While they rode in the wagon, the air suddenly changed.
The sky above them rippled like cracked glass.
A swirling blackhole opened without warning, bending space itself into a spinning void that swallowed light and sound.
The wagon screeched to a halt.
Jhonathan stepped forward instantly, Dexcalibur already in his hand.
But before anyone could react further—
a hooded man appeared in front of them, standing calmly at the edge of the distortion like it was completely normal.
"Welcome to the Ability Tournament," he said.
His voice was smooth, almost cheerful.
"My name is Mark Angelo."
The blackhole expanded behind him.
Then—everything dropped.
They were pulled in.
---
Reality broke apart.
When Jhonathan opened his eyes again, the world had changed.
They were no longer in the forest.
They stood in a massive arena suspended in a void-like dimension, surrounded by glowing screens and shifting platforms. The air itself felt artificial, like the space was built for combat rather than life.
Mark Angelo's voice echoed through the entire arena.
"Five teams have been selected."
Light flared in the distance.
Team rosters appeared in midair.
Jhonathan, Sylviana, Leerooey, and Sophia were marked together.
TEAM 5.
Sylviana looked around, tense.
Leerooey clenched his fists.
Sophia stayed silent, already analyzing the battlefield layout.
Jhonathan didn't move.
He was already watching the first platform.
The tournament had begun.
---
A voice echoed again.
"FIRST MATCH: TEAM 5 VS TEAM 1."
The crowd beyond the void screens roared without bodies, like the arena was being observed by something larger than reality itself.
Two platforms lit up.
The fighters stepped forward.
"JESSABELLE VS JHONATHAN."
---
The moment the announcement ended, Jhonathan moved.
Dexcalibur flashed.
He charged straight ahead without hesitation, cutting through the distance in a single burst of acceleration.
Across from him stood a blue-haired woman.
Jessabelle.
She didn't retreat.
She smiled slightly.
"I am the Mistress of Sloth," she said.
Then the air shifted.
A wave spread outward from her body—heavy, invisible pressure that didn't physically stop movement, but slowed perception itself.
Jhonathan's charge began to drag.
His steps felt heavier.
His timing distorted.
But his eyes didn't change.
He adjusted instantly.
Then Jessabelle moved.
Her speed spiked violently.
Too fast.
It wasn't natural acceleration—it was something closer to Chronus-like distortion, a sudden rejection of normal limits.
A strike landed on Jhonathan's side.
The impact echoed through the arena.
But—
Dexcalibur reacted.
A counter-slash exploded outward.
Her weapon shattered instantly upon contact.
Jessabelle's eyes widened.
"What—"
Before she could finish, the force launched her backward, sending her crashing directly into the arena monitor barrier.
The screen cracked.
Her body flickered.
Then she vanished from her position entirely, as if the system itself had removed her from the field.
Silence followed.
---
Jhonathan stood still.
His breathing steady.
But something inside him shifted.
The two stars within him responded.
Not fully awakened before… now reacting.
A faint glow spread through his body.
Power recognition.
Adaptation.
Something deeper than strength.
The audience—if it even existed—fell quiet.
Jessabelle's presence was gone.
But the match wasn't fully over yet.
The system voice returned:
"FIGHT CONTINUES…"
And somewhere deeper in the tournament space…
something else began to wake up.