The sun began to dip behind the tall trees, painting the sky orange and gold. Sol looked down in search of a clearing, his silver-white hair catching the last rays of sunlight.

  "That's it for today!" he called out with a tired smile, his legs swinging freely as Blue carried him through the puffy clouds.

  Angelo heard Sol through that weird mind-connection he shared with Red and Blue. "Time to land," he told the others, and they all started heading down toward an open space in the forest below them. The clearing looked perfect—flat ground surrounded by pine trees that would block the wind.

  Neiva couldn't sit still in Angelo's arms as they flew down. She was practically wiggling with excitement.

  "Oh my gosh! Finally!" she squealed, her face lighting up. "A real shower!" She twisted around to look at Red, her bright red hair flying everywhere. "I never thought I'd say this, but you're actually awesome, Red."

  Red's smile stretched from ear to ear as he balanced Angelo's heavy bag in one hand and a rusty metal barrel in the other. He'd snuck off and found that barrel in Pinekeep last night while everyone was sleeping, and now it was going to be their shower.

  "What can I say? I'm full of surprises," Red said, tossing the barrel up and catching it like it weighed nothing.

  Their feet touched down on the soft grass, and everyone started moving around like they'd practiced this a hundred times. Angelo, Red, Blue and Neiva began working on the tents. Sol knelt by the fire pit, arranging stones in a circle.

  "We're getting pretty good at this camping thing," Sol said, striking a match.

  After setting up their tents, Neiva disappeared inside hers. When she came back, she was wearing her workout clothes—those black sweatpants with blue stripes down the sides that had become her training uniform. Her face wasn't dreading exercise like when they first started their journey.

  Angelo stretched his arms over his head, cracking his neck. "Okay, workout time. Then we'll do some meditation after, like always."

  Neiva flopped down onto the ground with a dramatic sigh. "Fine," she mumbled, but started doing pushups anyway. Her arms shook slightly, but she wasn't struggling as much as before.

  Sol got water boiling over the now-crackling fire, then sat down on a nearby log. The flames lit up his face as he stared into them, clearly lost in his own world.

  Neiva finished her set and stood up, breathing hard. She wiped her hands on her pants and stretched her back.

  "Hey, I've been wondering something," she said, pushing her sweaty hair out of her face.

  Angelo looked up from his own perfect pushups. "Yeah?"

  "How will I know when I'm actually getting better at this Auron stuff?" Frustration filled her voice as she waved her hands at herself. "I've been doing all these exercises, but I don't feel any different. Like, at all."

  Red suddenly jumped between them, bouncing on his toes like an excited kid. "When it happens, you'll know!"

  "That wasn't helpful at all!" Neiva yelled, her hands clenched at her sides.

  Blue appeared beside them with a soft whooshing sound. He stood perfectly straight, like someone had replaced his spine with a ruler.

  "What Red is trying to say," Blue explained, sounding like a teacher who'd given this lesson a thousand times, "is that the experience is quite noticeable when it finally occurs. You won't miss it."

  Neiva crossed her arms. "But what exactly am I supposed to feel? Give me something to look for!"

  The three duplicates looked at each other, clearly struggling to find the right words.

  Angelo scratched his head. "It's like... you can feel energy moving inside you, kind of like blood flowing but... different."

  "Yeah!" Red jumped in, waving his arms around. "Like someone poured hot sauce in your veins—but in a good way!"

  Blue cleared his throat. "Perhaps imagine invisible magnets pulling and pushing inside and outside your body simultaneously."

  Neiva stared at them for a long moment, then dropped back down for more pushups. "You guys," she grunted between movements, "are seriously," another pushup, "the worst teachers ever."

  "Just wait for the lightbulb moment," Angelo said with a slight smirk, then turned to Sol. "What about you? What's on your mind?"

  Sol blinked and looked up from the fire. "Huh? Oh." He poked the flames with a stick, making sparks fly up. "I keep thinking about that missing gem from Thunderclap Port. We don't have much to go on yet, but I can't stop wondering..."

  "Wondering what?" Angelo asked, sitting next to Sol.

  "Which is more likely," Sol said, twirling the stick between his fingers, "that someone messed with the security systems, or that an Auron with really special powers was involved?"

