The two groups exchanged brief regards—nods, half-smiles, and that unspoken "don't die out there" energy. Then, like rivers splitting at a fork, they parted ways: one party toward the Sparrow District, the other—Enji's group—angling toward the towering gates of the Crane District.
As they moved, each of the four showcased their personal mobility techniques:
Xitij: The Wind Dash—his body blurred into a streak, the air around him bending as if eager to keep up.
Einar: The Lightning Step—cracks of light snapped beneath his boots, the ground sizzling each time his foot kissed it.
Rosé: The Fiery March—her stride burned the floor itself, each step leaving a ghostly ember that refused to fade.
Yelena: The Ice Skate—gliding with a dancer's poise, the ground beneath her frostbitten into perfect silver slides.
Each movement whispered their Attributes, like signatures scrawled across the battlefield of air itself.
Narrator (leaning in conspiratorially): "Ah, yes. Keen-eyed readers might already be scratching their heads at Yelena's little trick. Ice Skate? That's not one of the five primary Attributes, is it? Sharp of you to notice! Here's your cookie: congratulations, you've just unlocked a peek at the 'Conscript Mode' Attribute System.
See, when you conscript Fire, you can force palm gates to plummet below 0°C—neat little loophole. Which means Fire doesn't only burn… sometimes, it freezes. Pair it with Water, and voilà: pure Ice. Blend it with Wind, and you get freezing hail slicing through the sky.
Complicated? Absolutely. Overpowered? Potentially. Fun? YOU BET YOUR LIFE IT IS."
One Curious Reader (popping out of nowhere, glasses flashing): "Previously, it was mentioned that The Man was utterly trapped for eternity if not for the Orb of Truth… Well then, what are these characters—The Destruction, The Man, The Chaos? And what exactly do they convey?"
(Cut to: Narrator and Writer at a coffee table, steam rising.)
Narrator (raising an eyebrow): "Well, well. Somebody's getting a little too nerdy, don't you think, hmm, Writer fella?"
Writer (smirking, swirling coffee): "Geeks do lurk in every fandom indeed… but fine. Let's toss you lore-hungry readers a bone. The Destruction, The Man, The Chaos, The Wish, and The Truth—they're part of a collection known as the Supreme Entities." (pauses for a dramatic sip) "And there are about sixty-something of these Entities spread across the Verse of Dreams."
Narrator (pointing a finger at him): "Ha! And you call others nerds? Look at you, sipping lore like it's espresso."
Both clink their mugs, sip in unison, and produce a loud, exaggerated: "SHUUUUUUUUU… SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU…"
(Cut—Somewhere in the forest near the Sparrow District.)
Yelena halted mid-glide, ears twitching.
shuuuuuu… shuuuuuuuuuu…
Her eyes narrowed. "Snakes."
The frost under her heels sharpened. Determination burned in her chest—the kind that makes one ready to fight an entire serpent colony.
Narrator (coughing between coffee sips): "Er… Yelena? That's… not snakes. That's just us enjoying premium roasted caffeine."
Yelena (already summoning her weapon): "Snakes or narrators, doesn't matter. SOMEONE'S GETTING ICED."
The group finally arrived at the area marked as the Sparrow's Nest. Dense foliage arched above them like a crooked cage, and to cover ground more carefully, they eased back into regular walking.
"Well, could one of you explain what that Enji guy was rambling about, huh?" - Yelena asked from behind Einar, irritated curiosity bleeding into her voice.
Einar (thoughts flickering): (Goddess Yelena, thank you for asking yourself… or else you'd probably be left brooding in the shadows until the next volume.)
He cleared his throat, trying to play it cool. "Well, yeah… Enji said he used to be pals with Ko—"
His words froze. Mid-sentence, his lungs forgot to pull air, and his heart forgot its beat.
Because right there, through the crooked trees, he saw it.
A figure.
A boy, his body battered and bruised, blood tracing jagged lines down his arms. His clothes hung in torn ribbons, yet his stance held. His skin was night, but his eyes burned brighter than the scorching sun—wild, unbroken, defiant.
"…Is that… Koga?" - Einar whispered, his voice cracking.
Horror thickened the air like a choking mist as the group rushed forward. The closer they drew, the clearer the sight became—Koga, barely standing, his body shredded with bruises and blood. Every breath he took looked like it could be his last.
"Could this… could this be the work of some terrifying bear or tiger?" - Einar asked, eyes darting around the treeline, his voice tense.
"No… not that." - Rosé replied, narrowing her gaze and lifting a finger skyward.
The group followed her finger.
Far above, against the silver sky, a shadow sliced through the air. Small as prey, fast as a predator. Its wings blurred with impossible velocity, its movements a streak of death incarnate.
Narrator (chillingly): "The size of a prey. The speed of a predator. Impossible to dodge. Improbable to strike back.
The Lightning Sparrow."
