In the middle of the Starter Lounge tent, where glowing screens and floating Systematic Guide interfaces buzzed with activity, Zephyr Windshade sat cross-legged, his black coat folded neatly around him, green irises flicking across the translucent console in the air. He was mid-convo in the Group Chat thread, an experimental new mode added by the Systematic Guide developers—meant to help Travelers collaborate, share tactics, and flame each other in real time.
Usernames flickered in rapid light lines as everyone typed:
[ProxyAura]: This Vita conversion rate is trash today.
[IonSnare]: That's 'cause you don't compress your core field properly 💀
[FrameSplit]: Bro, I still can't summon Ice without cramping.
[NeonKernel]: You gotta flow your molecules like Elowen showed 😩
[ByteWanderer]: Who else just failed the water sculpt test again…
[CloudHex]: L
[SynthDagger]: Chill 💀
[MindMazeRift]: Rambo was watching me the *entire time*. I swear he knows something.
[ObscureSignal]: He *always* knows.
[StaticFox]: This place is getting cracked. Some starter literally summoned a minitornado earlier.
[VaultKnight]: That was Logan right?
[Questshaper]: Yeah the Earth-2025 dude
[WyrmWarden]: He's like wind-type Goku but listens to trap beats
[Moonroot]: Lowkey wish he'd chill. Makes the rest of us look broke. 😤
Then—
A new user appeared in the list.
[Your True Cameron] has joined the chat.
Everyone froze for a second.
They all knew who that was.
YTC:
> Why are there so many goofy usernames?
A beat.
Then the flood began:
[NeonKernel]: LMAOOO HE JOINED 💀💀💀
[CloudHex]: Not "Your True Cameron" 💀 that's wild
[StaticFox]: Bro came in like it's Xbox Live 2008
[ProxyAura]: Watch him cook in here too smh
[VaultKnight]: Tell me you're the one that summoned that wind burst?
[YTC]: That's me. Still wet from Elowen's water thing. Smells like fish sauce out here.
[SynthDagger]: 💀💀💀💀
[Moonroot]: HE'S TOO CASUAL
[MindMazeRift]: Nah this dude different
Even Zephyr raised an eyebrow. He typed:
[ZephyrWindshade]:
> Not gonna lie, we thought you were just some brawler. But that wind compression? That was clean.
YTC:
> Thanks.
Also, who the hell is WyrmWarden? You sound like you live in a mossy basement.
[WyrmWarden]:
> …I do.
[YTC]:
> My bad.
A moment of stunned silence.
Then:
[FrameSplit]: He's the main character now I fear.
[ObscureSignal]: We're all just NPCs in Logan's mixtape arc 😤
[ByteWanderer]: Man's making elemental moves and WiFi jokes at the same time.
[VaultKnight]: What genre we thinking for Logan?
[Questshaper]: Trap, lofi, wind elemental-core
[YTC]: I call it "Vita Beats." Album dropping after I humble a centaur.
---
Rambo, standing outside the tent, looked at the glowing thread with a faint smile beneath his black and white mask.
> "So... he's integrated into the culture already," he muttered.
"Good."
--------
Inside the Girls' Side Pavilion, a separate lounge spun up in blue-violet Vita light, countless floating screens and Systematic Guide interfaces displayed gossip threads, elemental guides, and hair-styling enchantments. But right now?
One chat thread dominated everything.
🔥 Logan Watch – Girls Lounge Only 🔥
Usernames filled the thread, each bouncing with colorful status or custom flair icons like 🌸, 🐾, 💧, and ✨. The title had over 300 unread messages.
---
[Foxella.Dreamtail 🐾]:
> Did you see his stance before the duel? Like hello??? Someone bottle that confidence.
[Vervaine.Skygleam 💧]:
> He threw his hat. Elowen, girl, how did you keep composure??
[Saffra_Cindermoon 🌸]:
> Logan was glistening with water and still vibing. If I got slashed mid-torrent I'd be crying. He sat on the bench with beats like it was NOTHING 😭
[Moonwhisp 💫]:
> Elowen, Elowen, come on, you have to tell us. What did it feel like?? That moment the wind hit??
[Starling.Mistveil 💧]:
> He's not even orange-ranked and he held up against your Torrent!! That's insane.
---
A beat passed.
Then…
[Elowen.Starbrooks 💧👑]:
> I showed him who's superior.
He's powerful, yes. But undisciplined. Wild.
His Vita is brute force—mine is finesse.
Remember that.
---
The group gasped.
[Vervaine.Skygleam 💧]:
> 👀 ohhhh she said inferior with vibes
[Saffra_Cindermoon 🌸]:
> But did you see how he stood there after the slash? That wasn't just brute force... that was stoic main character behavior.
[Foxella.Dreamtail 🐾]:
> Elowen, real question…
If you had to duel him again, would you want to?
[Elowen.Starbrooks 💧👑]:
> …
Only if he thinks he can handle Round Two.
---
A few girls immediately started scribbling shipping names:
Logwen
StarCameron
Elogan: The Torrent & The Tempest
---
Meanwhile, outside the girls' pavilion…
Logan adjusted his red-black slides, headphones still in.
> "Man, why does it feel like I'm being talked about?"
Danger Alert: Mild Public Obsession Detected.
Systematic Guide Recommendation: Activate "Low-Profile Mode"?
Logan:
> lol nah.
Let 'em talk.
I'm just warming up.
------
Meanwhile, in the lower grove behind the training tents, where the trees hung low with hanging moss and violet-tinged ferns, Aelun Lighthollow stood beside a wooden pen holding a bunch of small, snorting, energetic creatures—Stonebark Boars.
These weren't just any woodland beasts.
They were:
Roughly half the size of a large dog
Covered in bark-like armor patches across their backs and legs
Eyes glowing with faint emerald Vita streaks
Incredibly fast. Like, blink-and-they're-gone fast.
Inside the pen, they were happily devouring a bushel of red-glow apples that had just been tossed in.
Mirella Glimmershade, standing in her deep blue robes and elegant posture, dusted her hands after dropping the last of the apples.
She turned toward the gathered Starters with a mischievous grin.
---
> "Alright, everyone," Mirella announced. "Today's final session is a traditional game. A test of reflex, speed, and non-magical wit."
Aelun stepped forward, smiling as always.
> "These creatures," he said, gesturing to the boars, "are Stonebark Boars—small but fast, extremely nimble, and smart enough to dodge traps. You are to capture one… without using your Systematic Guide."
A chorus of "Wait what?" and "No Guide??" echoed.
> "No elemental powers. No apps. No fancy tracking overlays," Mirella clarified. "Just you, your instincts… and maybe a little fruit bribery."
---
The boars, as if sensing the chaos to come, began squealing excitedly and scraping their hooves into the soft forest ground.
One launched itself into a spin-kick toward a nearby apple and flipped backwards.
Everyone stared.
Foxella.Dreamtail 🐾 whispered:
> "These pigs got parkour??"
Aelun nodded.
> "They're very hard to catch. So... good luck."
With a clap, the pen burst open—
Twenty Stonebark Boars darted into the woods.
---
Capture the Boars:
🌀 Rules:
No Guide
No Vita
Just raw hustle
First one to catch one and bring it back wins a free energy enhancer
---
Logan, watching the chaos unfold, casually stood from the bench, taking one earbud out.
> "Man… y'all out here chasing forest bacon."
He tucked his slides tight and stretched.
> "Bet."
And with that?
He ran.
Fast.
Low.
Focused.
Let the Boar Hunt begin.