Ron, Lia, Selene, and Jax stepped forward carefully, each of them placing a foot onto their respective elemental platforms.

The floating surfaces wobbled faintly beneath them, responding to their weight and mana signatures.

Ron stepped on firmly.

Lia followed with practiced grace.

Selene moved lightly, almost soundless.

And then—

Jax stepped on at the speed of a nervous snail, leaning forward, leaning back, testing the stability like he thought the platform might explode.

"…Jax," Ron said slowly, "you do know it's not going to bite you."

"No promises," Jax muttered, inching forward with exaggerated caution.

Lia covered her mouth, hiding a smile while Selene almost sighed.

But eventually—

he made it.

All four stood atop their platforms, tense but ready.

Ron took a breath.

"Alright. On my signal, we'll all start channeling mana. Three—"

"WAIT!!"

Jax practically yelled, his hands flying up.

Ron blinked. "What now…?"

Jax cleared his throat dramatically.

"I need my guns. I can't pour mana without them. I have mana syndrome."

Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Right. I almost forgot."

But Lia was stunned.

"You have mana syndrome…? You never told me that."

Selene blinked in surprise as well.

He told Ron...?

For a second, a small flicker of disappointment crossed her face.

I thought I was the only one who knew that secret.

Before the moment could stretch further, glowing light sparked around Jax's hands—

and with a soft crackle of mana…

His twin guns materialized in his grip.

Jax's eyes widened, then brightened instantly.

"Oh—they came!"

His expression turned childishly overjoyed.

"I missed you two, my babies!"

He lifted both guns and kissed them dramatically.

Selene, Ron, and Lia all stared at him with identical deadpan disappointment.

"…Really?" Selene muttered.

But behind their unimpressed expressions, another thought sparked in all three of their minds—

Weapons can appear here when needed…?

Then maybe… ours can too.

A faint hope flickered through the group, subtle but unmistakable.

The platforms hummed beneath them.

The chasm wind howled quietly.

Their platforms drifted forward in a slow, steady line—barely moving, but moving nonetheless.

The Sync Orb above them pulsed faintly with each inch they gained.

Then—

A small wobble shook all four platforms at once.

Ron immediately gritted his teeth.

"Concentrate more. Don't relax."

Lia, Selene, and Jax nodded together, tightening their focus.

Their mana flows became steadier—cleaner.

The Sync Orb responded.

Its scale glowed faintly and nudged upward, their synchronization increasing another step.

They moved a little faster now.

But none of them noticed the hazy mist beginning to thicken around them.

A faint grey fog curled around the platforms—silent, soft, creeping like a whisper.

Jax was the first to be targeted.

He continued pouring mana from his guns, gaze sharp—

until something flickered right in front of him.

A shape.

A shadow.

Then the mist twisted into a form—

A man, towering over him.

"You are worthless."

Jax's breath caught.

Then a woman appeared beside the man.

"Worthless."

"Failure."

Jax's eyes widened, anger flashing across his face.

"No… I'm not…"

His grip tightened on his guns.

"I'm not a failure…"

His mana flow faltered.

At the same moment, Ron's gaze blurred slightly.

A figure stood before him—a man with cream-white hair, sharing Ron's own features.

A twisted smile stretched across the illusion's face.

"You will die, Ron.

And that girl will die with you."

The illusion raised its hand, reaching toward Ron's throat.

Ron gritted his teeth, muscles trembling with restrained fury.

Lia froze as well.

A girl appeared before her—older, with the same golden-brown hair as her.

Her eyes were cold.

Her voice sharper than a blade.

"Die for me, Lia.

You're a burden.

Die with Ron."

Lia stepped back, breath trembling.

"No…

No… that's not…"

All three of their platforms wavered.

The Sync Orb flickered violently.

Its scale dropped hard—

their synchronization collapsing.

The platforms shook—

dangerously.

Their balance was breaking.

Then—

"ALL OF YOU… WAKE UP!!"

Selene's voice slammed through the illusions like thunder.

Her eyes blazed with sharp yellow-orange mana.

She was the only one unaffected—her senses too disciplined, too focused to be fooled.

The illusions shattered around them like smoke blown apart by wind.

Jax gasped.

Ron staggered.

Lia clutched her chest.

And Selene shouted again, voice cutting through the fog:

"LOOK AROUND YOU!"

They looked.

Dark, writhing shadowy creatures clung to their platforms—

their misty forms whispering curses, feeding illusions straight into their minds.

"Shadow wraiths," Selene growled.

"They're illusion parasites!

Don't fall for them!"

The Sync Orb's scale was still dropping—

sync still falling—

They had seconds left before everything collapsed.

