Part 2:

Black Storm suddenly froze.

Figures were moving toward them through the tall grass.

Armed figures.

His eyes widened.

Black Storm: “Shadowlight… they’re back.”

Shadowlight turned slowly, his lips curling into a reckless grin.

Shadowlight: “Interesting. Let’s take them out like last time.”

He slammed his fists together with excitement.

Black Storm glared at him.

Black Storm: “You talk like someone who’s never gotten into real trouble.”

Shadowlight: “What did you just say?”

From the hill below, Gazley raised a hand, ordering his battalion to halt.

What are these brats doing here? he thought coldly.

Did they know we were coming? Perfect. This will be a fine chance to measure their strange abilities.

He lifted his arm and pointed forward.

“Archers—prepare to fire.”

Black Storm grabbed Shadowlight’s shoulder.

Black Storm: “We need to retreat. We don’t have weapons, and we don’t even have a plan!”

Shadowlight: “What, are you scared? Step aside and watch me motivate you.”

He broke free and charged downhill.

The archers drew their bows.

A deadly shimmer of steel caught Black Storm’s eye.

Black Storm: “WAIT—!”

Too late.

An arrow hissed through the air straight toward Shadowlight.

In a flash of pure instinct, Black Storm grabbed Shadowlight’s shirt from behind, yanked him upward, then kicked his leg from under him.

Shadowlight slammed into the dirt as the arrow sliced through the space where his head had been a split second earlier.

Black Storm stared at the archers in horror.

“They chose long-range combat… They’re cautious. They remember what we did to them.

Even if we run, we’ll stay inside their firing range.”

Suddenly—WHAM!

A bucket smashed into Black Storm’s face, knocking him flat.

Black Storm: “What the hell was that, you idiot?!”

Shadowlight, furious: “Why did you knock me down?!”

Black Storm: “I just saved your life! Can’t you see they have bows?!”

Shadowlight: “bows? I don’t care anymore—I’m done being scared!”

Heat surged through Shadowlight’s arms. Flames erupted from his palms; his face twisted with rage.

Shadowlight: “Then let’s make our own cover!”

He slammed his hands into the grass.

Fire spread instantly, thick smoke rolling upward and blinding the archers.

Soldier: “General! They’re burning the field to distract us!”

Gazley smiled slowly.

Gazley: “Good. Now we finally get to test the new weapons.”

Inside the choking smoke, the boys ran side by side.

Black Storm: “Since when can you control fire like that?!”

Shadowlight: “I don’t know—I can just feel the heat flowing through me. I focus it, and it obeys!”

Black Storm’s eyes widened.

Focus it… Then why can I move through the flames without getting burned?

Fire roared around them—yet his skin felt untouched.

That means… I can do it too.

Energy surged through his arms.

Flames bloomed in his palms.

He hurled them forward.

Explosions of fire tore through the enemy line, scattering soldiers.

Shadowlight stared in disbelief.

Shadowlight: “Fireballs…?”

Then anger flared in his eyes.

Shadowlight: “Are you kidding me?! That’s impossible!”

Black Storm: “Impossible? I just awakened my power!”

They began hurling fire at the advancing troops.

Shadowlight: “You cheater! That’s my ability! There can’t be two people with the same power!”

Black Storm: “If I can use it, then it’s not just yours, idiot!”

Shadowlight: “I don’t care—stop copying me!”

Gazley seized the moment while the two boys were fighting. He raised his new weapon and fired a beam of searing light.

The blast struck both of them and hurled them backward through the grass.

Black Storm, coughing: “What the hell was that?!”

Lasers began raining down from every direction.

Shadowlight, stunned: “No way… Aren’t these guys supposed to be primitive? How did they get weapons like this?!”

Black Storm: “We have to split up before they pin us down!”

They darted in opposite directions through the tall grass.

Gazley: “Keep firing!”

He watched the swaying blades carefully.

They know ranged combat is their weakness, he thought. They’ll try to get close and turn this into hand-to-hand.

He drew his strange sword—nothing more than a thick iron rod—and waited.

The grass ahead trembled… then Shadowlight burst out first, a fireball blazing in his hand as he leapt toward Gazley.

Gazley swung the metal staff with brutal force. It smashed into Shadowlight’s shoulder and chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

Gazley stared at the weapon in confusion.

What’s the point of a sword that doesn’t cut? Why make us test this useless stick?

Then he felt movement behind him.

He spun just in time to see Black Storm hurling a fireball straight at his back.

Instinctively, Gazley raised the sword.

The moment the flames touched it, the metal ignited—transforming into a blazing fire blade.

Both Gazley and Black Storm froze in shock.

Behind Black Storm, soldiers opened fire, but he twisted through the laser shots with uncanny speed.

Soldier: “Stop! You almost hit the general!”

Black Storm charged them, knocking them aside, while Gazley turned back to Shadowlight.

Gazley, murmuring: “So that’s what it was made for…”

Shadowlight struggled to his feet and launched another fireball.

Gazley, smirking: “It’s useless. Your flames can’t touch me.”

