The sun is falling past the horizon. On a shore far west, six warriors lay among the sand. But then-

A pair of eyes open.

?? "For fuck sake! Where the bloody hell?! Is this... sand?"

The blond girl's arms push against the ground, detaching herself from the sand. She turns toward her friends. The lack of motion is getting to her and she grows nervous.

She moves around, her hands are shaking.

?? "Are they... No, it can't be!"

One of them wakes up.

Amelia "AAAAAAAH!! Oh for fuck sake, Dave!"

Dave "Ah... dude, my head. Amby is that you?"

His eyes widen and look at her. Something... feels... off.

An unnerving shiver crawls up his spine.

Dave "U-Ummm... Amby. Did something... happen to you, bro?"

Amelia "Huh? What the fuck do you mean, Dave? You're being silly! Of course, something happened! We passed the bloody trial."

Dave "Did you just... did you just...er... never mind! Forget what I said, dude! Let's just wake up the others."

Amelia "Come on. You can tell me what's on your fucking mind."

Dave "OK, what the fuck?! Did a ghost possess you or something, man?"

Someone touches his shoulder.

Dave "Huh?"

Kanji "Calm down, Dave. This might just be a product of completing her trial."

Dave tilts his head.

Kanji "Oh, dammit Dave. You didn't pay attention at all during your trial. Did you? Or something much worse... your doubleganger didn't want you to change. Did he?"

Dave "You hit the nail on the head, bro."

Something brushes against the side of his hip.

Dave "D-Don't sneak up on me, dude!"

Amelia "Dave, why are you like this? It was just a hug. Is my change really that much of a bloody surprise?"

Diana "This fucking hilarious!!! HAHAHAAAHA!"

Dave "Shut up! Honestly, dude! Is this so weird?! When I was with Amelia, I feel fucking safe and calm. When I was with Amber, I feel intimidated but excited. But now, she is like... like there's a knife on my back like there's-Wait... Amby. Amber, is she... is she gone? Like "Gone" gone."

She looks up at him, a single tear falls from beneath her ribbon.

Dave "Oh... I see. That's too bad, dude."

Amelia "Dave, I'm... I'm so sorry."

Dave "It's ok... that is something she would have wanted. Ha. It's funny... I always thought that she would pass away drunk in a pub somewhere. Anyway, I bet she smiled and laughed. Didn't she?"

Amelia "Yep... heck... she even told me to insult her the best I could."

Dave "How did it go?"

Amelia "It was great. I... I still can't... I don't know how to feel right now. For so long, I wanted to be like her but now she's bloody gone."

Dave "Amby... no, she isn't. She's right here, right in front of me. You are the new Amber."

They embrace each other, erupting a stream of tears from both ends.

Kanji ushers the others to follow him.

Kanji ["Come on. Let's give them space to sort out their feelings."]

The group moves a short distance inland.

Diana "Hey, boss. Where are we anyway?"

Kanji "We are...... apparently in Greenland. I guess whatever swallowed us, traveled here. Here's a better question, where are the other four?"

Sarah "Yeah! Were we separated? Wait, I mean... I'm pretty sure we were separated."

Kanji "It seems likely. But, we can always put our trust in Gwen. For now, we wait. This might be a little... personal... but what did each of you learn?"

Sarah "I'm pretty sure know that ruins the overall point of the trial."

Diana "Yeah, she's right. Boss, everyone will know over time."

Kanji "True, sorry for pressing on my curiosity. Wait, where's Azan?!"

They search their surroundings and notice there are only three footprints on the ground.

Sarah "Oh, what the hell?!"

Kanji "Fuck, everyone let's go back."

Returning to the shore, they quickly grab Azan.

Sarah "Wow, good thing those two didn't notice him!"

Diana "Yeah. Azan, what are you-

His body shows no response and his eyes are blank, staring off to nowhere.

Diana "Yo, boss. I think he's possessed."

Kanji "Everyone stands back. I've seen this before. It's similar to the feeling of shellshock. His mind is psychologically fractured."

