Heavy gray clouds blanketed the morning sky, turning what should have been bright sunlight into a soft, muted glow over the forest campsite. Neiva shuffled between the tents, still wearing her wrinkled pajamas, her bright red hair sticking out in about twelve different directions. She dropped onto one of the logs they'd set up as makeshift benches, clutching her toothbrush in one hand and a cup of fresh water in the other.

  Just as she started brushing her teeth, a voice exploded right behind her ear: "BOO!"

  Neiva launched about three feet into the air, toothpaste foam spraying everywhere like a startled dragon. She spun around to find Red doubled over laughing, his gray-tinted copy of Angelo's form practically vibrating with mischievous glee.

  "You should see your face!" Red managed between gasps of laughter, clutching his stomach even though he couldn't actually feel anything.

  "'OP OOING 'AT!" Neiva tried to yell through a mouthful of toothpaste, which only made Red laugh harder. She snatched up the nearest stick and started whacking him with it. Each hit made little puffs of crimson particles explode from his form, like hitting a very annoying pinata.

  "Okay, okay!" Red held up his hands in surrender, though his trademark wild grin never faltered. "You got me! But come on, it was glorious..."

  Neiva quickly rinsed and spat. "No. It. Was. NOT." She punctuated each word with another whack of the stick.

  The commotion finally stirred their campmates. Angelo emerged from his tent looking like he'd rather be literally anywhere else, running a hand through his messy dark hair. "What's with all the racket?"

  "Good morning, everyone!" Sol followed close behind, somehow managing to look perfectly put together despite sleeping in a tent. His silver-white hair practically glowed in the dim morning light. "I see we're all in high spirits!"

  Neiva crossed her arms and turned away with an emphatic "Hmph!"

  "Oh?" Sol's eyes sparkled with amusement. "What's gotten into you?"

  "Why don't you ask Red," Neiva grumbled, gesturing toward... absolutely nothing.

  "Who's Red?" Sol's attempt at looking innocent wouldn't have fooled a toddler.

  Red had already vanished into crimson smoke that streamed back into Angelo's body. "What? Where did he— Oh, come ON!" Neiva she kept flailing her arms at where he once stood.

  "But that's just air." Sol continued with his act. "Are you sure you're not seeing things?"

  "Don't you start too!" Neiva stomped back to her tent, muttering under her breath about impossible boys and their impossible jokes.

  Sol settled onto one of the logs, pulling out some trail mix for breakfast. Red materialized beside him, looking extremely pleased with himself. "Looks like we've got more in common than I thought, pretty boy."

  "And you are?" Sol asked the apparent stranger, maintaining his ridiculous act.

  Angelo dropped onto another log with a sigh that carried the weight of dealing with these two forever. He dug through his travel bag for something edible before fixing Sol with a pointed look. "You going to keep up that act," he asked between bites, "or are you ready for that sparring match we talked about?"

  Sol's playful expression shifted into something more predatory. "You finally ready? No more boo-boos holding you back?"

  "No more boo-boos." Somehow, Angelo made even that childish phrase sound deadly serious.

  "Perfect!" Red bounced on his heels, practically vibrating with excitement. "Time to show pretty boy what we can do!"

  "After I beat you two," Sol jabbed a finger toward Angelo's chest, "I want a shot at Blue." He spoke as if Blue was hiding inside Angelo somewhere, which... wasn't entirely wrong.

  As if summoned by his name, Blue's azure smoke drifted from Angelo's body like morning mist. But instead of responding to Sol's challenge, he moved toward Neiva's tent with his usual perfect posture.

  Neiva?" His scholarly voice carried gentle authority. "Are you there?"

  "What do you want, Blue?" Her voice still carried traces of annoyance.

  "While your irritation is completely understandable," Blue's precise words somehow made the casual conversation sound like a formal presentation, "I believe you would benefit greatly from observing their sparring match."

  Angelo turned at that, genuine surprise crossing his face. Through their mental link, he thought: "Since when are you so invested in her training?"

  "Bet he secretly loves being called 'professor'!" Red's mental voice dripped gleeful mockery. "Now he thinks he's a real teacher!"

  Blue's perfect posture somehow became even more rigid. "At least one of us recognizes the responsibility we have undertaken in shaping another person's development."

  Angelo actually blinked at that, momentarily forgetting Sol was watching. "Tch. Whatever."

  "Excuse me?" Sol asked, clearly lost.

  "Not you." Angelo shook his head and started walking toward the clearing they'd picked for training. He paused to call back over his shoulder: "Neiva! You might want to see this!"

  Sol's confusion melted into an knowing smile as he followed. By the time they reached the clearing, even Neiva had joined them, though she still looked somewhat flustered. Blue's calm presence beside her seemed to help.

  While Angelo and Sol stretched, the morning air crackled with anticipation. Sol shrugged off his silver jacket, his black tank top showing off impressively toned arms as he shadowboxed the air. "Ready to go, Angel?"

  Angelo finished his own stretches with a neck pop that made Neiva wince. "Ground rules?"

