cleared a path.
Lunnaux dragged Noa out under cover of arrows.
Nearby, Midnight slammed soldiers in his way, into the ground—but four guards rushed him, forcing him to retreat.
In the forest, the archer paused.
"Wh–who are you…?" Noa whispered.
"None of your business," the archer replied. "I'm just doing my job."
Then he vanished.
Minutes later, Midnight emerged from the trees and lifted Noa onto his shoulder.
They reached the horses.
Jess and Zephio were gone.
Midnight's jaw tightened. "We leave."
Lunnaux glared at him. "Without them?"
"If we stay," Midnight said quietly, "everyone dies."
Noa forced his eyes open. "…You said we were a team."
Midnight clenched his fists.
"…Fine."
"Lunnaux," he said, turning back toward the burning camp, "take Noa and go."
Then Midnight disappeared into the fire.