Sayos groaned as he pushed himself up from the cold stone floor.
His knee throbbed. His pride? Slightly more.
"Note to self," he muttered. "Never trust glowing temple tiles again. Ever."
Lucy, the white wolf, stood beside him. Silent. Alert. Her ears twitched with every distant creak.
They had fallen through a trapdoor—just him and Lucy. The others were somewhere above. Or below. He wasn't sure anymore. The air smelled ancient. And dangerous.
Sayos looked around. The chamber was circular, dimly lit by a faint green glow coming from the moss on the walls. In the center, embedded in a stone pedestal, was a crystal.
His crystal.
It pulsed—green, bright, calling to him like it knew his name.
Sayos stepped forward, cautiously. "This is way too easy."
The moment he laid a hand on the crystal—everything shifted.
The mossy walls faded into wind-swept plains. The pedestal disappeared. Lucy vanished.
Now he stood alone in a vast, stormy field.
"What the hell—?"
"Sayos."
The voice hit him like a gust to the chest. He turned. A figure approached. Familiar. Younger. Eyes filled with doubt.
It was… him. A past version. No wind powers. No confidence. Just that same awkward, unsure kid trying to act brave.
"You're not ready," the younger Sayos said.
Sayos frowned. "I'm pretty sure I've heard that line before. Usually from jerks who end up unconscious after underestimating me."
"You doubt yourself. Still. You pretend you don't. You laugh. But it's fake."
Sayos opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He hated how real that sounded.
The wind picked up, violently swirling around them. The sky cracked with thunder.
"Fight me," the younger Sayos said, raising a green-bladed wind kunai. "If you want your crystal, prove that you've moved beyond who you were."
"Wait—what? Are you serious?"
The younger version didn't answer. He charged.
Sayos barely dodged the first strike. The kunai grazed his shoulder. Pain bloomed immediately.
"Damn! Okay. Fine. No more nice guy."
He slid back, focusing. The air bent around his fingers. A gust spiraled from his palm, knocking his opponent back.
But the younger Sayos flipped mid-air and landed cleanly, smirking.
Sayos scowled. "I did not smirk like that."
"You still do. Especially when you're scared."
That hit deeper than he expected.
They clashed again. Wind against wind. Fist against blade. Strike after strike echoed through the storm.
Sayos felt the sweat drip down his brow. His breathing turned ragged. This wasn't just a fight—it was a test of identity.
Then came the moment. A single pause. His younger self lunged, leaving his side open. Sayos didn't hesitate.
He drove a spiral of air into his double's ribs.
The illusion shattered—like mist caught in a hurricane.
Silence.
Then—light. The field faded. The real chamber returned.
The green crystal now hovered just inches in front of him.
He reached out again—and this time, it didn't resist.
It fused into his palm like a part of him had returned.
Energy surged. His arms glowed. He heard wind whispering not around him—but from within him.
Lucy reappeared, looking unbothered as always.
"Miss me?" he asked.
She tilted her head.
"I'll take that as a yes."
He turned toward the only visible exit—a dark corridor with shifting shadows.
"Alright, let's go find the others."
He paused, looked down at his palm, where the wind now danced softly.
"…And maybe this time, I won't screw up."