Mist’s Edge: The Culling Begins
For the next hour, Jimmy and Luna walked in patient silence through the lower forest belt of the mountain. The trail curved gently uphill, lined with thick ferns, low brambles, and trees that swayed with the late mist. Sunlight barely pierced the dense canopy, painting a moody light over the terrain.
Eventually, they reached a clearing.
Jimmy paused.
Just ahead, a skirmish raged in a sloped woodland glade, halfway up the mountain base. Trees around the site were scarred, bark scorched or stripped by wind bursts. Four trainers faced off—two on each side.
To his right:Binny (A15), the sharp-eyed, restless boy with a faint scar on his chin, crouched low and ready.Beside him, the veiled girl from earlier—A1, dressed in flowing white and layers of gauze, almost ghostlike in the wind.
To his left:Malo (D12), lean and wiry, voice full of mocking confidence.And beside him, Serra (D13) — stocky, shoulders squared, eyes locked in focus.
Whisps clashed fiercely across the glade:
From Serra: Emberail, a fire serpent writhing with flames along its molten scales, lunged with bursts of spiralling heat.
From Malo: Fellcape, a wind-type with rippling scarf-like wings, dashed in high arcs, slicing leaves and air alike.
On the other side:
Binny's Pyrorine, a radiant firebird, shrieked as it dive-bombed with flaming wings, scattering sparks.
A1's Glacireine, the Ice-type queen, stood poised and composed. Her furred collar shimmered with snow crystals; every breath she took wove frost into the wind. Crystal-lined limbs struck the earth with elegance, and her glowing frost-blue eyes didn't flinch even as attacks closed in.
Jimmy observed from the shadows behind a cluster of bushes. The four hadn't noticed him yet.
But then—a shift.
A stray gust from Fellcape peeled away the bushes. In the silence that followed, all eight eyes turned toward him.
A1 blinked, tilting her head behind her white veil.Serra narrowed her gaze. "Who's that?"Binny muttered, "Some drifter?"
Malo chuckled. "He doesn't look Drifter. Just some mute tagging along with his pet."
Jimmy didn't flinch. He remained at the edge of the clearing, expression unreadable, hands still.
Luna, by his side, tensed.
Then—
Binny snorted. "Ignore him. Unless he wants to join the frying pan." But that white hair girl said only word 'greatest enemy.'
The fight resumed in a burst—Fellcape spun, Emberail roared, Glacireine twirled her ice breath, and Pyrorine soared higher.
Jimmy turned.
He stepped back quietly into the trees, not looking back.
But behind him, Binny muttered darkly, "So he walks off like a lousy?"
Serra hissed, "Send him a farewell then."
Without warning, Pyrorine flared its wings and launched a Flamethrower—a searing cone of fire. Glacireine followed with a piercing Ice Beam, causing the two elements to spiral into a volatile Steam Burst headed straight for Jimmy.
WHOOSH—CRACK—SHHHHHHHHH!
But Luna was already moving.
She leapt forward and spun, her fins glowing bright—summoning a gleaming, high-pressure Aqua Bubble. It enveloped the attack mid-air, sizzling into vapor, then exploded into a fog cloud with a blast of wind.
The smoke swirled and blinded the attackers momentarily.
When it cleared—
Jimmy and Luna were gone.
Vanished into the hills.
.........................................
As the mist thinned near the cliffside trail, Jimmy checked the competition-issued watch on his wrist. A pulsing red alert blinked at the corner. He tapped it.
A message unfolded on the screen in stark black text:
Zone Alert – Final Point Approaching
Remaining Contestants: 25
New Rule Activated
Only 10 competitors can enter the Final Zone.
15 must be eliminated before entry is permitted.
In the Final Zone, no points or badges will be counted. Only flag number is counted.
To win, you must hold a Flag for 15 consecutive minutes.
Only 6 Flags exist in total.
"Even if you reach the Final Zone, you cannot enter there. When 10 remains from all of you, can enter there."
Good luck.
Jimmy stared at the screen for a moment.
Luna looked up at him, her body still steaming lightly from the bubble burst.
Jimmy muttered, half to himself:
"It's a culling."
He clenched the side of the watch.
"Fifteen more need to fall."
Luna nods in yes.
Jimmy exhaled. "And no more hiding."
The wind picked up again.
