The rain had passed in the night, but the morning air was humid and heavy. Aisho—bruised and silent.

  Yuta trailed on the opposite side of the path. Cassidy kept pace between them, glancing from one to the other.

  “You know, I really can’t believe you, Aisho,” Yuta said. “What you said about Jozen, Ohsia, Driske.”

  Aisho looked at her.

  “It’s the truth,” she said. “My Seishinryu warned me about Ohsia… and now. I don’t know what to do.”

  Ahead, nestled a circular stone arena with stone pillars lining the edges. The same arena that Aisho had been in the night before. Only this time, a blue transparent dome encased the inside, and a few people had already entered, waiting.

  Aisho slowed when she saw it. Her feet stopped just before the perimeter.

  “This is the same place the trail led me last night—where I met Ohsia,” she said.

  “I guess this is where the flare came from,” Cassidy tilted her head. “Seems like we’re early.”

  Yuta came to a stop beside Aisho, squinting at the dome.

  “So, we’re just gonna act like leaving in the middle of the night wasn’t the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?” she said.

  “I didn’t leave for fun,” Aisho replied flatly.

  “Oh, sorry. That makes it better.”

  “I left because I felt something,” Aisho said. “It wasn’t just curiosity. It was—”

  “Stupid?” Yuta cut in. “Because that’s what it felt like to me.”

  Cassidy snorted. “C’mon, we’re already here, alive, and Aisho picked up an extra beacon card during the night, sooo…”

  Yuta rolled her eyes but said nothing else.

  “Now… we just need a way inside this dome—” Cassidy added, placing her hand onto the surface of the dome.

  She hadn’t expected her hand to go through the dome. As she stumbled forward, the rest of her body went through the forcefield. Aisho and Yuta followed Cassidy into the barrier.

  “—or you can just walk through it,” Cassidy said.

  A woman in formal attire approached them.

  “This is the end of Stage Two,” she said. “Allow me to have your beacon cards.”

  Aisho, Yuta, and Cassidy complied and gave up their cards.

  Aisho’s eyes scanned the arena. She recognized Ohsia and Jozen standing at the opposite edge of the arena.

  Aisho nudged her friends.

  “Guys. Look,” she whispered as she pointed across the arena. “That’s Ohsia and Jozen.”

  Yuta leaned forward. “You two do look similar,” she whispered.

  “I think so too,” Cassidy responded.

  Then, from behind them, a familiar voice.

  “Aisho! You made it!”

  They turned to see Trace, Mackenzie, and Justin approaching. All three of them looked like they'd barely survived. Trace’s clothing had been torn. Mackenzie had a streak of soot across his cheek and a torn sleeve. Justin’s shirt was caked with mud, and his jaw was bruised.

  Aisho’s face lit up. “You guys made it!”

  “Barely,” Trace said, offering a small smile. “Who’s this?”

  Cassidy gave a small wave. “Hey, I’m a friend of Aisho and Yuta. My name is Cassidy.”

  “Oh, cool! I’m Trace. This is Justin. And this is Mackenzie,” Trace said, pointing to each of them.

  “Wait…” Cassidy paused. “Mackenzie? Like… Mackenzie Kojaku?”

  “Huh? Yeah, that’s me,” Mackenzie swaggered. “You a fan?”

  “OH MY GOSH! I’ve listened to your music!”

  “Really? You have?” Mackenzie’s eyes lit up. “Great! At least one person in these Trials has taste in music.”

  “My favorite song is Crazy Diamond! I really love those drums and your singing!”

  “Yeah. That’s a good one. Personally, my favorite is Star Platinum.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Mackenzie noticed a little girl in a pink coat approach them. “Hey Megumi!” he said as the girl walked towards her. “You made it too. These are my friends. Friends, this is my little sister.”

  Megumi looked at each of them. “Hi, Yuta,” she said.

  “Hey,” Yuta said as she waved.

  Mackenzie grinned. “You two met already?”

  “Yeah, in Stage Zero,” Yuta said, her voice genuine for once. “She’s the only reason I managed to pass, and I thank you for that.”

  They waited.

  More candidates trickled in as time passed—each group battered. The crowd was smaller now.

  Then came a voice.

  “WOOOOOAAAAH! MADE IT!”

  From the edge of the dome, Tangerine came in, tripping over a loose stone and catching himself in a stumble. His bright orange afro glistened in the morning light.

  “Tangerine?!” Yuta blurted, already annoyed.

  Tangerine noticed them and approached.

  “You called my name? Yuta?” he said.

  “I recognize you,” Megumi said. “You’re that one guy who liked to talk a lot.”

  A vein pulsed in Tangerine’s forehead. “Talk a lot? Is that how you remember me? Not like ‘cool-looking guy with a sword’?” he said.

