Around the arena, the passing participants stood gathered—some battered from Stage 1, others calm and focused.

  Aisho stood beside Yuta; they quietly waited for the rest of the duration of Stage One to end.

  A voice rang out from behind them. “Aisho?”

  Aisho whipped around—her grin immediately spreading wide.

  “TRACE!” she yelled. “YOO! You made it!”

  Trace gave a quiet wave as he approached, walking with his usual calm beside two others: Justin and Mackenzie.

  “We passed,” Trace said. “Glad you did too.”

  Aisho ran over and gave him a hard slap on the shoulder—he winced but smiled through it.

  “Hey, new faces,” Mackenzie chimed in, stepping forward. “My name's Mackenzie! Also, a musical idol known all around New Kaizo.”

  Justin gave a slight bow of the head. “Justin.”

  Yuta gave a faint nod. “Yuta.”

  “And I’m Aisho,” she declared, putting her hands on her hips. “Fastest feet in the test, probably.”

  Using a megaphone, Wilder called for all participants to meet at the center of the arena. He was accompanied by Mirai and Jeremiah.

  He yelled. “Congratulations. If you’re hearing me right now, it means you’ve survived Stage Zero, Stage One, and have proven you’re more than just hopefuls.”

  He swept a hand over the group. “Four hundred of you remain. But don’t get comfortable—Stage Two will not be easier. It will test your endurance, instincts, and decisions. And some of you will break.”

  A shimmer of golden light formed in the air above him. Slowly, Spirit Beacon Cards floated down like snow, one toward each candidate. They hovered gently until the contestants took them into their palms.

  “This is your Beacon Card,” Wilder explained. “It generally does two things. One—it marks you as a target. Two—it’s your ticket to the next stage.”

  Mirai stepped forward. “To pass Stage Two, you must survive 24 hours in a synthetic wilderness zone,” she said. “A region outside this mountain filled with shifting terrain, unstable weather, and spiritual beasts. By the end of the challenge, we’ll shoot a flare gun, which will be the meeting place for the end of the stage.”

  Wilder continued, “You must have at least three of these Beacon Cards by the end. You may earn them by stealing from others.”

  “Fail to reach three, and you’re out. Simple,” Mirai said.

  Wilder’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Now… you may choose up to two people to spawn into the zone with. Choose wisely.”

  The candidates began shuffling, some already clumping into trios.

  Aisho turned to Trace immediately. “You three sticking together?”

  Trace looked among Mackenzie and Justin; they each gave a nod. “Yeah, sorry, Aisho.”

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  Yuta grabbed Aisho’s shoulder. “Aisho, don’t sweat it. If it were just the two of us, then we wouldn’t need to worry about trying to get a third member to pass the trial along with us.”

  Aisho replied. “You do make a good point.”

  Just then—someone skipped up toward them.

  It was Cassidy. Her pigtails swayed as she popped into their bubble without hesitation.

  “AISHO~! Look at you, you also made it past Stage One!”

  “Cassidy!” Aisho laughed. “You made it too?!”

  Then she turned toward Yuta and gave a two-finger salute. “Cassidy. Wild card. I talk a lot, sorry in advance.”

  Yuta’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she offered a slow nod. “Yuta and I’m not sorry at all.”

  As Cassidy laughed—high and slightly too loud—Yuta’s gaze lingered.

  Aisho nudged Yuta. “Hey, three’s our limit anyway, right? We good with Cassidy?”

  Yuta stared at Cassidy for a moment longer.

  Then shrugged. “Sure. She talks too much, but so do you.”

  Cassidy cheered. “Yay, Team Misfit Energy!”

  Wilder’s voice boomed again. “Time’s up.”

  Mirai raised her hands. Around every group, every candidate was enveloped in a red light.

  Wilder gave one final warning. “Make allies. Break alliances. Betray, run, survive. This stage doesn’t reward heroism. It rewards power. We’ll be watching.”

  Groups vanished; they were whisked away into the dangerous wilderness of Stage Two.

  ***

  Surrounded by a dense forest with fog hanging low to the ground. Yuta, Aisho, and Cassidy stood side by side in the muddy overgrowth.

  “So…” Aisho broke the silence, brushing a vine off her shoulder, “what’s the plan, guys?”

  Yuta answered immediately. “Simple. Get rid of anyone in our way.”

  Cassidy laughed—a high-pitched laugh. “Already ready for the battle, aren’t ya?”

  Aisho smirked. “She’s always like this. Cold-blooded, ice queen, say-what-she-means type.”

  Yuta rolled her eyes. “You think we should figure out a place to sleep?”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Aisho responded. “What about you, Cassidy?”

  “I totally agree,” Cassidy said.

  They started walking—quiet at first, the soft squish of their boots in the mud being the only sound.

  Aisho, walking between them, tilted her head. “Cassidy, how are you always in a good mood? I mean—we were put in a cage along with four hundred other deadly candidates.”

  Cassidy shrugged, but the smile she gave was oddly delayed. “That’s easy. I just… act like it’s not. Makes it easier, y’know?”

  Yuta narrowed her eyes.

  They trekked for a few more minutes in silence.

  Eventually, they reached a sloped ridge that led to a patch of higher ground. Aisho climbed it first, eventually pulling herself up.

  “Whoa,” she said. “Up here! There’s a clearing.”

  Yuta and Cassidy followed.

  The clearing was surrounded by tall trees. Patches of moss covered the forest floor. A small rock formation offered natural cover. Even in the mist, it felt... somewhat safe.

  “Not a bad spot,” Yuta said, glancing around, then back at the trees. “We’ll rest here.”

  Aisho flopped down underneath the rock formation and onto the moss with a huff.

  Cassidy didn’t sit yet. She was pacing.

  “Why are you really here, Cassidy?” Yuta asked.

  Cassidy blinked. Then grinned widely. “Same reason you’re here. To become a Lancer.”

  She laughed again—same pitch, same rhythm. Then stopped.

  Aisho noticed the rising tension between her friends. “Alright. Plan time. If we see anyone, we stalk ‘em. Hit ‘em fast, take their Beacon Cards, then vanish. Agreed?”

  Yuta nodded. “And we don’t wait for them to start something.”

  Cassidy added, “We hit them hard.”

  Yuta still couldn’t keep her mind off Cassidy. She figured that behind Cassidy’s eyes… There’s no real joy in there. Still, she let it go. For now. To Yuta, Cassidy seemed dangerous, but that didn’t matter. And she was on their side.

  "A man’s foes shall be they of his own household."

  — Matthew 10:36 (KJV)