Somewhere above, a sharp scream of a Whisp echoed.
...............................................
Jimmy climbed with steady urgency. The mountain loomed tall above, stretching over 1.5 kilometres of harsh incline. Rain-laced wind tugged at his coat, and his boots scuffed against loose stone.
"Luna," he said lowly, eyes flicking up the trail. "We'll need to fight at any moment. Luna… stay sharp. We might be attacked any moment. Be ready to summon the rain."
Luna gave a firm nod, her body glimmering faintly, the tension of stormwater already dancing beneath her fur.
Halfway up—
Crunch.
He paused.
Behind them… something moved.
He paused, grabbed a small stone, and hurled it toward a cluster of trees near the ridge.
Thud.
A shadow darted between the trunks.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes. No sound. No follow-up.
They moved again.
But soon—again—that feeling.
They stopped, this time on a narrow ledge near a cluster of moss-covered rocks. Mist curled around their ankles. Jimmy crouched, gesturing Luna to stay alert.
Moments later, a figure stepped out cautiously from behind a thicket.
A girl, younger than him maybe, with round glasses, oversized sleeves, and two short ponytails resting at the sides of her head. A small shaggy bear-like Whisp lumbered beside her, eyes glowing a dim orange.
She stopped a few paces away, hesitant.
Her voice was quiet. Soft.
"…Um… excuse me. Could you…" she hesitated, rubbing her wrist, "…help me get to the final round?"
Jimmy didn't reply.
She blinked, uncertain—then caught sight of his hands moving.
"I can't speak," his fingers said, calm and practiced.
Her expression shifted in surprise. "Oh… oh, sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I—I just thought maybe…"
She trailed off. Her voice barely above a whisper now.
"I mean… we can fight... I mean... together if you want. My Whisp and I—we can hold our own. Really."
She gave a small, nervous bow.
But neither Jimmy nor Luna moved.
Then suddenly—Luna shifted.
A blur.
She stepped forward with a single, sharp motion, placing herself firmly between the girl and Jimmy. Her mane bristled faintly, eyes narrowed but calm.
The girl gasped, instinctively stepping back. Her Whisp growled in confusion.
No attack. No threat.
Jimmy turned without a word and a small nodding smile.
He didn't glance back.
With Luna beside him once more, he resumed the climb, feet crunching against gravel as the fog deepened. Above them, the trail narrowed toward the final pass.
Behind them, the girl stood frozen.
Her hand trembled slightly on her Whisp's fur.
"…He didn't say anything…"
She adjusted her glasses, watching the pair vanish into the mist. Her Whisp grumbled, but she gave a small nod.
"Let's go. Browy"
She hugged her arms and turned away, mist trailing behind.
..............................
The girl had disappeared into the misty path beyond the ridge. Jimmy and Luna continued their ascent—quietly, steadily.
But soon… he slowed.
He was no longer climbing.
He was trailing.
From a ledge above, they could still make out glimpses of the girl's silhouette between the fog-draped pine trees, her oversized sleeves swaying as she walked.
Luna tilted her head.
Her voice echoed in Jimmy's mind through their bond:
"There are five. Closing in. Southwest slope."
Jimmy's hand twitched slightly. He adjusted his blindfold and simply replied, calm:
"Let's wait."
Fifteen minutes passed.
The girl was now nearing a clearing bordered by old stone markers — one of many forgotten shrine spaces along the Ridge.
That's when the sound changed.
Crunch. Crunch. Thud.
Five figures stepped out from the trees.
All wore darker gear — tactical, ragged, patched with scraps of other teams. Their stances were aggressive. Confident.
Their leader — a boy with a shaved stripe down his eyebrow — smirked.
"Yo, nerd-glasses. Final round's close. How 'bout you hand us your tags before it gets ugly?"
The girl froze mid-step, hugging her sleeves.
"...I…" she took a small step back, voice barely audible. "Please… I don't want to fight…"
The largest of the group cracked his knuckles.
"We ain't asking."
Suddenly, her Whisp stepped forward Vorogranix — a large rock-type bear, its body carved in geometric Voronoi texture, like nature fused with algorithm. Small obsidian stones were embedded on its nose, forehead, and along its paws. Two faintly glowing slabs curved over its back like jagged armour plates.
It growled protectively, low and rumbling.
To be Continued...