Absolutely not."
Captain Reine's voice was flat, final, allowing no argument. She stood with her arms crossed, looking down at the twins with those cold, analytical eyes that had seen too much death.
"But we passed your test," Vivi protested, flames sparking at her fingertips. "We survived. We fought off five Dark soldiers. You said—"
"I said you could stay and train. I said maybe you could join." Reine cut her off. "I didn't say you were ready. You're sixteen years old. Children."
"We're not children," Tadano said, keeping his voice level despite the anger building in his chest. "We can fight. We proved that."
"Fighting isn't the issue." Reine moved to the map table, not even looking at them anymore. "The issue is judgment. Experience. The ability to make hard choices under pressure. You two have potential, I'll grant you that. But potential isn't enough. Come back when you're twenty-one. When you're proper adults. Then we'll talk about membership."
"Twenty-one?" Vivi's voice rose. "That's five years! Five years of just... what? Waiting? While the Darks keep taking children every month?"
"Five years of growing up. Five years of learning to control that temper." Reine finally looked at them again. "You want to fight? Fine. Train on your own. Build your skills. But you're not joining this resistance until you're old enough to understand what you're really signing up for."
"We understand perfectly—" Tadano started.
"No, you don't." Reine's voice was sharp as a blade. "You understand anger. Righteous fury. The desire for revenge. But you don't understand sacrifice. You don't understand what it means to watch your friends die and keep fighting anyway. You don't understand the weight of ordering someone to their death for the mission." She leaned forward. "Come back in five years. If you still want to fight, if you still have that fire, then we'll talk. Until then, you're dismissed."
The finality in her tone left no room for argument.
Garrett, who'd been standing quietly in the corner, stepped forward. "I'll escort them out."
They walked through the underground hideout in silence, past resistance members who carefully didn't meet their eyes. Everyone had heard. Everyone knew they'd been rejected. The twins who'd somehow survived five Dark soldiers, reduced to children told to come back when they grew up.
At the entrance, Garrett stopped them. "She's not wrong, you know," he said quietly. "You're skilled, yes. But this life—it breaks people. Better to wait until you're old enough to handle the breaking."
"Easy for you to say," Vivi muttered. "You're not the one being told to sit on your hands for five years."
"No. But I am the one who's watched three of my apprentices die in the last year alone. All of them older than you. All of them trained. All of them dead anyway." Garrett's expression was grim. "Reine's harsh, but she's trying to keep you alive. Try to understand that."
He opened the hidden door, and cool morning air washed over them. They climbed the stairs out of the underground, emerging into the warehouse above. Sunlight streamed through cracks in the walls, painting dust motes gold.
"What do we do now?" Vivi asked as they stepped out into the alley behind the warehouse.
"I don't know," Tadano admitted. The anger that had sustained him through Reine's rejection was fading, leaving only emptiness. Five years. They were supposed to wait five years while the Darks continued their Cullings, while children were taken, while the world burned.
It was unacceptable.
"Well, well! Fancy meeting you two here!"
They both spun around.
Dan leaned against the alley wall, hands in his pockets, that same mischievous smile on his face. His green hair caught the morning sunlight, making it seem to glow. He looked completely relaxed, like he'd been waiting for them.
"Dan," Tadano said, surprise cutting through his frustration. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, you know. Around." Dan pushed off the wall, walking toward them with casual confidence. "More importantly—" his smile widened, "—did you get rejected?"
The question hit like a slap. Tadano felt his anger surge back, hot and immediate. "How did you—"
"It's written all over your faces. Plus, I may have been listening through the wall. Stone talks, you know. Tells you things." Dan's green eyes sparkled with amusement. "So? Rejected?"
"Yes," Vivi snapped, flames erupting in her hands. "They told us to come back in five years. Five years! Like we're supposed to just—"
"That's rough," Dan interrupted, completely unbothered by her display of fire. "But also, kind of predictable. Reine's group doesn't take anyone under twenty-one. It's like, a rule. Didn't you know?"
"No one mentioned that," Tadano said through gritted teeth.