Diana "What do we do, boss?! Should I try shaking him?"

Kanji "No! Mina would be the best person to deal with this problem. So, we have to contact her ASAP. AN, are you there?!"

But there's no response.

Kanji "AN, are you there?!"

AN "....... Finally! I got through!"

Kanji "Woah! What happened?!"

AN "Sorry, guys! I didn't have a choice in the matter. My connection was out, again!"

Kanji "Did another problem appear on your end?"

AN "Yes, unfortunately. I can explain it if you want."

Kanji "You can tell us later. Right now, we're in a different kind of crisis. Can you contact Mina and the others?"

AN "There's no need to. They're heading your way right now! Look back to the ocean!"

The group returns to the shore, dragging Azan like a ragdoll.

Dave "Oh, sup guys. Mister and Misses tears have stopped crying now. Wait, what the hell is wrong with Azanbro?!"

Kanji points to the horizon. The two turn to see a pair of wings approaching closer at an alarming speed.

Mina "INCOMING!!"

Mina launches out and hits Azan. They tumble inwards deeper inland and into the bushes.

Azan "M-M-Mina!"

Mina "Azzy, are you ok?! Are you hurt?! Tell me what's wrong?!"

Azan "I err...ok."

Mina "Azzy. I know when something is wrong. Don't lie!"

Azan "O..Ok, I'll be honest. Facing the trial of Reality. I realize how much of a dipshit I am. I chose to go on this adventure because of my dad. I constantly talked about my dad. It's like an obsession! I fear that one day, my obsession would overpower my friendship. GOD! I'm just a child! Still clinging to him even if he isn't here-

She grabs hold of him. Their cheeks touch and his face begin to glow red.

Mina "There. There. Everything's alright. You're not like that. Knowing that you still care about us is enough for me. If there comes time for you to decide, I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

His hands reach out and tie around her back, keeping them closer.

Azan "Thank you, Mina."

Claire "Awwww! That's so cute! Can't believe they aren't dating?!"

Gwen "Claire, the subject of one's personal matter isn't for us to judge. On to the real topic, what happened to you guy?"

Kanji "Ok, fair. In summary, we were dragged into separate rooms to face a clone of ourselves which represents a distorted version of our desires. The goal was to change something about ourselves."

Gwen "Yeah, I can tell. Amelia, you seem different. Much more confident."

Amelia "Thanks. About you guys. What end happened on your bloody rope?"

Gwen "I suppose I must elaborate. First, Izzy please detach from the others."

|Oh, Sowwy|

Adrian "Whew. I can breathe now."

Gwen "Thanks to Izzy here. We were able to escape the glass whale."

Kanji "A glass whale?... you say. What happened after we were devoured?"

Gwen "It's hard to say really. It submerged immediately according to Izzy. By the time we woke up, the creature was nowhere in sight. According to Izzy, the creature was transparent and had 12 giant cubes within its body."

Kanji "Those must be the rooms. Are we all meant to participate or is this a play on fate? Whatever it is, I'm glad everyone's ok."

Mina "Now that everyone's here, what should we do?"

Kanji "I think we should... hold on! If we did finish the trial then Amelia, where's your vortex battery?!"

Amelia "Oh, that. Don't worry, lad. In my skill menu, it said that I could start the transformation at any bloody time."

Kanji "Can you activate it? Please. I'm a bit curious about the effects on your abilities."

Amelia "Alright, here I fucking go!"

A grey battery manifest from thin air behind her, surrounded by cylindrical rods that are shifting between white and black.

It injects itself and the rods begin to spiral.

Amelia "Wow, that wasn't as bloody painful as I thought. Wait, what is that?!"

The other wielders look behind them and see nothing.

Dave "Yo, Amber. You ok?"

Amelia "Oh my bloody god! This is so bloody weird! Do you fellas know the health bar in videogames?"

Kanji "Yes, we're all gamers. Don't tell me that you have a UI?! Hold on... why do I have one too!"