  Yuta smirked. “Come on. Who could take a guy seriously when he names his sword like it’s a houseplant?”

  “I’ll have you know, Clementine is very reliable,” Tangerine said while clutching his sword.

  The group chuckled.

  Tangerine pointed dramatically. “You may act cool, Yuta, but we both know you’re jealous of my flair!”

  Yuta narrowed her eyes. “How did you even make it through?”

  He blinked. “Easy. Uh—skill. Tactics. Hitting my foes with the good ole Tangerine X Clementine combo.”

  Mackenzie smiled. “Oh, so you’re a pretty good swordsman then. Mind showing us some of your moves?”

  Tangerine hesitated. “Uh—”

  “Yeah! Show us your techniques and stuff!” Aisho exclaimed.

  Before Tangerine could answer, a deep voice rang out across the stone field.

  “ALRIGHT, MAGGOTS! HUDDLE UP!”

  They turned.

  Standing in the middle of the arena was WIlder.

  “Listen up!” he barked. “That was the end of Stage Two of the Lancer Trials and approximately one hundred and thirteen of you passed.”

  A feeling of relief washed over Aisho.

  “The Nimbus Ark should be on their way to act as a checkpoint leading into Stage three,” Wilder said.

  Some time later, the Nimbus arrived, passing through the blue dome. It was an enormous blimp, that resonated constant Dragon Vein energy. The ramp was slowly let down allowing the candidates to board.

  While boarding, Aisho asked, “What was that last stage like for you, Trace?”

  “It was interesting, and tough—but with Justin and Mackenzie,” Trace looked down for a moment. “I feel strong beside them. But I’m still unsure about what’s next on our journeys.”

  “Sorry, I’m kinda getting carried away,” Trace cleared his throat. “But yeah, about the stage…

  "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

  — Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

  Standing at the edge of a mountain cliff. The Quack Quack Quack trio stood there. Pondering as they had just seen the flare go off in the distance, signaling the end of the Lancer Trials.

  Robbie held his hand open and counted three beacon cards. Eli and Claudia stand beside him. After their loss against Aisho, Yuta, and Cassidy, they had only been able to collect three beacon cards in the time allotted.

  “It’s okay, Robbie,” said Claudia, looking up at Robbie. “You can be a Lancer without us.”

  Robbie squeezed his eyes shut.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  Eli grabbed Robbie by his shoulder.

  “Listen to me, Robbie!” Eli yelled, his body still bruised. “You worked hard! You’re strong! You deserve to become a Lancer; you’ll see Claudia and me next year.”

  Robbie hesitated, then looked out into the horizon.

  “Do you remember what our dying father told us?” he said.

  Robbie clenched the beacon cards in his hand

  “He wanted us to carry on his legacy as a Lancer… together,” he murmured.

  Claudia’s and Eli’s eyes widened.

  “And if that means I have to wait another year to take the trials…” Robbie continued, “or leave you guys to pass…”

  He wound up his arm and chucked the beacon cards over the edge of the cliff.

  “I’ll stay with you guys,” Robbie said, exhaling. “A hundred percent of the time.”

  Silence.

  Eli, Claudia, and Robbie began to tear up.

  They brought it in for a group hug.

  ***

  Tangerine walked the edges of a mountain. His body—exhausted.

  He turned upon hearing the flare gun go off in the distance.

  “My life,” he said, and he collapsed into the dirt. “IS OVER!”

  “It’s already the end of this stage… how could it be over so soon. I have no beacon cards. I was robbed as soon as this stage started.”

  He unholstered his sword, Clementine.

  “At least I still have you.”

  His stomach growled.

  “Oh yeah, can’t forget I haven’t eaten AT ALL. I could have killed a deer out in the wild. But… I don’t know how to make a fire, and I definitely wasn’t risking salmonella. I just realized… Everyone back at home is going to make fun of me for not making it as a Lancer. Oh no! It can’t be… I’LL BE JUST LIKE OLD MAN CHARLES. Everyone at home makes fun of him for taking the Lancer trials THIRTY years in a row and hasn’t passed any of them.”

  He stood up and holstered Clementine.

  “No, no, no, no,” Tangerine mumbled while shaking his head.

  He looked up into the sky. “Okay, okay. I LIED. I didn’t want these trials to be harder. I passed stage zero and one on a fluke. It wasn’t skill. Just a fluke. I ADMIT IT.”

  He heard a rustling in the bush next to him. He’d only seen it out of the corner of his eye, but it looked like something had fallen from the sky.

  “Huh?”

  Tangerine inspected the bush to find three beacon cards.

  “BEACON CARDS!”

  He picked them up and kissed them a million times over until he realized they were covered with grass and started plucking blades of grass out of his mouth.

  “You see that, Clementine?” he said. “We just got three beacon cards. Now… TO THE FLARE SIGNAL!”