A thick silence, like cotton soaked in ether, enveloped the forest, absorbing every sound, every breath. The trees were not wood, but black crystal, their trunks twisting into impossible spirals, like frozen claws caught in a spasm. The leaves, translucent and sharp as obsidian blades, tinkled with a cold melody when the breeze grazed them, a sound that seeped into the soul like muffled laughter through glass teeth.
The ground, covered by a silver mist that clung to ankles like eager spectral hands, gleamed with phosphorescent flashes. These were ether spores, tiny luminous particles floating slowly, illuminating the lost runes hidden among the forest's twisted shadows. Some glowed with a pure golden aura, promises of power and victory. Others, the corrupted ones, pulsed in a dark, sickly red, like open wounds in reality itself, a silent warning.
And then there were the echoes.
Whispering voices, fragments of phrases, distorted laughter, and choked screams, belonging to participants from past seasons, trapped in the forest like ghosts of pure energy. Sometimes, a child's laugh; other times, a desperate moan. Always behind you, playing with your perception. Never directly in front of you, because what you cannot see is what frightens you most.
The forest was not just a labyrinth; it was a living organism, designed for despair.
The Corrupted Runes: They floated like enraged wasps, their red auras distorting the space around them, making the air vibrate with an unhealthy energy. If you touched them, they didn't drain your magic, but your memories. It was said that a participant from the previous year was found babbling, his eyes empty, unable to recall his own name or history. A living death.
The Ether Mirrors: Polished crystal statues, so transparent you barely saw them until you were standing in front of them. They didn't reflect your body, but your worst fears, transforming them into visions so real they would immobilize you. Team Mirage used them with methodical cruelty, strategically placing them for others to fall into their own nightmares.
The Lying Mist: A curtain of silver vapor that not only obscured vision but also seeped into your mind, making you see and hear things that weren't there. Was that Lena calling out in the distance, her voice resonating with urgency? No, just a twisted bush taking on her silhouette. The sound of Ethan casually laughing, an echo of camaraderie? Just the crackle of a dry branch under an invisible step. Paranoia was its primary weapon.
The Living Roots: They would coil around your feet if you stood still too long, sinking into the ground and wrapping you in an organic trap, invisible until it was too late. Kael (Team Vanguard) had used them as bait in the second season, pushing a rival into them to ensure their elimination, a brutal lesson in the game's inherent cruelty.
But amidst so much danger, the forest held a strange and ephemeral beauty, like glimmers of light in the darkness.
Moon Flowers: They bloomed where the light of pure runes fell, their translucent petals emitting a soft blue glow, a beacon in the gloom. It was said that touching them could heal small wounds, but also that their beauty was a deadly distraction.
Silver Streams: Currents of liquid ether that snaked among the roots, flowing with a hypnotic shimmer. If you drank from them, you could see fleeting visions of the future... or the past, a whirlwind of images that could be a blessing or a curse. Danny had found one, but Ethan's warning about "unrevealed secrets" had stopped him. He dared not look.
Singing Trees: Some trunks, when touched with an open palm, vibrated with deep notes that resonated in one's bones, an underground symphony. Team Outlaws, with their peculiar worldview, used them to communicate in code, a secret language among the shadows.
In the deepest heart of the forest, according to whispered rumors and shared dreams, there was a sixth rune. It was not part of the game, not an official objective, and did not appear on the Architects' maps.
But everyone had dreamed of it: a symbol slowly rotating in the air, too complex to be deciphered by the human mind, too beautiful to ignore. An intangible promise, a shared obsession.
Some said it was the final prize, the true secret of the Ether Tower.
Others, that it was the ultimate trap, the bait that would lead you to perdition.
Team Outcast advanced among the ether trees, their steps careful on the silver mist that coiled around their ankles like spectral claws. Jake led the way, his figure tense but determined, muscles barely visible under the black suit, every movement calculated to make no sound, his gaze a constant scanner.
"If we move through the canopy, no one will see us," he whispered, pointing to the interwoven branches that glowed with a metallic sheen under the Ether Tower's artificial light. "Lena, Clara, you could use a wind attribute to jump between the trees. The rest, follow my pace, near the roots."
