Zara (coldly):
> "What exactly am I looking at?"
---
Daman gave a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to break the ice.
Daman (trying to ease tension):
> "Well, this is… quite the education for the girls, eh?"
---
Zara turned her head slowly toward him.
The room dropped a few degrees in temperature.
---
Zara (flat):
> "Do you also need that type of education?"
"I'm free right now. Maybe I can give you a class or two?"
---
Daman:
> "N-No thanks! I'm good. Very educated already!"
He coughed. Sat straighter. Hands politely folded in his lap.
---
A beat passed.
Daman shut up.
---
Lyra, still fanning herself, leaned in slightly.
Lyra (low whisper):
> "Can't you see…"
"This is different."
"She's not angry at him."
"She's… watching him."
---
Azhrel (soft, thoughtful):
> "She's analyzing him."
---
Daman let out a small exhale, relaxing.
Then—
Onscreen:
Zayna, back to her normal self, was on the verge of tears.
She stomped her foot, lip trembling, and screamed at Jin-Seok:
---
Zayna (wailing):
> "I'm gonna report this to Grandma!"
"Stop bullying me!! Nobody does this to me!!"
She sniffled, eyes welling.
---
Jin-Seok (shocked):
> "Wha—? Wait, wait! I'm not bullying anyone!"
He frantically waved his hands.
> "Okay, okay! Don't cry! Look—head pats! See?"
He gently patted her head.
---
Zayna:
> Sniffle.
Wail.
She cried harder.
---
In the VIP Room:
Daman watched this unfold with a look of absolute disbelief.
---
Daman (deadpan):
> "Kid… if you want to die, die alone. Why drag others down with you?"
---
He glanced sideways at Zara.
Gulped.
Everyone knew what Zara Malik was capable of when angered. The titles they whispered behind closed doors weren't for show.
Daman slowly lowered both hands below his waist and clutched them nervously.
---
Lyra and Daman shared a look. Wide eyes.
Both thinking the same thing:
> "What will she do to him? Torture him? Exile him? Feed him to a celestial beast?"
> "What happens to someone who makes Zara Malik's granddaughter cry… right in front of her?"
---
But then—
Zara chuckled.
A light, amused sound.
And then… a smile.
---
Lyra (horrified whisper):
> "Why… why is she smiling like that?"
---
Daman (pale):
> "Does she know him?"
"She has to."
---
The gears in their heads spun faster.
> Why is she laughing?
Why is she even here?
Why does she care about a nameless boy with no background—bullying her granddaughter—and instead of getting angry… she's watching him with interest?
---
Azhrel, watching the screen, spoke without turning.
Azhrel (calmly):
> "Do you know that masked boy, Lady Zara?"
---
Lyra and Daman both nearly choked.
Inner thoughts in perfect sync:
> "IDIOT—!!"
"Did you just ask Zara Malik a personal question?! Are you TRYING to die?!"
They didn't breathe. Didn't blink.
---
Zara slowly turned to face Azhrel.
Voice low.
Eyes sharp.
---
Zara:
> "Are you Velaros' son?"
---
Azhrel (nodding once):
> "Yes. I am."
---
Zara studied him. Just for a moment.
Then she smiled.
A quiet, deadly sort of smile.
---
Zara:
> "No wonder you're brave."
"Brave enough to ask me that question."
She turned back to the screen, voice soft, amused.
---
Zara:
> "But why ask me…"
"…when you already know the answer?"
She smirked.
---
Azhrel exhaled.
And just like that—
Everything clicked.
---
He didn't say a word.
But in his mind, puzzle pieces snapped into place.
> Her interest.
Her presence.
Her silence at Zayna's tears.
That smile.
And that boy's name—
Jin. Seok.
---
Azhrel (inner voice, stunned):
> No… It can't be…
But… if it is…
Why didn't I see it sooner?
---
Zara (gently, watching the screen):
> "So… you want to cause trouble for my granddaughter, huh?"
Her tone wasn't scolding.
It was amused.
Almost fond.
Like she was watching two kids fight over candy.
---
Daman, Lyra, Azhrel all stiffened again.
---
Lyra (barely a whisper):
> "What… what is he to her…?"
---
Daman (still clenching his hands below):
> "I don't know…"
"But whatever he is…"
"We should probably never lay a finger on him and should stay away from him."
---
Cut to: Onscreen
Zayna's sniffling calms as Jin-Seok awkwardly offers a handkerchief.
Zayna snatches it with a scowl, wipes her eyes…
…and immediately kicks him in the shin while turning berserk.
---
Jin-Seok (groaning):
> "I knew that was coming…"
---
Zara, watching the chaos, smiled again.
And whispered, almost inaudibly:
> "Just like him…"
---
Cut to Black.
🟥 Momentum Shift (continued...)
---
{Scene – Noah Chasing Zephyr Like a Hyper Dog}
Noah Varnok came in like a storm of chaos, his grin so wide it looked broken.
> "There you are! I've been DYING for this, Zephyr!"
