Deep beneath the city of Copaeyris, something ancient had begun to stir.
The air grew heavier with every step.
Mizu, Sayos, and Rika followed Reiji through the narrow underground corridor. Cracked stone lit by glowing moss curved around them like a spiral descending into the earth's forgotten memory.
Lucy walked in silence beside them, her white fur brushing against the walls, alert.
They had left the noise of the surface behind. No arena, no crowd. Only silence.
And the weight of something... old.
Reiji stopped at a sealed archway. Its surface shimmered with elemental markings.
"This is it," he said. "The first of the elemental trials."
Rika ran her hand along the symbols: a swirling spiral for wind, a jagged flame for fire, and a flowing curve for water.
Mizu stepped closer. "Only three?"
Reiji nodded. "The others are sealed in different temples. Each designed to awaken resonance. If you're chosen… you'll feel it."
Sayos grinned. "So it's like a training dungeon with extra flavor?"
Reiji didn't laugh.
"No. It's a test of who you are."
The gate opened.
Inside: a massive circular chamber, lined with glowing runes. In the center, three elemental glyphs hovered above stone pedestals.
Each pulsed with energy.
Water.
Fire.
Wind.
The moment Mizu stepped forward, the water symbol glowed bright blue.
His stone pulsed.
But nothing happened—no trial. No surge.
It was Rika who gasped first.
Flames flared around the fire glyph. The air around her shimmered with heat. Her red crystal throbbed like a heartbeat.
"Something's pulling me in."
Sayos turned—just in time to feel the wind swirl violently around the third pedestal. His green pendant lifted slightly.
"Okay… I think this one wants me."
Reiji stepped back.
"Your trials are about to begin. Face what binds you. Or you will not leave this place the same."
Trial 1 – Rika: The Flame of Regret
Rika stepped into the circle of fire. The world around her melted.
She was in her old village again. Flames licking the rooftops. Screams in the distance. The scent of ash and blood.
She saw them.
Her parents, running toward her.
And then—a dark figure, cloaked in shadow, struck them down.
Rika froze. Just like back then.
She screamed.
But this time, she didn't run.
"You took everything from me!" she roared.
The fire surged around her, testing her will.
She stepped through it, each flame revealing her guilt, her fear, her rage.
And when she reached the center—her crystal blazed red. Her eyes lit up like molten glass.
Awakening: Stage Two.
Trial 2 – Sayos: The Wind Never Lies
Sayos entered the wind circle. A gust lifted him—then silence.
He stood on a floating island, clouds beneath his feet.
Alone.
"You're weak, Sayos," his father's voice echoed.
"Wind without control is chaos."
"I'm not weak," he said.
But his legs trembled.
Illusions surrounded him—versions of himself failing, falling, fleeing.
"I'm not... I'm not…"
He closed his eyes.
And then—he heard them.
Mizu's voice. Rika's laugh. Lucy's low growl of warning.
"I'm not alone anymore."
The wind responded.
Not wild.
Not cruel.
But gentle. Listening.
His crystal flashed green—and he landed, steady.
Awakening: Stage Two.
Mizu watched from outside both circles, breath held.
He had seen them change.
They had stepped into fear… and come out stronger.
He looked down at his crystal.
Still calm. Still quiet.
Not yet.
The glyphs faded.
The room grew still.
Reiji stepped forward.
"They've awakened. The first gate is complete. But the others—Shadow, Light, Lightning—wait far beyond this."
Rika's eyes burned with quiet fire.
Sayos exhaled slowly, wind brushing against his cloak.
Mizu turned toward the sealed gate at the far end of the chamber.
It was covered in unfamiliar markings.
A seventh symbol.
One he hadn't seen before.
It pulsed faintly… blue and white.
Lucy growled low behind him.
"That symbol… it wasn't there before," she said quietly.
Mizu's heart raced.
Because even without understanding it—
he knew it was calling to him.
**>> What is the unknown seventh symbol?
Rika and Sayos have awakened – but what still sleeps inside Mizu?
Comment your theory & stay tuned for Chapter 12 – where fire and memory collide.