MYSTIC LYTHORIA
SENIOR CLASS 1
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The atmosphere in the senior lecture hall was a volatile mix of adrenaline and apprehension.
Conversations didn't just happen; they collided, a frantic roar of students debating tactics and whispering about the lethal beauty of the combat test.
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The noise died instantly as Maya crossed the threshold.
She didn't need to shout; the sudden, heavy silence followed her footsteps to the podium.
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"You are all acutely aware of the weight this day carries," Maya began, her eyes scanning the room with the cold precision of a veteran.
"Today is about more than survival. It is about the mastery of your Eno, the awakening of your Dio, and the raw, unfiltered application of your clan's birth-rites."
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She gestured toward the far wall, where several crystalline orbs hummed with a soft, blue light, their facets rotating like mechanical eyes.
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"The Ariancam has been deployed," she continued. "These orbs will broadcast your every move back to the academy and to the Shadowglad Observation Deck, where our three judges are already waiting for you. They will be watching from the destination, grading your arrival and your performance in real-time."
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She continued " If the Ariancam detects any outside intervention, we will step in. Otherwise, you are on your own."
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"Now," Maya said, her voice dropping an octave as she gestured toward the floor. "Look down."
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The stone tiles were no longer grey. They were covered in intricate, glowing geometries,a sprawling, circular sigil that bled a faint violet light into the air.
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"A teleportation spell," a student whispered, the realization rippling through the front row.
"Indeed," Maya confirmed.
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"The distance to Shadowglad is vast, and time is a luxury we no longer possess. However, this is not a journey for the careless."
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A voice drifted from the back of the room, dry and dangerously amused. It was Lucky.
He leaned against his desk, a jagged smile playing on his lips as he stared at the glowing lines.
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"If even a single inch of your foot is outside that line when the spell triggers," Lucky noted, his eyes gleaming with dark mischief, "the circle will take the part of you that's inside to the destination. The rest of you stays here. In short: you'll arrive in Shadowglad in pieces. And dead men don't pass tests."
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A heavy silence followed his words. The excitement was suddenly tempered by a cold, sharp dread.
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"Thank you, Lucky, for that vivid clarification," Maya said, her tone professional but grave. "For those of you who have never traveled via the weave, the transition is violent. You will feel a crushing weight, followed by an intense dizziness. Brace yourselves. The judges are waiting."
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Maya began the incantations, her voice a low, rhythmic vibration that seemed to pull the oxygen out of the room.
The violet sigils on the floor surged into a blinding, white-hot glare. The air screamed with the sound of tearing fabric, and in a single, breathless pulse of light, the senior class vanished.
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SHADOWGLAD
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The Judges' Arrival
At the edge of the dense, black-wooded forest of Shadowglad, three figures sat in high-backed stone chairs, elevated on a platform overlooking the clearing. The air here was thick and smelled of ozone.
They watched as a tear in the fabric of reality opened above the grass. With a sound like a thunderclap, the students began to materialize. Some landed in a perfect combat crouch, while others stumbled, clutching their heads as the vertigo of crossing hundreds of miles in a second took its toll.
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"Let the evaluation begin," the lead judge murmured, his eyes fixed on the Ariancam feed hovering before him.
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The atmosphere at the edge of the Shadowglad was suffocating, thick with the scent of pine and the electric charge of impending magic. High upon the observation dais, three figures sat like monuments of power, their presence casting a long shadow over the clearing where the students were expected to materialize.
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At the center sat Xandros Bladestorm. The newly minted Captain of Daria's Elite Force carried himself with a terrifying, disciplined stillness. Standing at a towering 6'4", his physique was a map of past wars fought alongside the former commander, Damon.
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He was a man of steel and silence; his uniform was pressed to a razor's edge, and his piercing gaze seemed to strip away the pretenses of anyone it landed on. To Xandros, this was not a school exercise, it was a talent harvest for the front lines.