  Blue appeared instantly at the mention of a puzzle. "I'd say those are indeed the two most logical possibilities."

  "Exactly!" Sol pointed his stick at Blue. "If we can figure out which one makes more sense, we can focus our investigation better when we get there. The case didn't go unsolved for ten years over nothing."

  "Interesting," Angelo said, rubbing his chin as he thought about it.

  While they puzzled over the mystery, Neiva had moved to a quiet spot and sat down to meditate. She crossed her legs and straightened her back, closing her eyes. Red flopped down nearby, watching her with surprising attention.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "You're totally doing that wrong," he said after a few minutes.

  Neiva's eyes flew open. "Are you kidding me? How can you meditate wrong?"

  "Just like that!" Red laughed, pointing at her irritated face.

  Neiva took a deep breath, clearly counting to ten in her head. "Fine. What exactly am I doing wrong... master?" She couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  Red grinned so wide it looked like his face might split in half. "You're all tense! Your mind's racing like crazy, and your heart's pounding. You're definitely thinking about something besides meditation."

  Her shoulders dropped in defeat. "Okay, you caught me. I keep thinking about that hot shower we're going to have later. After days of being gross, I can't help it."

  "Look," Red said, leaning against a tree, "think of it like this. The universe is like that really needy boyfriend who gets jealous when you think about other stuff. You want his power? You gotta give him your full attention."

  "That's the weirdest way to explain meditation," Neiva said, shaking her head, but a small smile crept onto her face. "But I get it."

  "Just focus, Sugar-tits. When you start feeling the good stuff, I'll let you know." Red winked at her, but suddenly his playful expression vanished, replaced by a look so serious it made Neiva's stomach drop.

  "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice small as she glanced around the clearing.

  Red's eyes narrowed as he scanned the trees. "Something's not right. I feel like... there are more people here than there should be."

  Neiva started to stand up, but Red held out his hand to stop her.

  "Stay put and keep meditating," he said quietly. "I'll check it out."

  In his head, Angelo heard Red's warning: "Don't react, but we might have company. I'm going to look around."

  Red's body melted into swirling red smoke that flowed into Angelo, disappearing completely. A moment later, the smoke poured back out and drifted silently between the trees.

  As Red floated through the forest, he used his energy vision, everything he saw turned different shades of red, like looking through those old 3D glasses. He could see the bright glow of their campfire, the warm outlines of his friends, and—there!

  Two people were hiding in the bushes at the edge of their camp. They were crouched down, hands stretched out in front of them. Between their palms, a ball of bright red light was growing bigger, aimed right at where Neiva was sitting.

  In that split second, Angelo and Blue's auras burst to life around them—Angelo glowing bright orange and Blue a deep blue, like someone had flipped on two colored spotlights. Angelo lunged for Neiva while Blue dove toward Sol.

  The air made a high-pitched whistling sound as something thin and metallic shot through the exact spot where Neiva had been sitting. The spinning disc tore through their campsite and kept going, slicing through tree trunks like they were made of paper. The trees cracked loudly as they started to fall.

  Angelo held Neiva close, his body covering hers protectively as his eyes darted around for their attackers. "Is everyone okay?!" he called, his voice tight.

  "What just happened?!" Neiva gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at the fallen trees.

  Sol's silver aura flickered to life around him as he crouched beside Blue. "Looks like we've got visitors," he said grimly, "and they definitely didn't come to welcome us to the neighborhood."

  Two figures stepped out from behind the tall bushes. They wore dark clothes that covered them from head to toe, like something out of a ninja movie.

  Angelo's eyes narrowed as he scanned them with his energy vision. The orange glow around them told him everything he needed to know. "Who are—" he started to ask.

  "Ugh, I hate these outfits," one of them interrupted, tugging at her head covering. "They really need to do something about the hair situation." She pulled back her hood, revealing messy platinum-blonde hair. A soft brown glow surrounded her head, but stopped exactly where the outfit began, like the fabric was keeping her aura trapped inside.