The others nodded, their faces tense, but before they could act, Danny took a deep breath and stepped forward. A small step, but one that echoed like thunder in the dense silence of the forest.
"Wait."
His voice, though low, resonated with unexpected clarity, cutting through the air like a blade. Everyone turned to him, even Jake, whose frown softened for an instant, a mix of surprise and exasperation on his face.
Danny raised a hand and, with precise movements that seemed taken from a geometric ballet, drew a rune in the air. It was not one they had seen before, neither in books nor in training. Its lines were not the fluid curves of Ignis or the sharp angles of Ventus, but something more complex, a tangle of symbols that looked like an equation drawn in the void, defying comprehension.
The rune materialized into a translucent sphere, the size of a marble, that floated over his palm, emitting a soft, pulsating light. For a second, no one breathed. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then, the sphere expanded into a silent wave, a pulse of ethereal energy that spread like a sigh through the forest. The crystal trees vibrated slightly as the wave passed, their leaves tinkling in an almost recognizable melody, a forgotten song.
Danny closed his eyes, feeling the echo of the magic return to him, a cold and familiar current. When he opened them, an ethereal map already glowed in his palm, traced with lines of blue light, as if the very essence of the forest had revealed itself. Five green points blinked in different areas of the forest, unmistakable.
"The runes," he said, pointing to the nearest with a trembling finger, but full of conviction. "We don't need to hide. Just follow this. It's the most efficient path."
The silence that followed was thick, laden with disbelief and awe. Lena was the first to react, leaning in to study the map with analytical eyes, her mental calculations working at lightning speed.
"Since when could you do this?" she asked, not with suspicion, but with a genuine curiosity bordering on admiration. The question was not a challenge, but a search for understanding.
Danny swallowed, feeling the weight of the truth. He could lie. He could say he had memorized it, that it was a standard localization rune. But something in Jake's gaze, now less harsh, more attentive, made him opt for a half-truth, a believable enough one.
"I found it in one of the books," he lied, avoiding mentioning that it wasn't a taught rune, but one he had calculated himself, combining fragments of others, testing angles and sequences, immersing himself in the logic of magic until the ether responded to his will. It was his own creation, born from his mind.
Jake watched him for another second, his hawk-like eyes seemingly seeing beyond the words, almost sensing the full truth. Then, surprising everyone, he tilted his head in a gesture of respect, a silent acknowledgment.
"Change of plans," he announced, his voice firm, regaining his leader's tone, now with an authority bolstered by surprise. "We're going straight to the rune. Danny leads."
Ethan, who had remained silent, watching the scene with a mix of pride and a touch of relief at the turn of events, smiled with something that might have been genuine satisfaction.
"Well done, calculator."
Team Outcast reorganized, now with Danny at the front, his map floating over his hand like a beacon in the darkness. They advanced among the trees, the mist parting before them, the leaves whispering secrets only the forest understood, a new respect weaving among them.
And somewhere in the shadows, a corrupted rune slowly spun, its red aura pulsing, as if observing them, feeling the disturbance in the forest's order.
The ether map continued to glow in Danny's palm, the five green points marking the scattered runes in the crystal labyrinth. But Ethan pointed north, where a faint green light, different from the map's, flickered high on a distant mountain, outside the main plotted area.
"What about that one?" he asked, leaning in with curiosity, a spark of adventure in his eyes.
Danny frowned. It wasn't one of the runes his spell had detected. It could be an error, a reflection of something else, or something more… a new mystery. But admitting it meant revealing that his magic wasn't perfect, that there were limits to his understanding.
"It's not important," he said, with more certainty than he felt, trying to sound convincing. "It must be a forest artifact, something residual, irrelevant to the trial."
Jake crossed his arms, weighing the options, his military mind assessing risks and rewards.
"We stick together. We move towards the confirmed rune. It's safest," he decided, his voice resonating with authority.
But Ethan didn't give up, his curiosity an unstoppable force.
"Both are at the same distance. What if the other is a hidden rune? Something the Architects don't want us to find, a secret bonus that could change the game." His gaze at Danny was a tacit invitation to speculation.