To his right sat Jethro Lanes, a man whose influence was measured not in sword-strokes, but in gold. As the continent's premier wine tycoon, Jethro's reaches extended into every tavern, cellar, and treasury in Serenia. He was shorter than Xandros, standing a solid 5'10", but he possessed the quiet, unshakable confidence of a man who owned the land everyone else simply walked upon. His beard was trimmed with mathematical precision, and his calculating eyes never stopped moving, looking for the "investment value" in every student.
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The third seat, however, drew the most whispers. It was supposed to be occupied by Damon, the legendary ex-commander whose name still commanded a hushed reverence. But his chair remained empty of his presence, occupied instead by Lord Barnabas. The shift in power was palpable; where Damon represented the grit of the battlefield, Barnabas represented the weight of the aristocracy.
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Xandros checked a pocket watch with a gloved hand, his eyes flicking toward the empty space in front of the dais.
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"The weave is tearing," Jethro noted, his voice a calm, smooth baritone. "Let's see if these children are worth the coin the academy spends on them."
Xandros didn't look at him. He simply watched the air begin to shimmer. "Money doesn't win wars, Jethro. Willpower does. Let's see who has it."
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With a sudden, violent crack that echoed through the trees, the teleportation circle ignited on the grass below, and the first of the seniors began to spill out of reality.
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The violet haze of the teleportation spell snapped out of existence, leaving the students standing at the jagged threshold of the Shadowglad Forest.
The transition had been brutal,a crushing weight followed by a sickening lurch,but for the elite of the senior class, there was no time for dizziness.
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The dense treeline loomed before them like a wall of living obsidian, and the air felt heavy, as if the forest itself were holding its breath.
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Logan Bladestorm was the first to find his footing. He stood with his arms crossed over a broad chest, his 6'0" frame radiating a restless, disciplined energy. A thin scar, carved through his right eyebrow in a duel years prior, twitched as a smirk tugged at his lips. His piercing green eyes weren't on the dark woods, but on the new girl standing a few paces away.
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"Perfect," he mused, his voice a low rumble of anticipation. "Now we'll see how strong she really is."
A few feet away, Kokoro Akatsuki didn't even pretend to be looking at the forest. Her gaze was fixed on Logan, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips. Her short black hair, cut with razor-sharp precision, framed a heart-shaped face that looked more suited for a gala than a war zone. Her outfit,a masterpiece of tactical elegance inherited from her mother's fashion house,made her look effortless even in the wild.
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"Isn't he captivating?" she whispered under her breath, her bright brown eyes sparkling with a mix of mischief and genuine intrigue.
"Hey! Can we focus for five seconds?"
The sharp command came from Mason Dorman. The Prince of Daria stood with his chin tilted high, his dark brown hair perfectly groomed despite the magical transit.
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His regal posture acted as a silent anchor for the group, though his eyes were narrowed in annoyance at their lack of discipline.
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Beside him, Koji Yoshida let out a quiet snicker. "Relax, Prince. I think she's actually staring at us," he joked, his grin widening. Koji leaned forward on the balls of his feet, his youthful energy making him look like a hound straining against a leash, desperate for the hunt to begin.
Standing with a silent, ethereal grace was Sakura Ryujin. Her striking, curly red hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall of fire, catching the dim light of the Shadowglad. She idly twisted a heavy, jeweled ring on her finger, a relic of the Ryujin fortune.
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"Why not just team up with her, Kokoro?" Sakura suggested slyly, her voice dripping with hidden intent. "You could make her life quite miserable from the inside."
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The chatter died down as the group turned toward the dais where the three judges sat, watching their every interaction with cold, calculating eyes. The test hadn't even officially begun, but the lines were already being drawn in the dirt.
SHADOWGLAD
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The horn's guttural blast echoed through the obsidian trees of Shadowglad, signaling the start of the hunt. As the students vanished into the darkness, the hundred Ariancams swarmed above like a cloud of glass hornets, their blue light flickering to life to broadcast the trial to the judges.
