"The rules are as follows," the Principal’s voice echoed throughout the entire stadium.
"Each remaining departnt has been assigned a flag."
Eight sigils ignited above the canopy before streaking downward into the waiting tiers of each team.
Aren’s was the symbolic purple flag, along with the silver lightning bolt emblem right at the center.
"The value of each banner corresponds to the number of active mbers within that departnt."
A projection shimred overhead, listing the remaining teams and their current values.
3 Point Teams:
Ice, Earth, and Wind.
2 Point Teams:
Curse, Steel, and Fire.
1 Point Teams:
Water, Plant, and Lightning.
"If your banner is captured..."
The Principal paused, letting the words hang in suspense for a while.
"Your departnt will be imdiately disqualified."
A few students instinctively straightened. There was no vague loophole or anything to exploit.
"Capturing another departnt’s banner will award you its full value in points."
Above them, the projection shifted, a separate tally appearing beside each departnt na—currently all at zero.
"A ti limit of thirty minutes will govern this event."
A massive clock materialized within the do.
30:00
"When the tir reaches zero, the departnt with the highest accumulated points will be declared the victor."
"And finally..."
A red boundary ignited along the outermost edge of the forest.
"At five-minute intervals, the outer periter will collapse inward."
The red line pulsed once, and a thin band of trees at the far edge dissolved into particles before reforming for demonstration purposes.
"Participants outside the designated safe zone will be forcibly removed."
"Protect your flag."
"Seize opportunities."
"And co out on top."
The Principal lowered his hand.
"Flag Wars begins... now."
The clock ticked.
29:59.
Wait what—how can it start now?
But just as Aren blinked, his entire surroundings were now changed. His boots sank into the damp soil. The railing beneath his hands vanished as the noise from the crowd cut entirely.
Towering trees surrounded him on all sides as sunlight filtered just faintly through the canopy above. The clock still hovered faintly in the sky.
29:54.
Okay Aren, let’s calm down and think it through.
He inhaled slowly, taking in the slightly cold air as his eyes scanned the periter.
Aren knew imdiately that strategy was the make-or-break factor of this event. Which was perfect as he didn’t need to be in the lilight.
The system itself seed to encourage a defensive style for higher value teams as they’d have a lot more to lose than other teams with one or two points. On the surface, it seed inherently fair...
However, three people were still three people. Not a lot of teams would try to challenge them unless the smaller teams grouped to take one down—which would inevitably lead to them turning on each other afterward.
Which ant the early ga was everything for one-man squads like Aren. As soon as the arena shrank and confrontations were inevitable, teams with three will dominate for sure just from sheer numbers advantage.
So he couldn’t let it reach that stage on even footing.
Aren exhaled slowly, letting the cold air steady him as his thoughts aligned. There were three one-man departnts left in this forest: Water, Plant, and Lightning.
If he removed the two early, the math would tilt in his favor imdiately and he’d have three points. But since that makes him the easiest target for two or even three-man teams to go after him, he’d have to hide.
And when the zone closed just enough for big confrontations to break out, that would be his chance to swoop in and steal any points he could.
Aren exhaled quietly, then shook his head once.
Damn... if Yuna were here, this would’ve been so much simpler. With two, they could just do whatever they wanted.
He secured his own flag at his belt, fastening it tightly before turning toward the looming forest ahead. The clock above shimred faintly through the canopy.
28:40.
"Three minutes," he muttered under his breath. "I need at least one before the first collapse."
With the plan in mind, he surged ether into his leg and sprinted off.
The forest rushed past him mostly in a blur of green and brown as he kept his Ether compressed tightly beneath his skin.
Then, just a bit out of earshot, he felt a faint ripple. There was an ether signature ahead, just slightly downhill...and it was alone.
Aren slowed imdiately, lowering his profile as he shifted direction toward the source. His gaze flicked upward through the canopy, searching before he found it.
Small hovering drones drifted between treetops at irregular intervals, capturing the event for spectators above.
Aren adjusted his path slightly, weaving through denser parts of the forest where the canopy just about blocked everything underneath.
He stopped behind the trunk of a massive tree and waited for a drone to pass overhead before lifting his hand slowly.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let’s test this out."
[Aqua Veil]
A thin layer of vapor seeped from his skin, at first barely visible, as a translucent shroud clung close to his body. Moisture gathered and refracted light unevenly across his body, blurring his outline until he appeared invisible to the naked eye.
It wasn’t perfect, not yet. At his current Line, he couldn’t completely erase himself. Anyone looking straight at him might sense sothing off, but it was perfect for what he needed now.
Aren slipped between the trees without sound until he was standing just right above a student.
His eyes sharpened as he saw the emblem on the student’s flag. A small droplet of water on an azure blue banner.
How ironic that my first target is the Water Departnt.
The student shifted slightly, sensing sothing perhaps, but their gaze swept past him without seeing anything. It seed more like they were preparing for an ambush, not expecting to be in one.
Aren let the mist thin just slightly as he raised his hand. Sparks gathered at his fingertips before he condensed them into his palm, becoming a sphere of charge in his hand.
The Water student’s head turned at the last possible second, sensing the shift in the air—
But it was too late.
A streak of compressed lightning tore through the forest, shooting straight at the student. A large explosion resounded through the air as the entire space was covered in fog and mist.
But just as it began to clear, Aren squinted his eyes...only to see that his attack was blocked by a water barrier.
He sighed softly before summoning his blades.
"It’s never that easy, huh..."
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