Scene 1
Haruto looked up at the towering structure ahead, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Seriously… how's Einzuro Sensei even watching us from that high up?" he muttered, baffled.
Standing beside him, Naoki stepped forward with confidence, his stance sharp as he faced Haruto.
"You don't know Sensei's true strength yet. With those eyes of his, he's watching this entire forest. Even the tiniest insect can't escape his sight. For him, this is nothing more than a child's play."
Naoki smirked faintly, then barked, "Stop wasting time, let's start the figh—"
Before he could even finish, Haruto's cheek suddenly flared with searing pain.
"Ghh—AAAH!" Haruto cried, clutching the side of his face.
Naoki froze, startled by the unexpected scream.
From above, Reina called out, her voice laced with panic.
"Sensei! Look at him—what's happening to Haruto?"
Einzuro's expression shifted to one of shock.
"Impossible… how can this be?"
When Haruto removed his trembling hand, everyone's eyes widened. A glowing leaf-shaped pattern had appeared across his cheek, pulsating faintly with green light.
From her perch, Sayuri leaned forward, her tone excited and almost playful.
"Lord Einzuro! You always pick your students with such careful judgment. And yet, they always turn out to be… so unexpectedly amazing!"
Naoki's jaw tightened as he whispered in disbelief.
"A Nature Element Mark? That's impossible. An Element Mark only manifests within its own land, and even then, it takes years of rigorous training. And yet… your skin summoned a mark in minutes in such a weak natural environment?" His voice hardened, his eyes narrowing. "No wonder Sensei chose you. You're special."
But then, Naoki smirked again. "Heh… whatever."
A slender wand appeared in his hand, and instantly, fiery runes ignited across it, flames dancing as if alive.
"But mark or no mark, Haruto—you won't win this fight against me!"
Haruto, gritting his teeth, thrust both hands forward in a sudden motion.
"Stone Element: Earth Spike Magic!"
The ground trembled beneath him. With a heavy crack, a thick stone spike erupted upward, lunging toward Naoki. Yet, the spike was not sharp—it was dense and heavy, more blunt than lethal.
Naoki leapt sideways at the last second, the spike smashing into the air beside him. Dust scattered as he landed gracefully.
"Not bad, my friend. But now—it's my turn!"
With a swift flick of his wand, Naoki chanted aloud.
"Blaze Element: Inferno Burst Magic!"
The flames wrapped around his wand flared violently, erupting into streaming waves of fire that surged straight toward Haruto.
Thinking quickly, Haruto slammed his palm to the ground.
"Stone Wall!"
A low rumble followed as a small stone wall burst upward, covering him. The inferno struck the wall directly, scorching its surface until it cracked.
The wall soon began sinking back into the ground, leaving Haruto exposed again. He scanned the area quickly—but Naoki had already vanished.
"Tch… Where did he go? Is he planning a sneak attack?" Haruto thought, spinning in place.
A faint creak echoed above. On a thick tree branch stood Naoki, balancing easily like an experienced hunter. In his hands, a bow materialized, followed by a quiver filled with arrows across his back.
Drawing one arrow, Naoki smirked.
"Hmph. I've poured my Magic Energy into every arrow here. With my Blaze Element, I can shape them however I want."
He let the arrow fly.
Fwuush—THUNK!
The shot buried itself into a tree behind Haruto.
Naoki snapped his fingers. "Ignite!"
BOOM! The arrow detonated, blasting the tree apart. The giant trunk cracked and collapsed, falling directly toward Haruto.
His eyes widened in shock. "Wha—!"
He rolled aside just as the tree slammed down with a deafening crash.
DOOOM! The ground shook violently.
Panting, Haruto cursed under his breath.
"Damn it… if this keeps going, I'll lose quickly. This forest is too dense—I can't even see where he's hiding."
Naoki had already nocked another arrow, this one glowing faintly red as its tip ignited with fire.
Haruto spotted him and shouted, "What's wrong? Scared already?"
Naoki sneered. "If you're that brave, then face me head-on!"
FWOOOSH! The flaming arrow cut through the air at blinding speed. Haruto hadn't even realized it was aimed for him until—
"Ghhaa—!" Haruto gasped as the arrow pierced into his arm, just below the shoulder. He clutched the wound tightly, the faint smell of burnt flesh filling the air.
From above, Reina screamed.
"Real arrows?! Sensei—you gave him real arrows?"
Einzuro's dumbfounded face turned sheepish.
"Oh… I forgot to hand him the wooden ones."
Sayuri threw her arms up, exasperated.
"You're always so careless! If one of them gets seriously hurt, all the blame falls on you, Lord Einzuro!"
