“Before we commence the finale of the examination, I’d like to thank all the participants, including our grand audience,” Emperor Adonis said, causing everyone to cheer. He waited until the crowd grew quiet before saying, “There was a day when the fate of the empire and the five kingdoms encompassing it, hung by a thread. After the World Tree erupted, we were forced into hiding as creatures and plants we never knew could exist washed over us, however, you stayed strong, persistent, and courageous, until the day the mighty Illuminus Elites, and, those of the Axien Church, were able to drive the Minus encompassing our lands, far away. Now, the five kingdoms prosper like never before!” The crowd erupted once again. “Even so, threats are still looming around every corner of Asceria; so, we must remain vigilant in our fight against the Minus. Now, I introduce to you, our final contestants.”

“Whoo!” Rai and company shouted as the spotlight shined on his friends in the arena. They were standing on a large square stage, their opponents, across from them.

“You will be participating in a knockout round. First to eliminate the other team by knockout or by rendering them incapable of battle, wins,” General Kur announced.

“What no timer?” Eiji wondered out loud.

“Guess not,” Lily stated, staring at the clock which had no time preset on it.

Eiji also took a glance at the clock. This was his last chance to prove himself.

“No killing, or blinking,” General Kur stated.

“Huh?” Eiji replied confused.

“Team Plu’s Legion vs Team Prism Brothers, begin!” the announcer’s voice sounded.

Aegis led the charge, dashing toward the prism brothers, however, before he got near, roots emerged from underneath the floor of each of them – their color glowing a faint orange. The coliseum roared with excitement as the match commenced. “Sorry, I’m in a rush,” Aegis said, his voice steady, nonetheless, the prism brothers stood their ground. Aegis narrowed his eyes at the sight of their leader charging him head-on, “Do you believe you can win alone?” Aegis stated, clashing with their leader.

“Hm, you tell me?” the leader of the brothers replied.

Aegis, eyes widening, as he was hoisted from the air and slammed into the ground, spitting up blood.

“Aegis!” Lily said, but before she could do anything, many weeds emerged, slowly twisting upwards until they were about a foot high. One of them curled into a rune, slapping Lily’s leg, and ripping a light layer of skin off, in the shape of the rune. “Ouch!” she said, and immediately after, she dropped to one knee. “My leg?!” It had gone numb. Many more of the weeds shaped into runes, snapping at her! Jumping, she scarcely dodged the swarm of weeds.

“Flux stamps,” another prism brother stated, approaching Lily. “Once you get tacked with one of those, negative flux force will continue to gather until the person is eventually immobilized.”

Lily lunged forward, her fist swinging a miss, at first, but her next lung proceeded twice as fast as the first, catching the brother off guard. “Let's see how you handle this!” she shouted, crushing the ground with her fist before the prism brother, sending him sprawling back.

His momentum was leading him directly towards the end of the stage—he was going to get knocked out! Suddenly, a foot landed behind the prism brother before he was ringed out.

“Don’t underestimate her Nefarian bloodline, it’ll take a lot more than that to take her down,” the leader of the prism brothers shouted, keeping a watchful eye on his team behind him.

“Quit screwing around Hamza! We didn’t traverse the four great deserts of Sheemak, just so we could lose here!”

“Apologies, Amir,” the other stated, standing to his feet.

“I’ve got a bug to squish when I am done, we will go after the cat and the wolf together,” Amir said.

“Agreed,” Hamza said, returning to his fight with Lily.

“Did you just call me a bug!” Eiji clenched his fists, prepared to defend his pride and his allies. Swinging a miss, Eiji almost fell out of the ring, hopping on one foot and swinging his arms to keep himself from falling.

“Not that graceful I see,” Amir stated.

Eiji, furrowing his brows shouted, “Why don’t you stop running!” he shouted, his eyes burning red, tears falling steadily falling.

“It is you who should be running,” Amir said.

Eiji noticed as a shadow emerged from above, blanketing over his head.

“It’s a bird!” someone stated.

“It’s a pla- Achoo!”

The blanket rapidly descended - every ten feet - it would leave an energy rune floating in the sky which ignited the speed of the blanket's descension, slamming onto the floor and catching Eiji before he could dodge.

Eiji tried to pull away, but he couldn’t move—his shoe got stuck under it!

