Aerial view over the Southern Capital.
Thousands of young candidates marched in organized lines toward the main arena.
Low music.
Tense.
Kazume (voice-over, deep):
"There are no friends here. Only survivors."
Quick cuts:
— An eleven-year-old boy vomiting from nerves.
— A girl clenching her fist until it bleeds.
— Ryo, Bill, and Nara staring at the top of the arena.
— Erik, eyes locked forward.
— Tero King in the back, hands in his pockets. A faint smile.
Black screen.
Scene 1 — Arrival at the Arena
The three siblings reached the gate.
The crowd was deafening.
Bill opened his arms wide.
"Look at this! Thousands! We're going to become legends!"
Nara replied coldly:
"Or die trying."
Ryo remained silent.
He looked up at the sky.
A faint headache began.
His vision blurred slightly.
A ringing sound.
Pressure in his chest.
Cut.
Kazume stood with his eyes closed.
A vision—
Ryo's face.
Blurred.
Drenched in something dark.
Kazume opened his eyes abruptly.
"Attention!"
Silence fell like a blade.
"This is the first phase. Each arena will contain abnormal variations of certain elements."
He paused.
"You must follow these rules."
"First: Do not fall outside the arena."
"Second: Complete the course within thirty minutes."
"The rest is up to you. How you survive… is not my concern."
Murmurs spread.
"We've counted. There are 320 candidates. The course is ten kilometers."
"The exam will last two days. Four stages in total."
"Each stage will have 80 participants."
He scanned the crowd.
"The arena will not let you pass."
"Your opponents will not let you pass."
A pause.
"And that… is how the world works."
Heavy silence.
"Let the games begin."
The crowd erupted.
Division
Among the known candidates:
Ryo (267), Tero (112), and Nara (265) would begin on the first day.
Erik (89) and Bill (266) would fight the next day.
First arena:
Nara.
The Trial
"Run for your lives!"
The ground shook.
The arena began moving like a colossal conveyor belt.
Ice formed instantly.
Spikes shot from the ground.
Nara ran, dodging by inches.
Too fast… If I lose rhythm, I'll be thrown out.
Mini volcanoes erupted.
Explosions of fire.
A girl beside her caught flames.
Eliminated.
Giant trees burst from the ground.
Vines grabbed participants.
Dragged them.
Threw them out of the arena.
Five eliminated at once.
Screams.
Quick shot:
Erik watching from the stands.
Focused.
Observing everything.
Wind blasts.
Ice returned.
The crowd was in shock.
King Oliver watched in silence.
His eyes were fixed on Ryo.
No smile.
No emotion.
Only analysis.
Kazume observed Erik… and Tero.
Both too calm.
The Fall
Nara slipped.
The ice launched her away.
"NAARAAA!" Ryo shouted.
A boy awakened ice.
For the first time.
He shaped a board and rushed toward her.
Caught her hand.
Carried her on his back.
The element shifted.
Water.
The board began to melt.
He froze the water beneath them as they slid.
The ice cracked.
They fell.
Submerged.
Silence.
Bill closed his eyes.
Ryo couldn't breathe.
Then—
The water began to spin.
A vortex.
Nara opened her eyes underwater.
The water responded to her.
She controlled the flow.
They began running inside the vortex.
They emerged.
The crowd exploded.
Oliver watched.
His eyes shimmered faintly.
He whispered to himself:
"…This is it."
No smile.
No excitement.
Just confirmation.
Understanding
Bill's eyes widened.
"I get it… this phase is meant to awaken our element under extreme pressure!"
Ryo crossed his arms, trying to act confident.
"Yeah… I already figured that out."
Tero watched, bored.
"Tch. Took you long enough."
Earth
The arena trembled.
Pillars of earth erupted.
Sharp wooden spikes emerged.
Erik tilted his head.
This was his element.
He paid attention.
Memorizing everything.
End of the Arena
Nara created a path of water.
The boy froze the trail.
They slid together.
Maximum speed.
Finish line.
They crossed.
"First ones to pass!"
The arena continued eliminating others.
The announcer's voice echoed:
"Congratulations to the first twenty candidates!"
Stands — Conversation
Isaac, tense:
"So… that presence you saw… was that boy?"
Kazume kept his eyes forward.
"…Maybe."
Isaac clenched his fists.
"The king knew. Why did he allow this? Why didn't he tell us? Those clans are reckless as always…"
Kazume interrupted:
"Calm down. The king knows what he's doing."
But the wind grew heavier.
Recovery Room
Nara sat down.
Exhausted.
Ryo and Bill rushed in.
Bill hugged her first.
"I knew you were strong!"
Ryo smiled, relieved.
"You almost killed us from worry."
Nara let out a weak laugh.
But her eyes had changed.
She had felt the world.
And the world… had answered.