《OGI:THE HUNT FOR LEVEL THREE》


 Prologue

    Centuries ago, a 5''4 black, buff old man with a wooden staff and ripped clothes stood on top of a mountain in a vast, rocky plain, facing the growing danger of a massive dimensional portal with numerous different kinds of vicious beasts passing through it with nothing on their minds but murder. Before engaging in combat, the old man speaks uplifting words to himself.


    "I must stop this disaster. I''m the only one in the world with the power to close that portal."


    Before the old man can even move, multiple beasts surround him with drool dripping from their mouths, looking for their next meal. The old man flexes his muscles to the maximum. The beast simultaneously, with no hesitation, releases elemental attacks at the old man. The old man, with a face of determination, deflects every attack with his staff. The old man screams out, "Move out of my damn way!"


    The old man launches his staff at the heart of each beast that surrounds him, killing them instantly. The old man glances behind him and sees swarms of beasts of all kinds standing between him and the dimensional portal. The old man, with no hesitation, jumps into the pit of beasts and proceeds to fight them off one by one with one strike each.


    No matter how much the old man could kill, more and more beasts came out of the dimensional portal. The old man finally falls to the ground. Now beaten and battered, covered in blood, he spits the blood in his mouth to the ground and stands back up with a more intense determination. Now faced with even more hungry beasts, the old man grabs his staff and points it at the army of beasts.


    The beast charges up more elemental attacks and sends them at the old man with the extreme intent to kill. The old man then proceeds to close his eyes while the staff in the old man''s hand glows. The old man opens his eyes and releases a huge beam of energy from his staff, eradicating every beast in sight. The energy beam was extremely effective, but it took a lot out of the old man, causing him to fall to the ground.


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    The old man, trembling, gives himself more words of encouragement.


    "I''m almost there; I can''t stop now. The world is counting on me. I won''t let a lack of energy stop me here!"


    The old man gets up, plants his feet on the ground, and flexes his muscles one last time. The old man''s staff glows with even more power than before. The old man cocks his arm back, holding his glowing staff, and launches it straight into the dimensional portal. The dimensional portal cracks instantly, shaking the earth to its core. The sky goes completely black, with lightning strikes coming from the sky and tearing apart the earth. The ground bursts into an inferno, burning everything in sight.


    The dimensional portal turns into a ball of glowing light so bright that you can see it from space. The ball of light continues to grow, engulfing the entire planet. As the ball of light engulfs the planet, the old man, now completely out of energy, has turned frail but has a prediction to make before he goes. The old man smiles and speaks.


    "This is an event in history that will start a completely new era for humans. One more advanced than any human now or before could imagine. Ha, I wish I could see this far-distant future, but for evolution, something must be sacrificed."


    The old man starts to crumble into small, light particles. Even though the old man will never be able to see that distant future, he smiles, knowing he helped create it.


    The earth completely gets engulfed in light. The light becomes so intense that it looks like there''s a second sun glowing in the solar system.


    The intense shine lasts for hours until the light fades. The earth has completely been transformed and is now broken into four zones. The only thing that is the same is where the old man had his last breath, which has a huge abyss leading to a place unknown.


    Prologue end

 Summer break ends

    Long ago, a legendary battle took place that completely transformed the world by splitting it into four zones. At first, humanity struggled to find balance in this new world, but after years of hard work, the world has now adapted to the new four zones, which are named Grava, the zone of dreams; Moro, the zone of beasts; Snachro, the zone of the great sea; and Mud, the zone of the poor and unfortunate.


    In a house in the Grava Zone lives a young, 6-foot-dark-skinned boy who has just turned 16. He usually has a face full of excitement, but that completely changed when he got a phone call from his best friend.


    "Hello, your good pal Kage is here at your service. What do you need?"


    On the other side of the call is a boy named Unkown, who is 5''8 and slightly buff with white hair and white skin, wears a black mask over his mouth, is dressed in blue school clothes, and is also 16 years old.