“I recognize that root power,” Alan stated. Flipping through his book he stopped midway, saying, “Ah ha! Runes root, a product of the plant Null Sage. The plant, when consumed, causes powers to weaken, even preventing one from using their power depending on the consumption or level of the person consuming the plant.”

“So, he's merged with the runes root...” Rai said.

“Actually, all three of them have merged with the rune root. If you look closely, you’ll notice the blanket is just a finely stitched version of the weeds Lily is currently confronting,” Mr. Briggs said.

“It says here, that the runes root is a three-star root. That makes them extremely rare. How’d all three of them come by one?” Alan said.

Aegis, breathing heavily, clutched his stomach, wincing lightly in pain.

All the brothers, deciding not to hide themselves any longer, revealed themselves. To everyone’s surprise, they all look almost identical!

“Triplets?” Emperor Adonis murmured.

“I see,” Reezo said, caressing his goatee.

“My name is Nasir. My brothers and I are from a village far from here in the great desert of Behar. One day, upon escaping enslavement, we brothers traversed the deserts in search of a savior, until we were on the brink of death.” The brother’s listening, each carried a face of unwavering nerves. “But at death’s doorstep, we found that savior. A root that would grant us the power to change our fates, however, not of our people. Once we freed our people, we soon learned the struggle of supplying food and water, clothing, and housing; the more people we accepted, the more difficult it became, and if nothing was done, soon, civil war could break out. So, we seek to become an elite, that way we can provide for them.”

“How sad,” Hanabi said, eyes watery.

“Kick his ass!” Rai shouted.

“Ri Ri,” Hanabi replied in disbelief.

“What? I mean I feel for the guy, but the reality is there are a lot of people out there like that. Unfortunately, that’s one of the things that hasn’t gotten better since the Shattering,” Rai said.

Aegis, smiling, said, “It’s unfortunate, the wishes of only one deserving team can be fulfilled today.”

Nasir continued, “Our power, I’m sure you have noticed, can sap or seal one’s strength. Together, I could not seal your power, but with my brother’s and with enough preparation, we managed.”

“When did you get the chance to lay such an ability out,” Aegis said, standing firm.

“Back in the first round,” Nasir responded. He recalled a time, after Aegis left, when he placed his hand on the center of the ground next to the cube, as did all the brothers. He then recalled another time that he and his brothers did the same, moments before leaving the arena after the second round. That whole time they were laying traps to be used for this round—for this man, Aegis. If they could remove him from the ring, victory would surely be there’s.

“I see,” beneath Aegis's feet, he could see the flux force of a large circle of weeds beneath the surface of the arena. When he stepped outside of the circle, they would simply shift beneath him, following his every movement.

“The more power you use, the more power gets transferred to my brother’s abilities, making what seems to be an already tough match for your friends,” Nasir said, glancing at the two struggling behind Aegis, “much tougher.”

“Not bad Nasir,” Aegis said. “But you’ve forgotten one thing.”

“We’ve sealed your flux and rendered your abilities useless. Without blinking, what else can you do,” Nasir said.

“I spent my entire life fighting,” Aegis said. “I don’t need flux force to win.” He charged Nasir.

Eiji, seeing another blanket in the sky forming, panicked as he tried to yank himself free. “Stupid… Shoe!” Upon remembering his shoe was the only thing caught, he said, “Wait a sec,” before quickly undoing his shoe and leaping out of the way before the second blanket came crashing over him. Running, he avoids blanket after blanket, his eyes now bright red, and tears streaming down his face. “That’s it!” Eiji yelled, turning around. Surprised by his sudden change in attitude, Amir, watched as Eiji ranted. “How in the world, is someone supposed to fight without blinking?! Like seriously, who comes up with this stuff?”

“You idiot! He means blinking, as in shifting through flux force, not blinking in general!” Rai shouted.

“What?” Eiji questioned, however, before he could react, a blanket hurdled and carried him directly out of the ring.

Lily, seeing that Eiji had been ringed out, and Aegis still locked in combat with the other, looked for a way to turn the tide of battle. She had a few rune-shaped lashes on her, indicating she was currently absorbing a more than necessary amount of negative flux force. Her chest was heavy, like someone pressing against her chest, keeping her from breathing normally. Charging at the prism brother, he weaved a wall of weeds in front of Lily.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Sorry, I can’t let you get close like before,” Hamza said. The prism brother retaliated with a barrage of weeds, as they twisted her way. Lily deflected the onslaught, slamming the wave down to the ground, however, she still had a few more runic lashes.

