Bright lights shone through an opening of a broken ceiling. Within the ruined structure of a pagoda, Roy found himself standing on creaking wood within an empty room. A new oddity caught his attention in his field of vision; there was a heads-up display that calculated his body limbs at the bottom, left all of it in green. To the top right, there was a mini-map showcasing the small area. Two dots took up the screen, him in blue, and nearby across the room, an orange dot blinking in. Dust filled the air as Roy’s eyes finally glanced upon his opponent across from him, who eventually transferred in.

Ariella stretched out her legs, smiled, and waved at Roy.

“Alright, Le-” Roy, who prepared to engage, felt the pressure of a foot hit right up into his gut! Quick like the wind, Ariella knocked Roy through the structure and out into a moss-filled pond.

His pants now soaked, Roy arose from the moss water only to witness Ariella jumping from the hole in the wall, sparks of electricity flaring off from her legs. At the bottom left, he noticed his chest area already in the yellow. This girl was looking to knock him out immediately!

Roy’s heart pumped more and more, his body beginning to pulsate, bracing for the tremendous shock. A moment before her foot touched the water, electricity vanished as Ariella put her hands up to brace.

“Huh?” Roy was a bit puzzled, wondering why she had her guard up. Keeping his own guard up, he quickly charged at Ariella only to feel a massive pressure hit him in the back. Gusts of wind blew out from behind, knocking him and Ariella out of the pond and into the outskirts surrounding the ruined pagoda.

Surrounding the pagoda was a mountainous horizon obscured by clouds. Most of the foundation that encompassed the structure was nothing more than a floodplain already flooded over with moss filtered everywhere.

Before crashing into the water, Roy saw hundreds of white birds flying in circles around the area. Things were escalating too quickly for him to keep up; even when getting back up, Ariella assaulted Roy once more in close-range combat!

A zap of lightning, a kick of fury, and endurance of steel swept through the lake-bound area. Throughout the little engagement, Ariella grew more and more bewildered at this newcomer's moves in keeping up.

“For someone with the physique of a gobbler, I see why the other teams had trouble.” Ariella kicked her feet towards Roy’s head, who managed to tuck in his stomach, dodging the attack while collapsing backwards.

“Whoa… Insane body skills. But, it looks like I won~!” Ariella smiled, seeing that Roy finally succumbed to paralysis.

“Urgh...N...Not fair..”

Ariella lifted up her left leg, this time dishing out more electrical power to zap the entire water.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it if you ever make it again next ye-” Her train of thought was interrupted by the same pressure that hit them before. “Uh oh..Not hi-”

“[FREEDOMS REVOLT!]” A proud voice swept the area as another gust of wind hit Ariella in the side, sending her flopping across the water. Roy managed to get up, seeing Hayden drop down from the top of the pagoda.

Slamming down into the waters, the sheer force of his legs cracked the surface underneath, creating a rushing wave that washed Roy away!

“Wha-!” Flushed away towards the outer fields, Roy grew his body, becoming taller to prevent being discarded farther away. Such tremendous force from simply landing and dishing out kicks which paralyzed his body. The finalists were beyond what he anticipated compared to the schools beforehand.

When Roy caught his bearings taking a stand among the murky water, he noticed Ariella’s foot against his back.

“Woo~! Alright, let’s play together, Starlight. You take him head-on, and I go in from the sides!” Lifting up her left hand, electricity sparked while Roy begrudgingly nodded. It seems any honor in matches like this was thrown out the window.

“Alright, but no shocking….”

“Look here… No promises. On the count of three, okay?”

Roy decided to play along with Millennium. This Hayden individual didn’t look to throw any punches, reminding him of someone back home.

“Three…Two….”

The electricity faded from Ariella as her body shifted past Roy. The wind picked up as the two of them charged ahead — A flash of light zipped across the murky water, followed by small quakes rupturing Roy’s path.

“One!”

Hayden smacked his fists together, watching the two advance upon him. “GO!!!!!!” Slamming his fist into the water, another giant wave advanced towards Roy and Ariella. Breaking through the tide with a kick, Ariella clashed against Hayden.

Accelerating more energy into his legs, Roy jumped over the wave fists, ready to dish out at Hayden. Hayden, managing to grab hold of Ariella, used her as a shield!

“W-Wait!” Ariella cried out, trying to brace herself. Despite Roy attempting to pull back his punch, it collided with Ariella sending her back into the Pagoda! Hayden adjusted to the opportunity and lifted up his feet, impacting Roy in the gut.

“Here! We! Go!” Feeling the cheers and excitement of everyone outside of the field empowered his singularity, [Freedoms Deliverance] as he nicknamed it. Perhaps to keep with the theme of being a wannabe superhero, yet with his cape whimsically moving with the wind, his body strengthened from the emotions of others. Lifting up his leg again, Hayden kicked Roy high up into the air.

A slight whistle came from his voice. “Whoa...He went far.” Seeing Roy being flung into the distant mountain range. The flock of birds scattered, moving towards the mountain ranges. Upon Roy crashing into trees, his faint aura shattered.