The forest seemed to shudder at the name alone.
And then—
"HEY, Koga! What've you been up to, man? I respect the passion and determination, seriously… but you could die here!" - Xitij yelled, cupping his hands like he was at a football game. "Forget this one—there are ninety-nine other mini-bosses waiting. We'll just pick one that doesn't… y'know, make lightning kebabs out of people."
Koga faintly laughed with a smug grin. He lifted his face to look at the group. Deep, sharp eyes with slight dark circles peeked through his shining black hair, and his smile widened across a face sculpted like the ridge of a forgotten mountain.
Staring deep into Xitij's eyes, Koga let out a raspy chuckle. "Heh… finally met you. No… I won't go back. If I get barbecued by a mere Level 5 Sparrow, then I don't deserve to pass the Trial anyway."
His gaze hardened with unwavering pride. "And now that I've seen you… The Seedling of Courage; I cannot back down. It's simple: either I defeat it one-on-one… or tonight's special is KOGA BBQ."
Narrator (deadpan): "Well… sparrows are omnivores, so yeah, maybe it will be Koga BBQ."
The air cracked colder as Yelena stepped forward, sliding out from behind Einar, frost curling at her heels.
"THAT'S ABSURD!" - Yelena yelled, furious and ready to launch. "We were placed in teams of five for a reason—to battle as a whole!"
The grass beneath her froze in protest—but before she could move any further, a firm hand stopped her.
Xitij's right hand barred her path. His face was calm, serious, yet burning with a quiet ferocity.
"Stop. He's made his choice," - Xitij said, his voice low, steady, and fierce. "When faced with fire… either the flames outgrow the vase, or the vase outgrows the flames. So buckle up, Yelena. Hey, Einar. Rosé. Keep your eyes open. Because you're about to witness combat in its rawest form."
The air stilled. Even the Lightning Sparrow above seemed to pause, its wings vibrating in anticipation.
Koga tilted his head back, letting the group see him clearly for the first time. His dark grey hair, now streaked with crimson from dried blood, framed a face that, despite its bruises, still carried a sharpness that was enough to make two or three ladies faint on the spot.
He lifted his face with a cheeky grin, even as fresh blood dripped from the corner of his lips. To Yelena, for one chilling instant, he resembled a snow leopard in the middle of a hunt—battered, cornered, but more alive than ever.
With his only uninjured finger—the middle one—he wiped the trail of blood from his mouth. Slowly, deliberately, he licked it off.
"Well… here I go." - Koga whispered, a feral, raspy sound.
The forest seemed to hold its breath. Even the Lightning Sparrow's wings stalled mid-beat, as if the world itself leaned in to watch. Koga steadied himself, then stepped back.
Black feathers burst from his form, swirling before locking into formation—each one shooting forward in a perfect straight line between him and the predator above.
The Sparrow's keen eyes flickered. It felt the danger immediately, its wings twitching as it dodged before the attack even reached halfway.
A wild grin broke across Koga's bloodied face. "SHADOW ZIPLINE."
The feathers rearranged instantly, forming a taut line stretching from Koga's waist to a point beside the Sparrow. A violent pull surged through his body—feather by feather yanking him forward like a hooked chain.
And then, fate dragged the Sparrow with him. Both locked onto the same central feather, both hurtling toward collision.
Koga's katana gleamed darkly as he channeled the Negative Wind Attribute: The Shadow Slice.
…Three feathers in between.
…Two feathers in between.
…One feather in between.
The Sparrow twisted—its left wing flickering like lightning—and at the last instant, narrowly slipped the strike. A single black feather shredded across its side, leaving the faintest mark.
"It got grazed!" - Yelena noted, her eyes sharp.
"Even a graze on such a small body… it'll build up," - Einar nodded grimly. "Piece by piece, it'll lead to its demise."
As if mocking the prediction, the Lightning Sparrow shrieked. Its body glowed, feathers sparking until it was completely cloaked in raw current. With a sudden twist, it cut a vicious arc through the air and dove straight for Koga.
Koga tried to twist aside—but the predator was too fast. The electrified strike raked across him, scorching deep into his left arm. He stumbled back, smoke curling off torn, sizzling flesh.
Narrator (panicked): "HEY HEY—WRITER! WHAT'S GOT INTO YOU TODAY??"
Writer (slamming fists on the table): "Now that I have seen The Seedling of Courage… I CANNOT BACK DOWN!"
Narrator (exasperated): "That's TWO TIMES the average word count per chapter—ENOUPH FOR TODAY!" (says the one who literally brought a hostage to the recording studio)
Writer (screaming into the void): "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!!"
Narrator (grinning, hiding another narrator tied in ropes behind his back): "The Writer caught a fever due to overwork. Thanks for your understanding."
(Muffled from behind): "MMMPH! MMMPH!"
Narrator (cheerfully, waving): "BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ;)"
Curtain