Still, Shadowlight forced the attack.

Gazley blocked with his burning sword. A deafening crack echoed as the blade absorbed the fire, exploding into a wall of heat and smoke.

Hidden by the flames, Shadowlight grabbed a large rock with his free hand and slammed it into Gazley’s guard. Then he struck him in the ear with a metal bucket handle.

Gazley staggered.

Shadowlight stepped forward—but Gazley recovered instantly and drove his boot into Shadowlight’s chest, sending him flying backward.

Gazley laughed, cold and confident.

The soldiers regrouped around Black Storm and opened fire. A beam of light slammed into him and hurled him to the ground.

But he rolled into the tall grass and vanished.

They rushed after him.

One by one, screams echoed—then silence.

The men began to disappear into the field as if swallowed by the earth.

A soldier cried out in terror,

“These kids aren’t normal!”

Black Storm suddenly emerged behind them. He seized one of their blasters, a crooked smirk on his face.

The soldiers froze in horror.

Then he fired.

While Shadowlight hid in the grass, trying to avoid Gazley, the general noticed something chilling—Black Storm wasn’t running.

He was controlling the battlefield.

Gazley reached to his belt and broke into a sprint.

Gazley, thinking: That boy is the real threat. I have to take him down first.

Shadowlight stared in shock.

Shadowlight: “Where did that guy go?!”

Then he saw Gazley racing toward Black Storm.

Shadowlight, screaming from afar: “BLACK STORM, LOOK OUT!”

Black Storm opened fire, but Gazley weaved through the blasts and closed the distance. He swung his iron sword with brutal force.

Black Storm barely blocked it with the stolen blaster.

Gazley kicked him hard in the chest, sending him skidding backward—but Black Storm stayed on his feet.

As he raised his weapon to shoot again, a laser blast from behind struck the blaster, knocking it from his hand.

Gazley: “Now!”

He hurled a small iron sphere.

The ball burst open in mid-air. Metallic claws sprang out and latched onto Black Storm’s chest.

Gazley watched, waiting for him to collapse.

But nothing happened.

Gazley, confused: “What? Why isn’t it working?”

Suddenly, two familiar voices echoed across the field.

Star X and Sun-Z appeared from the smoke.

They took one look at the scene—and acted.

Star X formed a glowing orb and slammed it into the ground. The explosion sent soldiers flying in every direction.

Star X: “We came to help!”

The battalion broke into chaos, soldiers scattering in panic.

Gazley, shouting: “Don’t run, you idiots!”

But no one listened.

His jaw tightened.

Gazley, quietly: “These aren’t ordinary children… Retreat.”

He ordered a withdrawal.

Shadowlight rushed over as the enemies fled.

Shadowlight: “Hey… where did they go?”

Sun-Z: “We didn’t think you’d run into them again so soon.”

Then Black Storm collapsed.

Everyone gasped and ran to him.

Shadowlight: “Black Storm! What’s wrong?!”

They saw it—a steel sphere embedded deep in his chest, its claws locked in place.

Shadowlight grabbed it and pulled—but it wouldn’t budge.

Shadowlight, desperate: “Star X, blow it up!”

Star X, terrified: “What?! I can’t—what if I hurt him?!”

Sun-Z: “It’s okay. I’ll pull it out with my power. Everyone step back—this thing could be a bomb!”

Shadowlight and Star X ran back to create some space, while Sun-Z reached out her hand to use her ability. But the iron ball shot toward her, attaching itself to her hand. The sudden pull jolted Black Storm awake in a panic.

Black Storm: “Damn it! That hurt! Why didn’t you pull it off immediately? I was paralyzed!”

Suddenly, Sun-Z fell to the ground, and everyone screamed in panic.

Moments later, they were all sitting around the shattered remnants of the iron ball.

Black Storm: “Thanks for the rescue… but how did you know we were here?”

Star X and Sun-Z pointed toward the burning field, prompting the two  boy to leap up in a rush. As they poured water from a bucket and threw sand over the flames, desperately trying to extinguish the fire.

Black Storm, angrily: “You idiot! This is your fault!”

Shadowlight: “Shut up and hurry! Put it out before it spreads any further!”

On the way back, the boys explained everything to the girls.

Sun-Z: “No way… aren’t they supposed to be primitive?!”

Shadowlight: “Obviously, someone helped them.”

Black Storm: “There’s a chance the Mr. White we’re looking for is behind it.”

The girls: “!!!”

Black Storm: “We’re not sure, but it feels like someone is testing our abilities… like we’re lab subjects. From now on, we have to be careful. I feel like we’re being targeted… maybe by more than one person!”

Meanwhile, Mr. White stood in the village, checking his watch. Nearby, Gunner stood beside the Leader, a sly smile on his face as he watched Gazley on trial before the Leader.

Leader: “I told you to bring something useful. But all you brought was defeat and some strange stories that I won’t even report… Take him away!”

The soldiers threw Gazley to the ground and dragged him away, while Gunner grinned broadly, satisfied with the information he had gained. He held the iron sword he had taken from Gazley tightly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.