He launched himself forward—one, two, three airborne kicks in a spin, each one unpredictable and wild, like a breakdancing hurricane in mid-air.
Zephyr Karshem didn't flinch.
The first kick was parried. The second, dodged by inches. The third? Caught mid-spin.
In a blur, Zephyr turned Noah's momentum against him—redirecting the leg with a tenkan sweep and slamming him face-first into the dirt like folding laundry.
> "Hmph. Still just noise."
Noah popped back up, spinning on his hands with a handstand flip, then twirled in midair and landed in a wide-legged stance.
Still grinning.
> "You're so stiff, Zeph! Loosen up! Let me breathe a little~!"
He dashed again—this time diving low, sweeping his leg up in a vertical flip-kick while twisting at the last second into a backward cartwheel, striking from insane angles.
Zephyr moved like water. No wasted motion. His palm struck Noah's shoulder mid-kick, then guided him through the air and into a tree—all with eerie calm.
> "You mistake silence for permission."
"Tch. You're wasting my time."
---
{Scene Shift – Joshua Appears}
Then—
The jungle stilled.
A heavy silence fell, like nature itself holding its breath.
Step.
A lone figure emerged from the shadows.
Black hair. Calm eyes. Quiet power radiating from every step.
Joshua.
Noah froze for a heartbeat, then let out a whoop.
> "YOU!! Now THIS is getting good!"
He immediately abandoned Zephyr like a bored puppy and shot toward Joshua, twisting into a cyclone kick with reckless joy.
> "Let's goooo!! MAKE ME FEEL SOMETHING!"
Joshua didn't blink.
He raised one hand—a single, clinical movement.
Tap.
Noah's kick was redirected, deflected with palm precision. Joshua slid low, turned his body sideways, and snapped Noah's arm into an armlock mid-spin.
His expression never changed.
> Snap.
Noah gritted his teeth, eyes shining.
> "FINALLY!"
He backflipped out of the lock, grinning with unhinged excitement.
Now it was:
🌀 Noah — legs like whips, a whirlwind of chaos
💧 Zephyr — calm and still, flowing around attacks with surgical counters
⚡ Joshua — clean, brutal, instinctual. A perfect blend of power and precision
The three stared each other down.
You could feel the storm building.
🟥 Momentum Shift (continued...)
---
{Scene – Rokhan vs Dante: Aftermath}
Thud.
Dante's punch crashed into Rokhan's jaw.
Crack.
Rokhan's headbutt slammed into Dante's nose.
Both reeled, blood trailing from cuts, lips split, breathing ragged.
It had been twenty minutes of nonstop fists, tackles, and ground slams—enough to shatter normal climbers into dust.
Now, both were leaning back-to-back, barely staying upright, steam rising from their bodies in the cold jungle mist.
> Rokhan: "It's… been a long time since I've fought like this."
> Dante: "Y-Yeah… haah... so fun. We should do this more often."
The two giants chuckled like lunatics, blood dripping from their brows as they stood in the middle of a crater they made.
> Dante: "...Hey, you still alive?"
> Rokhan: "...Mostly."
They laughed again—slow, gruff, wheezing laughter that echoed through the jungle like war drums dying down.
---
{Scene – Elina vs Kaleon: Chase Sequence}
In the upper canopy, leaves burst into the air as Kaleon Vass dashed from branch to branch, cloak flapping, breathing fast.
> "Huff—huff—!! I should've stayed in accounting!!"
Behind him, Elina Vel followed with sharp, precise steps—her eyes calm, but her breathing heavy.
> Elina: "You're—pant—fast for a fake merchant."
> Kaleon: "Thanks! You're terrifying for a bookworm!"
She hurled a knife mid-leap. He ducked, barely dodging as it thunked into a branch beside his ear.
> "Hey! That was my ear budget!"
They both landed on a thick branch—only to freeze.
A massive gap stretched between the trees ahead. At least fifteen meters.
Neither could make that in their current state.
They both looked down—
And saw Lucien Arkwright, strolling along the jungle floor with a stick in hand, muttering.
> "Just one cave. A nice cave. Maybe with berries. No freaks. No flying lunatics—"
BOOM.
Suddenly—
Kale leapt from above.
> "SORRYYY!"
He landed on Lucien's left shoulder, used it like a springboard, and launched toward the next tree.
> "AACK—WHAT THE HELL?!"
Elina followed right after, landing on Lucien's other shoulder.
> Elina: "Thank you, Lucien."
THUMP—she jumped off just as gracefully.
Lucien spun in place...
-------------------
And so, the jungle echoes with fading footsteps and rising storms.
Some clash in chaos, others flee or chase, and a few… begin to understand each other.
A sovereign's smile.
A name whispered with weight.
Fists meet faces. Hearts start to stir.
All across the trial, something shifts.
> Bonds. Rivalries.
And the quiet blooming of fate.
Where will the pieces fall?
Only the Tower knows.
And the journey… continues.
_________________________________________________
{An Original Series by Celestial Raven}