The silence stretched again, tense with indecision. Lena, always practical, mentally plotted the coordinates from Danny's map, memorizing every detail in case something went wrong, prepared for any scenario.
Finally, Jake made a decision that surprised everyone.
"We split up."
His words resonated firmly, the sound of strategy in action.
"Two groups. One towards the known rune, the other towards the northern light. One rule: If you're attacked, run. Don't fight. Hide. Trust the other group to complete the mission."
He looked at each of them, his eyes ensuring they understood the seriousness of the situation. "Someone has to protect Danny. He's our primary asset."
Ethan didn't hesitate. His response was immediate, almost a reflex.
"I'll go with him."
Jake nodded. "Lena, memorize the rune's location. You'll lead the other group. Zane, Liam, Kara, Sophie, Tobias, with Lena. Clara, stay with Ethan."
Lena closed her eyes for an instant, imprinting the map in her mind, a mental image as clear as if it were printed, before Danny's spell faded.
And so, under the crystal trees that whispered incomprehensible secrets, Team Outcast split into two, a risky decision in a merciless forest.
Jake and Lena's group vanished into the mist, following the safe trail of the marked rune, their silhouettes barely visible.
Danny and Ethan's group headed towards the mountain, where the green light awaited them, flickering like an unanswered question, a promise of the unknown.
None knew what awaited them.
But the forest did. And it waited.
The group advanced in silence, stepping carefully on the silver mist that coiled around their ankles like a cold caress. Sophie led the way, her steps so light they barely crunched the crystal leaves beneath her feet, a dancer amidst danger. Liam and Kara covered the flanks, their movements coordinated, scanning every shadow, every movement among the trees with constant vigilance. Clara moved with surprising agility, her keen sight searching for any anomaly, while Ethan and Danny followed closely, Danny's map still faintly glowing in his hand, an ethereal compass.
Then they saw them.
Two figures advancing a few meters ahead: Lara and Torn from Team Osiris. Their silhouettes were outlined against the violet glow of the floating runes, their movements confident, oblivious to the presence stalking them. They didn't seem alert, relying on their solitude, easy prey.
"There are two," Sophie whispered, crouching behind a translucent thorn bush, her eyes fixed on the target. "We could eliminate them quickly. Earn points, like Marcus said."
Liam nodded, his hand already mentally tracing an attack rune, calculating the perfect angle for impact. Kara tensed, her muscles ready to spring, adrenaline rushing through her veins.
But Ethan raised a hand, stopping them. An unexpected action that froze everyone.
"Wait." His voice was an urgent whisper, charged with unusual authority.
And then, without warning, he stood up and walked towards them, a sphere of fire floating over his palm. Not to attack, but as a beacon, a signal of his presence. His golden hair gleamed with the rune's light, a contradiction amidst the danger.
Lara and Torn turned, startled, their own runes glowing in defense, their faces showing a mix of confusion and hostility.
"We don't have to fight," Ethan said, his voice resonating with a conviction Danny hadn't even heard from him before, a depth that went beyond the superficiality of his public image. "The Architects want us to break each other. To bleed for points, for advantages… but in the end, what do we gain? A temporary buff? A bit of glory that will fade in the next trial?"
Sophie, Liam, Kara, and Clara, following an invisible signal from Ethan, began to circle the pair, emerging from the shadows like forest ghosts, their runes glowing, ready for action if the situation demanded it.
Ethan continued, his fire illuminating his golden face, making him seem almost ethereal in the mist:
"The real danger isn't you. Not even this forest. It's what comes next. The final trials. The Architects playing with us like pieces on a board. What's the point of eliminating each other now, if tomorrow we might all need each other? If we could be allies against a greater enemy?"
Lara and Torn exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from hostility to nascent uncertainty. For a second, it seemed the runes in their hands wavered, their attacking intent diminishing.
"Nice speech, golden boy," Torn spat, though his voice lacked its previous conviction. "But this is a competition. And it'll be a pleasure to eliminate you." His fist rose, but the resolve was missing from his gaze.
