The Elemelons stepped into the tower's ground level, where a staircase spiralled upward beside a roped-off elevator.

“It looks like they want us to take the stairs,” Terrain said, already making his way to the first step.

Sky took off from the ground. “Well then, up we go,” she smiled, soaring ahead up the stairs.

The Elemelons got to the top of the tower.

 “We made it,” Terrain whimpered, trying to recover from the hike.

Sprawled before them was the first trial. The entire floor was submerged in shimmering water, its surface rippling gently under the luminous light, as if they were at a beach rather than confined within the walls of a tower.

However, the real test was the obstacle course—a remarkable array of floating steps, ropes, walls, and hurdles. Even from a distance, the sheer complexity of the challenge was difficult to grasp.

Furna eyed the water’s surface as she caught her last breath. “Great, an obstacle course,” she grumbled.

Skipping past her, Sky leapt agilely across the floating steps and landed on the next platform.

“Don’t tell me you two are tired already?” she playfully teased.

Terrain released a stifled laugh, amused by her choice of words, “You know, that’s easy to say when you can fly”.

Furna, ready to go, took a few steps back and, with a series of mighty leaps, followed Sky. With Terrain close behind, they made their way through the first trial.

The first half of the obstacle course was a breeze: climbing up ladders, swinging across monkey bars, and crawling through tunnels.

But as they progressed, the challenges intensified—a shaky balance beam, a daunting wall, hurdles, ropes, and tyres alike.

Ignition watched from the broadcast screens as the Elemelons entered the final obstacle.

“So far, so good. It looks like they’ve almost completed the first trial."

Sky finished the course first. She swiftly jumped across the swinging pendulums while dodging water bullets that shot and threatened to push her off balance. Not a scratch.

Terrain and Furna paused as they watched the pendulums swing back and forth vigorously, shielding them from the other side.

“More jumping,” Furna groaned as she stretched her aching legs. 

 “Don’t worry, you’re almost there,” Sky yelled, pointing at the exit.

“It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Just do what I did.”

Furna stared determinedly at the other side. “Okay, one last push.”

Taking a few steps back, Furna raced toward the neck of the nearest pendulum, grasping it as she crossed from one pendulum to another.

“Last one, " she said wearily, hoping her legs wouldn’t give out on her.

She took the leap, arms in the air as she glided across the platform in view.

Hold on. She suddenly thought. Am I forgetting something?

Blam!

A headshot straight to her cheeks sends Furna skidding across the water.

“Furna!” Terrain screamed, stunned by the sudden attack.

In a panic, Terrain effortlessly raced across to the other side and scanned the water’s planes.

“She’s fine, she can swim,” Sky brushed off, ready to continue.

“What if it knocked her unconscious?” Terrain retorted, irritated by her comment.

Taken aback, Sky scanned the surface of the water. Alarmed, Terrain began to remove his gear to go in.

Splash!

Furna leapt out of the water and dragged her limp body onto the platform's edge.

“You’re okay,” Terrain sighed in relief as he went to help pull her up.  

“Yeah, sorry for slowing you down,” Furna laughed, trying to assure them she was okay.

Sky heard a faint beep and looked down at the timer on her arm guard’s mini screen. Her previously relieved face faded into a solemn expression.

“Let’s not dawdle,” she said, bolting toward the exit.

Terrain peered back at Furna, still concerned about her sudden attack.

Furna shook vigorously as she evaporated the water from her clothes.

She gave Terrain a thumbs up. “Don’t worry about me, we’ve got to finish the trial”.

He nodded in response, glad to know she was okay.

A metallic elevator door stood tall as Sky pressed the down arrow. With a ding, the door dragged open, releasing steam that rolled away and vanished into thin air.

“Woah,” Sky mouthed, not expecting the sudden effects.

 She snapped herself back into focus mode. “Okay, let’s go, guys.”

The three of them headed into the elevator. The door shut behind them, ready to take them to their next trial.