Amelia "Wait, really! This feels familiar. Kanji, tell me. Does your bar fill up when you focus on something?"

Kanji "No, not at all. Do yours?"

Amelia "Yes. Every time my sight is focused on something, it fills up. Maybe, it bloody does something to my skills."

Kanji "Care to test it. Use your blurring mirage."

Amelia nods and activates |3. Blurring mirrage|.

Amelia "It's still a small area. Now let me focus..."

Approximately 20 seconds later, she reactivates the ability.

The entire shoreline is engulfed with blurriness.

Dave "Aaaah, I can't see! I can't see, bro! Aaah... Oh, I can see now."

Amelia "Yeah, I activated my connect ability. Should I always leave it on? Oh, shoot! I forgot about the third-person thing. Don't worry, I'll disconnect you guys."

Kanji "Wait! Third-person isn't taking effect. I think your level up caused a change in that too."

Amelia "So, my powers won't be affecting you guys. Whew! That's a relief!"

Kanji "Now that we confirm what Amelia got out of awakening, we shall move to another topic. AN, you can tell us what happened on Caverrin."

AN "Alright, do everyone remember when I mention The Ascender. Yeah about that. Things didn't really work out. But first, I need to tell you what an ascender is. And for that, I need to tell more about my species' biology. Hell! Let's tell you all more about my planet. I feel a bit guilty for knowing a lot of yours."

Kanji "Hey, you don't need to-

Gwen "Yes! Now, this is exactly what I wanted to hear! Hey, Adrian. Do you still have the pen and paper I gave you?"

Adrian "Sure, here you go."

Gwen "Excellent. Now, please proceed. Don't leave out any juicy information."

AN "Got it. Now, I should begin with my planet. You all know its name is Caverrin. But did you know that the planet is a shade of red from outer space? This is because most of Caverrin's skies are covered with clouds that look like red nebulas. These clouds are made of materium iron gas."

Kanji "Materium?"

AN "Yes, materium. It's the second resource that is commonly found on Caverrin apart from tinodium and iron. This element only exists in a liquid state. It looks like liquid silver but is semi-transparent. Its insides hold a pattern that looks like stardust."

Kanji "Very interesting. Does the pattern form through the structure of the material's molecules or is it an intangible force unfamiliar to science?"

AN "It's just how the element is structured. Looking under a microscope, our scientists concluded that some areas of the element have more compressed atoms. Thus, forming the stardust. Strangely, if you move your hand around in the substance, those specific molecules will move but then revert back in place."

Kanji "Great, this material already broke Newton's first law. What effects does this materium have?"

AN "There are a LOT of things you can do with it. It's because when mixed with liquid metal and after a long period has passed, the metal will be suspended indefinitely in its current state of matter. This means it stays a liquid forever no matter what force act upon it."

Kanji "So, you're telling me that at one point in your planet's history, liquid iron and materium mixed and became permanent clouds after a certain period."

AN "Yup! It was exactly the same time when Suntarus fought near our planet. The heat from his burning body scorched the land and melted the large silver deposits on our planet's crust, forming all the silver mountains that we have today. It also melted all the iron and caused them to merge with all the pools of surface materium. During the climax of the fight when Suntarus bit our planet, a wave of heat evaporates all the materium iron in an instant and created the nebula clouds."

Sarah "Wow, that is sick!"

Amelia "They must be bloody gorgeous, aren't they?"

AN "They are beautiful! Many Castastrians find comfort just by looking at them during the night sky."

Kanji "Hold on. There's one thing that doesn't add up. If your planet is completely covered with these clouds then... shouldn't you all be frozen since there would be no sunlight?"

AN "Oh right! Materium-infused substances allow light and thermal energy to pass through them. The reason for this is still unknown; scientists just say that it is part of the element's feature."

Gwen "Good. Good. More geological information please?"

Dave "Lmao, you acting like a kid asking for more food in a cafeteria."

Gwen "Can't a scientist express her curiosity, Dave?"

AN "Ok, calm down. Oh! Speaking of sunlight, did you know that we have two suns?"

