The Vein Chamber had barely cooled when the next bell tolled—deep, metallic, almost guttural.
Trial Two: Resonance Clash.
Sam had barely caught his breath. His arms still trembled from the fire-surge. But before he could even speak, Rael stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, lightning crawling along his forearms.
"I'm calling it," he growled. "One-on-one. Him and me."
The other recruits stepped back.
Valencia's expression barely shifted. "Why?"
Rael pointed at Sam. "Because he's green. And this war will eat green alive. If he can't stand against me, he has no place here."
Sam met his eyes. "You just want to crush someone to feel stronger."
Rael's smirk widened. "Welcome to survival, sunshine."
Valencia gestured to the central ring. "Vein-lock activated. No lethal strikes. Pain's real. Memory's real. Learn fast or burn."
As they stepped into the ring, glowing veins spidered across the floor, responding to both of them. Sam's flames flared, flickering like a heartbeat. Rael's storm aura crackled—calm, precise, controlled.
Begin.
Rael moved like a thunderclap. No wind-up. Just flash-step, jab, elbow, lightning palm. Sam barely ducked, the static singeing his cheek. His instinct screamed to fight back—fire gathered at his fists.
But Rael was already behind him.
"Too slow!"
Sam blocked—just barely—as the shockwave hit. His knees buckled. His vision blurred. Rael was like a typhoon in human form.
Think, Sam told himself. Not just power. Rhythm. Counterflow.
He remembered Lapu-Lapu's voice: Fire is not rage. Fire is purpose.
Sam exhaled. Let his Vein breathe.
When Rael came again, Sam twisted, redirected the strike with a sudden sweep of flame. The fire caught Rael's shoulder, forcing him to stagger back.
"You learning?" Rael growled.
Sam stood tall. "No. I'm resonating."
Their energy surged. Flame and lightning collided mid-ring, forming a storm-blaze that blasted outward. The chamber walls absorbed the force, but the impact left the other recruits shielding their faces.
Valencia raised an eyebrow. "Good."
The clash ended in a draw—both panting, scorched, but standing.
"No kill moves," she reminded them. "Yet you both fought like the next world was watching."
She walked between them.
"You're not rivals," she said. "You're mirrors. Learn each other. Or die alone."
Rael glanced at Sam. Something shifted. Not friendship—but recognition.
"You're not bad, Fireboy."
"You either, Sparkplug."
They smirked. Just slightly.
BONG.
A new sound shook the base—a distant gong, vibrating through their Veins.
Valencia's eyes narrowed. "A Rift just opened in the Hollow Slums. Your third trial is real-world."
Sam's pulse raced. "Already?"
Rael grinned. "Now the fun begins."