"Probably should have led with that information. Would've saved you a test that nearly got you killed." Dan tilted his head, studying them. "So what now? Going to wait five years? Go back underground? Give up?"
"We're not giving up," Tadano said, his hand moving to his sword hilt. The casual way Dan was treating their rejection, the way he seemed to find it amusing, was making his temper fray. "We'll find another way."
"Another resistance group?"
"If we have to."
"Most won't take you either. Age restrictions are pretty common. Insurance against, you know, child soldiers and moral complications." Dan's smile never wavered. "But hey, I've got a solution if you want it."
Tadano was done with games. Done with tests and tricks and people who thought they were too young to fight. He turned away. "Come on, Vivi. Let's—"
"Join my revolutionaries instead."
Tadano froze. Slowly, he turned back. "What?"
"My revolutionaries. My group. My resistance cell." Dan spread his arms wide. "I'm recruiting! And unlike Reine, I don't care how old you are. I care about whether you can fight and whether you're committed. You checked both boxes yesterday when you didn't run from those soldiers."
"You have your own resistance group?" Vivi asked, skepticism clear in her voice.
"I do! Small, but mighty. Very mighty. Also very secret." Dan's expression turned more serious. "Look, I know you don't know me. I know this sounds suspicious. But I saved your lives yesterday. I could've let those soldiers kill you. I didn't. That should count for something, right?"
Tadano studied Dan carefully. The boy was their age, maybe slightly older. He'd demonstrated incredible power yesterday—whatever he'd done to control the earth and stone. And he'd known about the convoy that didn't exist, known things he shouldn't have known.
"Why do you want us?" Tadano asked. "You're clearly powerful on your own. Why recruit two sixteen-year-olds with no experience?"
"Because powerful alone is boring," Dan said simply. "Because I like you two. Because you're interesting and brave and really, really angry at the Darks." He stepped closer. "And because I think you deserve better than being told to wait five years while the world burns around you."
Vivi looked at Tadano. He could see the question in her eyes. They'd already been betrayed once by Reine's fake mission. Was Dan's offer another trap? Another test?
But what choice did they have? Go back underground—impossible. Wait five years—unacceptable. Find another resistance group—unlikely to accept them.
Or take a chance on the mysterious green-haired boy who could make the earth move.
"If this is another test," Tadano said slowly, "if you're working for the Darks or planning to betray us—"
"I'm not," Dan interrupted. "Scout's honor. Well, I was never a scout. But you get the idea." He held out his hand. "So? Want to join the most secret, most effective, most interesting resistance cell in this sector? Or do you want to spend five years twiddling your thumbs?"
Tadano looked at Vivi. She nodded slightly. They'd come too far to turn back now.
He took Dan's hand. "Alright. We're in."
Dan's grin could have lit up the entire alley. "Excellent! Oh, this is going to be fun. Come on, let me show you the base."
"You have a base?" Vivi asked, falling into step beside him as he started walking.
"Of course I have a base. What kind of resistance cell doesn't have a base? That would be very unprofessional."
"Where is it?"
"You'll see. It's not far. Well, it's not close. Medium far? Definitely worth the walk though."
Dan led them out of Millbrook, past the gates where they'd entered yesterday, back toward Darkwood Forest. The guards at the checkpoint didn't even glance at them—Dan waved casually and they simply nodded, like he was a familiar face.
"How did you do that?" Tadano asked once they were clear of the town.
"Do what?"
"The guards. They just let us through."
"Oh, I'm registered. Official citizen and everything. Very legitimate." Dan's smile suggested the opposite. "The perks of being boring and non-threatening on paper."
They walked for an hour, following a game trail into the forest. Dan kept up a constant stream of cheerful chatter—about the weather, about interesting plants, about a bird he'd seen last week that had three heads. Tadano couldn't tell if any of it was true or if Dan just liked talking.
Finally, they reached a clearing. At the center stood an enormous boulder—easily twenty feet tall and twice as wide, covered in moss and lichen.
Dan stopped in front of it, gesturing proudly. "Here we are! Home sweet home."
Tadano stared at the boulder. Then at Dan. Then back at the boulder.
