The Test of Blood and Sand

The moon hung low over the trees as Team Aleph finished tying up Ruth and her captured squad.

"They're all tied up," Aaron said, brushing his hands together.

David nodded. "Good."

Mary crouched near the unconscious bodies, her eyes narrowing in confusion as she counted.

"One, two... wait—" she stood. "I shot down five in the town. Five more here. That's ten. But weren't there two moretqfollowing her? The ones with the masks?"

Gideon looked up, nodding. "Yeah, those two who wore masks. They didn't move like the others. They felt… off."

"They all wore masks," Jezer said, glancing around.

"No," Mary insisted, her voice sharp. "Those two—something was different."

Before the argument could continue, Aaron raised a hand. "Quiet." turning toward the treeline.

The team fell silent.

Then they heard it too—a rustle behind them. Subtle, quick, then gone.

David had already risen to his feet, his gaze fixed on the trees. "Aaron… there's someone behind us."

Everyone turned.

From the branches above, two figures emerged, cloaked in black. One stood tall, arms folded. The other crouched, one hand gripping a gleaming dagger.

"You really thought you'd win this easily?" the standing one spoke, voice like ice. "We'll destroy this island—and we're starting with you."

He raised his hand, conjuring a long, crackling energy bow from thin air. In one smooth motion, he fired an arrow straight at them. At the same time, the crouched one vanished, the dagger flashing once before he too disappeared.

The team scrambled, forging weapons instinctively. Zinco drew a glowing staff. Mary conjured a sleek sword of dark light. Aaron brandished a curved axe. Gideon clung to David's side, trembling.

"Big brother David," Gideon whispered, "What do we do? I'm scared…"

David's voice was calm, unwavering. "Fear is not a trait of Edenites."

Gideon gasped—but not from the words. A presence was behind him.

Suddenly—a blur. The masked dagger-wielder appeared behind Gideon and struck with a crushing blow. Gideon's body launched backward into the others, knocking them down. Before anyone could react, the attacker vanished again.

"Teleporting—i though," Mary stammered.

"No," Zinco said, eyes narrowing. "He's not teleporting. He's moving. Faster than the eye can follow."

"Correct," David replied, watching the trees. "He's fast. But not nearly as fast as me."

Just then, the dagger-wielder appeared before David, striking downward. David's sword met the blade in a flurry of sparks. Another arrow screamed through the air toward the group—but in a blink, David dashed, blocked it midair, then returned in time to stop another blow aimed at Gideon.

The others barely registered what had happened.

Only Zinco could track it.

The archer leapt into view again, nocking multiple arrows at once. He loosed them like a storm—but David blurred from one side of the field to the other, intercepting each arrow.

Zinco caught movement in the corner of his eye—the dagger-wielder closing in again. But before he could reach the team, David intercepted him with a flying kick that sent him crashing through branches.

The bowman landed on a high branch, drew another shot—and this time, Mary moved. She hurled a stone that grazed his hood, distracting him. In a flash, Jezer was behind him, Zinco beneath, and Aaron flanked him from the side.

The archer dodged Jezer's strike, twisted midair to avoid Zinco's upward slash, then elbowed Aaron hard—sending him slamming into a tree.

But he didn't see Gideon.

Gideon's spear caught him in the side, pinning him to the ground. Mary ran toward him, sword raised—he twisted in midair again, slammed her with a backhand, and landed neatly.

As he pulled out the spear, the team launched a full assault. Blow after blow, dodge after dodge—he evaded them all.

Then, in an eerie synchronicity, the dagger-wielder and bowman backed into each other.

They shared a quick glance.

And switched places without a word—David now faced the archer; the dagger-wielder faced the rest of the team.

Zinco raised a hand. "What's your name?"

The dagger-wielder smirked. "Levi."

Zinco narrowed his eyes. "Levi, you can't beat us."

Levi scoffed. "Don't count your eggs before they hatch."

