Since Sensei wasn't going to drop us off as usual, Kai took Sensei's keys. As we both stood in front of the car, the air suddenly felt heavy.
"I'll drive," Kai said.
We looked at each other like we'd both had the same thought.
"Yeah." I quickly nodded in agreement.
I got inside, and we both let out a loud, exhausted sigh, like we'd just escaped an attack—or a jail.
Then we looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"That was a lot to process in one day," I said, smiling at him.
"Tell me about it…" he replied.
"I still feel sore. I really thought a mango was going to kill me today," he added, shaking his head like he still couldn't believe he was alive.
We laughed again. The air around us finally felt warm and relaxed.
"You know, for such a dangerous person, you have a pretty…" He tilted his head, pretending to think. "Interesting personality."
"Well… I'm full of surprises," I said, smiling as I tilted my head toward him.
"But seriously, keep your eyes on the road, or we're going to get into an accident," I added, giving him a warning glare.
"Whatever you say, princess," he replied, turning his attention back to the road.
I rolled my eyes.
Even though he was focusing on the road, I could feel his eyes on me, stealing glances every now and then.
For some reason, I didn't mind.
---
While Fialova and Kai were driving home, having their little moment, Sensei received a call.
"Hey, Sensei. I know you said you're busy training the new spies, but we have a problem," the person on the other end said.
"I don't care. You're the best agent under me. Figure it out," Sensei replied calmly.
Suddenly, gunshots rang out from the other end.
Sensei's expression changed immediately.
He had heard gunshots countless times before, but he knew one thing.
His best agent wouldn't ask for help unless something was seriously wrong.
"Sensei, we don't have much time. They have the map," he said, his voice filled with panic.
Sensei's eyes widened.
Before he could respond, the call ended.
For a few seconds, Sensei simply stared at the phone in his hand.Then he slowly dropped onto the couch.
The map was supposed to be safe.
He had made sure of it.
But now…
Someone had it.
His a senior CIA agent. He doesn't stay stuck on a problem without a plan.
After a few minutes, he stood up, his mind already made up.
— The Map —
Five thousand years ago, the world was divided into five great kingdoms—Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, and shadow.
Each kingdom possessed its own elemental power, but the people could only wield a small, unrefined amount of it. The constant wars between the kingdoms grew more destructive, threatening to tear the world apart.
To stop the bloodshed, a god descended and gathered the elemental power of all five kingdoms into a single, ultimate gem.
The gem contained the power of all five elements, but no ordinary person could touch it.
Only five chosen sorcerers, one from each kingdom, could approach the stone—and each could unlock only the element they were chosen for.
Together, they became known as the FIVE LEGENDS.
But the shadow Legend became greedy. He wanted more than the power he had been chosen for. He wanted the entire gem and all five elements within it.
He betrayed the other four Legends and manipulated the kingdoms, turning them against one another and against the four Legends.
What had once been five Legends became four.
The four remaining Legends fought against the Shadow Legend and the kingdoms under his influence.
The battle was devastating.
By the end, all four Legends were barely alive.
But with the last of their strength, they defeated the Shadow Legend.
They returned the Shadow power to the gem, along with their own powers—
realizing just how dangerous it was to leave all five powers together.
They broke the gem into five separate pieces—Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, and Shadow—and hid each one in a different place around the world.
They created a MAP that would lead to the hidden pieces and entrusted it to the monks.
And before the Legends disappeared, they left one final message:
THE MAP WOULD AWAKEN ONLY WHEN THE NEXT LEGENDS WERE BORN.
The monks accepted the responsibility.
Generation after generation, the knowledge was passed from master to student.
Their only purpose was to protect it until the next Legends appeared.
But as centuries passed, the newer generations of monks began to doubt the ancient story.
Until 20 years ago.
The first chosen one was born.
For the first time in thousands of years, the map gave a signal, revealing the location of one of the hidden gems.
Then another chosen one was born.
And another.
The map continued to react.
Then, 18 years ago
All Five Legends had finally been born.
The map FULLY awakened.
And one of the monks' students saw it.
He saw the glowing map.
He saw the locations of the stones.
And he wanted the power for himself.
So he betrayed the monks and stole the map.
The master immediately contacted someone he knew he could trust.
SENSEI.
Back then, Sensei had been one of the master's students.
But instead of continuing the path of the monks, Sensei had chosen another life.
He became a CIA agent.
The master knew Sensei understood both worlds—the ancient knowledge of the monks and the modern world outside their order.
So he asked Sensei for help.
Sensei and the monks tracked down the student and eventually recovered the map.
But after the betrayal, the master no longer trusted the younger students with something so important.
So the map was placed in Sensei's protection.
Years passed, they thought it was over.
But the student never stopped searching for it.
***
I was lying on my bed after getting home when my watch suddenly buzzed.
It was 9 p.m.— A screen opened on the watch.
EMERGENCY !!!
I quickly got ready and secured the watch around my wrist.
I called Kai.
"Did you get the notification?" I asked.
"Yes. I'm already on my way," Kai replied.
"Stop a few houses away from my house. I'll be there," I told him.
My parents wouldn't let me go if I asked them.
They didn't even know Sensei was training us to become spies.
As far as they knew, he was only teaching us martial arts.
My room was upstairs.
I swallowed nervously.
"Okay…"
Taking a deep breath, I JUMPED.
I landed awkwardly but quickly got back on my feet and hurried toward Kai.
As soon as I got into the car, we exchanged a quick nod, and Kai drove off at high speed.
"Do you have any idea why he would send an emergency this late?" Kai asked
"I have no idea," I replied.
We were both completely lost and nervous.
Soon, we stopped in front of the warehouse and entered the base.
Sensei was already waiting for us.
"Sit down" he ordered."We have our first mission"