Here's your text with every instance of "Glitch" replaced with "Sovest":

The air buzzed with the eerie presence of the three Sovests: green, yellow, and red.

"Go!" I shouted, and the chaos began.

Ezra and Liam charged toward the red Sovest, their movements perfectly synchronized. Meanwhile, I bolted in the opposite direction, my focus on the yellow Sovest as it shimmered and vanished. Nely held her ground, gripping her scythe as the green Sovest turned red.

She lunged forward, trying to distract the new red Sovest from coming closer to me.

The instant she moved, the red Sovest with blinding speed slashed its sword across her chest, the force of the blow sending her sprawling across the deck.

"Damn it!" I cursed, but I couldn't help her yet. I have to find yellow Sovest first. I pushed forward with Nebastep, my body screaming in protest as I closed the distance. "Come on, come on…"

Behind me, the sound of clashing metal rang out as the red Sovest relentlessly pursued the twins. Liam dodged another vicious strike, only for Ezra to swap places with him in the nick of time.

"You're getting sloppy, Liam!" Ezra spoke through gritted teeth. "Shut up!" Liam barked back, his breathing labored. But their coordination was slipping, and the red Sovest was learning.

[ 00:35 ]

I reached the yellow Sovest just before it could turn red, slamming my hand through the glowing yellow light. "Got you!" I shouted, panting as the yellow vanished. But there was no time to celebrate.

[ 00:29 ]

I turned back, just in time to see Nely scream as the red Sovest slashed her chest again. She tried to crawl away, but it chased her, raising its blade for a killing blow.

Launching myself forward with Nebastep, I tackled Nely out of harm's way, but not before the Sovest's sword sliced across my back, leaving a deep, bloody wound.

[ 00:18 ]

"Dune…" she whimpered weakly as I dragged her behind the cabin wall.

"You're fine! Just heal yourself, damn it!" I snapped, though my heart pounded in fear. I glanced back and saw the red Sovest turning toward me again.

I pushed Nely down. "Stay here!" Then, using every ounce of strength I had left, I sprinted straight for the other red Sovest who was busy fighting twins, dragging the other red after me.

[ 00:07 ]

Sovest's blade sliced at the air behind me as I weaved through the chaos. The moment I reached the twins, using Nebastep, I pushed myself to the side, letting the two Sovests come face-to-face.

[ 00: 05 ]

For a split second, the red Sovest mistook the other one as an attacker and lashed out. Their blades clashed with a deafening screech, and I used the confusion to dart back toward Nely.

"Dune!" Liam called, but I didn't look back.

[ 00:03 ]

The red Sovest broke away too fast and turned its attention back to me. Its blade gleamed as it struck.

[ 00:01 ]

I dodged, but not fast enough. The sword pierced my chest, aiming at my heart, stopping just short of going too deep as the timer hit zero.

[ 00:00 ]

The Sovests disappeared. And I fell to my knees, "That was too close," clutching the shallow wound in my chest. Blood seeped between my fingers as I gasped for air.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"Nely!" Ezra shouted, rushing to her side.

"I'm fine…" she said weakly, though her voice was shaky, and her wounds looked brutal.

"We're alive," I murmured, barely able to stand. "But just barely."

The battle was over, but the ship was in shambles. Nely slumped against the cabin wall, her face pale, her hand pressed against her injured shoulder and chest.

"I'm fine, stop fussing," she muttered as Ezra knelt beside her, channeling Neba to help heal her wounds.

"Fine? You were nearly turned into fish food!" Ezra snapped, his voice sharper than intended. "Stay still and let me help."

Meanwhile, Dune and Liam sat sprawled on the deck, covered in cuts and bruises, but grinning like lunatics.

"Ay Ezra, did you see that last move?" Liam cackled, approaching us and clutching his ribs. "I swapped places with you even though the sword touched me! I'm just too smart!"

"Smart?" Ezra rolled his eyes. "You swapped too late, you dumbass. I almost got sliced in half."

"Shut up and be thankful I literally saved your life 27 times," Ezra retorted, throwing broken wood at his brother.

"Shut up already, you're both idiots," Nely muttered weakly.

Night came, and we all sat in the cabin. The cabin was quiet except for the sound of the twins laughing between bites of fish.

I couldn't help but glance over at them. Ezra had his head thrown back, nearly choking on his food, while Liam pointed at him, laughing uncontrollably.

"What's so funny now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ezra managed to swallow before replying, "Yo Dune, Liam was trying to describe the fish taste, but he didn't know a word to describe it."

"I said it tastes like—like—uh—" Liam waved his hands dramatically.

"Like fishy?"

"Yes, exactly! Like fishy because it's fish, and its taste compared to other animals is fishy!

Ezra, you're so smart," Liam said, clapping him on the back like he'd just solved the mysteries of the universe.

"I know, right?" Ezra replied, puffing out his chest.

I rubbed my temple, feeling the headache these two always managed to stir up. "What's so funny about that?"

Shaking my head, I stood and glanced toward the cabin door. Outside, I saw Nely standing alone, staring at the moon.

I sighed, leaving the twins to their endless banter, and stepped outside to join her.