Maya stood at the forest's edge, the list of the formed alliances gripped in her hand. These were the teams that would determine the future of DARIA:
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Group One
Logan Bladestorm (Captain)
Kokoro Akatsuki
Koji Yoshida
Sakura Ryujin
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Group Two
Cassandra Artemis (Captain)
Akira Takahashi
Hesper Eitan
Ori Kaito
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Group Three
Mason Dorman (Captain)
James Hit
Lucky Hit
Naoki Hayato
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Group Four
Renn Ava
Leo Shimon
Amit Rafael
Gideon Noah(captain)
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Group Five
Lia Matsumoto(Captain )
Yui Nakahara
Shinji Inoue
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The forest swallowed them whole. The game was no longer about theory or lineage; it was about who would emerge with two flags and who would be left behind in the shadows
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GROUP TWO
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Group two moved into a small clearing, the dense foliage pressing in on them.
"Hi, I'm Ori Kaito," the girl said, her voice small and trembling. She was too shy to meet Hesper's gaze, her eyes fixed on the forest floor. "I might not look it, but... I'm actually a demi-human."
Hesper's eyes widened, her sharp gaze pinning the girl in place.
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"What clan are you from!?" she demanded, her voice urgent. "Your name... it sounds familiar. But it can't be. It's just not possible." She trailed off, her mind racing through forbidden histories.
"Akira Takahashi," the third teammate introduced herself, stepping forward.
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"Nice to meet you," Hesper replied, shaking off her thoughts. "What are your specialties?"
"I'm a flame user by birth," Akira explained. "So far, I can make use of the four elements, but I'm having some trouble with Water—it doesn't flow for me quite right."
Abruptly, Cassandra Artemis stepped forward and handed their silken flag to Ori. Ori kaito looked at it in confusion. "You're the team leader, Cassandra, Why give me the flag?"
"It's a strategy," Cassandra replied with a confident smirk. "Giving you the flag means you won't be targeted; they'd least suspect you. That way we can keep it safe. Knowing Logan, he'll come for our group first, and he'll come straight for me."
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Group one
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Miles away, Kokoro Akatsuki stood perfectly still, her palm pressed against the bark of a massive oak. As an Earth-element user by birth, she had full mastery over the land.
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She could communicate with plants telepathically, sense their emotions, and accelerate their growth,she used the forest as her network system.
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"Just as you said, Logan," Kokoro whispered, her eyes snapping open. "The flag was given to Ori Kaito. They intend to trick us."
Logan Bladestorm didn't hesitate. "Separate them. I'll go after Cassandra, Kokoro, you take the new girl.
Koji Yoshida, you get the flag. Sakura, you're our backup."
Sakura Ryujin looked at Kokoro. "Point me to their direction." Kokoro gestured toward the east.
"This will take a lot out of me, but it's worth it," Sakura said. She raised her hands, and a low, rhythmic bubbling sound echoed through the woods. Suddenly, a massive quantity of water erupted from thin air flooding the area like a tidal wave.
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GROUP TWO
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"Something is heading our way," Ori warned, sensing the vibration.
"What do you think it might be, Cassandra?" Akira asked.
"I feel it too," Hesper replied, stepping in front of Ori. "It sounds and feels like a huge body of water."
The ground began vibrating violently, and then the flood hit, a churning wall of water that surged through the trees, separating the teammates and washing them into the dark.
"Where are they now?" Logan asked as the water receded.
"They've been separated," Kokoro reported. "Each is heading in opposite directions, just as you assigned."
Logan nodded as they despatched, Logan turned to Sakura. "Once you're fully recovered, follow Kokoro, I don't think she can handle the new girl alone."
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HESPER
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Hesper stood alone in a sodden thicket, her senses on high alert. "I need to stay alert."
Suddenly, a massive tree swung its trunk at her like a gargantuan club. Hesper reacted instantly, her fingers dancing as she summoned a thread. [SLICE] The wood was sheared clean off as she dodged the rest of the impact.