Mary charged, leaping. "But you do count them while they hatch!"

She slashed clean through his body.

Sand exploded into the air.

"Sand abilities?" Mary gasped.

Aaron frowned. "I've heard of those."

"No," Zinco said grimly. "That was a Toy."

As the sand settled, the real Levi appeared behind them.

Gideon lunged—but a massive arm of sand blocked his strike.

Suddenly, they were surrounded—a horde of sand-bodied Toys closing in.

Gideon flinched. "We're surrounded—"

"Don't run," Zinco growled. "Let's do this."

"But how" Mary shouted.

Jezer stepped forward. "Mary, Gideon, with me—we'll hold the Toys. Zinco, Aaron—you take Levi."

The team split into motion.

---

Meanwhile…

David and the archer—Kabod—dashed through the trees in a blinding duel. Arrows flew. Blades clashed. They moved like streaks of light through the forest.

David caught an arrow inches from his eye and snapped it. "What do you want from us?"

Kabod grinned. "Nothing. Just… fun."

He shot another arrow. David deflected, closed the distance, and they exchanged a rapid sequence of blows, darting from branch to branch.

---

Back with the team…

Jezer, Mary, and Gideon fought against an endless wave of regenerating Toys.

Zinco and Aaron clashed with Levi—only to find their attacks missed every time. Levi's speed was overwhelming. He darted between them, dodging each strike with casual arrogance.

"You can't even touch me," Levi laughed. He struck both, sending them sprawling.

Then he raised his hand.

From the ground, a giant Toy of sand rose, towering higher than the trees—four arms, razor teeth, and a swirling vortex of wind.

Levi leapt to its shoulder. "Kill them all."

The beast roared, unleashing a windstorm that nearly sucked the team into its mouth. Jezer lost footing, but Gideon caught him midair.

Mary screamed, "What do we do?!"

Zinco steadied himself. "Wait."

He ripped a dead tree from the earth, hurled it into the wind, then conjured a brilliant spear of pure energy. With a roar, he leapt and hurled it.

The spear pierced the monster, glowing brightly before detonating in a pulse of light.

The Toy shattered, Levi falling through the air. But he twisted midair and slammed into the ground, dashing toward the team.

He struck them down one by one.

---

Elsewhere…

David and Kabod now stood on a tall tree, eyes locked.

David raised his sword. "Let's finish this."

They collided midair, striking blow after blow—bouncing between trees, spinning through branches, fighting like spirits of the wind.

At last, Kabod loosed a final arrow—David blocked it, knocked the bow from his hands, and flipped behind him.

With a single strike, he slammed Kabod down—both of them landing hard at the forest floor.

---

Back at the clearing, Levi stood over the fallen team.

He grabbed Mary by the collar, conjuring a dagger.

Before he could bring it down—

"Levi."

The voice cut through the air like thunder.

David stepped from the trees, bloodied, calm.

"How'd they do?"

Levi froze. Then sighed, releasing Mary and stepping back.

"They did well," Levi said. "Not perfect. But ready."

The team stared in disbelief as David stepped forward.

Kabod appeared beside him. Then Ruth.

"What…?" Mary gasped. "They're criminals."

"No," David said. "They're my friends. And your final test."

Zinco blinked. "This was a test?"

"Not just a test," David said. "A necessity. You weren't acting like a team. You needed a danger you couldn't ignore."

Aaron growled. "But you used real weapons!"

Kabod shrugged. "We're Edenites. We don't die that easy."

Levi smirked. "And we didn't even go all out. If we did—you'd all be dead. Except Zinco. His mother would kill us."

Mary asked, "What about the other men?"

Ruth replied, "Those? They were just toys."

Ruth walked over to Gideon, tapping his forehead. "Hope we didn't break you too bad."

No one responded.

She stretched and turned to David. "Let's go. You owe us dinner."

David smiled, turning to the stunned team. "Rest up, Team Aleph. Next time—it gets harder."

----