    "What the hell are you doing? The class starts in two hours. Why aren''t you here to pick me up yet?"


    "class?"


    "Yes, class. You know Grava Academy, the school we''ve been going to for half a year. Don''t tell me you just woke up."


    "maybe"


    "What do you mean, maybe?"


    "Unknown, calm down; it''s still winter break. You can just check the calendar."


    Kage scrolls down on his phone, and instantly he goes silent. His face goes into a state of shock after he realizes what the date is. Unknown from the other side of the phone starts to question Kage with a calm expression.


    "Kage, when did winter break start?"


    "December 22nd"


    "And what day did Mr.Mink say we were to return to class?"


    Sweat starts to slide down Kage''s face as he scrolls on his phone.


    "January 10th"


    "Then why aren''t you here to pick me up yet?"


    "I''m sorry, I completely forgot. Why didn''t you remind me yesterday?"


    Unknown lets out a sigh of disbelief.


    "I did"


    "Oh right, you did."


    "Just hurry up before we''re late."


    As Unknown hangs up the phone, Kage rushes to get ready. Kage rushes through his hygiene, puts on a T-shirt with a picture of his favorite music artist, throws on some jeans, and, of course, he can''t forget his headphones. Kage runs into his small garage, which is filled with dirty mechanical tools, to get his motorcycle. Kage hops onto his motorcycle, opens the garage, and takes off. While riding through the main city of the Grava zone, called Grava City, on his motorcycle, Kage thinks to himself.


    "I can''t believe winter break is already over, it feels like it just started."


    Centuries ago, the earth and humanity were almost destroyed out of nowhere. No one knows what led to such impending doom, but the earth was gracefully saved by a hero who sacrificed body and soul to protect it. That great battle fought by the hero changed Earth forever, but most of all, humans were changed forever.


    75% of the population has gained what is now called OGI. OGI is a form of energy that flows through 75% of the population. It''s a power source that can be used by anyone who has it and allows OGI users to go beyond human limits. Since OGI has an evolution line, scientists have separated these OGI users into levels one and two. Level one is for OGI users who have heightened human abilities, making them bona fide superhumans. After level one, there is level two, where OGI users gain powers and abilities on top of their superhuman abilities. Level two is only attainable through extremely hard work or extreme talent, which is why only 45% of the population has it.


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    The OGI user system is something that always seemed so simple until scientists discovered level two isn''t the true ceiling for OGI users. While researching OGI users, a scientist discovers that a level three exists. After this shocking revelation, Grava Academy was created to hone the skills of OGI users who chose to go down the path to discover what level three is. So far, only one has reached level three since the start of Grava Academy, but unfortunately, he died shortly after due to something unrelated. Even so, many kids like Kage want to know what level three is, so they go to Grava Academy.


    Grava City is the center of the Grava zone and is the most famous of all the cities in the Grava zone. Grava City is the home of the famous Grava Academy. Most people who choose to go down the path to discovering level three live in Grava City, which is why people call the Grava Zone the zone of dreams. The city is huge, being home to many and also being very busy with many vehicles always on the road and many tall buildings surrounding the city, but with a big city comes a lot of pollution, especially around the gas station areas.


    As Kage gathers his thoughts together, he smells the familiar smell of a broken-down gas station that he and Unknown have been meeting up at for the past 6 months, and with that smell, he realizes he has finally arrived at Unknown''s location. In a very nervous tone, Kage says, "Man, sorry, I know I''m late, but I just had too much fun over the break, I guess."


    "You know, dude, you should set an alarm clock so this doesn''t happen again."


    "I know, bro, but I turned my alarm off for the winter break because I didn''t want it to ring while I was sleeping."


    "It''s cool, man; just hurry up and step on the gas; we have half an hour to get to class."


    As Unknown hops on the back of Kage''s motorcycle, something catches Kage''s attention on the TV in the gas station window.


