Soulform: Shattered Worlds

The earth warped beneath Geno's feet as Yuri's mud trap surged outward—dragging through the golden grass like a living thing. Geno leapt back, barely avoiding the shifting terrain as it chased him across the open field.

Far above, on the jagged mountain cliffs, the wind screamed louder. Liena hovered mid-air, her hair whipping like a banner, her control over the tempest only growing more precise with each second.

In the dense jungle, steel clashed with fluid precision. Zezzy met Opal in a flurry of rapid sword strikes—water coiling around Zezzy's blade, vines whipping at Opal's heels as she cartwheeled through the underbrush, evasive and graceful.

And by the riverbank, Cynthia spun her staff like a ribbon of light, the mana within it glowing fiercely. She circled in place, calm and calculating—waiting for Sento to make his move.

There was no warm-up.

No hesitation.

Each of them had launched forward the moment their feet touched the terrain.

Now, they were fully immersed.

Fighting with everything they had.

Back in Zeyrs booth, Helion leaned forward, breath caught in his chest. His uniform still clung to him—soaked in sweat, dried blood, and glory. But his eyes were clear… locked on each glowing crystal screen.

Zezzy. Yuri. Liena.

He wasn't fighting anymore—but his heart pounded all the same.

Beside him, Zeyr's voice broke the silence—low, steady, proud.

"It appears you've made some strong friends."

Helion glanced up.

Zeyr didn't look away from the arena.

"I've been watching since the Golden Egg challenge. Team Crimson… you're easily the most synchronized unit in the tournament."

He paused, lips curving slightly.

"Each of you is special—not just for your strength, but for how you fight beside each other."

Helion didn't speak at first. He just nodded—slowly, meaningfully.

"…They're more than teammates," he said softly. "They're the reason I made it this far."

Zeyr smiled back at Helion and gave a slow, approving nod.

"You're making a new family as we speak."

Loken—the great white woof—brushed up beside Helion's leg, his silver mane shimmering faintly in the booth light.

Helion smiled, kneeling to run a hand along Loken's fur.

"Good boy," he whispered, his voice soft, grounded.

At the Captain's Podium

Syrus sat at the elevated platform alongside Arion, Arinelle, and Axel, all eyes fixed on the projection crystals.

Axel leaned forward, arms crossed, grinning. "This set of battles is already crushing it. They didn't waste a single second."

Arion chuckled, arms resting comfortably over the edge. "Well, the first group set the bar very high."

Arinelle's voice was cooler, but tinged with admiration. "Helion and Draven's battle alone rang through the entire kingdom. It was almost impossible to turn away… two talents like that."

Syrus nodded solemnly. "You're all right. Even the King questioned who Helion was before the second challenge. And by the time the battle began…" He exhaled slowly. "The King was astonished."

"To draw attention from the throne itself…" Arion muttered. "That's not something that happens to just anyone."

Syrus continued, "That's why Helion was awarded the Brave Heart. Not just for his strength… but for the heart he's shown throughout the entire Draft."

Arion leaned back, nodding. "It's the very essence of what makes a Royal Guard."

Axel added, "That kid's shown what it means to be a true knight since the day he was first evaluated."

Arinelle spoke quietly, but firmly. "His spirit is strong. Light magic is rare… but a heart like his?" She shook her head. "Even rarer."

Syrus smiled. "I'm just glad this year's Draft has shown so much promise. If this is our future…" He looked over the arena. "Then maybe peace in the kingdom isn't just a dream."

Axel raised a brow. "Speaking of the future—Syrus, I took that flight earlier, like you asked. I didn't see anything within the outer gates of the surrounding kingdoms."

Syrus's tone shifted. "Hmm. So the Aqua Kingdom still thinks they can hide after their cheap shot?"

He turned to Arion with a knowing smirk.

"Maybe that'll be one of the first missions for our new Royal Guard recruits."

All four captains laughed, the sound laced with both excitement and warning, as their gazes returned to the glowing projections above.

The breeze swept across the jagged cliffs, cool and biting. But it didn't stay gentle for long.

It was met by something fiercer.