Their platforms steadied, but the Sync Orb above them didn't move at all.

Its glowing scale stayed stuck at the bottom, refusing to rise. Even though the four of them had regained their mana flow, something was clearly still wrong.

Selene glanced at Ron, Lia, and Jax one by one.

Their hands were steady, but their eyes still carried the shadows of the illusions they had just seen. The wraiths had dug deeper than they realized.

"You're all still unsettled," Selene said quietly. Her voice wasn't harsh—just honest. "Your mana is stable, but your minds are not. Whatever you saw, don't let it swallow you."

Ron lowered his gaze slightly, jaw tense.

Lia pressed her lips together, a faint tremble still in her fingers.

Jax stared down at his guns, his breath uneven.

Selene turned to Jax first.

His reaction had been the strongest.

"I know what you must have seen," she said softly.

Jax looked up at her slowly, almost reluctantly.

"You are not worthless," Selene continued.

Her eyes stayed locked on his, calm and steady.

"And you are not a failure."

It hit him harder than any spell.

Because she meant it.

Selene allowed a small smile—warm and certain.

"I believe you."

Something in Jax loosened.

His shoulders dropped.

His breath steadied.

Ron and Lia, hearing her words, straightened as well.

The tension in their bodies faded, replaced with quiet determination.

All three remembered the techniques Zane had drilled into them, each tailored to their strengths.

Ron and Lia closed their eyes at the same moment.

Their breathing synchronized almost instantly.

The outside noise dulled.

Their heartbeats aligned with their mana.

Iron Pulse.

The world sharpened around them.

The shadow wraith whispers faded out like someone lowering a volume dial.

Their mana pulsed steady and controlled, amplifying their focus.

Selene's aura shifted as well.

Her mind wrapped itself in a layer of calm—a quiet mental veil that let nothing unnecessary slip in. Every thought became clean, ordered, and clear.

Tranquil Veil.

Her mana turned smooth and refined, flowing without a single break or flicker.

Jax's turn came last.

He inhaled deeply, letting go of the anger and fear the illusions had ignited in him.

His mind narrowed down to a single, simple truth:

Selene believed in him.

The team believed in him.

Zane's technique echoed quietly in his memory.

Calm heart.

Steady intention.

See only his target.

His world become grey and slow

Convergent Stillpoint

His guns glowed faintly as he focused.

White mana flowed more smoothly than before, soft and pure—cleaned of every disturbance.

And then—

as if responding to all four of them at once—

The Sync Orb brightened sharply, flooding the cavern with light.

The scale shot upward, straight into perfect balance.

The platforms jerked forward—then moved faster.

Much faster.

Wind roared around them as the chasm blurred beneath their feet.

The scattered wraiths hissed and scattered, unable to keep up.

Ron steadied his stance.

Lia's eyes sharpened.

Jax exhaled, fully focused.

Selene kept watch, making sure nothing slipped past her perception.

They were no longer fighting their own battle .

They were moving together.

And the exit was getting closer with every second.

Their speed surged, the chasm shrinking beneath them until the final platform glided toward the glowing stone exit. With one last push of mana, all four platforms touched the edge at the same time.

The moment they stepped onto solid ground, Jax immediately collapsed on all fours, breath escaping him in a long exhale.

"That… was really tough…" he groaned, letting his guns rest beside him as he tried to catch his breath.

Ron let out a tired sigh.

Lia wiped her forehead.

Selene shook her arms out, releasing the tension from her shoulders.

"Yeah…" Ron muttered. "That was something."

Lia nodded vigorously. "My heart was jumping the whole time…"

Selene approached Jax, her expression relaxing into something warm and gentle. She extended her hand toward him.

"Come on," she said softly.

Her smile was warm enough to melt steel.

"Let's go."

Jax blinked, surprised—then reached up and took her hand.

But of course, he couldn't stop himself.

"Wow," he said with a grin, "you acting this kind is… honestly kind of weird."

There was a tiny twitch at the corner of Selene's eye.

Her smile froze.

Then vanished.

She released his hand—

grabbed his ear—

and yanked.

"H–HEY—?! OW OW OW—!!"

"You just can't stop joking, can you, Jax Harl?" she said, dragging him mercilessly toward the exit.

Ron burst into laughter.

Lia covered her mouth as she giggled.

Even Jax—despite being dragged by the ear—laughed helplessly between the pain.

"Ow—ahah—Selene—ow—!!"

Still dragging her idiot teammate, Selene while smiling stepped through the glowing archway of the exit.

Ron and Lia followed with bright smiles—

and the second phase ended for them.

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