Scene 1
BOOOOM!
A violent blast ripped through the air, confined yet devastating. Trees closest to the impact quivered before collapsing, bark splitting, leaves scattering like dying embers. The soil cracked and blackened; once-green grass shriveled to ash in a heartbeat. Thick smoke poured upward, choking the sky and clinging to lungs like poison.
From within that haze, Naoki's voice cut through—steady, firm, stripped of hate yet heavy with defiance.
"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 looks like!"
A figure stumbled forward, coughing violently. Haruto emerged, one arm shielding his mouth and nose as he fought through the smothering smoke. His throat burned with every inhale, his chest heaving.
"Kh…khhh—" A rough cough tore out of him, ragged and unsteady. He forced words between breaths, his voice hoarse and strained.
"Th-that's not it, Naoki—" another cough broke his sentence apart. Swallowing against the raw pain, Haruto lifted his gaze. "I only wanted to help you…"
Naoki's grip tightened on his wand, his eyes blazing hotter than the battlefield's lingering flames.
"Why? Why!? Why do you always want to help others? What do you even gain from it? What's the point of acting so damn cool!?"
His fury echoed, but beneath it trembled something deeper.
Haruto lowered his hand, straightening despite the smoke clawing at his lungs. His tone softened, steadier than Naoki expected.
"Cool? No… I don't do it to look cool. My mother taught me to help others. She was… one of the kindest people I knew. She always gave, even when she had nothing left. I just… want to carry that on. That's all. There's nothing 'cool' about it."
Naoki snarled, jaw tight. "Stop spouting nonsense! Just shut up!"
He whipped his wand up, leveling it at Haruto. The ground trembled. Stones loosened from the earth, levitating around him, circling like angry wasps. They scraped against each other as if alive, drawn by his will. His glare burned fiercer than the faint flames licking his weapon.
"Let's see if you can dodge this!"
With a snap of his wrist, the stones shot forward.
Haruto's eyes widened. He kicked off the ground, sprinting sideways, thoughts racing as fast as his feet.
"I can't keep this up here… no cover, no shield. That blast stripped the field bare. I need open ground. Somewhere fresh. Somewhere unburned."
Stones whistled past his ears, some thudding into the dirt, others sparking midair. Naoki chased close behind, wand thrust forward like a spear.
The stones didn't just follow Haruto—they orbited Naoki, gathering with every step, the earth itself lending him ammunition. With each flick of his wand, another volley shot forward.
"What's wrong? Running away? Come on, Haruto! Face me head-on if you've got the guts! Or will you keep hiding?"
Haruto risked a glance back, panic flashing in his eyes.
"He's not letting up… he's matching me step for step. I can't shake him like this."
Finally, the ground changed—fresh grass swaying, unburned trees gleaming. Haruto skidded to a halt, chest rising and falling hard.
Naoki stopped a few paces away, his voice dark. "Enough running. Now watch what my magic can really do."
He thrust his wand forward. Patterns shimmered along the shaft, jagged Stone glowing first, then flaring red with Fire. Sparks leapt as they merged, fusing into a single mark. A Burning Stone Seal blazed, fire licking its edges.
The stones shuddered, flames crawling across their surfaces until each pebble glowed red-hot—tiny meteors reflecting in Naoki's fierce gaze.
"Let's see you escape this."
The fiery stones streaked through the air.
Haruto twisted his body desperately. One stone skimmed so close he felt his hair singe. He rolled, palms scraping dirt as another screamed past. Missed ones hit the ground with faint pffts, flames hissing out on impact.
But not all missed. Several struck his arm, side, thigh. Searing heat bit deep, leaving angry burns. Haruto clenched his jaw, grunting low as he staggered.
He slammed a hand to the earth.
"Stone Element: Bastion Rise!"
The ground roared. A massive stone wall surged upward, towering twice his height, stretching wide like a fortress barrier. Dust scattered as it locked into place, rough and solid against Naoki's assault.
Haruto crouched low, pressing a glowing hand to his wounds. Pale golden light spread from his palm, closing burns, dulling the sting. His breathing steadied.