    A very depressed, frail, and concerned-looking woman is explaining a heartbreaking story to a news reporter.


    "My child disappeared two weeks ago and still hasn''t been found. The police said they''re looking into it but can''t seem to find a trace of him." The frail woman softly says.


    "It''s ok, ma''am. I know losing a child is a hard thing to go through."


    The news reporter goes in to hug the frail woman but gets pushed off immediately. The woman''s face turns from sad and depressed to rage.


    "What the hell do you know about what I''m going through? I lost my child; don''t give me that crap! I came here to get help finding my little boy! Now fucking help me!"


    "Mam, please calm down; you''re on TV."


    "Shut the hell up! If I don''t see my son right now, I''ll make sure you pay!"


    The news reporter smacks the woman in the face as hard as she can and screams at her with an angry tone.


    "Shut the fuck up; I''m not the one who lost their child! You''re lucky I even care enough to have this conversation with you! Now get off my damn set."


    The woman grabs the reporter by the collar and starts to shake her aggressively.


    "What the hell did you just say to me? Are you saying this is my fault? I should kill you!"


    The reporter grabs the woman by the hair and starts to punch her in the face. The TV screen transitions into a "please stand by" screen and then completely goes black. Unknown, looking concerned, turns to Kage.


    "It seems the whole case with kids who have high chances of becoming OGI users going missing is getting worse."


    Kage looks away from the TV, looks at Unknown, and nods his head in agreement.


    "Wait, Unknown, we''re getting distracted; we''ve got to get to class. We have half an hour, remember?"


    "Oh yeah, you''re right, let''s go."


    Kage starts revving up his motorcycle until he hears a loud noise coming from the front desk in the gas station. Kage stops revving his engine and says, "Unknown, what the hell was that?"


    "I have no idea, but it doesn''t sound good."


    "I''ll go check it out. Stay right here."


    "Wait, but class. Oh fuck it, he''s already gone!"


    Kage runs to the front, and through the glass door, he sees three robbers with machine guns holding the old gas station owner in his 60s at gunpoint.


    "Give us all the cash in the register, old man, before things get ugly."


    "Ok, ok, I will please give me a second. Please just don''t hurt me."


    As the robber yells out commands, he points his machine gun at the roof and shoots it multiple times.


    "See that old man; if you don''t hurry up, you''ll have holes in you just like the roof! Now speed it up!"


    Kage walks into the gas station and puts on a cocky smirk.


    "Hey, a bunch of nobodies shouldn''t be going around doing stupid shit like this; don''t you guys have day jobs or something more interesting to do?"


    Chapter 2 end

 The Level Three Assignment

    Now that Kage has made himself known to the three armed robbers in a big way, the robbers attempt to make Kage eat his words.


    "Huh? What the hell did you just say to me, boy? You better realize who you''re talking to! It''s time to send him to hell."


    All three robbers, with faces of anger, simultaneously point their guns at Kage and fire with no hesitation. Kage smirks as the bullets fly toward him, and at the same time, Kage''s body starts to glow, signaling the activation of level one. With OGI flowing throughout his body, Kage starts to see more clearly than normal; he feels his muscles expand, and he feels the tank of OGI in his stomach fluctuate. Kage proceeds to catch every bullet one by one and drop them on the floor until the robbers empty their entire magazine. Now, with the floor full of bullets, Kage remarks, "Hey, you know this is 2016, right? Who the fuck uses guns anymore, old man?"


    Kage starts to laugh, hysterically crushing the robber''s confidence. The other two robbers look down at their guns and start to question their actions.


    The third robber shakes his head in agreement. The first robber starts to grit his teeth in rage.


    "No, this is just a damn kid. I refuse to run from someone who''s below me."


    "I''m some damn kid, right? Okay, let me show you what this damn kid can do."


