Itekan and Itoyea crept out of the room like shadows melting into the night.
"Alright, so how do we get there? The doors are always shut by ten," Itoyea whispered as they dashed down the corridor. Togira struggled to keep up, panting hard—like a bellows pushed to its limit.
"I have a plan," Itekan said as they reached the main entrance.
"Does this involve entering your shadow again? Because I'm not thrilled about that. Plus, I'm pretty sure these doors have anti-shadow enchantments," Itoyea replied.
"No, I swiped this," Itekan said, producing a long bronze key from his storage ring.
Itoyea stared at him, eyes wide. "How did you even get that?"
"That wasn't me." Itekan smiled as Togira gave a deep purr and rubbed his head against his leg, clearly proud. "It was Togira. He knocked it off a caretaker. He probably won't even notice until the fake I made with my shadow tentacles fades."
"But by then, we'll be long gone."
Itoyea sighed. Itekan was more daring than he'd given him credit for. As they pushed open the heavy doors, Itoyea picked up Togira and slung him onto his shoulders while Itekan locked the door behind them.
"Let's go!" Itekan shouted as they sprinted across the field, past the moonlit lake that divided the forest from the main school.
They didn't pause. They burst around the lake's edge, wind tearing past their ears, eyes locked on the treeline ahead.
Finally, they arrived at the forest.
A thick fog curled through the trees like smoke from an ancient pyre. It whispered to them, a promise of power, of riches beyond imagination.
Itoyea took a tentative step forward, but Itekan stretched out a hand and stopped him.
His month-long training with his father had often taken him to forests at dawn. He had grown used to the dark—and his senses were sharper than the average Second-Stage Hero.
And what he saw terrified him.
Forest Elementals. Countless. Towering. Dangerous. Far stronger than the ones they had fought during the dungeon expedition two weeks prior—those had no special abilities.
But these did.
These Elementals had created the fog itself, warping senses and hiding their presence. Worse, they had wandered far from their Red Zone territory. That alone was deeply unsettling.
"Itoyea, channel SE into your eyes. Clear your mind," Itekan said, still holding him back.
Itoyea nodded, focusing his energy. His hand brushed the hilt of his new sword—not his primary blade, but one forged from dark iron, one of the continent's toughest metals.
SE surged through the weapon. It lit up, glowing a deep red in the thick darkness.
"What are those?" Itoyea asked.
"They're called Forest Elementals," Itekan replied, equipping his shadow daggers. The two faced the oncoming horde.
"Wanna make a bet?" Itoyea grinned. "Whoever racks up the most kills gets to be called 'Boss' for a week."
Itekan smirked. "You really know how to motivate me."
"Alright. One. Two. Start!"
They vanished. Only afterimages remained in the fog.
Itekan moved first. He knew the weak points. His blades sliced through bark and sap as easily as cloth. But then he glanced sideways—
Itoyea was outperforming him.
He weaved through strikes like they were slow-motion, slicing through limbs and torsos with elegance and fury. His SE blended perfectly with his form, casting a crimson glow.
Itekan paused, awestruck. If I ever had to fight him… I'd have to go all out.
Itoyea danced between foes, never wasting a motion. Every pivot was lethal. His momentum built with each kill, the air thick with the scent of blood and energy.
Itekan growled, realizing he was falling behind.
"Oh, you bastard—" he said, fading into his full shadow form, blending into the dark mist.
"Shadow Hand: Shadow Tentacles!"
Black tendrils erupted around him, whipping through monsters and tearing them to splinters. Tree innards rained down.
Itoyea laughed and lifted his sword.
"Way of the Wind, First Form: Lonely Wind!"
He crouched low, as if sheathing the sword, then surged SE to the tip. With a fluid motion, he unleashed a wind vortex from the blade.
Whirlpools of wind tore through the Elementals like paper.
When the fog finally cleared, the two stood atop separate piles of defeated enemies, grinning at each other.
"Brug-o-eon!" Togira said telepathically to Itekan.
"Huh?" Itekan turned. Near Togira lay a veritable mountain of defeated Elementals.
Itoyea burst out laughing. "He outdid us both!"
Itekan laughed, too. They gathered stones from the fallen and pressed forward—toward the dungeons.
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Spiritual Energy (SE)
Spiritual Sea (SS)
Spiritual Signature (SST)
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