Einzuro shrugged casually. "Well, a little real fun won't hurt, right? Let's see how Haruto and Naoki handle themselves."
Meanwhile, Haruto crouched low, pulling the burning arrow from his arm with a grunt. Tossing it aside, he pressed his palm over the wound.
"Healing Magic…"
A soothing green light spread from his hand, closing the burn and repairing torn flesh.
But before he could catch his breath—
Fshhh! Fshhh! Fshhh! Three more arrows whistled through the trees, slicing the air.
Haruto thrust his hand forward.
"Nature Element: Root Bind!"
From beneath the grass, thick roots burst upward, writhing like snakes. They lashed out, curling tightly around the arrows midair, stopping them before they could hit.
"Ohh…" Haruto smirked faintly. "So you're hiding there."
Naoki shifted positions immediately, vanishing into the dense foliage. Haruto barely caught the movement, his eyes narrowing.
"Tch… This forest is too thick. And these arrows…" He glanced at the ones still trapped by roots. A faint gas hissed from them, spreading around him. His head grew heavy, his vision slightly hazy.
"They're releasing gas… that's why I'm dizzy."
He forced a smirk despite the dizziness. "Hmph. And he thinks he has the upper hand?"
With strained focus, Haruto hurled the bound arrows toward Naoki's last known position.
THUNK—CRACK! THUNK! They slammed into trees, splitting bark and scattering splinters—but Naoki had already moved.
"Damn it, he slipped away again…"
Gasping, Haruto staggered back. "This gas is messing me up. I need to move."
He rushed through the forest, pressing himself against the side of a tree for cover. Looking to his right, his eyes scanned desperately. But a faint heat pricked his left side—he turned and saw grass burning dangerously close to his foot.
He jerked back, moving to another tree. Leaning against its trunk, back pressed tightly, he tried to steady himself. But then—
FWOOOSH! An arrow came flying straight at him.
His eyes flicked up just in time to see the tip—then SHNK! It pierced his chest, knocking him backward onto the ground.
"Sensei!" Reina screamed. "Stop that idiot Naoki! Haruto was already weak, he hasn't rested once—Naoki is taking advantage of that!"
Naoki's face went pale.
"No… I thought he'd dodge it too."
Sayuri turned sharply to Einzuro. "Lord Einzuro! Should I stop him?"
Einzuro gave no reply.
Reina's voice cracked with desperation. "Sensei, why are you just standing there?! Save him!"
Einzuro's lips curved into the faintest smile.
Naoki shook his head furiously. "No… what have I done?!"
He turned to climb down from the branch—but froze. Haruto stood right behind him.
"Y-y-you… impossible! You were just—" Naoki spun to glance back at where Haruto had fallen. The body was turning into solid stone, crumbling away.
His breath hitched. "A… a Clone Magic?!"
Sayuri's eyes widened, her voice full of shock and excitement.
"How?! Why couldn't I detect it? I can sense any Magic Energy within this forest, and yet… I didn't feel his clone at all. Just when did he even create it?"
Reina gasped. "Sensei! Did your eyes catch it?"
Einzuro chuckled, his expression both amazed and impressed.
"Haruto… you're no ordinary child. You're sharper than I imagined. Even these eyes of mine—eyes that miss nothing—you managed to deceive them. That's… impossible."
Haruto raised his hand, a calm yet confident smile forming.
"Did you really think you could keep hiding and defeat me so easily?"
He pointed his finger toward Naoki's hand.
"Light Magic: Photon Ray!"
ZING!
A thin beam of light shot from his fingertip, lasting less than a second. It pierced straight through Naoki's hand.
"GYAAAAH!" Naoki's scream tore through the forest as he clutched his hand in agony. The hole was small—but the pain was unbearable, searing through his nerves.
"H-how?! It's so thin, just a scratch—why does it hurt this much?!"
Haruto's eyes widened in guilt. "I… I didn't know it would cause so much pain. Naoki—I'm sor—"
Before he could finish, Naoki smacked Haruto's healing hand away in anger. His Blaze Mark burned faintly on his wrist as he pulled out his wand again.
"Crimson Detonation!" he roared.
BOOOOM! A fiery explosion erupted. The blast spread only within a small radius—enough to topple two or three nearby trees, scorch the earth, and turn the surrounding grass to ash. Smoke flooded the air.
Naoki's voice rang out, steady but firm, not hateful.
"You think helping me makes you look cool? You think you can stand above me with pity? I'll show you what a real head-on fight is like!"
Einzuro chuckled from above, his grin sharp.
"Looks like the real battle has finally begun."