Chapter 2-  The Caped Figures

The vast, dense rainforest of the arena stretched out in every direction, a sea of ancient trees and deep shadows. All around, teams materialized in silent flashes of light, finding themselves at their scattered starting points.

Above the expansive forest, a scattered fleet of hot-air balloons and blimps drifted silently through the air. These vessels, a motley assortment of colors and sizes, were filled with eager spectators from all walks of life. Their collective presence formed a distant, buzzing cloud, each one a small window into the intense test happening below. The faint sounds of distant cheers and gasps carried on the wind, a living testament to the spectacle of the competition.

Hatake’s voice, magically amplified, boomed through the air, echoing off the ancient trees. “The test… begins!”

A tense silence fell, followed immediately by the frantic chirping of magical radars.

Kenta stared at the device in his palm, his mind already racing. “We start with only 500 points as a team,” he muttered to himself, a strategy already forming. “Our goal is one hundred thousand. We need to move fast, but we can’t be reckless. A large point value will draw every team in the area. It could easily be a trap—”

BZZT! BZZT!

Before he could finish his thought, Gyoda’s radar blared with a urgent glow. “Points!” he yelled, and without a second thought, he sprinted headlong into the thick foliage.

“Hey! Wait—!” Karna called out, but his own competitive spirit kicked in. With a grin, he took off after Gyoda.

“Hey!! Slow down, you morons!!” Kenta yelled, his voice full of exasperation.

His words were useless. Left with no choice, Kenta, Reiko, and Fumiko could only exchange a weary look before giving chase.

“Those absolute idiots!” Reiko snarled as she ran, effortlessly dodging low-hanging branches. “Rushing in like that without a single thought!”

After a frantic dash, Karna and Gyoda skidded to a halt in a small clearing, shoving each other for position. There, floating serenely just above the ground, was a large, shimmering golden coin, its surface gleaming. The number "5000" glowed brightly on its face.

“Mine!” Gyoda shouted, lunging forward and snatching the coin before Karna could react. The points vanished, transferring to their team’s total.

“Damn it!” Karna cursed, scowling.

Gyoda grinned, holding up his device triumphantly. “5000 points!! I got it! Now we only need one thousand more to reach one hundred thousand!”

Karna facepalmed so hard it echoed in the clearing. “You idiot! Your math is as bad as your judgment!”

Just then, Kenta, Reiko, and Fumiko burst into the clearing, breathing heavily.

Gyoda puffed out his chest, a smug look on his face as he closed his eyes. “Now, now, guys! No need to thank me—”

WHAM!

Reiko’s fist connected with his cheek, sending him spinning to the ground. Without missing a beat, she turned and delivered a sharp smack to the back of Karna’s head, knocking him flat.

“You brainless fools!” she fumed, her hands on her hips. “Do you have a death wish? Charging in like that! You might as well have lit a signal fire for every team around!”

Fumiko stared, wide-eyed and speechless, at the two boys now groaning on the forest floor.

Kenta just sighed, the picture of calm exhaustion. “How much was it?”

“5000,” Karna mumbled, picking himself up.

“Five thousand is a solid find, but it wasn’t worth that reckless sprint,” Kenta said, his tone a mix of approval and frustration.. “We got lucky no one else was lying in wait.”

Gyoda staggered back into the frame, rubbing his swollen cheek. “Well, now that we’ve got a good amount of points,” he said, undeterred, “let’s see what’s in the shop!” He eagerly activated the menu on his device.

A translucent holographic screen flickered to life above his wrist, displaying a categorized list:

• ELEMENTAL STONES: Ruby of Flames, Sapphire of Tides, Emerald of Vines.

• ENHANCERS: Mana Amplifier, Defense Talisman, Blazing Fire Gem.

• WEAPONS: Blazing Saber, Terra Hammer.

• ARTIFACTS: Idol of Renewal, Amulet of Fortitude.

• COSMETIC ITEMS: Feathered Helm, Crescent Pendant…

“Ooh, elemental stones… fancy weapons…” Gyoda mumbled, scrolling with intense concentration. “And cosmetic artifacts? What’s this Crescent Pend—?”

DING!

A soft, cheerful chime echoed from the device.

Gyoda froze. “Wait. What just happened?”

On the other side of the clearing, Karna frowned at his own radar. “Um… guys? Why did our team points just drop to 450?”