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Spines burst from the ground, forcing her to jump high into the air. She stretched her hands, unleashing flames that incinerated the surrounding trees to clear the area. But from the scorched earth, a single flower sprouted, growing larger and larger until it struck at Hesper with thick, lashing vines.
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Hesper blocked the strike with a conjured boulder, but the vines smashed through the stone, sending her flying. She managed to land vertically on a tree trunk, her eyes scanning for the controller. "The person doing this must be nearby."
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She sent a huge flame toward the plant, but the venous trap swallowed the fire whole. "Impossible... it has fire resistance? How strong is this plant?"
The trap swung ten vines at her simultaneously. Hesper compressed her flame, mixing it with the air to create lightning.
The high-voltage shock caused the venous trap to expand and explode, releasing a spray of toxic glue. Hesper shielded herself with a water-air barrier, watching as every spot touched by the glue melted away.
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"I know you're there, Kokoro," Hesper said calmly. "You won't take the flag by hiding."
Kokoro emerged, smiling. "The flag given to Ori? I believe it's already been retrieved. Teaming up with them is laughable." She gestured, and chamomile flowers sprouted from every spot covered in glue. "Do you intend to make me fall asleep?" Hesper shouted.
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"Wow, I'm surprised you know your plants," Kokoro replied. "But this won't be easy. The moment I faced you, I knew you'd lose. You're nothing but a worthless demi-human. Sleep."
Toxic gas filled the clearing. Hesper regulated her breathing, separating the oxygen from the toxins within her air-barrier.
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"Shall we begin?" she said, rushing Kokoro.
"Impossible! How can she stand in the middle of the gas?" Kokoro cried.
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"Unlike you, I can use the four elements properly at advanced levels," Hesper mocked. She wove a Quintessence Thread, mixing all four elements into a single, thick strand.
Sakura intervened with a blizzard, forcing Hesper back. "I can handle her!" Kokoro yelled, but Sakura warned her, " can't you see the thread. It would take a thousand standard threads to make one that thick. It requires total concentration."
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ORI KAITO
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Ori wandered through the dense foliage, her heart hammering. "Where am I? Is anybody there!?"
Suddenly, a barrage of iron spears flew through the forest, piercing every part of her body.
"Hey, you're so loud, Can you keep it down?" Koji Yoshida said, smiling as he sat on a branch.
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"Even for a clone, you're annoying. Where exactly could the real you be? Giving you the flag is a pain, since you can create and control hundreds of clones with so little Eno energy. Unlocking Dio would be a pain, don't you think?"
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He turned back, and there she was, standing on the opposite tree. She jumped, and as she did, her head flew off her body.
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"The whole place has been covered with thread," the voice of Ori echoed. "Fire, earth, air... mixing these, I was able to create metal. I reconstructed the metal and added a large amount of water to make it hard and transparent,Slipping each molecule... how does that sound?"
The headless body vanished, it was another clone.
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"Stop playing games with me, Ori!" Koji shouted, his smile turning devilish. "Where are you!?"
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CASSANDRA
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"Just as I predicted," Logan said, sitting in a wooden chair he had conjured.
"I got bored waiting for you to come, so I thought I should be the one coming."
"I'm ecstatic," Cassandra replied, her voice low and dangerous.
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"How's your dad? Still a failure?" Logan mocked. "My dad had respect for Damon once, And your adopted brother? Is he still blind?"
In an instant, Cassandra moved so fast it looked like she had teleported. She appeared behind him, her punch shattering the wooden chair and cracking the very ground.
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Logan jumped clear, sweat beading on his forehead. "A strong punch... but fighting me won't change your family's reputation."
"Insulting my dad is one thing," Cassandra hissed, her veins visible on her face. "But insulting my brother is different."
She landed a blow straight to his face, breaking his bones through his guard.
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Blood dripped from Logan's nose as he unleashed wind slashes. Cassandra deflected them and rushed forward, even as thorns from the ground cut her deeply. Her injuries healed at an alarming rate.
