As the group sat aboard their ship, floating high above the world, they were still buzzing with excitement from the last game. Shigan stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, that was fun, but I say we try something else. Something more intense."
Kaelen smirked. "You just wanna win this time, don't you?"
Before Shigan could respond, Raidon placed a small wooden box on the table. "If you want something intense, then try this."
Ren leaned forward. "What's in there?"
Raidon flipped the lid open, revealing a collection of metallic rings and a strange, glowing orb in the center. "This game is called Storm Circuit. It's a test of reflexes, teamwork, and strategy. It was played in the Thunder Skies back when I was younger, and it's still one of the hardest games to win."
How to Play Storm Circuit: Each player wears a metallic ring on their wrist. The orb in the center will start glowing and shooting out lightning sparks in random directions. The goal is to use the rings to catch the lightning before it hits you. But here's the twist: the moment you catch one, you must redirect it to another player. If you fail to react in time, you get shocked and lose a point. The game ends when someone reaches 10 points, making them the Storm Champion.
Sakayanagi raised an eyebrow. "You expect us to just casually play with lightning?"
Raidon chuckled. "Don't worry. It won't actually harm you… much."
They all exchanged glances before putting on the rings. The moment Raidon activated the orb, a crackling bolt of light shot out, zipping towards Ren.
"Whoa!" Ren barely reacted in time, raising his ring and absorbing the bolt. His instincts kicked in as he flung it toward Shigan, who caught it smoothly and instantly redirected it toward Kaelen.
Kaelen, caught off guard, tried to deflect it but was a second too slow—ZAP! A small jolt ran through him, making his hair stand on end. "Tch, okay, I get it now. Let's do this for real!"
As the game went on, things got intense. Sakayanagi started using precise movements to redirect the bolts faster, Ren's instincts allowed him to predict where the sparks would fly, and Shigan, after getting shocked twice, learned to harness his energy more efficiently. The final match came down to Ren and Raidon, both with 9 points. The orb crackled, releasing a final bolt at unpredictable speed—Ren twisted his wrist just in time, launching the spark back at Raidon.
Raidon grinned, catching it easily. "Not bad, but…" He spun the bolt around his ring, increasing its power, before launching it back at Ren in an unpredictable spiral pattern.
Ren had no time to react—ZAP! The shock ran through him, and the game ended with Raidon as the Storm Champion.
Ren shook his head, still feeling the static in his fingers. "Alright, I admit it… That was insane."
Kaelen was still patting down his hair, trying to smooth it out. "This game is ridiculous."
Raidon laughed. "Welcome to the Thunder Skies way of fun."
A Need for Speed
After playing for hours, they finally settled down for a meeting. Sakayanagi took out a blueprint of the ship, marking a few areas.
"We need to make adjustments before we head to the Thunder Skies," she said. "Right now, this ship isn't fast enough to break through the barrier."
Kaelen nodded. "And if we don't make it through in one go, we'll crash."
Raidon leaned back. "I can get in because I move at thunder speed. But the ship? That's different. We need enchantments."
"Then we land somewhere and rebuild," Ren suggested.
Raidon pulled out a scroll and spread it across the table. "There's a floating island not far from here. It's known as Zephyr Isle—a place where mechanics and enchanters craft advanced sky ships."
Shigan crossed his arms. "Sounds perfect. What's the catch?"
Raidon smirked. "You'll see when we get there."
With their destination set, they prepared for landing.
To be continued…