Gwen "What, really?! Like Kepler-16b! Does that mean you have two shadows? And how hot is your planet?"

AN "Yes, we do have two shadows. Our suns are a lot smaller than Earth's, the first sun is orange while the second sun is blue when viewed in space. They are quite a distance from Caverrin, resulting in a temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit on average. To us, that is very warm. "

Gwen "Wow, that's hot! And fascinating! Tell me more!"

AN "Alright, I should tell you about the plants on my planet. Sadly, there used to be a lot until that fucking tyrant ruined it all! 10 years ago, she ordered the complete annihilation of all forests on the planet because she wanted more land. It makes me so mad! She could've just colonized the nearby planets but she didn't!"

Diana "That fucking bitch! Why does she want all that land anyway?!"

AN "I don't know but that doesn't change the fact that what she did was horrible. I should... I should stop ranting. Anyway, back to the plants. Unlike the ones on Earth, ours are blue and convert oxygen to carbon dioxide which my species use. Unfortunately, the only plant we have left is The Bluesky Grass which spans countless plains across the planet. And there are also a few Acar trees left, a type of tree that has no leaves and its branches form crowns. In the past, Acar wood was a stable material used in building the floors, walls, and ceilings of structures."

Gwen "Then how do get your daily supply of CO2."

AN "My planet has a fair share of active volcanoes. Luckily those are on the other side of the planet where no civilization exists. Ok, finally we are onto the rivers and ocean. The ocean is normal just like earth but much deeper and hosts a lot of creatures. The rivers however have none because they are utterly dominated by a type of rapidly spreading transparent algae. They cause the rivers to look emerald green. However, we can drink this water just fine and there are even benefits."

Gwen "Alright, that satisfied my needs. You can move on about the ascenders."

AN "Ok. Let's begin with the four variants of Castastrians that you can fall under when you are born. The first variants are born with no abilities and have the same strength as a human. They are considered the lowest of the hierarchy and everyone used to call them "Drones". However, now everyone calls them "Workers" because of The Empress. Their purpose is to act as citizens and they do jobs like human citizens. They all live in small to medium anthill shape houses entirely made of concrete."

Dave "Question, are there politics?"

AN "Nope. There's no democracy, no communism, just absolute dictatorship. Because, unlike humans, they can't rebel against a higher-up. Not because of position but because of power. This leads to the next tier, "Attack Drones". Also now known as "Soldiers", I'm sure you are all familiar with them. They are born with bodies that are better in every way than the workers. They live in larger anthill homes with their exterior made of concrete and their interior made of Acar wood. When you are born like this, you have no choice but to be part of the army."

Dave "Bro, instantly drafted. That's kinda fucked."

AN "True, but that's how things go. Now to the "Holders" which are now called "Generals". They are very rare. These guys are not only stronger than the soldiers but also born with a single ability. It can vary from telekinesis to absurd levels like shooting nukes out of your hands. You can tell what ability a Castastrian has by looking at the birthmark on the back of their right hand. A vague symbol that illustrates the effects of their ability. Furthermore, each year, The Empress chooses 4 candidates to go on extreme missions. The one who succeeds the most will become the next general while the others become his or her sub generals. Oh, and they live in giant anthill houses made of gold and an exotic form of Acar wood."

Kanji "That confirms that bastard is a general. We all saw there was a symbol on his right hand. Did anyone have a clear look at it?"

They all turn their heads.

Kanji "That's too bad. But one thing is off, nothing unusual happened when we fought him."

AN "Oh about that. My comrades have done a bit of digging about this guy. Apparently, he used his "Desire For Victor" to hide his information. No one except the generals, the royal guard, and the Empress knows about him."

Amelia "Pardon me, but what's a Desire For Victor?"

AN "It's something a new general received after he or she was selected. It's basically a wish. Everyone including the Empress must be implied by this wish as per tradition. I find this odd since she hated tradition but I guess she thinks this one is ok."

Kanji 'Perhaps, it's for power. Since general is already serving her. Granting them a wish will only make them more loyal and her feel safer and stronger."

