"Aargh... what is going on here?"
May felt the ground shift under her feet as the maze began to move.
The walls began turning slowly, then spun faster, throwing May off balance.
She stumbled sideways, heart hammering, struggling to stay upright as the floor tilted beneath her.
Suddenly, several participants were flung into the room, crashing in from other parts of the maze as it shifted.
May flinched as one slid past her, their shoulder slamming into the wall with a heavy thud.
The participants who had landed in May's room paused just long enough to find their footing.
Their eyes scanned the space, sizing each other up, already preparing to attack as the maze's rotation slowed.
May's eyes flicked across the room and landed on two of the new arrivals.
One was from the Lightning Clan team she had spoken to back on Prov Island.
No one moved. The room hung in stillness, every breath stretched tight.
Then the commentator's voice came through the speakers, snapping the tension.
"The first rotation has ended. Nine people are now gathered in Room Number 9."
A large square stone platform rose from the floor, nearly filling the entire space. A sumo ring had been placed on top of it.
In the center of the ring, a black sphere hovered in the air.
The moment May saw the sphere, her heartbeat started to race.
It was made of the same strange material that held the maze and the floating city in place.
The discovery of this material dates back to the year 930 BW (Before War), which also marked the beginning of the golden age of blacksmithing.
The substance, formed by nature, is made of iron crystals.
These crystals can only be found deep in the heart of the Dead Sea, and they are considered rare and unique.
The four legendary weapons, Ancestors' Rage, a wind-type weapon, Reaper's Touch, an earth-type weapon, The Wave Slashers, a water-type weapon, and Inferno, a fire-type weapon, were created by an adventurer who loved his family with all his heart.
Many had tried to forge the strongest weapons using the iron crystals, but none succeeded.
These four are the first legendary weapons ever created.
All are unique, but Ancestors' Rage stands out as the most extraordinary.
Years after crafting the four legendary weapons, the adventurer discovered that iron crystals could store powers and hold them for a very long time.
This breakthrough changed blacksmithing forever, especially for the V clan, who merged their ideas with the discovery.
However, the calm did not last.
The Wind Clan declared that the iron crystal belonged solely to them and their descendants, so long as a single Wind Clan member remained alive.
Without their approval, the rest of the world was forbidden from accessing it.
Yet recently, iron crystals, among the rarest and most expensive materials, have started appearing on the black market.
***
The commentator's voice came through the speakers again, breaking the silence as the participants stood on the platform.
"There are nine participants in this room. You will split into three groups of three."
"You have five minutes to decide."
The participants quickly exchanged glances and words.
Some teams formed easily, already knowing each other from before the test.
May tried to hide the fact that she recognized two of them, but before time ran out, she walked straight to the one she had met at the start of the test.
"Hello, Raph. Good to see you again."
"So it's really you, May. Congratulations on getting this far."
"I wish Rose had made it too."
May's smile faded, and she looked down.
Raph reached out, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder.
"You and I are here for her now."
"We'll talk later. For now, we have to work together if we want to move forward."
"We still need one more member before the timer ends."
"I have someone in mind, but we have to pretend we don't know each other. If he suspects, things could go badly."
"If you think that's best for the team, then I trust you."
Raph's cheeks flushed, and he quickly looked away when May smiled at him.
"Stay here. I'll be right back."
May moved toward Colt, the boy she had talked to on the way to Prov Island.
He noticed her coming and shot a cold glare.
"What do you want?"
"Where are Bjorn and Jason?"
"Why do you care?"
"I thought maybe after all this, the four of us could celebrate our win, but..."
Colt just stood there, eyes locked on May.
'These boys are all the same. One more push should do it.'
May shrugged off her long sport jacket, revealing a sports bra beneath. Her face dotted with freckles, her hair tied high in a ponytail.
"Colt, isn't it warm in here?"
He glanced away briefly, but his gaze snapped back, unable to break the stare.
"Uh... you're beautiful... I mean, you're really in good shape."
May stepped closer with a teasing smile.
"Thanks. I appreciate the compliment."
Colt's face heated up, and he tried to hide it.
"We got separated when the maze rotated on our way to the center."
"There's nothing we can do now."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, we might never meet again. I can't keep my promise to you all anymore."
Colt didn't say anything and simply stood silent. May went on.
"But you and I are here now, aren't we? When all this ends..."
Colt didn't let May finish her sentence.
"Who is our team's third member?"
May pointed at Raph and softly whispered to Colt.
"Alright, time's up. Everyone, get inside the sumo ring."
"Attention participants The goal is simple. Hold the ball inside the ring for the longest time. Killing is strictly prohibited, but all other tactics are allowed."
"You may start when the countdown reaches zero."
"That's it. Begin countdown now."
Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... zero.
Everyone dashed toward the floating ball, reaching out to claim it for their team.
YOU ARE READING
UNIFIED W
FantasyIn this world where people have crystal powers, fate chose Kai to once again reunite the seven clans, who are in a constant civil war with each other for centuries. Although Kai were chosen, his path is full of despair and pain, but a voice keeps te...
