Later that day, as the sun was setting, Sophie received a coded message on her wristband: "Lena's room. Now. Silence." Her heart skipped a beat. She knew what that meant. A secret team meeting. She felt eager to be part of something important, to finally be heard. She hoped that this time, her ideas would resonate.
Lena Voss's room was spartan, barely a reflection of her disciplined approach to athletics. An impeccably made bed, a small desk with rune diagrams and exercise routines, and a neat closet. What made it unusual that night was the dozen figures huddled inside, whispering in the dim light. The curtains were drawn, the door secured with an improvised lock (a sock jammed under the frame), and the only light came from the faint glow of a holographic projector displaying a map of the Ether Tower.
It was a clandestine meeting, an unauthorized war council. And the absence of Danny and Ethan was intentional. Ethan's reason was simple and pragmatic for them: he was Danny's friend. In Jake's eyes and most others', Ethan was too "kind," too "open" to participate in such a pragmatic and potentially cruel conversation about the team's survival. They couldn't risk Ethan defending Danny or, worse, refusing to participate in a plan that involved leaving someone behind. He always spoke of "positive energy" and "integral teamwork," and that didn't fit with the ruthless pragmatism Jake wanted to impose.
Jake Torrin, jaw clenched to the point of discomfort, stood in front of the map, arms crossed, a stony expression on his face. Samantha's humiliation burned within him, a slow fire threatening to erupt. He didn't verbalize it, it wasn't his style, but his rigid posture, the knot in his shoulders, the slight tremor in his hand as he pointed at the map, and the way his eyes darted to the floor every few seconds, gave him away. The public humiliation had hit him harder than he wanted to admit, and now he sought a scapegoat, or at least, a way to regain control and authority.
Lena, beside him, watched him with a mix of loyalty and growing concern. She had known Jake since they were children, had seen that darkness in him before, and knew it was dangerous. Her own loyalty kept her firm, but a part of her felt they were crossing a line.
"The first team trial is approaching," Jake began, his voice low, almost a growl, but charged with a forced authority that sounded more like contained desperation. "And it's going to be brutal. A rune obstacle course, we've been told. They're going to pair us with other teams. We can't afford mistakes. A single failure could cost us elimination."
Lena nodded, her voice calm to contrast with Jake's tension, though inwardly she felt a growing unease. "Samantha is serious. And if we're not coordinated, any failure will be magnified. The pressure will be immense."
"Which means the weakest link is going to drag us all down," Zane Carter interrupted, arms crossed, his gaze sharp as a knife, directed at the empty space where Danny's figure would be projected. "We saw what happened yesterday. He's a burden. Dead weight we can't afford."
Kara Veld nodded vehemently, gently tapping her fist against the open palm of her kickboxing glove. Her expression was one of pure conviction. "Exactly. What happened today with Jake... we can't afford that. He's dead weight. In kickboxing, if a partner doesn't keep your pace, it opens you up to the opponent's blows. It's the same here."
Liam Rohe, who had been sitting silently, twirling a small object between his fingers—a piece of his sword he instinctively disassembled and reassembled—added in a quiet but firm voice: "In fencing, if a partner is too slow or unpredictable, the formation breaks and exposes you. It's the same here. A team race requires everyone to be on par."
The face of Jake twitched briefly remembering the previous day's humiliation, a resentment burning beneath the surface like an ember. Lena, beside him, noticed. Her right hand rested briefly on Jake's arm, a silent gesture of support, an attempt to anchor him before his anger completely overflowed.
Sophie, still feeling the echo of her insignificance in the dining hall and the need to be relevant, mustered her courage. This was her opportunity to contribute, to show that she wasn't just "pretty for the cameras," but that she had ideas and valuable insight that the team wasn't seeing. She needed them to listen, to recognize her intelligence beyond her image.
"But we can't just... leave him aside," Sophie said, her voice a little louder than she intended, with a hint of desperation she tried to disguise. She cleared her throat, trying to sound more authoritative. "If it's a team trial, then we have to find a way for everyone to contribute. Danny is smart, very smart. We saw how he calculated the trajectories of Jake's attacks. Maybe he's not a pure fighter, but he's a strategist. We could..." Sophie stopped, searching for words, trying to paint a picture of synergy that no one else seemed to see. "He could calculate the best path in the rune labyrinth, or find shortcuts that we wouldn't see. His mind is an asset if we know how to use it. It's not all brute force, is it?" Her final question, thrown with a mix of defiance and plea, floated in the air.
Zane interrupted her with a mocking laugh, a dry, humorless sound that resonated in the small room, making Sophie shrink slightly. "Strategy for losing, right? Sophie, this isn't chess. It's an obstacle course. What's he going to do? Calculate the trajectory of an Ignis while we're being fried alive and trying to jump walls? We don't have time for a 'genius' to think while other teams are already crossing the finish line. We need action, not equations." His sarcasm was palpable, designed to belittle her idea and, by extension, herself.
"Listen, Sophie," Kara said, her tone more condescending, almost maternal but with a relentless hardness in her eyes. "I admire that you want us to be one big happy family, but we're here to win. And if that kid can't run, jump, and throw runes with the same speed as the rest, he's an impediment. Period. A black hole of efficiency in a speed race."