AN "That's an excellent theory! I simply thought she just didn't mind it. Ok... we got a bit off track. Going back there are two other positions in the palace. They are "The Royal Guard" and "The Bioforgers." The bioforgers t-they.... let's just say that I hate them with all my heart. Castastrians with the ability "Biological Construction Efficiency" fall into this position. As for the royal guard, only those with exceptional rare and powerful abilities can be a royal guard. They can be extinguished by their abnormal body compared to regular ability users. There's currently only one royal guard. These two positions live in the palace, a place made of igneous rock on the outside, and the inside is plastered with gold walls and gemstones throughout all the halls."

Azan "Wait, so are these like new variants or just the same type as the generals?"

AN "They fall under the same variant as the generals but are given different positions due to their difference in power and purpose."

Azan "Ok, got it. You can go on."

AN "Now for the last variant, the rarest Castastrian type that can only be born once in a thousand years. They are called "Ascenders" and today are still known as so. These Castastrians are recognizable with the Omega symbol on their right hand which glows brightly. They are born absurdly strong being able to move and carry mountains. They have extreme regenerative abilities and age immortality. They can move one-tenth the speed of light at their fastest and can breathe and navigate through space with ease. Lastly, with a single jump from Caverrin's surface, they leap onto any of the two suns. This gave them their title as "Ascenders"."

Dave "Holy shit! Damn, they sound op as fuck."

AN "And I'm not done yet. On top of all that, they each have god-like powers and cannot be restrained by the Empress's will. A lot of Castastrians fear them and are glad that so far nothing major happened."

Kanji "Why's that?"

AN "You see... there are ten of them. Five live on the first sun and five live on the second. Long ago, they all do whatever they want, living on the first sun. One day, they had an argument because five of the ascenders wanted to mess with the people of Caverrin. Eventually, they split off and those who wanted to harm went to the second sun. To this day, the ascenders of the first sun have been defending Caverrin from those guys."

Kanji "That's good! But why did one of them fall?"

AN "Apparently, he was hit with a powerful blow and was left injured near one of our camps. We were really excited because it was our chance to make a good impression. Hoping that he may join the rebellion."

Gwen "How did that go?"

AN "Do you want the entire transcript or just a basic summary?"

Kanji "A basic summary would do fine."

AN "Gotcha! Our first in command nursed him back to health herself. The two chatted and sort of become friends. His name is Oswalt. Not long after, an enemy ascender was about to fire a psychic wave over the planet. To counter the attack, Oswalt released a burst of his own power. However, it caused a lot of trouble because his power disable all forms of communication within a distance of 20,000 miles. Leading to why I couldn't contact you guys. In the transcript, it says in the end he couldn't join us because his duty is to protect Caverrin and his power will only bring more bad than good."

Kanji "Don't worry. Maybe in the future, he will change his mind. Besides, I'm pretty sure his physical strength is enough to turn the tides of war. Other than this, I'm satisfied. What about you, Gwen?"

Gwen "I would like to know more about the actual creatures existing in Caverrin. Though, I'll withdraw my curiosity for today. So, where do we go next, Kanji?"

Kanji "Ayers Rock. We're going back to Australia."

Mina "Oh. I.... are you sure we have to.... no never mind!"

Kanji "Ok... that was weird. Raise your hand if you are ready."

They unanimously voted to go.

AN "Alright, Nothern Australia. Here we come!"

For the first time in a couple of days, the wielders transform into their crystal cocoons and begin traveling.

______________________________________________________

An adult Castastrian is standing in front of a massive home, staring blankly at its exterior.

KARNAT "GOD DAMMIT. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE I WAS IN THIS SHITHOLE."

His word couldn't be more wrong, the home is awesome. From the window, he can see, that the walls are made of gold. The doors, floors, and ceilings are made of exotic acar wood, the shade of cyan.

Karnat steps in. Every inch of this place is decorated with furniture, art, and video games from his previous hive mound.