"This is a rock," he said flatly.
"Very observant! Yes, it is a rock. Big one too."
"You said you'd show us your base."
"I am showing you my base."
"This. Is. A. Rock."
"I'm aware!" Dan's smile hadn't dimmed at all. "Okay, watch closely because this is the cool part."
He turned toward the boulder and simply walked forward.
Into it.
Through it.
Dan passed through solid stone like it was mist, disappearing completely. His cheerful voice echoed back: "Come on! It's safe, I promise!"
Tadano's hand went to his sword. "It's a trap. He's led us out here to—"
"To what? Kill us in the middle of the forest?" Vivi was already walking toward the boulder, flames dancing between her fingers. "If he wanted us dead, we'd be dead. And I want to see how he did that."
"Vivi, wait—"
But she was already at the boulder. She reached out, her hand passing through what should have been solid stone. Her eyes widened with wonder. "Tadano. It's not real. The rock—it's not real."
She stepped forward, and like Dan, she simply walked through the boulder and vanished.
Tadano stood alone in the clearing, staring at the impossible stone that had just swallowed his sister.
Every instinct screamed trap. Screamed danger. Screamed that he was about to make a terrible mistake.
But Vivi was already through. And if this was a trap, she was already caught.
He took a deep breath, gripped his sword hilt, and walked toward the boulder.
His hand touched the surface—and passed through. It felt like cool water, like walking through a waterfall. Visual but insubstantial.
Illusion. The entire boulder was an illusion.
Tadano stepped through—
And stopped dead.
On the other side was a facility unlike anything Tadano had ever seen.
Smooth metal walls stretched upward, seamless and gleaming. Lights floated in the air with no visible source, casting a cool white glow that made the underground base back in Millbrook look primitive by comparison. Corridors branched off in precise geometric patterns, and everything—everything—hummed with power.
But it wasn't the technology that made Tadano freeze.
It was what was operating it.
Machines. Not people. Machines.
They moved through the facility with mechanical precision—humanoid forms made of metal and glowing components, their movements smooth and purposeful. Some carried equipment. Others stood at control panels, their metal fingers dancing across interfaces that displayed information Tadano couldn't begin to understand.
Robots. The facility was being run entirely by robots.
Dan stood in the center of it all, his arms spread wide, his smile absolutely radiant.
"Welcome," he said, "to the real resistance. And welcome—" his green eyes gleamed with something Tadano couldn't identify, "—to the revolution that's going to change everything."
Vivi stood beside Tadano, her mouth hanging open, flames forgotten.
And Tadano realized, with a mixture of awe and terror, that they'd just walked into something far bigger than they'd ever imagined.
Something that shouldn't exist.
Something impossible.
"Master Dan, you've brought guests. How delightful."
The voice came from behind them—smooth, precise, and dripping with sarcasm. Tadano spun around, hand on his sword, to find himself face-to-face with another robot.
This one was different from the others. Taller, more refined in design, with gleaming silver plating and glowing blue optical sensors that somehow managed to convey an expression of profound disapproval. It—he?—wore what appeared to be a formal vest built directly into his chassis.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the robot said with a slight bow. "I am Alfred, head of operations for this facility and, regrettably, caretaker to Master Dan's various chaotic endeavors."
"Alfred's my butler," Dan said cheerfully. "Well, technically he's an autonomous management AI housed in a combat-capable chassis, but 'butler' sounds classier."
"Indeed. Nothing says 'class' quite like being ordered to make sandwiches at three in the morning because someone was 'thinking really hard about revolutions.'" Alfred's optical sensors fixed on the twins. "I don't suppose you two have come to talk some sense into him? Perhaps convince him that proper meal schedules are important? Or that reckless missions without backup are inadvisable?"
"We literally just met him," Vivi said, still staring around the facility in wonder.
"Pity. I had hoped for allies in the eternal struggle against his complete disregard for personal safety." Alfred turned to Dan. "I assume these are the two you saved from the Dark patrol yesterday? The ones you've been obsessing over?"
"I wasn't obsessing. I was interested."