Small weeds popped out once again along the floor near Lily as she danced through the chaos. Keep moving! She noticed the lump of weeds seeping back into the ground. Why didn’t he just continue with the wave of weeds from before? They seem much more difficult to dodge when they’re grouped up like that.

“We have to find a way to break through their defenses!” Aegis declared. Digging his fist into the stomach of Nasir, his opponent spat up blood, quickly retreating. That worked? Looking at the floor, Aegis realized the flux force gathering was steadily rising. “Worth a try,” Aegis said, rushing Nasir. Aegis slid his foot against the floor, propping it against Nasir’s, ducking under a quick fist.

Nasir, seeing Aegis approaching, crossed his arms, before a heavy thud collided against his arms. “Getting confident,” Nasir said, swinging a miss. “You can't beat me without utilizing your flux force,” Nasir said, swinging a miss. “You’re going to have to use it eventually, powering up my teammates along the way.”

“Keep pushing,” Aegis shouted, Lily’s way.

Lily seized the opportunity, launching herself at Hamza.

Surprised by her sudden surge of strength, he shouted, “Where do you keep getting all this renewed energy from!” He threw up a wall of weeds once again, each carrying the signature rune.

“It’s a special type of energy, called,” Lily dove right into the wall of weeds, many snagging her, however, busting out the other end, she shouted, “will power!” She thrusted her fist directly into the stomach of the prism brother, crippling him. A shadow hovered above Lily’s head, causing her to quickly leap back as a blanket weaved of weeds, snagged the prism brother, bringing him back to Amir.

“That’s twice now brother,” Amir said, shaking his head.

“Then you fight her brother,” Hamza said. “If she hits you, let's see you complain then,” his voice barely able to escape.

“Hm,” Amir glared at Lily, ready to fight.

“Uh- Brother!” Hamza said.

Amir, looking over, witnessed Aegis glowing—and roots beneath his feet began to emerge! Their ghastly purple appearance phasing in and out of existence.

“Dammit,” Nasir said. I didn’t expect him to figure it out so soon.

“You three share your power, don’t you? You don’t each carry your rune root, you’re all merged with one at the same time. When one of you is in trouble, you borrow a larger pool of the power you all share. It's why my punch earlier was able to hurt you. Before the three of you focused primarily on sealing my power, but as the fight progressed, you realized my teammates were more of a handful than you anticipated, grabbing more as the fight went on.”

“Appreciate the shout-out,” Eiji said, lying on the floor while holding a thumbs up.

“That explains why he wanted you to use flux force, they needed that steady flow of energy to rejuvenate them.”

“Well, you’ve got the jest of it,” Nasir said. “Brothers!”

Both brother, each quickly surrounding Aegis from a safe distance, slammed their hands to the floor. The ground began to shake, and suddenly a prism of roots emerged, encasing Aegis – instantly sealing any source of power emitting from him.

“What’s this?!” Aegis said.

“The little markings on the floor weren’t just a source of our flux, they gathered the flux throughout the entirety of the tournament. I think you know who else was in those matches,” Nasir said, glaring at Alderai.

“Well played,” Eloise stated.

Aegis tried to break prism of roots he was in, but he wasn’t able to. Lily also pulled at the vines, slowly encompassing Aegis, but she couldn’t get them to tear.

“That prism barrier seals much too powerful for you to break,” Amir stated.

“Aegis!” Lily shouted.

“Lily,” Aegis said, glaring at her through whatever gaps remained before he was shut from the outside world. “Win.”

The last gap shut, and Aegis was officially sealed.

“We did it!” Hamza said.

“Piece of cake,” Amir said, fist-bumping his bro.

“Excuse me, this fight is not done,” Lily stated. She stood defiantly, glancing at Aegis, now encased in the prism of roots, his strength sealed away. It was up to her now.

Hamza and Amir exchanged glances. They knew they had the upper hand, their plan was unfolding flawlessly. But Lily wasn't about to give up without a fight.

Hamza conjured a wall of weeds, forming a barrier between Lily and the brothers. Lily gritted her teeth, her muscles tensing as she prepared to break through. She launched herself forward. Suddenly, Mini blankets of weeds shot out of the impending wall, nearly catching Lily each time. Pressing through the wall yet again, she emerged on the other end, but neither brother was present. Just Nasir, who seemed to be concentrating on the prism of roots sealing Aegis. “You’re the problem!” she shouted, but before she could reach him, a shadow loomed overhead, casting a blanket of weeds over Nasir. Lily's eyes widened in alarm as she leaped back, avoiding the trap, but one waited for her on the floor. It entangled her, and quickly a rush of weeds ensnared her, causing many more lashes.