KARNAT "WHY DID WE DECIDE TO KEEP ALL THIS USELESS STUFF?"

?? "USELESS?!"

Karnat sees someone rushing down the stairs. A female Castastrian wearing a pair of google steampunk theme goggles and an outfit that makes her look like an old-century train conductor that also has the same steampunk color scheme. Her shoulder pads and boots are armored with a layer of shiny bronze metal. Her light pink eyes, a stark contrast to his bloody red. Her hair is combed into a ponytail and has a beautiful shade of peach. She approaches Karnat with a quirky posture before leaning her face in front of his.

?? "I'll have you know that these are great! I'll prove to you KK."

KARNAT "Shut it... Cogarath."

?? "No, you say my name. Is this how you greet your hive mate after being away from home ever since you became a general."

KARNAT "Fine... Cogarath Amaraz. Just to let you know that I only came because of my duty and there's an incident with all the communications. Nothing else. The palace is currently in a mess."

AMARAZ "Haha, same old KK. And yes, I did hear about "that incident"... but not to worry. I already sent a fix her majesty."

Karnat looks at her birthmark. It resembles a floating broken metal shackle.

Amaraz Cogarath is an anomaly within the Empire. Never once in history was there a Castastrian who was born with two abilities. Her birth turned the hierarchy upside and one of her abilities brought even more chaos.

That ability is called "Free will". The power to be rid of any form of control, giving her the option to feel and be passionate about certain things, unlike other Castastrians.

Karnat finds this revolting and weird, he disliked every second he spent being coop up with her. But by all means that he hates her. In fact, he respects her because despite her ability she chose to obey the system and serve The Empress willingly.

Speaking of Empress, she has a special bond with Amaraz and sort of plays favorite with her. Sometimes she even showcases Amaraz as a model citizen.

She along with two other Castastrians lived with Karnat and they all became general candidates. Karnat won in the end and the other three became his sub generals. She was qualified because of her second ability, "Telekinesis".

KARNAT "Hey, where are the other two bastards?"

AMARAZ "Oh, they... out. Apparently, they were bored and shit and were like-

KARNAT "Hold, it! I don't have time for your long-ass stories. I need YOU to find ME a couple of humans."

AMARAZ "Aye aye general boss man. First I need gonna need a sample."

KARNAT "Here. It's the hair of one glass-wearing asshole."

Amaraz grabs the piece of hair and puts it in a glass container.

AMARAZ "Alright sample secured. We are ready to go."

KARNAT "Go where?"

She gives a grin.

AMARAZ "The source of our teleportation system."

KARNAT "WHAT?! Isn't that a top-class secret?! Not even I know that! How did you-

AMARAZ "Hahahaha... ah, I should stop keeping secrets. Let's just say I'm more involved than you think I am."

KARNAT "Wait... so you helped with making it."

AMARAZ "No, I "help" with maintaining it. Come on, I'll take you there!"

She tries to grab his right hand and he backs off, hiding it under his pocket.

AMARAZ "KK... you... you're still like that, huh. I'm sorry... hand out your left."

Karnat relented for a second but then puts it out.

AMARAZ "Oh, you went full mechanical. You got to tell me what happened."

KARNAT "GOD! CAN WE JUST GO!"

AMARAZ "Ow, loud. Fine!"

She brings him outside and presses a rock-shaped button.

A small meteorite vehicle rises from the ground.

KARNAT "What's this?! I have never seen a spaceship of this model! Why is it so small?!"

AMARAZ "I was experimenting and designing a private spacecraft for independent travel. Also, the smaller it is, the more it will endure the effects of Quantum Leaping."

KARNAT "What's that?"

AMARAZ "It'll be hard to explain. I'll tell you during the trip. Just to know that it can cause this baby to fly across the universe within a single second."

KARNAT "What?! That's impossible! Also, we would be fucking dead!"

AMARAZ "True, but I won't set it to go that fast. The drawback is that the trip will take a while. So hope in!"

Karnat ~sighs~ and gets in. They blast off into deep space.