  "Besides no evolution?" Sol's confident smile promised trouble. "None. Go all out."

  "Good." Angelo glanced at Neiva. "Watch closely."

  She slumped against a fallen tree, resting her cheeks in her hands. "Why...?"

  Blue stood beside her with perfect posture. "Sometimes the most valuable lessons come from observation rather than instruction."

  "Why can't you ever just say things normally?" Neiva grumbled, but her eyes stayed fixed on the clearing.

  Sol's silver aura exploded to life around him like captured moonlight, his blue eyes suddenly blazing silver. Angelo's orange energy answered like contained sunrise, brown eyes burning orange as hot coals. Red's crimson power completed the light show, his dark eyes glowing blood-red and promising wonderful chaos.

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  The fight was about to begin.

  Silver lightning crackled around Sol's arms like static electricity on a winter day. Neiva leaned forward on her log, eyes wide. "Wait – Sol's an electric Auron?"

  Blue didn't answer. He didn't need to, because the fight was already exploding into action.

  Red dissolved into crimson smoke and reintegrated with Angelo before he emerged out and shot toward Sol like an angry storm cloud. Sol's fists flashed through the red mist again and again, but it was like trying to punch fog – his hands just passed right through.

  While Red kept Sol distracted, Angelo's orange energy reached out like living ropes, attaching itself to a nearby tree. Sol spotted the movement and shifted into a perfect kickboxer's stance, fists raised to protect his face and chest. Silver fire erupted from his hands, blazing through the air toward Angelo.

  But Angelo was ready. He twisted between the silver flames like a dancer, making it look effortless. The morning dew on the grass sparkled as he moved.

  "Hold on," Neiva turned to Blue, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "First lightning, now fire? What's going on?"

  "Watch," Blue said simply, his scholarly patience unwavering.

  The clearing erupted into a blur of motion as Angelo and Sol clashed. Angelo dodged and countered with fluid grace, but Sol's kickboxing technique was like poetry in motion – each strike precise and powerful. Through his special energy vision, Angelo noticed Sol's left arm beginning to glow brighter, like a warning light.

  Sure enough, Sol's left hook came whistling toward Angelo's head. But Red was already there, materializing just beneath Sol's arm. He caught Sol's punch and used the momentum to send him flying across the clearing like a silver comet. Angelo's energy rope yanked him safely away from the counterattack.

  Sol bounced back to his feet, grinning despite the dirt on his clothes. "Not bad! Didn't know those smoke ropes could still yank you like that."

  "What, you thought that trick was just for my evolved form?" Angelo rolled his shoulders. "I was doing this long before evolution."

  "Less talking, more fighting!" Red launched a barrage of crimson energy blasts that lit up the clearing like fireworks.

  Sol answered with his own silver energy shots that easily overpowered Red's attacks, forcing him to dive away. The silver light carved paths through the morning mist rising from the grass.

  Neiva threw up her hands in exasperation. "Okay, now I'm completely lost. That looks exactly like Angelo's energy attacks, just silver! What's really going on here?"

  "Solomon," Blue explained with careful precision, "is a darkness Auron."

  "That's darkness?" Neiva's jaw dropped as she watched the three figures dance through their deadly ballet. Angelo and Red moved in perfect sync while Sol's kickboxing strikes left trails of silver sparks in the air. "But it's so... bright!"

  "Energy based abilities match the aura color." Blue's perfect posture never wavered. "Darkness is quite rare however, unlike light Aurons. Most people don't understand what it truly is."

  Sol managed to slip behind Angelo, his kick aimed for the back of Angelo's head. But somehow Angelo ducked at the last second – Red's shared vision letting him know the attack was coming. "What the—" Sol's surprise left him open for Angelo and Red's perfectly timed counterattack.

  "So what exactly is darkness then?" Neiva asked, wincing as Sol barely dodged a crimson energy blast. "I always thought it was just... you know, the opposite of light."

  "That's partially correct," Blue said. "Where light gives life, darkness takes it away."

  "You mean it kills?" A chill ran down Neiva's spine.

  "In a way. Darkness causes decay in whatever it touches, like rust spreading across metal." Blue's explanation was interrupted by the sound of splintering wood as Sol landed a hit that sent Angelo crashing through a tree.

  Sol pressed his advantage, but Red jumped between them like a protective older brother. Still, in straight-up combat, Red was outmatched. Sol's lightning-fast boxing combinations slowly wore him down until Red's right arm burst into crimson particles like scattered rose petals.

  But it was a trap.

  Angelo's energy ropes snaked around Sol's arms from behind, yanking him off balance. As Sol spun to counter, Red blasted him point-blank with crimson energy. The distraction let Angelo's fist connect with Sol's jaw in a thunderous impact.

  "But why does darkness look like lightning sometimes? Or fire?" Neiva couldn't take her eyes off the fight as Sol launched what looked like a silver thunderbolt that reduced another tree to splinters.

