A massive aircraft—shaped like a strange hybrid between a plane and a transport ship—cuts through the night sky at tremendous speed, driven by two enormous thrusters toward an unknown destination. The youths cling to its surface as the force of the wind increases, forcing them to intensify their concentration of Fiu to avoid being torn away and sent into a lethal fall. The blonde barely manages to signal for her companions to climb higher onto the strange vehicle.
Once on the roof, the four press their bodies flat against the metal. Francesca shouts so they can hear her over the roar of the wind:
"WIND! DO YOU HAVE ANY WAY TO COUNTER THIS?!"
Alexa shakes her head. Her mastery of wind was good—but not that good. Fatigue begins to show on their faces. Realizing they have few options left unless Alexa can somehow form a protective energy layer—or the transport reaches its destination—Francesca shouts in frustration:
"IF ONE OF US LETS GO, WE ALL DO! AND I'LL SAY THE MASTER'S NAME!"
Her words are perfectly clear as their hoods are violently whipped back by the wind. Shocked, Tyron yells back at her:
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! WE CAN'T LET THEM ESCAPE! WHAT ABOUT THE LIVES OF ALL THE PEOPLE THEY'RE TAKING?!"
Francesca meets his gaze defiantly and snaps back:
"MY SURVIVAL WITH MY COMRADES MATTERS MORE THAN SAVING A BUNCH OF STRANGERS! IF ONE OF US DIES, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE KNOWING SOMEONE SACRIFICED THEMSELVES FOR SOMETHING WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WE CAN FIX!"
Her reasoning is sharp and brutally honest. Tyron accepts it reluctantly, and Alexa nods—strategically, it makes sense. But Emily refuses outright.
"NO! IF ANYONE LETS GO, WE CALL THE MASTER TO STOP THIS TRANSPORT—AND IF SOMEONE FALLS, WE CALL HIM TO SAVE THEM!"
That surprises both Francesca and Alexa, igniting a tense standoff between the two sharpest minds in the group. Fortunately, the ship appears soundproof; their shouting carries no farther.
Francesca (firm):
"THAT'S STUPID. EACH OF US ONLY HAS TWO USES LEFT TO CALL THE MASTER. WASTING ONE OF THE THREE MOST POWERFUL BEINGS IN THE UNIVERSE IS IRRESPONSIBLE—WE MAY NEED HIM LATER. USING TWO? THAT'S CROSSING THE LINE."
Emily (equally firm):
"IT'S WORTH IT IF IT STOPS MORE PEOPLE FROM DISAPPEARING AND MORE FAMILIES FROM BEING DRAGGED INTO SUFFERING!"
They turn to their teammates for support. Alexa, weighing the logic, sides with Francesca—she understands what it means to have a Barrier on your side. That leaves Tyron. He looks at Francesca—the girl he likes—but his heart pulls him the other way. He remembers the two children they saved on their first day… and realizes that the boy they helped is likely inside this ship.
He sides with Emily, bringing the argument back to a stalemate.
Before it can escalate further, the ship begins to descend and slow. Ahead lies another floating island. Instead of landing on its surface, the vessel dives into a cavern. Exhausted, the teens let go, crashing onto rocky ground and rolling across it, embedding sharp stones into their bodies from the impact.
They scramble to their feet, catching their breath, and jog forward—careful not to lose sight of the thrusters fading ahead. Minutes later, the ship stops. A blinding light ignites before them, illuminating the entire passage.
Emily immediately moves to the front, slamming both hands to the ground and raising a curved wall of earth, disguising them as just another rock formation. Once the light vanishes, she returns the ground to normal, and they press onward.
At the same time, on the third floor of the blue-skinned Oksilis' home, Niter sits at his desk, fingers interlaced, foot tapping anxiously against the wooden floor. Jayden lies sprawled on the couch, staring at the ceiling. The constant tapping finally irritates him.
"Can you calm down?" Jayden asks coldly.
Niter flinches and bows repeatedly.
"I'm sorry! It's just that your students left without knowing what was inside the bottles they brought from the palace. It's very important they know!"
"They'll be back," Jayden replies flatly. "And whatever's in those bottles can't be that bad."
Niter hesitates, then blurts out the truth.
"That's the problem. I took the liquid to Vijiro for chemical analysis, and they told me it is—"
His usually composed expression twists into shock and disgust.