Before anyone could process this, the sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves cut through the air. Two men in impeccably sharp black suits, sunglasses, and hats came sprinting out of the tree line at an impossible speed. One of them carried a massive backpack, as large as a horse carrier.

Gyoda stared, his jaw slack. “Who the hell are you two?!”

The man with the gigantic backpack dropped it with a ground-shaking THUD. Without a word of explanation, he unclasped it, dove headfirst into the opening, and disappeared inside.

The entire team could only watch in utter, bewildered silence.

Kenta blinked slowly. “What… is even happening?”

“He went inside the bag?!” Fumiko whispered, her voice a mix of horror and fascination.

A moment later, a beautiful pendant, shaped like a crescent moon and etched with faintly glowing silver patterns, flew out of the backpack and landed perfectly in Gyoda’s open palm.

The suited man emerged from the bag, straightened his tie, and effortlessly heaved the massive pack onto his shoulders. His partner bowed deeply.

“Thank you for your purchase!” they said in perfect unison, before spinning on their heels and sprinting back into the forest at full speed, leaving the five of them alone in the clearing with a very expensive, and very useless, piece of jewelry.

Gyoda stared down at the Crescent Pendant in his hand. The reality of his accidental purchase dawned on him. He had just spent almost all of their points on a cosmetic item.

The air grew still, heavy with a silence that was far more dangerous than any monster in the forest.

Reiko cracked her knuckles, the sound sharp and menacing in the quiet clearing. Gyoda held up the useless pendant, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly as he tried to form an excuse. A cold, heavy presence fell over him from behind, and a shiver, sharp as a needle, shot up his spine.

“Oi, Gyoda!” a voice, low and dangerous, spoke just over his shoulder. “Did you just spend all our points on this useless pendant?”

Gyoda turned slowly, his face white with fear, to see Reiko standing there. Her eyes, usually a kind emerald, were narrowed to furious slits, and her hands were on her hips, her knuckles white.

"IDIOT!" she screamed, her voice a whipcrack in the clearing. Her fist connected with his head, not a punch, but a vicious smack that sent him spiraling back to land flat on the ground.

Meanwhile, high in the canopy, a group of five mages hid among the branches. Two of them, younger members around 15 years old, pushed aside a veil of leaves, their eyes squinting at the commotion in the clearing below. The other three, closer to 18 years old, watched with a mix of amusement and cold calculation.

"What's all that noise?" the younger one whispered.

Another, a girl with a fierce grin, peered down at Karna's team. "Hey, look! It's the Twilight’s team! Let's go teach that Twilight his place."

Tenko, the group's leader, held up a hand. His composure was like a shield, calming the group's eagerness. "Hold on. Don’t rush in blindly. The Twilight might be weak, but that guy over there..." His gaze settled on Kenta, who stood near the scuffle, his arms crossed. "...he’s not to be underestimated. He'll spot us the moment we make a move. He’s the one we need to watch out for."

The younger mages exchanged uneasy glances, their eagerness to charge in fading slightly.

"For now, we’ll stay low and follow them," Tenko said, his voice decisive. "We'll wait for the right moment."

Elsewhere in the forest, a small clearing was painted in a grim tableau of violence. Khara, one of the caped figures, sat casually atop a pile of three lifeless bodies. Two more bloodied figures lay on the ground nearby, their chests heaving with desperate, ragged breaths. One of them struggled to lift his head, a line of blood running from his lips.

"H-How..." the dying man gasped, "How are you... so strong?"

Khara glanced down with cold indifference, but before he could respond, a crackling sound erupted from a magical stone in his hand.

A voice, sharp and authoritative, spoke from the device. It was Adheera, the leader of the caped figures. "Khara! Stop messing around and start collecting points. We don't have all day."

Khara let out a weary sigh, standing up from his seat of bodies. With two swift, merciful motions, he finished off the remaining injured men. He collected their points, his cloak fluttering as he left the clearing without a single backward glance.

The scene shifted to a dimly lit area, thick with underbrush, where Adheera stood. He lowered the magical communication device, his expression grim. Beside him, Bagi lay lazily on the forest floor, propping his head up with one hand.

"Did they find the Twilight yet?" Bagi asked calmly, his serious expression a stark contrast to his relaxed posture.

"Not yet," Adheera replied, his voice a low rumble.