    Kage puts his palm up facing the robbers and once again starts to smirk. Kage''s body starts to glow with more intensity, signaling the activation of level two. A ball of energy starts to form in front of Kage''s palm, which makes the robbers jump in fear. The robbers instantly turn around and try to run for the back exit of the gas station, but while they do, Kage utters, "Energy manipulation: mu-!"


    "hey!"


    Before Kage could finish his sentence, the old gas station owner yelled at him and pointed to a sign that stated "no level activation." The glow from Kage''s body, along with the ball of energy, dissipates. With a bummed-out expression, Kage says, "Damn, of course, it''s a no-level activation zone. I wanted to test out this new move I''ve been working on."


    "Sorry, I am grateful for you saving my gas station, but I can''t have you accidentally destroying it with your powers."


    "yeah yeah"


    Kage hears the backdoor of the gas station open and slam shut.


    "Oh shit, the robbers! Have a good day, sir!"


    After Kage realizes the robbers have gotten away through the back, he runs to the front to cut off their exit. As Kage runs through the front door of the gas station, he sees Unknown watching anime on his phone with a bored look on his face.


    "Kage, are you done yet? We need to get to class already; you know Mr. Mink isn''t going to be happy with us if we''re late."


    "I know, but the robbers are booking it; we need to cut them off; there''s only one exit out of this gas station."


    As Kage speaks, the robbers come out of the back of the gas station with a huge truck. Kage jumps in the way of the truck and gets into a stance to stop the truck''s movement. Kage''s body starts to glow, but before Kage can even make a move out of nowhere, all the truck''s wheels pop one by one. As the robbers look around in shock and confusion, a shadowy figure comes down from the sky and drops onto the truck like a canonball, completely wrecking it and leaving the robbers completely knocked out with multiple injuries. Kage and Unknown look at the wreck, wondering what happened.


    "Unknown, are you as confused as I am?"


    "Yeah, what the hell happened to the wheels? They just popped out of nowhere, and what the hell dropped on the truck? Is it a meteor or som-."


    "What the hell is going on with you? Why do you look like you''ve seen a ghost?"


    "Just look at the top of the truck." Unknown says with a nervious tone


    "huh? What''s on top of the truck? Oh shit of course it''s him; we''re so dead."


    As the dust clears up and the familiar face becomes more visible to Kage and Unknown, fear rises within both of them. On the truck is a familiar face to Kage and Unknown. A man with flowing red hair and glowing tan skin at the height of 6''1 with a very fit physique wearing a very nice suit is none other than the number one teacher at Grava Academy, Mr. Mink, who is enjoying a cup of coffee while casually sitting relaxed on top of the truck he just demolished. Mr.Mink takes a sip of his coffee and points at Kage and Unknown.


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    "Shouldn''t you two be in class by now? It''s 8:25. You have five minutes before class starts."


    Kage and Unknown look at each other and then turn back to Mr.Mink. Kage, in a nervous, friendly tone, says, "Oh hey, Mr. Mink, we were heading to class; we just got sidetracked on the way there trying to stop the robbers you happen to be on top of."


    "Oh, is that why, even though you know my rules, if you''re late, you will have to take that extra assignment, and it won''t be easy?" He says with a calm tone.


    "But you''re not even in the classroom yet, so doesn''t that mean we have extra time to get there?"


    "I mean, you wouldn''t be wrong, but I still have four minutes until class starts. I just wanted to grab a coffee from the coffee shop across from here."


    "Yeah, but you still have to get to the class, which will take a while."


    "Ha, I''ve only been teaching you for half a year, but you should know by now that I''m never late."


    Mr.Mink waves to the two boys and vanishes in the blink of an eye. Kage and unknown rush to the motorcycle and take off to class stressed about what might happen if they are late.


    "Kage, can''t this thing go any faster?"


    "It can, but we still have to follow the laws."


    "Only if we could move as fast as Mr.Mink. How the hell is he even able to move that quickly?"


