Chapter : The Four Peaks Challenge
Location: Mistwood Expanse – Training Base Camp
Morning sunlight laced through the colossal canopy, sprinkling the forest floor with shifting mosaics of gold and emerald. The camp smelt of pine‑sap, cold streamwater, and the faint crackle of a breakfast fire that had long gone out. Birds chattered overhead, but the real noise came from the clearing where Kael and Anay were inventing yet another distraction from training.
Kael crouched at the edge of a shallow, rune‑lit pond, his sleeves pushed up, face scrunched in childish concentration. He flicked a flat spirit‑stone with thumb and forefinger—skik‑skik‑SPARK!—and tiny arcs of violet lightning rippled across the pond's surface.
"That's three sparks in a row." He flashed a smug grin, arms crossing in triumph. "Dried mangoes, kid. Fork 'em over."
Anay scooped a handful of pebbles. "Best of five. I'm not letting you bankrupt my snack stash."
He tossed—plip…plip. No spark.
Kael cackled laughed. "Zero, rookie."
Anay rolled his eyes, grabbed another pebble, and tried a new angle. Skik‑SPARK! A single arc leapt up, fizzled, then died. "Ha! One."
Kael leaned closer. "Two more or you're toast."
They fell into rhythm—pebbles skimming, water sizzling, laughter ringing out like mischief bells. Breathless, Anay finally tied the score. He pumped a fist, grinning ear to ear.
To celebrate, Kael sprang up and launched into a ridiculous jig: half Shin‑chan's hip wiggle, half Doraemon's waddle, arms flapping wildly. "♫ Shinky‑Dory, lightning glory, dumpling power—full story! ♫"
Anay doubled over. "Stop—you'll wake the whole forest!"
Kael bowed dramatically, then pirouetted, nearly slipping on wet moss. "Fear my divine dance of snack supremacy!"
Another pebble ricocheted, splashing Kael's boots. "Point for me," Anay declared.
Kael gasped. "Sabotage!"
They were so engrossed they missed the sudden hush that fell over the clearing—the way the wind died, the birds stilled, and the temperature plunged.
A single, slicing word shattered the fun.
"KAEL! ANAY!"
They froze mid‑throw.
Liora stood at the treeline, arms folded, cloak swaying like a storm cloud caught on a branch. Her eyes glinted frost.
Kael whispered out the corner of his mouth, "We're dead."
She strode forward, vines at her ankles curling in sync with each measured step. "Explain what's more important than survival drills in an unscouted forest."
Kael raised both hands, smile plastered on. "Projectile practice. Sharpening aim under relaxed conditions—very advanced pedagogy."
Liora's stare cut through the excuse.
Anay swallowed. "It… improves hand‑eye coordination?"
"If you pull this again—" Her voice dripped ice.
Kael, ever the fool, tried for levity. "You don't have to act like our mom, you know."
Silence hit harder than thunder.
A chill wind swept the camp. The flame glyphs on nearby stones guttered low. Somewhere, a small spirit‑hare bolted into underbrush.
Liora's aura flared—cold, razor‑sharp. Shadows bent toward her like fearful disciples.
Kael's grin collapsed. "I‑I mean, not that you're scary—"
"Say it again." Each word crystallised in the air.
Kael's knees almost buckled.
Even Anay felt pressure clamp his lungs. He sensed beasts in distant foliage scrambling away.
Anay:Even the beast are running , sister liora is something else but also scary when she is angry
Kael bowed so fast his forehead nearly hit his knees. "I regret my childish remark, miss Liora."
She eyed him a moment longer, then turned, cloak snapping like a banner. The oppressive chill receded.
Kael exhaled shakily, then flashed Anay a sheepish grin. "So… maybe we channel that energy into something productive?"
Anay chuckled. "Like what, oh fearless snack champion?"
Kael's eyes lit up. "A race. Four peaks." He pointed beyond the canopy where four jagged mountains framed the horizon. "Each of us takes a separate path. First to the summit wins eternal bragging rights."
Anay's competitive spark ignited. "Dangerous terrain. I'm in."
Liora re‑approached, composed but stern. "Separate routes mean no immediate backup. We use spiritual flares. Red light—regroup. Understood?"
"Understood," they chorused.
They packed light: water gourds, emergency herbs, a single flare each. At the clearing's edge they clasped wrists—an unspoken pact.
Kael winked. "See you at the top, slowpokes." He bolted east.
Anay jogged south‑west, determination steady in his chest.
Liora slipped north through shadowed fern‑paths, silent as snowfall.
Scene: Kael's Trail – East Ridge
Luck—or arrogance—guided Kael onto the gentlest slope. Sunbeams painted the trail; spirit flowers bobbed as though cheering him onward. Humming that absurd cartoon mash‑up, he leapt over roots, cartwheeled off a stump, and slid down a mossy incline. "♫ Dora‑shin Lightning Spin! ♫"
He reached a brook, splashed across, and struck a heroic stance on a boulder: "Kael the Mountain Slayer triumphs again!"
The path curved upward like a well‑kept garden. He sauntered, hands behind head, whistling. "Too easy. Hope the others brought climbing gear."
Unseen by Kael, a pair of glowing eyes watched from within a hollow log, retreating as he passed—perhaps amused by the human's bliss.
Scene: Anay's Trail – South‑west Climb
Anay's route sliced through jagged ravines and thick spirit mist. Each breath tasted of minerals and storms. He moved with disciplined urgency, recalling wind‑reading lessons: feel the forest's pulse.
Loose shale tried to slide underfoot—he shifted weight, listening to the ground hum. A cliff appeared; he scaled handholds with methodical precision, every muscle remembering Kael's drills. Halfway up, a flash of movement—spirit geckos darting across rock. He paused, waited, then continued. No wasted energy.
At a ledge he paused, gazing at the sky between peaks. Thunderheads brewed far off. "Storm's coming," he murmured, then pressed on.
Scene: Liora's Trail – Northern Shadow Vale
Liora's path vanished into silent valleys where sunlight struggled to reach. Frost lingered in shaded hollows though morning warmth climbed elsewhere. She moved like a wraith, every step measured, vines parting the undergrowth without a sound.
In the hush she heard memories—giggles of a a dog, wolf . snow crunch, the snap of vines turning to spears. She inhaled, steadying her heart. "Focus on the present," she whispered, then quickened pace toward the looming, icy crag that would test her alone.
The challenge had begun.
To be continued…