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She's a monster, Logan thought. Her Eno rivals Dio energy.
Cassandra lifted a massive rock with her air manipulation and hurled it.
As Logan cut through the stone, a lightning bolt struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious.
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"I bet you didn't predict this," she laughed, searching him for the flag.
"Stop wasting your time," Prince Mason said, stepping out. "It's over here, he waves the flag at her.
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" You're too noisy, Cassandra. I've always been on top. You think giving the flag to Ori was smart? I've known you for years. She's weak, even if her clones are annoying."
As he spoke, Ori clone ran past, and Mason blew it up with a casual flick of his fingers. "Exactly what I was saying. So annoying
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HESPER
Kokoro and Sakura were breathing in ragged gasps, their elite training pushed to its absolute limit. Every vine Kokoro sprouted was severed; every blizzard Sakura summoned was bypassed. In the center of the carnage stood Hesper, looking as though she had just begun a light stroll.
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"Are you girls tired already?" Hesper asked, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes. "I expected a bit more from the class finest."
She straightened her posture, her presence suddenly expanding until it filled the clearing. She stretched her hands toward the dark canopy above. "Let's wash away the tension, shall we?"
A deafening roar preceded the strike.
From her hand itself, a massive body of water materialized, a vertical ocean that collapsed onto the clearing with the weight of a mountain. Kokoro and Sakura, already drained of their Eno, were instantly submerged. They clawed at the churning currents, their movements sluggish and heavy.
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They didn't see Hesper's fingers spark with a violet hue.
She didn't just drown them; she turned the water into a conductor. A high-voltage surge of electricity ripped through the deluge, the blue-white light illuminating the terrified faces of the two girls for a fraction of a second. As the water finally receded and soaked into the thirsty earth, Kokoro and Sakura lay motionless, rendered unconscious by the shock.
"Now imagine if I had used Dio" she said as she walked away.
ORI KAITO
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"Ori Kaito! Where are you hiding, you little pest?" Koji's shout echoed through a corridor of ancient oaks.
He watched in mounting fury as eight identical Ori Kaito drifted past him, their expressions equally vacant and shy. With a snarl, Koji fired a barrage of lightning bolts, vaporizing the figures one by one. They vanished into wisps of smoke, leaving no trace behind.
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The problem with these clones is their sheer realism, Koji thought, his jaw tightening. Usually, a creator can't mask the energy gap between the original and the copy. But Ori's clones... their energy signatures are identical to hers. It's like trying to find a specific drop of water in the middle of a rainstorm.
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In a fit of pique, Koji lashed out, his leg connecting with a nearby tree with enough force to shatter the trunk. The wood groaned and toppled.
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"Ouch! My butt! Why did you do that?"
A sharp cry came from the fallen branches. Koji didn't even turn his head. "I don't have time for more of your cheap clones, Ori. Move along."
"Thanks!" the girl chirped, scrambling out of the leaves and sprinting into the brush.
Koji stood frozen for a heartbeat. His eyes went wide. The energy... it didn't dissipate. The voice... "Wait. That was the real one!"
He took off in a desperate sprint, leaping over roots and brambles. He found her just as a massive Shadowglad bear reared up, its jagged claws inches from her face. Ori let out a piercing scream, but Koji was faster. He slammed his palms into the dirt, and the earth groaned, splitting open like a hungry mouth to swallow the bear whole before sealing shut.
"That was close... thank you," Ori said, her chest heaving with relief.
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Koji didn't smile, He stepped forward, his breathing heavy, and extended a flat palm.
"Don't thank me, Hand over the flag."
Ori looked up at him, her shy demeanor suddenly melting away to reveal a sharp, playful intelligence. She let out a soft giggle that grew into a full laugh. "I'm not carrying the flag, Koji."
Koji blinked, his hand still extended in the empty air. He slumped down onto a mossy log beside her, staring at her in genuine disbelief. Ori covered her face with her small hands, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
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