As Takumi released his Vera, the black energy flowed out of his ring, glowing with an intense, mysterious aura before stopping. With a mix of anticipation and anxiety, Takumi asked, "What did I get?"
Ishara examined the ring closely, then looked up thoughtfully. "It says S class, but it's marked as 'Unknown.' It's unusual—it's been ages since we've seen a black color like this."
Takumi's face fell slightly. "Is that... bad?" he asked.
Ishara shook his head, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Not necessarily bad, but definitely rare. We'll need to monitor it closely."
Liyana, eager to go next, stepped up and activated her ring. Hers glowed brightly, indicating an A class ranking, while Haruto, who followed, achieved S class as well. Zanele stepped forward confidently, and her ring too displayed an S class rank.
Amandla, watching her friends' results with wide eyes, remarked, "Wow! S class is incredibly rare! I might have underestimated you, old man!"
Ishara chuckled, pride gleaming in his eyes. "With four S classes, an A class, and the rest being B class, I should be getting a raise! Now, what should I buy with it? A golden horse, or maybe a golden bear?"
The group burst into laughter, feeling a renewed sense of pride and excitement about their ranks and the powers they'd unlocked. The future held promise—and perhaps a few golden animals for Ishara.As Ishara collected the letters, Amandla handed hers over confidently. "I know I got accepted."
One by one, everyone passed their letters to Ishara. His eyes widened in shock as he scanned them. "Only Liyana got accepted."
Takumi frowned. "How is that possible?"
Ishara cleared his throat, a bit sheepish. "I may have forgotten to mention… All the Rank classes are full. So, you'll all be joining the Eclipse."
Amandla's face turned pale. "No way! That's a death sentence!"
Ishara smirked, folding his arms. "If you manage to kill even a single monster, you'll be among the richest people alive."
Zanele's eyes gleamed. "I'm in."
Takumi looked over at her, surprised. "For the money?"
Zanele shrugged, smiling. "Yes, for the money. With that kind of wealth, our mom and I could live like royalty."
Takumi sighed. "Fine. But I'm still not going."
Ishara leaned in, his expression serious. "If you find Xalvathar and manage to defeat him before he reaches his full power, you'll be legends for hundreds of years."
Haruto and Takumi exchanged glances, nodding. "We're in."
Ishara turned to Amandla. "I heard that if you meet a certain rare monster, it grants you one wish—anything you desire."
Amandla hesitated but finally nodded. "Fine. I'm in too."
Zanele raised an eyebrow. "Is that wish-thing true?"
Ishara smirked. "It's just a myth, so don't count on it." He turned to Liyana with a grin. "Looks like all your friends are joining you."
Liyana smiled gratefully. "Thank you, everyone."
Ishara handed each of them a small letter with a seal. "Hold on to these; they're your initiation letters."
Zanele looked at hers with confusion. "What are these for?"
Ishara's smirk widened. "You'll see." As they all held their letters, he waved them off. "Goodbye, lowlifes!"
Amandla huffed, "Stop calling us that!" But before she could say more, they were all teleported to the Eclipse base in a flash of light.
As the recruits gather, Rowan observes them with a hint of a smile. "New recruits," he says, his tone edged with curiosity.
Amandla steps forward. "Is there… a problem?"
"Not a problem," Rowan replies, glancing over the group. "Just that… we've had quite a few casualties recently. Fresh recruits keep us going."
Zanele frowns. "How many casualties?"
"This week? Twenty."
Zanele relaxes slightly. "Not too bad."
"Try thousands."
Takumi's eyes widen, his voice wavering. "It's worth it… right?"
Rowan nods, reassuringly. "Stay focused, and it'll be fine. Now, let's talk about your first mission."
Amandla protests, "But we just got here!"
"If we don't leave the gate now, the risk increases. Tomorrow, the monster might be twice as close."
After some hesitation, Amandla nods. "Fine…"
"Great. Tap into your Vera, and start running—185 miles per hour should be fine to start."
Liyana blinks. "Are you serious?"
Rowan grins. "Not really. With full Vera, your speed cap is 670 million miles per hour."
Liyana's jaw drops. "That's… that's light speed. You're insane!"
Unfazed, Rowan shrugs. "You've heard of Captain Finn, right?"
Zanele nods quickly. "Blue eyes, killer skills? Who hasn't?"
"Well, he's fast. But he's not even the fastest here."
Liyana stares at Rowan. "Please… tell me you're lying."
Rowan grins. "I'm not." He pauses, watching their reactions. "Now… who's ready?"
They all respond, eager but nervous. "We are!"
"Good," Rowan says. "Now, tap into your Vera. Let's run!"
The group surges forward, their feet pounding the ground.
Liyana shouts, half in disbelief, half in thrill, "How is this possible?"
Rowan glances back. "Feels good, doesn't it?"
Haruto calls out, exhilarated. "Let's see who's the fastest!"
Takumi grins. "Game on!"
They push their limits, discovering just what they're capable of—and catching a glimpse of what the journey ahead might demand.As they run Takumi see an creatures chase an women Takumi stop saying look we need to help Rowan say okay i look at you guys in action to see how good you are real life fights Takumi say this will be easy Rowan oh the creatures have Vera too so it will be hard good luck Haruto using Vera create an large swords try to hit the creatures but it dodge and punch him in the face Rowan say oh and they are skill fight not mindless monsters Haruto say stop your oh Liyana blast the creatures when it was not looking the blast hits the creatures the creatures was mad jumble to Liyana open it mouth ready to eat her Takumi say no but Finn use his speed moving saving her look at the creature rise his hand create an blast so large it was bigger the the creature it self it kills the creatures