  "Darkness is unique," Blue explained. "It's like water – it can be solid ice, flowing liquid, or floating steam. Darkness can mimic lightning or fire, but it's not hot or electric. It spreads through anything it touches, breaking it down piece by piece."

  "And the energy blasts?"

  "The simplest form, but it can travel the farthest and fastest." Blue's words were punctuated by another explosion of silver light as the battle raged on. "Every shape has its own strength, but they all serve darkness's true nature – decay."

  The morning sun finally broke through the clouds, turning the clearing into a battlefield of light and shadow as three warriors pushed their powers to the limit. Suddenly they broke apart, gaining some distance. Sol and Angelo were breathing heavily.

  "I'm falling apart here," Red's voice echoed in their shared mind, a rare note of worry in his usually confident tone. "Hate to admit it, but this guy's no joke."

  "If he wasn't tough, working together would be pointless," Angelo thought back, studying Sol's stance for any openings. "How much longer can you last?"

  "My body's going to burst on its own if it takes much more damage." Bitterness crept into Red's mental voice. "We should use that technique." He stretched his hand backward, giving Angelo a meaningful look.

  "Red, that's excessive," Blue's scholarly disapproval rippled through their connection.

  "Nobody asked you, blueberry," Red shot back.

  Angelo watched Sol carefully. Their opponent hadn't moved, but his eyes tracked every tiny movement like a cat watching prey. After a moment's hesitation, Angelo nodded. "Fine." He reached his own hand backward, palm hovering near Red's. The air between their hands sparked and twisted as two colors of energy – orange and crimson – began to spiral together like paint mixing in water.

  Sol's eyes widened with recognition. "Oh great, they're doing that thing. I hate when they do that." He pressed his palms together, and silver lightning danced between them. The electricity wrapped around a growing sphere of energy that looked like moonlight caught in glass, silver flames licking at its edges.

  "What are they doing now?" Neiva leaned forward so far she nearly fell off her log.

  "Testing raw power against raw power," Blue explained. "They've measured each other's endurance. Now they want to see who hits harder."

  Something clicked in Neiva's mind. "Wait – isn't Angelo at a disadvantage here?"

  "Perhaps," Blue's voice carried a hint of knowing. "Or perhaps it's the other way around."

  Before Neiva could ask what he meant, Angelo and Red's voices rang out together: "Mixed Energy Wave!" Their combined attack erupted from their hands like a river of fire, orange and red light painting the clearing in impossible colors.

  But Sol did something completely unexpected – something that made even Blue's perfect posture crack with surprise. Instead of firing his own attack, Sol clapped his hands together. His gathered energy wrapped around him like armor made of lightning and flame, his left arm blazing brightest of all. Then he did the impossible – he charged straight into Angelo and Red's energy wave.

  "DID YOU REALLY JUST SHOUT YOUR ATTACK NAME?" Sol's voice carried through the roar of power as the beam engulfed him like the world's most violent waterfall. But he didn't stop. If anything, he moved faster, pushing through the energy like a swimmer fighting against a current.

  Angelo and Red poured everything they had into their attack, their shouts growing louder with effort. The clearing filled with so much light that the morning sun seemed dim in comparison.

  Neiva couldn't look away. The raw determination from both sides struck something deep inside her, leaving her speechless as she watched two unstoppable forces collide.

  With one final surge of power, Sol burst through their attack. "TAKE THIS!" His fist connected with Angelo's face like a silver comet, sending him flying straight into the cliff face. The impact left Angelo spread-eagled in the rock like a butterfly pinned to cork. Sol stood panting, his body covered in cuts that leaked thin trails of blood – proof of just how close that battle had been.

  Red stared in shock for a moment, first at Angelo embedded in stone, then at Sol examining his own trembling fist. Red gathered himself and charged, but Sol was ready. His other hand, still crackling with silver sparks, slashed through the air. The attack cut Red clean in half at the waist, his form dissolving into crimson smoke that rushed back to Angelo like a retreating tide.

  The clearing fell silent except for heavy breathing. Sol's silver aura flickered and died, his eyes fading back to their natural blue. He collapsed onto the grass with a huge sigh. "Man... you're one tough nut to crack, Angel of Death."

  Angelo worked himself free from the cliff face, rubbing his shoulders as he walked over. Neiva ran to check his injuries while Blue followed at a more dignified pace. "You're not so bad yourself," Angelo admitted. "That last move caught me completely off guard."

  "Speaking of moves..." Sol's trademark smirk returned. "Shouting attack names? That's super cringe."

  Angelo's face went red as he stammered. "I... you..."

  "Right then!" Sol pushed himself up with a groan, stretching his back. His eyes locked onto Blue. "You're next, professor."

  "You should rest first," Blue said with perfect calm. "Besides, considering we're traveling by Auron abilities..." He let the words hang meaningfully.

  Sol's eyes went wide as understanding hit. "Well... fuck."

  The morning sun climbed higher, warming the battered clearing as four very tired travelers realized they still had a long journey ahead – and they'd just used up most of their energy showing off.