The man who stepped forward was tall and lean, his movements calm but deliberate, like someone who had already measured the room before anyone else even noticed there was a room to measure. He wore dark travel robes dusted from long journeys.“My name is Rovan,” he said, stopping a few steps away from Kai. His eyes were sharp, observant, the sort that lingered just long enough on each person to catalog strengths and threats. “And since you’ve arrived, we’re finally complete.”That sentence alone was enough to make Kai frown.“Complete?” Kai repeated, tilting his head slightly. “You talk like we’re ingredients in some soup. Care to explain before I decide whether I like that comparison or not?”Rovan didn’t react to the tone instead, he shrugged lightly, as if this was all obvious. “This village doesn’t allow progression unless five groups are present. No more, no less. Until that condition is met, everything ahead stays locked.”The air around them shifted subtly.The other groups sti

They stood before the towering gate, the five elemental symbols still glowing faintly when, without warning, the stone rumbled.A deep, ancient sound echoed through the space, and then the gate opened.Not outward.It split inward, the massive stone dividing cleanly into five separate passages, each one glowing with a different elemental hue.Clear blue light flowed from one path like a slow-moving river. Crimson heat shimmered from another. Green currents twisted in the air. Brown-gold earth pulsed with weight. Silver light gleamed cold and sharp.Above each route floated a single word.Water.Fire.Wind.Earth.Metal.No voice explained it.No rule was announced.It was simply… there.Kai didn’t hesitate.He glanced once at the plaque in his hand, then stepped toward the path glowing blue. The water route felt cool against the skin, a strange sensation like standing near deep ocean currents. Abigail followed immediately, then Jian, then the rest of the group falling in behind them w

The group froze.Not because of fear alone, but because of the suffocating sense of being stuck.No matter how they shifted their feet, no matter how they tried to step forward, the invisible pressure remained, firm and unyielding, like the world itself had decided they were not allowed to pass. It wasn’t a wall they could see or touch, but it was undeniably there, pressing against their chests, their legs, and even their intent.For a brief moment, no one spoke.If they couldn’t move forward…If they couldn’t reach the other paths…If they couldn’t gather information…Then how exactly were they supposed to know what the hell this place wanted from them?One of the girls let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing her temples. Another clenched her fists, irritation and unease mixing together.“So we’re just… stuck?” someone muttered.Kai didn’t answer. His brows were drawn together slightly, eyes narrowed as he studied the invisible boundary, his mind already racing through possibilities. Trap

With the plan to split in the mind, Kai knew they needed a plan.Kai stood near a rock, arms folded, gaze distant, and clearly replaying everything they had just learned.Jian leaned against another stone not far away, silent as always, posture relaxed but coiled.Abigail stood between the two of them, eyes sharp, and already thinking several steps ahead.“We can’t just sit here, and wait for someone to find and kill us” one of the girls finally said.Another nodded. “We need information. Routes. Boundaries. Where the other elements are.”That much, everyone agreed on.The first suggestion came quickly.“Why don’t we split into five groups?” someone proposed. “One group for each element, Fire, Air, Metal, Earth and one stays here to observe things around.”The idea sounded good on the surface. Clean, efficient and logical.Kai didn’t say anything immediately. He just looked around, eyes drifting over the girls one by one, then to Jian, then back to Abigail. His silence stretched long

Soon enough, they reached the Air base.The moment they laid eyes on it, Kai knew everything he needed to know.Unlike the Water path they had come from, with its houses, space, and room to breathe, the Air base was painfully sparse.Three buildings. Only three. No defensive spread, no layered fallback positions, no room for prolonged shelter. It wasn’t just minimalistic, it was vulnerable.“This place can’t sustain numbers,” Kai said quietly.The others immediately understood what that meant.Air wasn’t neutral by choice, air was neutral by necessity.With only three structures, there was no way the Air group could house allies long-term, no resources, no room for reinforcements, no space for protection if things turned ugly. If they openly sided with any other element, they wouldn’t just be choosing a faction they’d be choosing extinction if that alliance failed.Which meant one thing.They were balancing on fear, not morality.“Fear,” Kai continued calmly, “is easy to bend.”At the