It was then that Sophie, Liam, Kara, and Clara stepped forward in unison, forming a perfect semicircle around them. Team Outcast's runes glowed with a threatening intensity, clearly ready for confrontation if Torn decided to attack. Their numerical superiority and silent determination were undeniable.
Lara lowered her hands first, a sigh of resignation escaping her lips. "Fine," she murmured, with a hint of disdain, but without confrontation. "It's not worth it today. It's a stupid fight."
Torn growled, frustration evident on his face, but followed suit, his runes losing their defensive glow.
Ethan smiled, extinguishing his fire with a gesture. "Pass the message. Not all of us are here to be puppets."
And so, without another word, Lara and Torn walked away, their silhouettes fading into the trees, the mist swallowing them.
Sophie approached Ethan, crossing her arms, her expression a mix of surprise and reproach. "That was risky. It could have been a massacre."
He just winked, a smile finally reaching his eyes. "But it worked. And sometimes, a victory without a fight is the sweetest."
Danny, who had observed everything from behind, the ether map still glowing in his hand, felt something strange, a mix of surprise and growing admiration. Ethan hadn't lied. He spoke as if he knew something others didn't, as if the game had hidden layers only he understood. Was he the real brain behind the smile?
ETHER TOWER BUZZ 📊: First Trial's Gossip!
The Forest of Lost Runes was a brutal battlefield, and social media is on fire with the juiciest comments and most scandalous moments caught by the EtherLink! 🔥
Team Outcast: Surprising Turns Jake's Redemption Arc? 🤯 Who saw that coming?! Jake Torrin (Tactical Military) stunned everyone with his unexpected leadership speech—he almost sounded human! From "Rune Grinch" to "Captain Emotion," is this the start of his redemption or just another calculated move to win over the audience? Lena Voss (Athletics) was the first to join his huddle, and her gaze at Jake says it all: loyalty... or something deeper than just "teamwork"? Team Outcast just got interesting, and the fandom is already shipping #Jalena! 😉
Team Vanguard: Ready for Blood! 😈 Kael Torrin (Weightlifting) and Brenna Voss (Wrestling) were practically salivating over the elimination rule. Comments already call them the "Ether Hunters," and rumors suggest Kael already has a target in mind. Will they be the first to disqualify someone, or is it just a scare tactic? Garrick Stone (Rugby) and Vex Torvald (MMA) back them up with that same bloodthirsty gaze, promising a "fake blood" bath.
🩸 Team Mirage: Master Trappers! 🎭 The whispers are true! Team Mirage, led by Vanguard's Aura (Illusionist), is already being praised (or reviled) for expertly using the Ether Mirrors as traps. A participant from Team Outlaws was reportedly caught in one, seeing his worst fears. Their strategic cunning is terrifying, and it's clear they're not holding back. 😲
Solaris: Too Pretty for War? 💅 Although Zara Nix (Rhythmic Gymnastics) looked determined, and Caden Voss (Parkour Jumps) showed his agility, some wonder if the "Media Stars Team" can handle the forest's brutality. The "shipping" between Helios Kane (Boxing) and Dorian Vael (Fencing) skyrocketed after they were seen sharing a too intense look before entering. The BL drama no one asked for, but everyone wants to see how it unfolds amidst the action!
👀 Outlaws: The Real Silent Threat? 🐺 Rook Sullivan (Basketball) remains an enigma. His calm before the storm and his strange friendship with Ethan and Danny—is it a strategy or a genuine connection that hides something bigger? While Selene Dark (Mixed Martial Arts) sharpens her claws and Finn Black (Skateboarding) awaits chaos, some fear the Outlaws are the most dangerous due to their unpredictability and elusive nature. Don't underestimate them, because they might be planning something big! 🤫
Team Sage: The Unexpected Wildcard? 🔮 Orlan Voss (Surfer) seemed more relaxed than usual, but his team, especially Seraphine Lux (Aikido) and Veyne Shadows (Target Shooting), watched the forest hologram with a cold intensity. Will their "wisdom" give them a secret advantage, or will it be their downfall in this crystal labyrinth? Forums speculate whether Mirai Clock (Diver) can "dive" among the runes without triggering traps, with deadly precision. 🧐