Beneath the world of sunlight and sky, hidden deep within the foundations of Drogaran, there existed an arena carved from ancient stone and boundless ambition. The tunnel that led to it was massive, its arched ceiling high enough to swallow cathedrals, the walls lined with torches that gave off a dim, golden hue. The air smelled faintly of sand and iron.

  The arena itself was immense—so vast it could have hosted an entire village. Its floor was made of pale sand, soft yet compacted by countless footsteps and battles past. This wasn’t just a training ground—it was a place meant to test the soul. And though it was underground, a complex system of lanterns built into the walls and ceiling illuminated it completely, bathing the space in warm amber light. It was a world of its own.

  Shiroha stepped into the arena first.

  Her blonde hair trailed behind her like silk caught in a gentle breeze. Each step she took was precise, quiet, her golden eyes locked onto one person ahead of her—Akira. She moved like light made flesh, her presence delicate, yet commanding.

  A moment later, Akira entered.

  His pale blue hair shifted gently with each step, catching the glow of the lanterns like morning mist. His violet eyes, calm and unwavering, were fixed on Shiroha.

  They met at the center of the arena—opposite ends of a circle they didn’t choose to draw. Shiroha’s brows were gently furrowed, a shadow of unease on her face. Akira, on the other hand, looked almost... relaxed. It unsettled her.

  "What makes you so calm?" she asked, voice low but steady. "This has gone beyond us, Akira. There’s no guarantee you’ll see me—or I’ll see you—after this fight."

  Akira smiled, his tone light and playful.

  "Honestly? I’m not sure what’s happening anymore. But everything between us so far has been... interesting. If this is where it ends, then I’m grateful. Thank you—for caring, even when you didn’t have to."

  Her golden eyes widened slightly.

  I can’t do this, she thought. I can’t use my power on him.

  She lowered her gaze, voice trembling slightly. "I... I don’t want to use my power on a person. Can’t I just direct it at the rocks, or something harmless?"

  From the edge of the arena, Mirai Yaomomoda adjusted her brown-framed glasses with two fingers, her black hair fluttering slightly from a sudden breeze that didn’t belong.

  "You are not here to choose," she said, her voice cold, "but to be tested."

  Shiroha’s eyes dropped to the sand. Her voice was almost a whisper.

  "I’m sorry... I can’t do it. I can’t hurt a bird that’s just found its wings."

  Akira’s eyes widened, stunned. He hadn’t expected that from her. Not from the girl he thought would crush him in seconds. And now... she was throwing away her future—for him?

  At the edge, Mirai pushed her glasses up with a glint of understanding in her eyes. Her voice came quiet, but sharp.

  "I see now."

  Her hair swept to both sides as she lifted her face toward the arena.

  "Unfortunately, here in Drogaran, our hearts are stone. And no warmth flows through our veins!"

  With a flick of her fingers, a wave of cutting sand erupted from the far end of the arena.

  It roared across the field like a living storm, slicing through the air as it tore toward Shiroha.

  Her golden eyes quivered, the chaos reflected within them as the wave tore through the surface.

  This is bad, she thought, I should react quickly—

  Then—a shadow.

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  Akira.

  He appeared in front of her, arms spread.

  Her eyes shook violently, watching his back.

  The sandwave collided with him.

  Blood bloomed across his chest—only a little, but enough. His body was thrown backward, slamming into Shiroha as both of them crashed into the sand.

  Gasps erupted from the knights. Even Mirai’s sharp eyes widened.

  Shiroha’s lashes fluttered. She opened her eyes to find Akira above her, sprawled across her torso, unmoving.

  Her golden eyes trembled as she pushed him gently off and sat up, panic rising.

  "Akira!"

  She reached for his hand—and froze.

  Warmth. A terrible warmth.

  She looked down.

  Blood.

  In the center of her palm, red spread across the skin like fire.

  Her eyes snapped wide, flicking left, right, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

  Her breath came in fast gasps, shallow and desperate.

  Akira’s eyes, half-lidded, gently began to close.

  Strange… he thought. Why do I feel so... warm?

  Around them, the knights stood stunned. Even Mirai—so used to indifference—stood frozen, caught in a moment that didn't belong to anyone's plan.

  The sand settled. The silence thickened. And in its center, the world changed.

  Shiroha’s breath halted as her trembling fingers hovered over Akira’s unmoving chest. His warmth lingered faintly beneath her palms, but his body lay limp. Her golden eyes, wide with disbelief, were locked on his blood-soaked shirt.