Bagi’s eyes, usually half-lidded, opened fully, revealing a chilling intensity. "We need to find him first. We need to confirm his identity as a Twilight—if he really is a Twilight or an imposter."

Back with Karna's team, the five of them ran through the trees, their eyes fixed on their radars. Kenta’s device chirped loudly, a cluster of bright, pulsing lights appearing on the translucent hologram above his palm.

"There's something nearby!" he called out.

They rushed toward the source, breaking into a small clearing. A golden coin floated in the air, glowing with the number "5000."

"Yes!" Karna yelled, his earlier dejection completely gone. "Another 5,000 points! Let's grab it!"

Karna began to sprint forward, but Kenta’s alarmed voice cut through the air. "Watch out, Karna!"

An explosion of fire erupted near Karna, forcing him to leap back just in time. Eto emerged from the shadows with his team, a smug grin plastered across his face. He gripped a fiery staff, its tip still smoldering from the blast.

"Twilight, we meet again," Eto sneered.

Karna groaned, a dry remark under his breath. "This guy again?"

"So, what can a weakling Twilight and his band of idiots possibly do?" Eto mocked, his grin widening.

Gyoda’s face twisted in fury. "What did you just say?!"

Karna met his gaze with a dry, knowing look. "Only an idiot would react to that."

Gyoda spun toward him, grabbing his collar. "Who're you calling an idiot?! Whose side are you on?!"

Eto's smug expression twisted with annoyance as he was ignored. "Stop ignoring us!" he yelled, pointing his staff forward. Flames instantly licked at its edges. "Try to put up a good fight before we crush you!"

Meanwhile, hidden within the treetops, Tenko and his team observed the unfolding scene silently.

"Let’s see what this Twilight can do," Tenko murmured.

As Eto began to channel the flames, Tenko's eyes narrowed. He recognized the type of magic instantly. Elemental magic—the most common form of magic, based on one of the five core elements: fire, land, wind, earth, or lightning.

Only a handful of regulars can manage elemental magic. Tenko thought. No wonder he’s so full of himself.

* Regulars: Unranked mages are called regulars.

He leaned forward, intrigued. "Looks like the Twilight’s team is done for."

Without warning, Eto unleashed a massive fireball, but Kenta was ready. He summoned a huge ball of water to meet Eto's attack. The two elements collided, the air hissing and steaming as they canceled each other out. A thick, heavy fog instantly filled the clearing, damp and choking. It clung to the trees and seeped through every gap, reducing visibility to just a few feet.

"So, you can use elemental magic, too?" Eto said, clearly shocked. "Not bad for a Twilight's teammate..."

As the two continued their clash, the fire and water mixing into a thick fog, visibility dropped drastically.Within the swirling mist, Karna crept closer to Eto, but one of Eto's teammates, with the ability to sense others’ magical presence within a defined area, called out.

"He's here!"

The teammate launched a series of magical orbs at Karna, while another fired a beam at him. Reiko was quick to react, casting a barrier of her own to shield Karna from the blast. She kept the barrier up, advancing with him as he moved forward.

However, three more of Eto’s teammates fired their magical beams at Karna, and the combined force shattered Reiko's barrier with a loud crack.

"Damn it! Karna, watch out!" she yelled.

Karna dodged the incoming attacks, narrowly avoiding them, and quickly retreated back.

"That attack was stronger than I anticipated," Reiko said grimly.

Eto's thoughts raced. Why is he trying to approach me? Does he have something up his sleeve?

Kenta calmly analyzed the situation. "So, one of them can use Zone, huh?"

* ZONE: A technique that allows the user to sense others' magical presence within a defined area. Only a handful of regulars can use it.

"I haven’t shown you my full potential yet," Eto said with a smirk. "This is no ordinary weapon."

His staff ignited, a blinding surge of flames coming to life.

From his perch in the treetop, Tenko squinted through the swirling mist, his gaze fixed on Eto. He immediately identified the faint flicker from the staff's tip. "That’s an Enhancer… It amplifies elemental magic. No wonder his fire’s so intense."

Eto thrust his staff forward, launching a massive, blazing fireball. The sheer heat warped the air as it hurtled toward Kenta and the team. Kenta conjured a powerful water wave, but the fireball’s size and intensity broke through, forcing everyone to dive out of its path.

"His firepower's grown," Kenta said grimly.

Fumiko's voice was nervous. "Are we in trouble?"