Entangling wind ripped through the sky—wild and untamed—as Liena surged forward, riding the chaos she had summoned.

Noah's eyes widened slightly, stunned by the raw elemental force gathering around her.

Liena shot toward him like an arrow loosed from the heavens, her cloak flaring as gusts coiled around her limbs.

She thrust her sword forward with precision—aimed directly at his chest.

Noah side-stepped at the last second, movement sharp and clean, his body gliding with unnerving grace.

Her blade missed—but Liena didn't panic.

Her eyes snapped open, steady and glowing.

"Spirit Skill: Mystical Eyes of Aerithyn."

Twin emerald flares lit up her gaze, locking onto Noah's form as if time itself had slowed. The winds around her shifted—reacting to her will, no longer wild, but honed.

She twisted mid-step and came around again, blade whirling in a wide arc.

Noah moved to intercept.

His sword left its sheath in a blink—shhhk!

And in that moment, it sang.

Rainbow-colored mana pulsed from the blade, a radiant cascade of shifting hues that shimmered in the air like refracted sunlight.

Clang!

The two blades met in a clash of light and force.

The pressure from Noah's swing sent a shockwave rippling outward—cracking the stone beneath their feet.

Liena slid back several paces, boots skidding against the cliffside, wind still curling around her like a storm barely held in check.

She looked up, eyes glowing green.

Liena raised a brow.

"So, you're more than just talk."

A grin tugged at her lips.

"Your strength… it reminds me of Helion's."

Noah gave a small smirk in return, tilting his head.

"One could say that."

Then he moved.

Noah dashed forward with surprising speed, but Liena was faster.

She waved her hands sharply—air rippling in response.

The wind burst forward, spiraling toward Noah and lifting him several feet off the ground.

His coat flared as he raised his sword high above his head.

"Spirit Skill: Rainbow Aura!"

Three shimmering colors appeared in the sky above him—blue, red, and green—each pulsing with mana.

Noah's eyes flicked up. He chose blue.

The mana ignited.

Water formed instantly around his blade, coiling like a serpent. In the same breath, it shifted—condensing into jagged shards of ice that snapped outward with violent force.

The ice rushed toward Liena in a frozen barrage.

But she didn't flinch.

Her eyes focused. Her wind danced.

She weaved through the shards with precise footwork, air currents guiding her. With a sharp twist of her wrist, she caught a few of the incoming shards midair—isolating them inside a cyclone.

Then she turned the storm.

With a flick, the wind hurled the ice shards back toward Noah—twice as fast.

Noah's eyes widened.

"Oh, that's how it is?"

He steadied himself, sword pulsing again as the rebounding shards streaked toward him.

Noah didn't hesitate.

In an instant, his gaze flicked to the red color overhead.

The moment he locked onto it, the hue surged—and flames burst to life around him, steaming off his skin like a roaring furnace.

His sword snapped back.

With one clean arc, he swung forward—and a fiery explosion erupted from the blade, blasting outward in a shockwave of heat. The wind twisted violently, the rebounding ice shards melting mid-air in a hiss of steam.

Liena shielded her face from the sudden flare, her cloak whipping around her.

Her eyes widened.

He switched elements… that fast?

The wind howled around her, struggling to reclaim its rhythm after the burst of flame. She narrowed her eyes, heart beating faster.

He's not just channeling different elements…

His mana itself is changing affinity.

A rare, unsettling thought crept into her mind.

What kind of spirit does he have?

Noah lowered his sword, the flames slowly dimming around him. He gave her a half-smile—unapologetic and unreadable.

"Hope you're not holding back," he called.

Liena gritted her teeth, wind swirling around her legs again.

"I was just getting started."

Back in the stadium, the cheers surged like a rising tide as all four battles unfolded across the projection crystal.

Arinelle stared up at the screen displaying the mountain cliff—her gaze locked on Liena's wind-wrapped form.

She smiled softly.

"You've gotten so strong…" she whispered. "I'm so proud of you."

From beside her, Arion leaned in, watching the same feed.

"Your little sister's impressive," he said with a grin. "Her eyes… they let her see mana and movement, right?"