So, you’ve met your current peak, it would seem. Alderai watched as the weeds and blanket slowly twisted around her.

“You fought well,” Nasir said, in the distance. “Perhaps we will see you again, once we’ve become an elite, and you’ve become an apprentice.”

“I keep telling you, it's not over yet,” Lily stated. Activating her five legacies, her flame resistance forms.

“And just what do you plan on doing with that,” Hamaz said. “Our roots aren’t flame-based.”

“After the round earlier, I felt this strange swirling energy within me, only now do I think I’ve understood its purpose,” Lily stated, clenching her fist with a determined smile. “Discharge!” Fire erupted from Lily, as her form exploded outward, carrying with it a blazing flame that sent both Amir and Hamaz flying out of the arena. Lily appearing from the smoke and flames, now back in her normal form, raced towards Nasir.

“Impossible?!” Nasir stated. He glanced at the prism he was keeping intact, then back at Lily. “Dammit!” Using his flux force, at the risk of his core, Nasir activated another draining field beneath Lily, causing her to drop to the floor.

With the negative flux force still draining her, Lily lay on the floor, unable to move. She could pass out at any moment now… But they were so close! Placing an arm before her, Lily slowly rose from the ground. Her legs were numb - she just knew the direction her hips needed to sway to get closer.

“Stay away! You can’t take this from us!” Nasir said.

Lily etched closer, inch by inch, saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t take this away from my friends either,” Falling forward, she planted her leg firmly into the ground, yanking her arm forward and delivering a crushing blow to the cheek of Nasir, propelling him into the wall between his brothers, outside of the ring.

The prism of roots withered away, and Aegis was freed.

“We have our winners!” an announcer stated, and the crowd went nuts!

“That was amazing!” Yuta said.

“Plu!” it said, happily, jumping up and down with Yuta.

“They did it!” Hanabi said.

The brothers, slowly rising, stood in solace in defeat.

“We’ve failed everyone,” Amir said.

“Now… There’s nothing we can do to save our people,” Nasir said, tears falling from his eyes.

“That’s not true,” Lily said, appearing beside them.

“Without becoming an elite, we will never have the funds, or recognition, to bring our people out of poverty,” Nasir stated.

“Then I’ll support you,” Lily said.

“What’re you talking about?” Hamaz questioned.

“A new friend of mine, Alan, told me that the number one elite of the empire often funnels his earnings and findings on adventures to those severely affected by the Shattering. It got me thinking, perhaps I could do the same. So, when I become an Elite, heck, if I have spare even now, I’ll make sure it gets to you.”

“You would do that for us?” Nasir said.

“Of course. We all would. That’s what it means to be an Illuminus Elite, right?” Lily said, staring up at Alderai, whose eyes were closed - though she noticed a nod of approval.

“Thank you,” the brother said generously.

“Now we don’t have to return empty-handed,” Hamaz stated.

“It's still empty-handed,” Amir responded.

“But with a promise,” Nasir stated, gazing at Lily, “from a friend,” he reached out to shake her hand.

“Until next time,” Lily said.

“Farewell,” Nasir said, and he and his brothers exited the arena.

“Congratulation, Plu’s Legion, on a battle well fought. Now, my Illuminus Elite, you may decide,” Emperor Adonis announced.

There was silence as the illuminus elites observed not only the contestants but also the other elites sitting beside them.

“What’s going on?” Hanabi asked.

“They are deciding on whether or not they want to accept them as their apprentice. Their only allowed two, so they will either have to replace one of their own, or, accept one, as long as they don’t have two already.”

“I see,” Hanabi said, gulping.

Lily, Eiji, and Aegis watched from above, as the number two elite stood up.

“Aegis, you’re going to be my apprentice, got it,” Gael said.

“Understood,” Aegis said, giving a slight bow.

“Hm,” Gael smirked, plopping right back in his seat.

Whispers spread throughout the Coliseum.

“Gael chose a second apprentice?”

“Well, if not him, I don’t know who. Guy’s strength is insane.”

Next to stand was Knox.

