Arena Level 2: Frostmere's Ice Giant
A cold wind swept through the floating platforms as the environment shimmered, reshaping itself once again.The blazing arena of the first trial faded, replaced by a blinding white expanse, a mountain valley buried in frost and silence. Crystalline cliffs rose around them like jagged walls, reflecting fragments of light across endless snow.
The announcer's voice echoed through the illusion field, distorted by magic.
"Level Two: Frostmere's Ice Giant. Group combat trial. Cooperation required for completion."
Rei stood among four others as the field solidified. Names appeared in faint runic text above each candidate:
Rei Ashborne. Elise Varen. Nyx Rainer. Lira Ashford. Talon Graves.
He exhaled, scanning his team.Talon stood front and center, confident, stance loose but ready, the kind of natural leader who radiated authority without needing to prove it.Lira Ashford had her sketchbook out even here, the cover glowing faintly as she traced quick sigils across the page, visual constructs that shimmered in the air before fading.Nyx rolled his shoulders, faint trails of kinetic energy flickering along his arms, speed-based enhancement, raw and volatile.And Elise Varen, poised, calm, hands clasped in front of her, faint motes of golden light orbiting her fingertips like patient fireflies.
The ground shook.
Snow burst upward in a wave as the Ice Giant emerged from the blizzard, twenty feet tall, body carved from glacial crystal, veins of blue light pulsing beneath its translucent skin. Each breath froze the air, its roar echoing across the frozen mountains.
Even knowing it was an illusion, Rei's instincts screamed run.The power radiating off the creature was almost tangible, a blend of mana resonance and sheer size.
Talon grinned. "Alright, team, let's make this quick!"
Before Rei could protest, the group moved as one.
Nyx Rainer launched first, a blur of motion cutting through the falling snow. His kinetic field erupted, leaving glowing blue footprints in his wake. He darted up the side of a cliff, leaping from one icy ledge to another, each step faster than the last.
"Come on, big guy!" he shouted. "Try and hit me!"
The Giant swung its arm, a massive club of ice forming from its palm. The blow came fast, fast enough to crush a carriage, but Nyx wasn't there anymore. He ricocheted off a pillar of ice, landing on the Giant's forearm and driving his fists into a glowing vein.
The impact cracked the ice, blue light spilling like liquid fire.But it wasn't enough to stop it.
Lira Ashford stepped forward, calm amid the chaos. Her fingers danced over the sketchbook again, ink shimmering to life. From the glowing lines rose spectral shapes, mirror illusions that fractured into multiple copies of Nyx, each one mimicking his movements perfectly.
For a split second, five Nyx Rainers darted around the Giant, each indistinguishable from the real one.
The Giant roared in confusion, smashing one copy, then another, but every strike hit only light and dust. The illusions shimmered and reformed, disorienting it further.
Elise's eyes glowed faintly gold as she whispered a single word. "Fracture."
Light condensed in her hands, weaving into a geometric sigil that expanded outward, forming a lattice of radiant energy around the Giant's chest. The pattern pulsed, constricting, each pulse sent cracks spiderwebbing through its frozen armor.
"Now, Graves!" she shouted.
Talon moved like a predator unleashed. He slammed his palm into the ground, his body igniting with orange-red aura, Physical Augmentation, Class Two. Steam hissed from his breath as his muscles swelled, his skin flickering with heat. He sprinted forward, grabbed a chunk of shattered ice, and hurled it with such force that the air cracked like thunder.
The shard hit the Giant square in the chest, right where Elise's lattice had weakened it. The impact detonated through the ice, fragments exploding outward in a mist of frost and shattered light.
The Giant staggered, roaring, trying to reform its chest plate, but Nyx was already climbing higher, reaching the creature's neck.
"Don't you dare move!" he yelled, slamming his glowing fist into the final vein.
A blinding flash.A sound like glass breaking under infinite pressure.
Then silence.
The Ice Giant froze mid-roar, its form fracturing into millions of glittering shards.For a heartbeat, time seemed to hold its breath.Then the shards cascaded downward like snow, dissolving into radiant mist.
Trial complete.
Rei lowered his hand, still gripping the hidden hilt of his prototype weapon beneath his coat.He hadn't even drawn it.
They had done everything perfectly, no hesitation, no miscommunication. Each ability slotted into the next like pieces of a clock. The efficiency was beautiful.
He forced a small smile, watching the others celebrate.Lira was sketching again, recording the moment. Nyx was laughing, his breath fogging in the cold air. Talon clapped Elise on the shoulder, grinning proudly.
Elise turned, her golden light dimming back to normal. "Are you alright? You didn't engage."
"I was…" Rei hesitated. "Assessing strategy."
"Strategist type," she said, half-teasing, half-approving. "Good. We need people who think before they act."
He nodded, though the words stung. You need people like that. You don't need me.
Above, the illusion dome dissolved, returning them to the real ceremonial hall. Applause thundered through the stands as their group's score appeared on the hovering board:
Group 12 — S-Rank Completion. All Members Survived. Coordination Score: 96%.
Mira was waving from across the arena, her frost aura still faintly visible, cheering like he'd done something too. Rei raised a hand weakly in return.
But his thoughts weren't on the victory.
I'm still behind.Even with five years of memories, I'm still just watching others win the battles I never fought.
He looked at Elise again, her smile radiant under the chandelier's glow. In my timeline, you'll die in a frozen castle surrounded by silence.
This time, I'll make sure you don't.
Even if it meant rewriting the entire game.