Naoki narrowed his eyes. "You think that wall will save you?"
He raised his wand skyward. The fiery sigil faded, replaced by the raw Stone pattern. The air thickened.
"Try surviving this!"
The sky rumbled. A colossal stone arrow materialized above, crude yet crushing in its weight. It plummeted like judgment itself.
CRACK! The impact split the wall apart, rubble exploding outward. Haruto threw himself aside, a boulder smashing down where his head had been. Dust sprayed his face.
"That… that nearly killed me…" His heart pounded, fear cold in his chest.
Chunks tumbled, bouncing across dirt. Haruto staggered back, arms raised. He could feel Naoki's intent pressing—wild, uncontrolled, dangerous.
"He's lost it. If I don't end this soon… my new allies will turn into enemies. I can't let that happen."
He spread his stance. Roots twisted from the ground, weaving into a vine that climbed his arm, hardening into a whip. Determination burned in his eyes.
Naoki smirked, bitter laughter curling. "A vine? A whip? ShinKami clan—why not wield a sword like your people?"
Before Haruto could answer, stones surged forward.
Haruto lashed out. The whip cracked, colliding with stones midair. Sparks burst with every strike as he deflected them, body moving fast, whip an extension of his will.
Naoki conjured a bow, swift as thought, loosing two arrows.
Haruto rolled under the first. The second he struck midflight, whip cracking it back toward Naoki.
Naoki twisted, but it landed beside his foot, quivering in the dirt. His eyes flickered with unease.
Haruto narrowed his gaze. "Time to end this."
He sprinted, whip lashing stones aside. Closing in, he coiled it around Naoki, vines tightening around his arms and torso. Flames sputtered out, burning stones dropping lifeless to the ground.
"Enough, Naoki!" Haruto pulled the whip taut. "This has gone too far. Stop before it's too late."
Naoki staggered, panting. "What? Giving up?"
"No." Haruto's eyes blazed. "But if you keep pushing recklessly, hurting yourself, forcing me to hurt you… I'll have no choice but to surrender. And I don't want that."
Naoki's lips curved into a strange, mocking smile.
Then—
A faint spark flickered. The arrow in the ground flared, ember leaping. Time slowed—the ember touched unseen gas seeping across the field.
Everything ignited.
Fwoooosh!
Fire roared outward in an instant, consuming grass, igniting trees, turning leaves to cinders. Heat seared Haruto's skin before he could breathe.
On his left cheek, pain carved deep—a burning mark etched across his flesh like a brand.
Both boys vanished in fire.
Clothes disintegrated, fabric reduced to ash. Only scraps of metal buttons and clasps glinted amid the inferno.
When the blaze settled, trees stood blackened, grass grey with ash. In the center, Haruto stood—skin scorched, body smoking, face hidden in haze.
The others froze. Reina's breath caught, hands trembling. Tears welled but no sob escaped—only her broken voice.
"N-No… our new teammate… before he even became one of us…"
Sayuri's brightness dulled, her voice hollow. "Lord Einzuro…"
Haruto's body buckled, knees dipping as palms pressed to the ground. From behind, he looked forced down, yet his posture carried strange intensity—as if the earth itself held him there.
The moment his hands touched the soil, flames erupted outward.
"Blaze Element: Infernal Maw!"
Fire spread across the battlefield, encircling Naoki in a blazing ring. Startled, Naoki staggered back, eyes wide.
Within the fire, a monstrous face formed—hollow eyes fixed on him. It didn't roar, didn't lunge, but its presence suffocated, primal as a predator awoken.
Panic surged. Naoki slammed his palm into the dirt.
"Stone Shell!"
Stone folded around him in a thick cocoon, cutting off the fire's gaze.
The flames swirled, then swept back, streaming into Haruto's Blaze Mark. The mark shimmered faintly, drinking the fire in.
Haruto rose, turning his back to the others, striding toward Naoki.
From the sidelines, Sayuri gasped. "E-eh? Another one?"
Reina's voice shook. "On his other cheek… another Blaze Mark appeared!"