“Argh...That broke my energy?” He couldn’t believe it; no wonder Ariella wanted to team up. Roy took a moment to look around, noticing a nearby stone path led back down towards the pagoda area. On the way down, he saw broken shrines made apparent by the gentle light of the sun beaming through the trees. A gentle wind swept through the mountainside while Roy made his way back.

“...” He stopped. Making a note of everything around him, energy slowly surged into his muscles. Wind steadily swept through his legs, water dripping from his hands. Right as he stepped forward again, the voice of Xavion rang out behind him.

“Man. Look at you, aren’t you a little fat to be playin’ around? Ha!” Xavion tightened his headband before briefly jumping up and down, stretching his limbs. “Not like it matters, well then, Fatty, let’s see what you can do!”

“I’ll have you know I can stop being fa-” The hairs on his arms stood up — Roy narrowly avoided a kick in the head by Xavion. Swift leg movement that scared him, a pressure of air rushing past Roy knocking him down the mountain steps.

Paige started to draw all of the contestants battling it out within the announcement room. The four fighters were mounted up on a podium, Ariella at the top with what appeared to be Roy clinging to her legs, Hayden hanging off Roy, and Xavion dangling. Strings attached to each one, with the overseer dangling them all.

Paige then looked up from her drawing to find the overseer, but the man was gone from his post. As the match went on, periodically, Paige changed up drawings. Despite being the worst choice for an announcer, in truth, her illustrations are what dazzled a few of her fans. Animating things to life often garnered many artistic fans, though she lacked popularity compared to Pearl. Paige still somehow managed to invoke her feelings through the canvas. Even now, her powers influenced the audience.

Lifting up her small drawing board for the cameras to see, Paige showcased a quick sketch of the battle. A crude depiction of Hayden’s “heroic prowess” being tested by the fierce kicks of a dumb-faced Ariella. In the shape of an overblown ball, Roy is being rolled down a cliff by Xavion.

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All in all, she was a favorite.

Within starlight’s room, Deveron couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the drawing itself.

“Seriously, whose idea was it to give the lady that can’t speak an announcing job.” Feet firmly propped up against the table, as if there were no worries in the world, Deveron relaxed.

“It seems pretty smart to me. Her partner doesn’t seem to mind…Looks like a fan of hers also.” Alexia pondered if she had a fanbase by now.

“I don’t see how it's any smart at all, but didja see the drawing she did of Roy? Ha!”

Cheveyo, who managed to acquire a tablet from the foundation, wasn’t keen on the match at hand, his mind was elsewhere, but his body fixated on the device at hand. Alexia momentarily looked at Cheveyo, sensing the energy around him different yet again, another spirit?

“Oi, Chev. Wake up.” Alexia walked over to place a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, I know you’re in the-”

When she blinked, Alexia found herself in a white void. A low hum vibrated across the empty area bouncing off unseen walls, yet distancing itself in the endless void. Upon further inspection, her eyes finally recognized a figure among the vast emptiness, Cheveyo who looked relieved, yet extremely concerned. The two of them were baffled for different reasons.

“Did…I wake you up? Guessin’ not. Heh..”

“You being here should be..impossible.” Cheveyo looked around the void. He knew they were watching. Every single one, waiting for the two to continue conversing.

“Yeah, I don’t think I should be here…Are they mad?”

“No. Simply confused, just like me.” Cheveyo’s mind continued to race, thinking of how this even occurred. “What did you do?”

“Me? Nothing! I simply tried to wake you up since I noticed a spirit taking control of you.”

“You noticed?! Wait, did Deveron not see it either?”

“No, he never detected it, nor Heidi.”

“R-Right…Makes sense…For all the times I’ve known Dev, he’s never noticed when a spirit has taken hold of me. When I'm in here, the passage of time seems to rush outside… But, never has someone made it into here.”

“Yeah, well, this is a first for me as well. Why do the spirits keep you here anyway? Don’t you share a body with them?”

Right as Cheveyo was about to speak, an old woman moved out from behind him, spiders crawling throughout her robes and hair.

“Ah… To think this child could get in here….” The old woman slowly moved to Alexia to get a closer look.

Alexia raised her fist, ready to hit this old woman if she did anything funny.

“Hey now, this one's good.” Cheveyo replied.

“Oh? Do I even want to meet a bad one?” Alexia observed the woman with the plethora of spiders jittering around.

“Yes, Yes…I think I see it now.” The old lady’s eyes were now half-open. “She’s been marked.”

“Marked?” Cheveyo asked.

“Come on…Use that noggin’. Who do you think the spirits of old always complain about.”

“They complain about a lot of things, but the most recent one being… That woman?”

“Yes…Yes. The same one the owl warned you of.”

Alexia looked at the two not getting any of this.

“Hang on, who are you two talking about? What’s this about a mark on me?”

“Sorry, Lexi. She’s referring to a crimson-haired lady.”

“Hmm… The only one I know with crimson hair is Abbey. Did you meet her recently or something? She likes to appear when it’s convenient.” Alexia didn’t think that woman was what allowed her in.