"Hey… you okay?"

She didn't turn at first, her gaze fixed on the glowing moonlight reflecting off the waves.

"Yeah… I guess. It's just—" She hesitated before continuing. "Not having any memories about my past… it makes me feel weird. What if I'm not really me? What if I was someone completely different?"

I leaned on the railing beside her, watching the endless stretch of water. "I get it. Sometimes, I feel the same. It's like… these instincts, these feelings… They come from somewhere, but I have no idea where. It's like knowing something, but not knowing how or why. You can't explain it, but it's there."

"For example, my fighting skills… I don't know where they come from or how I gained them, but I can use them while I fight, like muscle memory."

She nodded slowly. "Exactly. Sometimes, I'll look at myself or hold my scythe, and it feels… familiar. But it's also like I'm searching for a part of myself that doesn't even exist."

I leaned against the railing, my gaze lingering on Nely's face. The moonlight cast soft shadows, but it couldn't hide the exhaustion etched into her features, the dark circles under her eyes, the slight tremble in her stance. She looked ready to collapse at any moment.

I turned my head and glanced at the twins. The same signs were there: heavy lids, sluggish movements, a weariness they tried to hide behind their usual banter.

*It's gotta be a Zeten thing,* i realized. *I can't imagine how hard it must be to handle those whispers their whole lives. I only heard them for a few seconds, and they nearly killed me. They've been dealing with this forever.*

I stepped toward Nely and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "You and the twins need to rest. I'll watch the ship. If anything happens, I'll wake you."

Nely hesitated, opening her mouth to argue, but then sighed. "Fine," she muttered. She took a few steps toward the cabin but paused, glancing back over her shoulder. "What about you, Dune? You're not going to rest?"

I felt the weariness clawing at me, my limbs heavy, but i shook my head. "I'll be fine," i said with a small smile, though i could barely muster the energy for it.

"You three are the main powers here. I'd be dead long ago without you all. You need to heal, to get your Neba back. Right now I'm not as important as you three. Rest is more crucial for you."

Nely frowned, her hesitation clear, but eventually, she nodded and headed into the cabin. The door creaked shut, leaving Dune alone. He dropped down to sit at the bow of the ship, staring out at the dark, rippling sea.

The waves lapped gently against the ship, a rhythm that should've been soothing. Instead, it only emphasized the silence around him.

I rubbed my temples, my body screaming for sleep, but i shook it off.

"I'm not that tired," i whispered to myself, though i knew it wasn't true.

My eyelids drooped as i gazed out into the endless water. *Just a little while longer,* i thought. *I can handle this.*

Few seconds later he fall asleep and woke up at morning.

The sun was barely rising, casting a pale orange glow across the endless sea. "shit i fell asleep.. idiot" I stood up quickly looking around… my legs didn't tremble anymore, i was feeling so much better.

The twins burst out of the cabin, full of energy as though the last two days hadn't drained them dry.

"Ahhh, I feel so good!" Ezra stretched his arms wide, grinning like he'd just woken from the best sleep of his life.

"Same here," Liam said, mimicking him.

Nely was the last to emerge, looking more rested than she had in days.

"You all look so much better," I said, managing a faint smile.

"Yeah, you too Dune.. you're also nice." Liam's voice was blunt, his awkward tone almost making me chuckle.

What..? *these two creeps me out*

[ Last stage of Trial 2 begins now. ]

The words hung in the air like a death knell. My chest tightened. "Ah, so it begins," I muttered, my gaze scanning the horizon for any sign of danger. The sea was still. Too still.

"Over here!" Ezra's shout broke through the silence. He was standing at the stern, waving us over frantically.

We rushed to join him, and as I followed his pointing finger, my stomach dropped.

A huge black ship was barreling toward us, slicing through the water like a predator closing in on its prey. It was larger than ours, its black sails tattered and fluttering wildly in the growing wind. The hull was sleek and menacing, etched with strange glowing symbols that radiated an eerie green light. The figures aboard were silhouettes for now, but I could feel their intent, a hunger that promised nothing short of violence.

The mission text burned into our vision.

[ Defeat the enemy ship. Stage 3 ends when the number of Zetens drops to 5. ]

[ current number: 8 ]

My heart sank. Eight Zetens. There were eight of us total. Which meant—

"We have to kill them," Nely growled through gritted teeth, her hands clenched into fists. "Not again. Damn it, not again!"

I sighed, my gaze lingering on the approaching vessel. The face of the man i killed in the first wave flickered in my mind. Strangers, just like him. Forced into the same twisted game.

"So, that's how it is…" I muttered bitterly.

The twins, as expected, were unfazed. Ezra leaned over the rail, squinting at the enemy ship like it was a new toy. "Oh, this'll be fun."

Liam smirked beside him. "Wonder what they're like? Think they'll be tougher than that glitch?"

I stared at them in disbelief. "How are you two not even slightly worried?"

"What's there to worry about? Are you hesitant Dune?… Well, if we don't do it, they'll kill us."

Ezra shrugged as if the solution was obvious. "So, better kill them than for us to die, right?"

It was hard to argue with that logic, but it didn't make the task ahead any easier.