He whistled. "That's a rare skill. Deadly in the right hands."

Arinelle giggled, brushing her hair back as her eyes never left the screen.

"Yeah… she's kind of amazing."

Then, almost without thinking, she clenched her fist against her chest.

Her thoughts drifted inward.

You're going up against Noah Million…

Take this seriously, Liena. Stay focused…

"…Do your best."

Syrus narrowed his eyes at the projection screen showing the dense jungle terrain. His gaze followed Zezzy's every move as she wove through the mist and foliage.

"She's relentless," he muttered, arms folded. "That girl shows a natural gift for leadership… and she's clever. Resourceful."

Axel leaned forward beside him, stroking his chin. "You know… I don't think she's revealed everything yet. So far, we've only seen her use her first form, haven't we?"

Syrus nodded slightly. "Exactly. I suspect she's holding something back."

Axel's eyes narrowed. "She's already mastered mana enhancement—an advanced technique from Sacred Arch Academy. That alone says a lot."

Arinelle joined in, her voice thoughtful. "She's their top student, actually. Top of her class. If anyone's got a hidden ace… it's Zezzy."

Arion chuckled. "She's got power, no doubt about that. And she can hit like a wrecking ram."

Back in the jungle—

Zezzy darted between thick vines and moss-covered trunks, her breaths measured, sharp.

Her eyes flicked left and right. Movement.

"She's using the shadows…" Zezzy thought. "Bouncing between trees, never staying still. She's trying to pick me apart."

Suddenly, a flash—Opal came swinging down from a vine behind her, blade aimed for Zezzy's back.

But Zezzy spun, parrying at the last second—steel against steel.

Then, with a smooth motion, she flicked one hand up, index and thumb extended like a gun.

"Pressure Shot."

A beam of compressed water erupted from her fingertip, blasting the vine Opal clung to—and forcing her to drop.

As Opal fell, Zezzy twisted her hips with precision and drove a powerful spinning kick straight into her midsection.

CRACK!

The impact echoed through the jungle like thunder—sending birds scattering from the treetops.

Opal crashed through a curtain of leaves, slamming into a tree trunk with a heavy thud.

Zezzy held her ground, sword lowered, eyes sharp.

"I'm not letting this become another ambush," she whispered.

As the crowd erupted in cheers for Zezzy's perfectly timed kick, the momentum shifted—eyes now turning toward the projection crystal showing the open field.

The image pulsed with energy, shifting to the next battlefield.

Yuri stood grounded, one hand brushing the grass.

Across from him, Geno leapt into the air—nimbly dodging the bubbling patch of mud Yuri had created moments earlier. His form twisted mid-air like a dancer, effortless and clean.

"Spirit Skill—Water Double!"

A surge of blue light burst from Geno's body. Mana shimmered around him, fluid and alive.

Bloop.

A replica of him split off—identical in every way, down to the smirk on its face.

Yuri's eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

"A clone?"

But then—another split.

And another.

Four Genos now stood scattered across the field, each one flickering slightly with water aura, but moving with perfect synchronization.

Yuri gritted his teeth.

"…This just got complicated."

In an instant, one of the Genos leapt high—while another grabbed its clone and hurled it straight at Yuri like a cannonball.

The clone spun through the air with wild force.

WHAM!

Its foot connected with Yuri's chest, knocking the wind from him.

Before he could recover, the remaining two Genos shot upward from opposite angles.

Crack!

One landed a clean hit to Yuri's jaw.

Thud!

The other slammed into his side, sending him skidding backward through the grass.

Dust and golden blades of field grass scattered in the air.

Yuri coughed, his boots dragging through the dirt. He steadied himself with one hand, breathing hard—but his eyes were locked forward, sharper than ever.

"…So they're coordinated. Not just copies."

His fingers twitched with renewed focus.

The crowd back at the stadium roared with great cheers.

Wind howled across the mountaintop. Mud churned in the fields. Water burst through jungle leaves.The three members of Team Crimson were no longer waiting. They were in motion—each step, each strike, shaping the outcome of a battle that would mark their names in history.