  "You're telling me!" The second figure yanked off her own hood. "And why does hair give off aura anyway? Makes zero sense." Her face was identical to the first woman's—they were twins—but her hair was a bit shorter, and her glow was orange instead of brown.

  "That is quite peculiar, I have to admit," Blue mused.

  "You are actually doing this? Right now?" Angelo shot at him.

  Sol stepped forward, shrugging off his jacket. He bounced lightly on his toes, settling into a kickboxer's stance. "Let me ask for my friend here," he said, his voice harder than usual. "Who the hell are you two?"

  The twin with longer hair and the brown glow held out her hand. Out of nowhere, a metal comb appeared in her palm. She started casually fixing her messy hair like she was getting ready for a date, not a fight.

  "Metal Auron..." Angelo said quietly, his face darkening like a storm cloud.

  Meanwhile, the sister with the orange glow pointed at her own head. Small swirls of wind spun around her fingers like tiny tornadoes, blowing her hair into two perfect ponytails.

  "We're here for you, Angel of Death," said the woman with the brown glow and the metal comb. "Also known as Angelo Ashworth."

  Angelo's whole body tensed. His eyes flashed with anger. "You dare use metal powers, with his aura color!" Bright orange light exploded around him, transforming into his wings and flowing robes.

  "Whoa, calm down!" Sol put a hand on Angelo's shoulder. "This isn't the time for personal stuff. This is serious—they know exactly who you are and how to find you." He turned back to the twins. "How did you track us down?"

  "That's none of your business," said the orange-glowing sister, little whirlwinds spinning around her fists. She began bouncing in place, clearly ready for a fight.

  Sol raised an eyebrow. "I feel like it kinda is..."

  Behind them, Neiva crouched low to the ground, her face pale with fear as her heart pounded in her chest.

  Red, still in his smoke form, tried sneaking up on the twins. "Got you bitch!" he whispered to himself as he crept closer to the orange-glowing sister. But before he could reach her, she flicked her wrist and sent a blast of wind that scattered his smoke form like leaves in a breeze.

  "She knows!" Angelo's voice echoed in their shared mind.

  "But how?" Red's frustration was clear as he circled back toward his friends. "Who are these chicks?"

  The wind-controller smirked, her orange glow brightening. "You thought you could sneak up on us? We know everything about you."

  "Don't worry," the metal-user said calmly, twirling her comb between her fingers. "We're supposed to take you alive, Angelo. Only your friends will die here."

  Neiva's stomach dropped at those words. She felt like she might throw up.

  "Red," Angelo called through their mind-link, "take Neiva and fly up. Keep her away from here and protect her."

  "What?" Red's outrage was clear. "But I want to fight too! Make Blue do babysitting duty!"

  "These girls are dangerous," Angelo insisted. "I need Blue with me for this!"

  "What are you trying to say, mm? You're saying I'm weak?!" Red's voice dripped venom.

  "Enough." Blue's calm voice cut through their argument like a knife. "This isn't up for debate, Red. Do as you're told if you care at all about our survival."

  "Fuck our survival!" Red shot back. "As if this joke of an existence is worth living!"

  Despite his complaints, Red drifted toward Neiva. His smoke form solidified as he reached her, and wings made of glowing red energy formed on his back. He scooped her up in his arms and, without warning, blasted straight up into the sky. Within seconds, they were just a shrinking dot against the clouds.

  The metal-controlling twin smiled knowingly, like she'd expected to see another Angelo appear.

  Sol glanced at his friend. "Mind taking the metal girl? Darkness don't work well against metal."

  "I was planning to anyway." Angelo's voice promised pain for the metal-user.

  His wings spread wide as he rose a few feet into the air. "You are gazing upon the face of death. Surrender and—"

  "Haaa!" The metal-controller didn't let him finish. She leapt forward with shocking speed, her body suddenly covered in gleaming armor that appeared from nowhere. Twin blades formed in her hands as she slashed through the air toward Angelo.

  He tried blocking with his orange energy shields, but her blades cut through them like they were made of paper. She kept coming, forcing Angelo to twist sideways to avoid being sliced in half.

  "Guess it's on," Sol muttered, turning his attention to the wind-controller. Both fighters tensed, then jumped forward, their fists ready to strike.