Inside the control dome, Owen's attention was riveted to the array of monitors, fingers flying across the console. Suddenly, alarms blared and the grid flickered—four life signals had vanished without a trace.
Alys. And her three subordinates.
Owen's jaw clenched, eyes wide.
"Impossible…" he muttered, voice taut with dread. "She was near the core, not even in the extreme boundary. How could she just disappear?"
The screen showed nothing but static—mist forest had swallowed them whole.
***
### Mist Forest, Outer Region — Crimson Lake
Beyond the dense fog, Alys glided forward through a labyrinth of tangled roots and towering stone. The pressure in the air felt almost solid, oppressive enough to make mortals choke. Yet she moved with absolute poise, her red eyes focused, her elegant stride undisturbed.
Behind, her three followers staggered, haunted, their breaths shallow and uneven; each step pressed their nerves into breaking. But Alys never looked back.
At last, the passage opened onto a still lake, its surface painted with a floating veil of crimson mist—like blood spilled in water. The dark aura lurked, predatory and alive.
Alys drew a slow, intoxicating breath, lips curving thoughtfully.
"How beautiful…" she whispered to the silence.
One step forward—and the mist reacted. Power exploded around her, searing through her veins with blinding intensity. For a heartbeat, her face twisted in agony, her breath faltered.
Then the transformation began.
A black rune etched itself onto her forehead, twisting and shimmering. The whites of her eyes darkened as she drew the energy in, her pained gasps steadied into regal control.
She gazed forward; now the crimson lake's power greeted her as kin. It resonated in her blood, awakening something ancient within. Her hair flickered with subtle scarlet light, her whole bearing transformed—no longer merely Alys Virellis, but something reborn.
In the heart of the lake, a gem of pure pulsating crimson floated upward. Alys reached out, her hand steady as she claimed the prize.
The moment her fingers closed around it, a beam of bloodlight shot through her brow. Behind her, her followers collapsed—shackles within their bodies shattering as raw, wild energy invaded their cells.
The forest shuddered. Trees groaned, roots cracked, and the very air seemed to wail with the surge of power.
Alys glanced back, a cold smirk on her lips.
"It's begun," she murmured.
Without another word, she faded into the mist—the crimson lake forever changed, its queen crowned and gone.
***
### Mist Forest Core — Battle for the Silver Nectar Flower
Deep beneath ancient boughs, a crowd of survivors gathered around a single radiant flower—its silvery petals glowed with soft, divine light. The air hummed with killing intent.
For a moment, no one dared move.
Then the timer in each heart struck zero.
Energy erupted—flames and lightning, swords and spells shattered the silence with brutal fury. The ground splintered as elemental power collided.
Lura, the Thunder Emperor's disciple, flashed forward, electric arcs rippling around her. She made it halfway up the tree before a wall of earthen force smashed her back.
"Lura!" Mark's frantic shout echoed as he fired a volley of icy shards—only for them to shatter against a torrent of fire.
Their speed was legendary; their enemies, monsters. The combined might of opposing teams pushed Lura and Mark beyond their limits. A fatal wave of energy barreled their way—a threat not even desperation could overcome.
BOOM!
A line of sword intent sliced the air, rupturing the attack and splitting the battlefield in two.
From the shadows, Alys Virellis emerged—her features now returned to normal, yet her aura subtly different.
She walked beside Lura, meeting her wary gaze.
Lura gasped, "Why would you help us?"
Alys didn't look at her. Her eyes were trained on the enemy, voice icy.
"Because we're from the same team. And the same city."
No hesitation. No explanation. She stepped forward, dark crimson energy swirling around her in a spiraling storm.
The power was suffocating. Several opponents hesitated, senses battered by invisible waves of pressure.
Mark's eyes widened, words barely a whisper.
"I knew Alys was strong, but… she feels different. How did she grow this powerful so quickly?"
The air shivered—then shattered, split by a thunderous explosion.
Alys's blade swept the battlefield. In one strike, she sent seasoned warriors flying, carving trenches deep into the earth. When the dust settled, defeated bodies lay scattered beneath a pool of crimson.
Lura and Mark stood frozen, caught between awe and disbelief.
But the earth was not finished with its revelations.
The soil fractured, tremors escalating until cracks veined outward like a living web. Deep beneath the forest, a rhythmic pulse grew louder—an ancient heartbeat laced with unseen energy.
***
### Cataclysm — Land Rises
Back in the control dome, Owen stared at his screens in growing horror.
"Impossible…" he choked, watching seismic graphs explode upward.
A patch of land—nearly six miles wide—was rising from the forest floor, breaking free of its roots. Seismic readings screamed emergency.
"Prepare the ships!" Owen barked. "We're heading to the Mist Forest—now!"
***
### Mist Forest Core — Threshold of Chaos
Alys stood at the precipice as the world convulsed beneath her feet. Crimson eyes glinted; the ground rose, glowing with a faint, unearthly red through the mist.
She smiled—a slow, dangerous smirk, satisfaction burning in her gaze.
"It's about time," she whispered.
Now, with the world shifting under her feet, Alys Virellis is waiting for the coming storm.
All across the battlefield, a shattering upheaval threw teams into chaos. The earth convulsed, and the landmass rose beneath their feet, sending shockwaves through ranks already on edge. Some cadets froze in mute terror, their weapons trembling in slackened grips as the ground itself rebelled. Others stumbled back into the mist, hearts pounding with dread. Yet among them were a few—battle-forged, hungry for glory—who grinned amid the chaos. Their eyes gleamed with exhilaration, for the crimson-lit sky and the rising terrain only promised a grander stage… and a bloodier legend to carve.