"You watched their sleeping quarters through the security feeds for three hours."
"That was research!"
"That was creepy, Master Dan."
Tadano's hand tightened on his sword hilt. "You were watching us?"
"Only a little!" Dan said quickly. "Just to make sure Reine didn't try to assassinate you in your sleep. She does that sometimes with recruits she deems too dangerous. I wanted to make sure you woke up alive."
"How reassuring," Alfred said flatly. "Nothing says 'trustworthy ally' quite like admitting to surveillance."
Despite the absurdity of the situation—standing in an impossible facility, arguing with a sarcastic robot—Tadano found himself relaxing slightly. There was something oddly genuine about the banter between Dan and Alfred. It reminded him of his arguments with Vivi.
"Okay," Vivi said, flames sparking at her fingertips as she gestured around the facility. "I need answers. What is this place? Where did all this technology come from? How are you controlling robots? And—" she pointed at Dan, "—what are you really?"
Dan's mischievous smile widened. "Finally! Someone asking the right questions!" He walked to a nearby console, tapping commands that made holographic displays spring to life. "Okay, so. I'm a mage. Specifically, I'm a Tech Mage."
"A what?" Tadano asked.
"Tech Mage. Generation Three. Gen 3 for short." Dan pulled up a display showing complex symbols and equations that made Tadano's head hurt. "I can interface with technology, control machines, manipulate electronic systems. Pretty much anything with a circuit or power source, I can talk to it. Command it. Make it do what I want."
"That's..." Vivi trailed off, processing. "Wait. Generation Three? What does that mean?"
Dan looked genuinely surprised. "You don't know about magic generations?"
"Should we?"
"I mean... yes? It's pretty basic magical theory. They teach it in—" Dan stopped, studying them more carefully. "Where exactly are you two from? And don't say 'a village.' Your clothes are wrong, your knowledge gaps are weird, and you fight like you've been trained in isolation from modern combat techniques."
Vivi opened her mouth to explain, but Tadano cut her off quickly. "That's our secret to know."
Dan blinked. Then shrugged. "Fair enough. Everyone's got secrets. Mine is this entire base, so I can't really judge." He turned back to the display. "Okay, magic generations. Quick history lesson."
He pulled up a new hologram—a timeline stretching back thousands of years. "So, about three thousand years ago, the Queen of Darkness—nasty piece of work, real evil empire starter—she cast what's called the Curse of Reoccurrence before she was sealed away. The curse states: 'Havoc will fall and power to resistance will be born, but a way to resist will not be seen.'"
"That's ominous," Tadano muttered.
"Right? Very dramatic. But here's the thing—the curse seems to actually work. Every thousand years, something terrible happens. An invasion, a catastrophe, some world-ending threat. And at the same time, magic evolves. Changes. Gets stronger." Dan pointed to the timeline. "Three thousand years ago, the Darks invaded. That same year, magic itself was born. What we now call Generation One magic. Your basic elements—fire, water, earth, air, lightning. The foundation."
He moved the timeline forward. "Two thousand years ago, another catastrophe hit. And boom—Generation Two magic evolved. More complex, more specialized. Things like healing magic, illusion magic, enhancement magic. All the refinements and variations of Gen 1."
"And a thousand years ago?" Vivi asked, leaning forward.
"Nothing, actually. Which was weird. Everyone expected another catastrophe, another evolution. But it was quiet. Peaceful, even." Dan's expression turned serious. "Until sixteen years ago."
Tadano felt something cold settle in his stomach. Sixteen years. The same time he and Vivi were born. The same time the Darks invaded their planet.
"Sixteen years ago," Dan continued, "weird things started happening. Children being born with abilities that didn't fit the established magic types. Powers that seemed to bridge magic and technology, or magic and reality itself. New forms of magic that nobody understood." He gestured to himself. "Like Tech Magic. I was born sixteen years ago. Started manifesting abilities around age five. By ten, I could control simple machines. By fifteen, I built this place."
"You built this entire facility?" Tadano asked incredulously. "At fifteen?"
