“So this is Bramble Belle!” Stacy announced, eyes gleaming with excitement.

  She held up the matte green grenade launcher proudly, its flower-bud barrel catching the light as she tilted it from side to side. The vine-like engravings shimmered subtly, as if the weapon itself breathed.

  Daisy leaned in, blinking in disbelief. “Wait, you already got it made? That fast?”

  “Andrei whipped this up? Since yesterday?” Luna added, brows raised.

  “I know, right?” Stacy grinned. “Honestly, I was ready to wait a week. But that guy? He’s not human. Pretty sure he’s part smithing machine.”

  Daisy reached out, running a finger along one of the glowing root patterns wrapping the ammo chamber. “It’s… actually really pretty. Is that rosewood on the grip?”

  “Yup! Reinforced and sealed. Doesn’t crack even when Belle kicks like a mule,” Stacy said, slinging it casually over her shoulder.

  “And what’s that?” Luna pointed at the diagonal sash of softly glowing vines wrapped across Stacy’s chest.

  “Oh! This is Thornet. Andrei made it too,” Stacy beamed, brushing her hand along the pulsing green strands. “It’s a hybrid bandolier and botanical workshop. I’ve got seeds, accelerant pods, burst vials, a little compartment for moss bombs—”

  “You have moss bombs?” Daisy asked, clearly amused.

  “I like options,” Stacy shrugged.

  Before she could launch into a full breakdown of the gear, the ground gave a solid thud, then another.

  “Speak of the tank,” Luna muttered.

  Caleb emerged from the treeline, dragging something massive across the dirt behind him. With a final clang, he propped the massive tower shield beside him and gave them a lazy wave.

  “Afternoon,” he said, voice calm as ever.

  The shield stood nearly as tall as he did. Broad, angular, and rugged with interlocking plates, it shimmered with faint, glowing etch lines. Some parts were cracked open just enough to hint at a secondary form.

  “Is that… a blaster?” Daisy asked, eyeing the mechanism under the shield’s core.

  Caleb smirked. “And a war hammer. Meet Piece Maker.”

  Stacy narrowed her eyes, pointing an accusing finger. “Copycat.”

  “I had this planned for weeks*” Caleb said, deadpan.

  Before she could retort, a quiet click followed by a flourish of fabric pulled their attention toward a nearby boulder. Iris stood there, twirling a sleek, violet-toned umbrella before resting it over her shoulder.

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  “Name’s Piercing Bloom,” she said. “Shoots through steel, folds like a dream.”

  The umbrella’s interior shimmered with subtle floral patterns. The barrel peeking from beneath its frame glinted with menace.

  “You too?!” Stacy cried. “You guys waited to reveal these right after me, didn’t you?!”

  “You were showboating,” Iris replied, adjusting her glasses. “It felt appropriate.”

  “Yeah,” Caleb added with a smirk. “Had to balance the drama.”

  Stacy placed a hand on her chest in mock betrayal. “Unbelievable. First I become an icon, now I’m a trendsetter. The burden I carry.”

  Before anyone could banter back, a sudden clank cut through the air like a hammer drop.

  CLANG

  Heads turned. Finn stood just behind them, Storm Cleaver resting across his shoulders, a crooked smile on his face.

  “Well, well,” he said. “Since everyone’s showing off, I’m assuming we’ve got *plenty* of energy.”

  “No—no, wait,” Daisy said quickly. “This isn’t what it looks like—”

  Finn pointed the cleaver toward the field. “Sparring field. Five minutes. Let’s go.”

  “Sir, I just finished—” Caleb began.

  Finn was already walking away. “Whining gets you partnered with Zane.”

  “Let’s move!” he barked as he disappeared into the trees.

  There was a shared moment of silence. Then a collective groan.

  “Worst timing ever,” Iris muttered.

  “Piece Maker, I swear if you break today…” Caleb grunted, picking up his shield again.