Back in the cavern, the teens reach the ship's resting point—only to find a massive stone wall blocking the way. They search for an opening, but there's none. All eyes turn to Emily.
"No," she explains quickly. "What I did earlier was just shaping earth by releasing Fiu into the ground. This is solid rock—much denser. I can't control it."
Alexa considers, then shakes her head. Air, ice, lightning, earth—none of their elements can break stone like this.
Then another ship approaches.
They flatten themselves against the ground, cloaks and hoods concealing them just in time. The vessel stops directly overhead. Francesca seizes the moment, leaping up and clinging to its underside. The others follow.
The stone wall opens, revealing steel beneath—then a brilliant hangar filled with red Oksilis and gray ones marked with crimson lines, loading crates onto circular ships. Pressed flat beneath the transport, the teens are carried inside.
When it stops again, another door opens into a darker chamber stacked with wooden crates. Emily signals; they drop down, roll into cover, and hide. Alexa checks for cameras—none. Only red-skinned guards patrol the upper walkways.
She gives a thumbs-up. Francesca taps her forehead, reminding them to focus Fiu there to block mind-reading.
Before they can plan further, Tyron climbs the crates.
Ignoring whispered warnings, he leaps to the railing above, electricity crackling around his right leg. A red Oksilis guard passes beneath, unaware—until Tyron strikes, delivering a lightning-fast semicircular kick that smashes the guard into the stone wall. The noise is masked by machinery.
The girls leap up beside him. His leg is numb from the impact. Francesca moves to scold him—but instead lifts his hood.
"You're lighting up the tips of your hair," she whispers. "Fix your hood. And don't ever do something that stupid again."
They reach the edge of the platform and look down.
Below, five hooded figures stand before thousands of gray Oksilis. Silence hangs heavy—telepathic communication. Slowly, the five reveal themselves.
They are golden Oksilis.
The central figure steps forward, raising his arms. Francesca and Alexa focus Fiu into their ears, understanding his proclamation:
"Today, you may abandon your miserable lives as gray Oksilis and ascend to the glory and supremacy of the Golden! Step forward if you doubt our truth—come feel a fragment of this superiority."
A child and two adults step forward.
Tyron and Emily tense, ready to leap—but Francesca grabs their wrists.
"Are you insane? We can't help them—not now. It's an army."
They watch as a yellow-green substance is drawn across the faces of the doubters, then poured down their throats—the same liquid from the palace bottles. Psychic power erupts, cracking the ground. Their skin turns gold.
Applause erupts.
The new "Goldens" are led into a massive chamber. The leader closes the door.
"Prepare yourselves to feel the glory of becoming kings!"
The floor opens beneath them—a massive pit covered by a grate.
The walls slam together.
Thousands are crushed like fruit in a press.
Blood pours through the grate.
The teens freeze in horror, bile rising in their throats. Alexa grips her sword—but Francesca stops her. It's too late.
The blood—the pulverized remains—are identical to the liquid in the bottles.
Conveyor belts deliver new bottles.
Emily realizes the truth.
It's blood.
Blood of the disappeared.
Francesca's mind screams: If we'd acted sooner… could we have saved him?
A shadow lunges.
Francesca reacts instantly, shoving her friends aside as metal tubes lash out. Guards swarm. Blades flash. Lightning crackles. Wind roars. Earth shatters.
They fight—but they're outmatched.
A hooded enemy halts Francesca and Tyron mid-strike with a raised hand. The Goldens attack.
They break free—barely—but reinforcements are coming.
"RETREAT!" Francesca shouts.
They flee through steel corridors under fire. Emily and Alexa block shots with their swords. A heavy cannon charges—
Tyron destroys it with lightning.
But his legs fail.
He collapses.
Emily raises walls of earth as Francesca prepares to call the master.
Alexa stops her.
"Calling him is easy," she says. "But I believe we can win. And if anyone can figure this out—it's you."
Francesca hesitates… then gives orders.
They collapse the tunnel. Escape on stolen hover-bikes.
Tyron is wounded—Francesca binds him with her karategi and lifts him onto the bike.
"Hold on tight."
They blast out of the cavern, pursued—then gone.
Behind them, a red-skinned, faceless enforcer executes the one who let them escape.
"Inform Muster," he orders.
And the darkness closes in once more.