"Well, I had help from Alfred and about fifty construction bots I reprogrammed. But yeah, mostly me." Dan pulled up more displays. "Gen 3 magic is still evolving. Still awakening in people across the galaxy. Nobody knows how many new types there are, or what they can all do. But we're out there. The resistance the Queen of Darkness's curse promised. The power that will fight the havoc."
"But she also said the way to resist won't be seen," Tadano pointed out.
"Yeah, that part's less encouraging. Probably means we're going to struggle. Probably means lots of failures and setbacks and deaths before we figure out how to actually win." Dan's smile turned sharp. "But at least we've got a fighting chance now."
Vivi stared at the timeline, at the patterns of catastrophe and evolution. "So you're saying magic itself is fighting back? Against the Darks?"
"Not magic itself. Us. People like me, born with Gen 3 abilities. We're the resistance the curse promised." Dan closed the displays. "Which is why I'm building this revolution. Why I'm gathering people who are tired of waiting, tired of hiding, tired of watching the Darks take everything. We're the generation that's supposed to change things. Might as well actually try, right?"
Tadano and Vivi exchanged glances. The story was almost too fantastic to believe. Curses and prophecies and evolving magic. But standing in this impossible facility, surrounded by technology that shouldn't exist, controlled by a sixteen-year-old boy who could command machines with his mind...
Maybe fantastic was just reality now.
"So," Vivi said slowly. "Your magic is Gen 3. Mine is Gen 1—fire magic, basic elemental. What about Tadano? He doesn't have magic at all."
"Doesn't he?" Dan looked at Tadano with curious eyes. "You sure about that?"
"I've never manifested any abilities," Tadano said. "Tested negative for magic my entire life."
"Hmm. Interesting." Dan didn't elaborate, which was somehow more unsettling than if he'd argued.
"Master Dan," Alfred interrupted. "While your history lesson was riveting, perhaps we should address the more immediate concern?"
"What concern?"
"The fact that you've recruited two more revolutionaries to feed, house, and equip. Two revolutionaries who, if I'm reading their body language correctly, arrived with essentially nothing."
Dan's eyes widened. He turned to the twins. "Oh! Right. Do you guys have money?"
Tadano and Vivi looked at each other sheepishly.
"We have... some coins," Vivi admitted. "From the underground. Old currency. Maybe enough for a few meals?"
"So no money. Got it." Dan rubbed his hands together, that mischievous smile returning full force. "Alright then. New plan. Alfred, prep the stealth transport."
"Oh no," Alfred said. "That tone. I know that tone. That's your 'I'm about to do something monumentally stupid' tone."
"We're going to rob a really rich institution for some money!"
"There it is," Alfred said with digital resignation. "Master Dan, might I remind you that the last three 'rich institutions' you attempted to rob had Dark military security, anti-magic wards, and in one case, a very angry dragon?"
"That dragon was a misunderstanding. And we got away, didn't we?"
"You were on fire for three hours."
"But we got away!" Dan turned to Tadano and Vivi, his eyes bright with excitement. "So? Want to rob your first Dark treasury? Great way to start your revolutionary career. Plus, we really do need the money. Feeding robots is cheap, but feeding humans? Expensive."
Tadano couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. They'd gone from being rejected by one resistance group to joining another, discovering impossible technology, learning about magic generations and ancient curses, and now they were being invited to rob what sounded like a heavily guarded Dark facility.
All in the span of a few hours.
"This is insane," he said.
"Completely insane," Vivi agreed.
They looked at each other.
"When do we leave?" they said in unison.
Dan's laugh echoed through the facility. "Oh, I knew I liked you two! Alfred, get them some proper gear. We leave at dusk. And someone teach them how to use comm-links—we'll need to coordinate."
As Alfred led them deeper into the facility, muttering about "reckless children" and "inevitable disaster," Tadano felt something he hadn't felt since leaving the underground.
Hope.
Not the desperate, angry hope of revenge. But real hope. The hope that maybe, just maybe, they'd found exactly where they were supposed to be.
With a sarcastic robot butler, a Gen 3 Tech Mage, and a plan to rob the Darks blind.
What could possibly go wrong?