"The second Phase shall now begin." The voice boomed through the forest.
As everyone were wondering what the next phase would be, a gigantic holographic screen appeared above the forest.
On it, were instructions for the next phase of the exam, which was titled: The Blessing.
Sion looked away from the screen, his mind drifting back to the strange girl that had just smiled at him. Just that, she was no longer present at the spot.
"Huh?" Sion tilted his head, he then stood up straight. He looked down at the piece of clothing in his hands, "I will just keep it as a keepsafe." He said as he placed it into the small bag by his waist.
Then, his form blurred from the spot.
Meanwhile, a bit of distance away from the crater, a beauty walked alone. This was the same girl that had smiled at Sion.
She had a distinct appearance of pink hair, highlighted by her flawless face. Her subtle pink eyes topped it up, elevating her into a new realm of beauty.
Hmm, that was heroic...
She thought back to the boy who had laid in the crater. She had followed after the rampaging monsters, hoping to see what caused the sudden spike in their aggression.
She had seen how the boy had looked over all of them, called them a nuisance and killed them all. A act she was not sure if stemmed from heroism or arrogance, but her mind leaned towards the former.
Hmm, I better get back to the others...
Just as she had the thought, she felt a presence closing in on her. Fast.
She took a battle ready stance, and as she was about to activate her gift. A figure landed in front of her—the supposed hero.
"Hey." Two pointed canines greeted her alongside his smile.
"Hmm?" She was stunned. That was... Fast... But more importantly how did he...
"How did I find you?" He interrupted her thoughts.
"That is what you were probably thinking, right? After all, you have made sure to scatter your scent and traces across the area to prevent tracking." He continued, his smile developing into a smug smirk. "Not to brag, but that doesn't exactly work on me. My senses are too sharp."
"Oh?" She blinked.
"Yep." He nodded solemnly.
"Erm..." She looked around, avoiding eye contact, while also trying her best to think of something. "...this is awkward."
"It is?" He tilted his head slightly.
"Kinda." She grimaced slightly as she responded. She had never thought of a situation where he found her, especially not so fast.
"That is weird, I don't find this awkward at all... It is probably because you are royalty and not used to such social interactions." He said bluntly.
"How did you know I am royalty." She blurted out before she could stop herself.
"I wasn't sure till your reaction just now." A grin. "Well, it is nice to meet your highness, princess—"
"Dara." She completed. "Princess Dara."
"Dara. That is a nice name." He said to her.
"So, what is yours?" Dara asked.
"Mine? I rather not say."
"What? That is no fair."
"The world isn't fair." He shrugged.
"Tch. What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be focused on what the second phase is about?"
"Could say the same about you."
"I have teammates to fill me on the details. By the looks of it, I can't say the same about you."
"Hmm, true. But don't worry—I already captured the whole board."
"That fast? It's a wall of text."
"I've got a photographic memory," he said with a grin. "Essential trait for a superhero."
"Oh! You're the superhero boy." Dara's eyes lit up in recognition.
"Hm. Yeah."
Just as he was about to continue, his head snapped to the side.
A rustle.
The brush parted, and a bulky teen stepped through.
He froze when he saw Dara with someone else. His eyes flicked between the two of them before locking on Sion.
Sion tilted his head—and smiled. "Hi."
"Hmph." The teen scoffed and turned to Dara. "Ran into your teammates. They said you wandered off."
"So what?" Dara replied, her voice calm, detached.
The teen's gaze narrowed, not at Dara—but at Sion. "You know the rule. Don't stray from Aina."
"And how is that your concern?" Dara said, still neutral.
He paused. "Never mind. Anyway, did you read the board yet?"
"Nope. Figured my teammates would fill me in. Looks like that's you."
The bulky teen scratched the back of his head. "I kind of used most of my time coming after you, so…"
"Figures." Dara sighed, then turned to Sion. "You said you read it. So what does it say?"
"You doubt me?" Sion said with a smirk. "Fair enough. So here's the deal: this phase is called the Blessing. It's meant to reward the survivors of Phase One."
"Rewards?" Dara echoed.
"Yep. All over the forest now—there are scattered sites that can grant rewards. Four kinds."
He held up a hand.
"Ten thousand points. Artifacts. Elixirs. And the rarest—an entirely new Gift."
"A Gift?" Dara and the bulky teen echoed in unison.
They both turned their eyes back to the floating screen, quickly scanning the rest of the content—and sure enough, it was there. Clear. Undeniable.
A Gift.
The main reason they were called the Gifted in the first place.
The reason they were more than just powerful.
Because in this world, not all power came from Gifts.
Some were Awakened—individuals who could harness the world's natural energy. With enough training and resources, they could strengthen their bodies, speed up their minds, enhance their senses. Some used technology as a bridge, blending science and sorcery.
Awakened could achieve great things.
Superhuman things.
But not inhuman.
Not like the Gifted.
Because a Gift wasn't learned or bought—it was born. Something buried in the blood. Inherited, mutated, awakened from within.
And those with Gifts could perform not just incredible feats… but impossible ones.
Powers that bent logic.
Powers that rewrote rules.
That was what made the Gifted dangerous. Respected. Hunted. Worshipped.
And generally—feared.
Dara thought back to her father. This must be why he had made me attend here.
She turned to face the boy, "you are right. We could really get a gift."
"Yep." He paused, contemplating. "You want it?"
"Huh?" Dara was confused by the question.
"The gift. You want it right? Well, if you do, I am not entirely sure where it is. But I do know it is in that direction." He pointed towards his left.
"What?!" The bulky teen called out in surprise.
"How can you tell?" Dara asked, skeptical, but a hint of belief could be seen in her pink eyes.
"My instincts. The one thing stronger than my senses are my instincts." He shrugged.
"Okay. Let's assume I belief that, but why would you tell me? Don't you want it?" Dara questioned.
"Why would I want it? I can't even fully control my own gift, why would I want an extra problem." He replied.
"Fair point." Dara nodded.
"What?! Don't tell me you seriously believe what he is saying." The bulky teen bellowed.
"Well, do you have a better lead?" Dara asked in a sharp but still calm voice.
"Tch." The bulky teen snickered before looking away.
"Anyways, thank you Mr. Hero." Dara said to the hero in a teasing voice. "So, where would you be going?"
"I would just walk randomly hoping I come across the ten thousand points location." He replied.
"Makes sense." She nodded. She turned around to leave towards the location he had pointed at. "See you later."
"Hmm." He nodded. Then he moved closer, "if you ever need a superhero, you can call my name, I will always there."
"But I don't know your name." Dara stated with a chuckle.
"Well, listen well and make sure to remember." He leaned closer, till his mouth was by her right ear. "The name is: Sion."