  Stacy, despite her grumbling, wore a grin.

  “This is gonna be fun.”

  the sparring had escalated into something resembling chaos. Caleb had just slammed Piece Maker into the ground, creating a shockwave that nearly knocked Stacy off her feet. Iris sniped from a distance, trying to keep Finn at bay with precise, near-invisible violet pulses.

  Finn, to his credit, looked like he was having the time of his life. Every swing of Storm Cleaver scattered the group further apart.

  “Who SPARS with an instructor like this?!” Daisy yelled as she rolled to dodge another flying shockwave.

  “Welcome to the new normal!” Iris called back.

  “Everyone, focus fire!” Stacy yelled, pulling the trigger on Bramble Belle. The barrel bloomed open, unleashing a burst of glowing spores that detonated mid-air in a harmless yet blinding flash of light.

  Finn blinked, chuckled and then disappeared in a blur.

  “Uh oh,” Caleb muttered.

  Finn reappeared behind him, slamming Storm Cleaver down. The strike hit Piece Maker square in the center but instead of cracking, the shield split, each half rotating outward with a magnetic click, absorbing the force through its kinetic hinges.

  “I’ve been waiting to test that,” Caleb smirked.

  “Good,” Finn grinned. “Try it against this—”

  But just as Finn charged again, Stacy tossed a seed grenade at his feet. The resulting burst of binding vines tangled his boots just long enough for Iris to take a clean shot to his shoulder pauldron.

  Ping

  “Point taken,” Finn said, stretching out his arm. “You’re improving.”

  The group panted in sync, forming a loose semicircle around him.

  Stacy wiped her brow. “Was this... actually a test?”

  “Nope,” Finn said, lowering Storm Cleaver. “This was just me enjoying your reactions.”

  The groans were collective.

  “Don’t worry,” Finn added, smiling. “The real evaluations come tomorrow.”

  Stacy slumped over a stump, wheezing. “I hate him so much.”

  “No you don’t,” Daisy replied.

  ---

  Away from the chaos, on the far edge of the camp, Tessa sat cross-legged on a patch of dirt. Her greatsword, Gale Force, lay across her lap. Its blade shimmered faintly with dormant teal energy, pulsing like a slow heartbeat.

  Haruto’s words echoed in her head.

  “You’ll never master Gale Force until you master yourself.”

  “Don’t let someone else’s idea of strength define yours. Find your own. Once you do, shine.”

  She scowled. “What does that even mean…”

  Gale Force remained quiet, as always.

  Tessa stared at it. “You’re a dumb piece of metal.”

  No answer.

  “Whatever. Let’s see what you can do.”

  She rose to her feet and gripped the hilt, swinging the weapon once through the air. The wind twirled behind the blade in a faint spiral.

  “Do something,” she challenged.

  A sudden burst of teal energy surged from the blade, kicking up dirt in a small shockwave and sending Tessa stumbling back.

  She landed with a grunt. “Ow— hey! Are you mocking me?!”

  The blade flickered in response.

  Her brow twitched. “That’s it. You wanna play?”

  She stood, gripped Gale Force again, and spun it with intent to hurl it like a javelin toward a tree. But just as she released it—

  The blade shifted mid-air.

  It unraveled into a long whip-like ribbon of metal, still connected to the hilt. The end of the blade curled around a high branch, pulling taut before gently swinging like a pendulum.

  Tessa stood still.

  “…What the hell?”

  She cautiously stepped forward and tugged the hilt. The metal ribbon recoiled in one smooth, fluid motion, reforming back into the original blade with a faint shimmer.

  It settled in her hand. Light. Obedient.

  A grin cracked across her lips.

  “Ohhh… now we’re getting somewhere.”

  She raised the blade above her head, energized.

  “Okay, Gale Force. I get it now.”

  She spun the weapon in a tight arc, letting its energy flicker around her.

  “We’ve got a lot of testing to do.”

  [End of Chapter]