“Is that her name? Well, a meeting is one thing you can call it. Met her in the waiting room. Time had frozen that I thought one of my spirits stopped time.”

“A false name… That woman is dangerous.” The old lady grabbed Alexia’s hand, spiders started to dispense onto Alexia.

“Whoa! Whoa! No spiders!”

“Relax, child… They’re helping.” With that, the old lady signaled for the spiders to wrap webs around Alexia’s right hand. “That crimson woman is more trouble than the rest of us old ones like to admit…Just like this silly game you all play with this power.”

“Game?” Alexia patiently waited for the spiders to finish wrapping her hand in webs until it was completely covered.

“Many spirits, including herself, consider the tournaments to be a mockery. Or just something none of us should participate in. But, they don’t see the potential it has in changing our lives.”

“Boy, that mouth of yours is why you lack control of the rest….” The old lady then signaled the spiders to stop as they all scurried back into her robes. “There…Now.” Placing her hand over Alexia’s in a circular motion, heat soon engulfed the webs in a flame.

“Hey!” Alexia panicked momentarily quickly, halting when the flames vanished just as they appeared. From the webbings, there lay the mark of the Singularity Foundation planted firmly on Alexia’s hand, glowing with a crimson hue. The mark itself curved in a few places, compared to how the foundation's logo normally looked.

“What did you just do, lady?”

“It’s not what I did. It’s whatever that false woman did to you. You should stay away from them… Though, it might be too late for that. You’re likely already marked as either a target or someone of great interest to them. Perhaps both.”

“Cheveyo, which spirit is this old woman? And so far, Abbey hasn’t really done anything bad to me. So this mark is why I’m here?”

“This is Kokyangwuti. One of the good spirits that inhabit me.”

“Haha! That’s just one of the many names those of the past called me… And yes, so I believe. This mark is hard to detect. But, it likely is just that. A hidden mark, like a sign of property. If it was a curse, the others would be feeding off you right now.”

“F-Feeding? Well, I’m not some object. How come Cheveyo doesn’t have one like myself if he met her then?”

“I don’t think the spirits would take kindly to that. She noticed them in me at first glance. How come you’ve never told us about this, Abbey?” Cheveyo extended his arm out as an owl landed on him.

“It was just never a big issue to inform, though this is the first time I’ve heard of this, Chev. How come you didn’t tell us.”

“Well… I doubt the rest of you would believe me when I’d say time stopped. Though, I’m talking to someone that flings literal stars. So anything is possible, and at the time, it would have been…Awkward. Since she happened to be extremely fixated on teach.”

“Wait, she interacted with teach?”

“Yeah, I got extremely close to him, almost like she was going to kiss. She looked pregnant as well.”

“Hold on, when was this? Not a few days ago, right?”

“Back during the state tournament… Yeah, I’ll admit it was not the best option to keep it hidden. Sorry.” Cheveyo’s expression, despite how he spoke, appeared even more worried. Knowing a bit more about the situation and with the foundation looking after Reynolds, this could only create more alarms in his head.

“You children and your worries… You can continue this conversation in reality… You’re about to be up, boy. And you girl, heed my words on that woman or keep a steady distance.” With that, Kokyangwuti prepared to send Alexia back into reality. With the snap of her fingers and a flash of white, Alexia blinked, realizing she was seated next to Cheveyo, head against his shoulder.

“Oh! You’re awake! You two suddenly stopped what you’re doing and dozed off together.” Heidi, seated across from them, had scissors in her hand, cutting paper to make origami until it was her turn to go to battle.

“You birdies done cuddling?” Deveron, still in the same spot watching the fight progress.

Cheveyo rubbed his head as he snapped out of it as well. “Urgh…Stop messing around. How’s Roy?”

“You know, trying his best, but it's clearly not cutting it.” Deveron let out a sigh.

While Alexia took a bit of a stand to sit down next to Heidi. “Geez… My head hurts after all that.” With all the information still being processed, a few thoughts did slip back into her mind. She did think about what Mahdri told her the other day.

“Hey, Heidi.”

“Hm?”

“Mind helping me cut my hair?”

“What? You sure?”

“Y-Yeah… It kinda gets in the way when I fight. I might burn it off if I'm not careful.”

Heidi’s eyes brightened up; luckily, she was already cutting away. A short-haired Alexia? Was she trying to increase her popularity or something, or did having long hair really get in the way of a fight? She had long hair, but it never truly got in the way.

Then Heidi remembered Alexia fights way more aggressively than herself.

“Alright! Let’s see if we can get it done before I go up!”

Alexia slowly placed her hands against her forehead. Being in that realm really did a number on her. Perhaps a change of appearance would reinvigorate her. To think just standing in that realm took up so much energy, no wonder Cheveyo is always tired after a fight.

“Yeah… That’d be great!” Alexia let out a deep breath turning her attention to the fight while Heidi prepared to trim her long hair. On the other hand, Roy continued to fight to show off his prowess among the best.