With a swirl of golden light, the Celestars were teleported into the simulation zone.
They landed on soft moss under thick, unreal trees. The sky above was bright, but fake—just part of the illusion spell that made this magical forest feel like the real thing. The air buzzed with low hums from invisible enchantments.
"Okay," Lui said, adjusting his gloves. "We stay together. Watch for traps."
"And pudding," Yuuv added.
Ishi scanned the area. "The terrain is shifting. Every ten minutes, the layout will change."
A voice echoed through the sky. "Find three hidden sigils. Each team that brings them to the glowing pedestal in the center will pass. No fighting each other, but the environment is not your friend."
"Sounds easy," Rick grinned.
"Which means it isn't," Izumi replied.
They moved out, careful and quiet. Iuro tapped his staff to the ground.
"Nature, share your breath, reveal what hides beneath the earth," he chanted.
Soft green sparkles swirled up. A few faded footprints glowed. "Someone passed here," he said.
Yuuv walked behind them, lazy-eyed. "So many trees. All of them look like they wanna bite me."
They reached a clearing—and the ground rumbled.
"Above!" Ishi shouted.
Branches twisted, and a giant wooden serpent dropped down, hissing with glowing eyes.
"Time to test our spells!" Rick yelled. He spun his staff. "Rise, oh waves, dance and strike!"
A burst of water shot out, hitting the serpent's side. It roared.
Izumi dashed forward. "Gravity, turn and bend!"
His katana swung through the air with enhanced weight, slicing through the serpent's barky tail.
Lui shouted, "Burn and blaze, flare of mine—Strike True!"
His sword lit with flame and cut a deep mark into the creature's core.
But it wasn't down yet.
The serpent surged forward, wrapping around Yuuv.
"Yuuv!" Iuro shouted.
Yuuv blinked lazily. "I guess it's cuddle time."
The serpent squeezed tighter. Yuuv's eyes slowly glowed faint blue.
"Psych Magic... Invert," he whispered.
The serpent suddenly unraveled itself and slammed into the dirt, confused.
"Cut," Yuuv added.
The nearby air shimmered—and a thin slice appeared across the serpent's neck. It slumped over, unconscious.
Silence.
"Yuuv…" Rick blinked. "You did that?!"
Yuuv wobbled slightly. "Maybe. I'm hungry."
"Your magic ability is weird," Ishi said quietly.
"Good weird," Izumi added.
Lui smiled faintly. "Let's move. Time's ticking."
After more wandering, they found the first sigil hidden under a glowing root. Iuro picked it up carefully.
"Two more," he said.
The second was harder. It was placed on top of a huge rock column with magical wind traps.
"I'll go," Izumi said. "My eyes can read the currents."
He leapt and weaved through blasts of wind like a feather, grabbed the sigil, and jumped down.
Then came the third.
It was inside a puzzle cave with moving tiles and mirror traps. The Celestars worked together—Rick splashing reflections, Ishi blocking beams with shadows, and Lui using flame to light symbols.
They finally grabbed the last sigil and hurried to the central glowing pedestal.
A bright light surrounded them.
"Celestars—Trial Complete."
They dropped to their knees, panting.
"That was fun," Iuro said, falling on his back.
"I think I passed out with my eyes open," Yuuv mumbled.
"Two rounds down," Lui said, standing up. "Only one more to go."
The one-on-one duels were next.
And the real test was just beginning.