Jake finally turned his gaze to Sophie, his eyes like two pieces of ice that froze the air. The intensity of his gaze made Sophie's stomach clench, but she held firm, trying to project confidence. "Sophie is right about one thing," Jake said, his voice so flat it was almost threatening, a warning that patience had a limit. "This is about the team. Our team. And if a piece doesn't fit, if it slows us down, we remove it. It's simple Darwinism, applied to ether." His gaze fell on Lena, who caught the message, her face slightly worried, but submissive.
Lena, always the pragmatic one, bit her lip, weighing the options. "But if we abandon him on the field, won't we be severely penalized? The rules state that teams must finish together. We could lose more points from a penalty than from his slowness. It's a calculated risk, but it is a risk."
"Better a penalty than a total team elimination," Jake snapped, his patience running out, a flicker of anger crossing his eyes. "If we're strong enough, we can absorb that penalty. We can compensate for lost points. And the others... why do you think they're not here? Ethan? He's too good. He gets distracted by popularity, by the show. He doesn't have the pragmatism we need. And he's Danny's friend. We can't risk him betraying us or protecting Danny and becoming another burden. And Danny... he's a burden. There's no room for weakness in this. End of discussion."
The truth, though Jake wouldn't verbalize it even under torture, was that Ethan was a thorn in his side. Too charismatic, too popular, too brilliant without even trying. Samantha had scolded him, Jake, the leader, in front of everyone, for something he didn't even believe he'd done wrong. And Ethan, the "golden boy," always got away with it, untouchable. Jake's envy was a slow poison running through his veins, an invisible scar of humiliation. He didn't need Ethan eclipsing him, much less Danny dragging them down.
Sophie felt frustration well up in her throat. She wanted to scream, explain, make them see there was another way. That real teamwork meant finding strength in weaknesses. That Danny wasn't a burden, but an unsolved puzzle, a hidden opportunity. She wanted to defend her point, to prove she was a strategist, a thinker. But Jake's gaze, the relentless harshness of Zane and Kara, Liam's silent conviction, crushed her. Her ideas, her feelings, were irrelevant in the face of Jake's iron will. She felt ignored again, but this time, the ignorance was deliberate, a wall erected by her own team. A cold, bitter emptiness settled in her stomach. The cameras weren't here to capture this moment, and reality was much harsher than her imagination.
It was Tobias Hale who broke the tense silence. Leaning against the wall, he had been listening with his eyes almost closed, his figure shadowy. "Sometimes," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper, almost inaudible in the tense air of the room, "weakness is just strength waiting to be redefined. Not everything is as it seems. And sometimes, the greatest strengths are found in the most unexpected places." No one seemed to hear him, or they ignored him completely, too engrossed in their own determination. It was Tobias's curse: he always said profound things that got lost in the noise.
"So, it's decided," Jake concluded, his voice final and sharp as a knife, marking the end of the discussion. "If Danny is a hindrance in the trial, if he can't keep pace, we leave him behind. Let him fend for himself. We focus on us. This team wins or loses by what we do, not by what he doesn't do."
The room filled with a heavy silence, only broken by the soft hum of the projector. The conspiracy had been sealed. Sophie looked at the faces of her teammates, feeling a chill. Win at all costs. That was Team Outcast's new unwritten rule. And she, for the first time, wasn't sure she wanted to be part of that cost. The fantasy of cameras and fame faded, replaced by the raw reality of betrayed loyalty and the bitter victory that lay ahead.
ETHER TOWER BUZZ 📊
The gossip is the real ether flowing through the halls, and here are the juiciest latest vibes from the Ether Tower!
* Intrigue in Vanguard! 💥 Sources confirm a heated training session between Kael Torrin (Weightlifting) and Brenna Voss (Wrestling). Was it a friendly spar or a power struggle for team dominance? Whispers suggest Kael isn't happy with Brenna's recent surge in popularity.
* Solaris's Secret Rendezvous! 🤫 Our cameras caught Nova Shine (Pole Dance) and Rai Sunfall (Breakdance) having a very private conversation in a secluded corner of the cafeteria. Their smiles were too wide, their glances too knowing. Are they just collaborating on a dance routine, or is a more scandalous duet brewing?
* Outlaws' Backstage Drama? 🎭 Word on the street is Wren Rogue (Escapism) and Jett Storm (BMX Freestyle) had a major disagreement over "creative differences" during a team strategy meeting. Did Wren's elaborate plans clash with Jett's free-spirited approach? Or was it something more personal that sparked the friction?
* Team Sage's Unexpected Alliances! 🤔 Orlan Voss (Surfer) and Mirai Clock (Diver) were seen sharing an unusually intense discussion by the pool. Could the laid-back surfer be trying to influence the disciplined diver's strategy? Or are they forming a secret pact that could shake up the team's dynamics?
* Outcast's Leadership Under Scrutiny! 🚨 After the dramatic trial, many are wondering if Jake Torrin (Military Combat) is losing his grip on Team Outcast. His recent outburst has fueled speculation about his mental state. Is he cracking under pressure, or is this just a calculated move to assert dominance? The cameras are watching!