Eiji’s toes curled; he just couldn’t contain his excitement. If I get selected by Knox just imagine the amount of muscle I could gain. Lily might like me all the more. His eyes fluttered with hearts, however, to his dismay, Knox simply left the coliseum, never returning. After, Eloise stood, turning to leave as well.

“Where are they going?” Yuta said, seeing the ‘superheroes’ leave.

“My thoughts exactly,” Hanabi said.

“The elites do not need to be here in the first place, and some are satisfied with the apprentices they currently have. That or your friends just didn’t put on an impressive enough display for them, and so, they are leaving back to their respective kingdoms now.”

“Boo! Hey Tanabe! You got some extra spots right? Pick one of them!” Rai shouted.

“Tanabe is unable to pick. Being a new elite, he must first have been in the program for a minimum of one year before he can choose an apprentice of his own. Until then, he can only guide the apprentices of whoever’s rank he claimed when ascending into an elite,” General Kur’s voice resonated over the crowd.

Alderai stood, causing everyone to be silent. “Lily, you will be my second apprentice. Do you accept?”

Lily’s heart stopped for what felt like an eternity. Everything went quiet. Wait, did I hear what I think I just heard? When she came too, Eiji and Aegis were beside her, and the crowd was roaring. “What?”

“You did it!” Eiji said.

“Do you accept?” Alderai said, once again.

“Accept? Y- Yes, I do. I accept!” Tears welled up in her eyes.

Nodding, Alderai took a seat once again.

Eyes lingered on Temin, who in turn said, “I’m not interested in the fool, I’m just here to see the end of it all.”

“Is he referring to me?” Eiji said, pointing at himself.

“He’s pleasant…” Lily stated. “Probably better if you don’t get chosen by him.”

With that, only Reezo remained. Standing, he examined Eiji.

“The last time three contestants were all chosen in an examination was the last, right?” someone said.

“Do you think it’ll happen again?” someone responded to the man in the crowd.

“Eiji,” Reezo began.

OMG! It’s happening. “Ahem, yes, you’re Grand... Grandness,” Eiji said.

Lily, stooped her head slightly. "Grandness?"

“You’re too loud, consider toning it down a notch,” he said, before turning and leaving.

Eiji crashed onto the floor.

“Poor Eiji,” Hanabi said.

“I guess it was wishful thinking,” Rai said with a weary smile.

Emperor Adonis stood, saying, “Lily, Aegis, I would like to officially welcome you into, the Illuminus Apprenticeship. You’ll receive notice on further details. Everyone, thank you for joining us. May the empire’s light shine brightly upon you.”

“Excuse me,” Aegis shouted.

Gael looked curiously at his new apprentice.

“I wish to ask a question, if I may,” Aegis said.

“Of course,” Emperor Adonis said. “I will hear you out.”

“As an apprentice, how does one become an elite exactly?”

“One becomes an elite, in one of two ways. You’re either the highest ranked apprentice, determined in the placement exam, or you challenge and defeat someone in the elite, unless they forfeit placement, that is the only way.”

“My last question…” Aegis continued.

“Look at this insolent little…” Temin muttered.

“When and where do these challenges take place?”

“They take place in the Kingdom of Thundertyde, near the floating mountains of Bonsku; although, depending on the circumstances, rearrangements can be made. Were you looking to challenge?” the emperor questioned.

Aegis, peering into the coliseum stands as if his blindfold was never there, pointing at Temin, the Illuminus Elite ranked 9th. “I challenge you.”

Gael burst out into joyful laughter, screaming, “That’s right! I expect nothing less of my apprentice!”

“That’s suicide!” Tanabe shouted.

Temin, biting his lip, caused blood to seep from his mouth. “So, you want to die.”

“Aegis is your name,” General Kur said. “In battles with elites, from elite to elite, killing is permitted. From apprentice to elite, though killing is not allowed, there’s no say in the level of injuries you may sustain as a result. Do you understand this?”

“I do. It happens I overheard him causing problems for a friend of mine a while back,” Aegis said. Rai blinked twice, wondering if he was referring to him. “Someone I owe a debt to. I can’t just let it slide.” Gazing once again at the angered Temin, “If the arena is suitable, do you accept?”

Standing, Temin said, “Yes, it does make quite the suitable grave!” Glowing black roots cracked along the sides of the hundred-foot coliseum walls. Temin’s, already vampire-like fangs grew in length, and his cape expanded like wings behind him, revealing a tapestry of death as he rocketed from his seat at Aegis, thirsty for blood.