  Then a voice broke the silence, gruff and biting from somewhere behind the chaos.

  "You’ve gone too far, Mirai. That’s the ninth child you’ve killed today. Every single one of them from Moria—gone. Except for the one with the green flames. If word of your actions spreads, we’ll be in serious trouble."

  Mirai didn’t flinch.

  She turned, her tyrannical eyes gleaming behind square, brown-rimmed glasses. Her gaze was a storm of contempt.

  "Silence," she hissed. "You're all nothing but scrap metal collected from the fringes of the kingdom. Remember your place. And remember our goal. We care nothing for this cursed nation or its people. The age of Drogaran is ending. The Stone Age will rise again—and every action I take leads us there."

  She stepped forward slowly, her presence heavy and merciless.

  "This girl… I’ll test her. I’ll see if she deserves to be buried with the others—or used as a pawn. Bound to silence forever."

  Shiroha’s golden eyes shimmered, brimming with unshed tears as she stared at Akira’s pale face. Her mind raced.

  She remembered everything—every reckless, rebellious thing Akira had ever said. How he had insulted the knights. Stood up when no one else dared.

  He was right. This isn’t selection. It’s enslavement.

  Have they… really killed all the children from our village?

  Her gaze dropped again to Akira’s chest. The torn fabric. The blood. The stillness.

  Killed? Akira… is he… dead?

  Her pupils shrank.

  A spark.

  A golden flash ignited in her eyes, light flickering like a firestorm held at bay.

  A breeze stirred.

  Her blonde hair began to lift—subtly, then wildly—as if an unseen current was sweeping through the arena.

  Mirai fell silent.

  She frowned. "...Is that... an earthquake?"

  The ground trembled.

  The knights' silver armor shivered and clinked, metal vibrating in a slow, rising rhythm.

  All heads turned toward Shiroha.

  Cracks split open around her in every direction, racing like veins through the earth.

  She held Akira in her arms, unmoving, but her body was glowing with a rising pulse of energy.

  Mirai’s eyes locked on her. "Impossible..."

  Shiroha slowly lifted her head.

  Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes blazing with fury and despair.

  Then, she screamed.

  "Damn this kingdom! Damn this entire system of chains and blood!!"

  The cracks surged.

  The earth groaned.

  A roar erupted from the stone.

  The massive tunnel ceiling split, fragments tearing loose from the top of the underground coliseum.

  And then—the collapse.

  A storm of stone and dust came crashing down like judgment.

  Screams filled the space.

  Knights ran in every direction, panic overtaking discipline.

  Mirai’s face twisted in horror as she staggered backward, clutching her clipboard.

  "That girl… that power… Impossible… Crystal rank?!"

  Monolithic slabs of stone rained down, flattening steel and bone alike.

  Walls crumbled. Pillars shattered.

  No structure stood.

  Nothing living could endure the storm.

  Then—

  A sound that did not belong.

  [System Notification]

  New Element Discovered: Earth. Level 1

  Unlocked Skills:

  ? Earthen Dome

  ? Stone Body

  ? Sandstorm Spiral

  A final stone—massive, jagged—plunged toward the two at the epicenter of the chaos.

  Shiroha still held Akira close, arms wrapped protectively around his body. She didn’t let go.

  Even as the shadow of death loomed.

  Then—

  A twitch.

  She felt it. Movement.

  Her eyes flew open.

  Akira was awake.

  His violet eyes met hers, gentle and strangely amused.

  He smiled.

  "Looks like we’re outcasts now."

  His hand rose, palm facing the heavens.

  The boulder was almost upon them.

  Shiroha gasped. "Earthen Dome!!"

  The air around him shimmered.

  A deep orange glow—like sunlit clay—burst outward.

  Stone and dust gathered with impossible speed, twisting into a dome over them.

  BOOM.

  Dozens of collapsing rocks smashed into the shield.

  It held.

  From the shadows outside—chaos.

  Knights screamed as the world fell apart.

  Armor crumpled like paper.

  Bodies were swallowed in stone.

  Blood mixed with sand.

  Mirai ran.

  Her heels scraped against stone. Her voice gasped orders—empty and panicked.

  But fate had no ears.

  A shadow fell over her.

  She turned.

  Too late.

  KRASSSHH!!

  A mountain of stone descended.

  And silence reclaimed the world.

  Everything... was gone.