    "I have no idea, but remember, he''s the top teacher at Grava Academy, teaching the number one class at Grava Academy, so it makes sense he''s this quick."


    Mr.Mink is a very strict teacher who doesn''t take things like late work or tardiness lightly. He is always ready with a punishment, which is why being late for Kage and Unknown is not an option.


    Kage and Unknown have finally arrived at Grava Academy with a few seconds to spare. When Kage and Unknown arrive at class one, they are greeted with a warm smile from the beautiful 5''9 white-skinned girl with long, luscious purple hair who is wearing a long purple dress and purple high heels. This girl''s name is Selena, but all the other classes call her the "brain of class one."


    "Hey, Selena. It''s been a while since we last spoke."


    "Yes, Unknown, it has; it''s always nice talking to you. I see you''re doing well too, Kage."


    "You know I am, and I''m ready to continue with the class."


    "I see, well, Mr.Mink is already here, and you are about 25 seconds late, so get ready for the extra work."


    "oh shit"


    As Kage''s face turns from happy to dreadful, Mr.Mink disrupts their conversation.


    "Hello, Kage, and Unknown It''s nice for you to show up. Now take a seat; class is in session."


    At the same time, Kage and Unknown scream, "Sorry, Mr. Mink!"


    "I told you I''m never late. Now take a seat. I''ll give you both your punishments later."


    Kage and Unknown walk past the other two students currently in the class and take a seat next to each other as Mr.Mink starts to speak to the whole class.


    "Now welcome back to Grava Academy. As you know from the first semester, we were learning about the different four zones and other stuff about the world we live in. This semester, we will get out there and experience the world we live in. Usually, I would explain a bunch of stuff to you, but this time, I''ll just give you the assignment."


    Before Mr.Mink starts to explain the assignment, the last student out of the six students in class one arrives extremely late, and it''s none other than Akira, a light-skinned 5''7 girl with orange hair who wears a shirt of her favorite anime character that wears a straw hat from an anime about pirates with a skirt and leggings. Mr.Mink instantly sees Akira try to sneak into the classroom and says, "Nice for you to show up, Akira!"


    "Oh, hey, Mr. Mink, how was your break?"


    "Delightful. Now can you tell me why you are late?"


    Akira starts to sweat and look around the room in an act to avoid eye contact with Mr.Mink.


    "Oh, my car broke down."


    Mr.Mink glares at Akira as she bites her nails.


    "Correct me if I''m wrong, but don''t you walk here?"


    Akira starts to sweat even more and says nervously, "Oh right, that must have slipped my mind."


    Mr.Mink loses his patience and says, "Selena, if you don''t mind."


    "Of course, Mr. Mink. She''s late because she was up watching anime all night and overslept."


    "Hey, that''s not fair, Selena; you can''t just go off reading my mind like that."


    "Akira I''ll make sure your punishment is grueling." Mr.Mink says with a stern tone.


    Akira falls to the floor dramatically, with a face full of fear and regret.


    "Please, Mr.Mink, have mercy. I just wanted to watch one episode, but once I got started, I couldn''t stop going!"


    "That''s no excuse; you realize you and the rest of this school are our future, and to be our future, you have to learn, so I hope this punishment will teach you time management."


    "Yes, sir," she says with a bummed-out expression.


    Mr.Mink returns to talking about the assignment.


    "Now, class, back to the assignment. All of you today will go on an adventure around the Grava Zone looking for something you think will be important for you to know to reach the ultimate goal of level three."


    Kage raises his hand with a very confused expression.


    "Yes, Kage, you have a question."


    "Yeah, but where exactly are we supposed to look?"


    "As long as you stay in the grava zone, it should be fine."


    "Yeah, but where in the grava zone?"


    "That''s for you to find out, but that reminds me, Kage and Unknown, since you two were late, you can''t just bring me the information; I need something physical, whether it''s your visible improvement or an item. I need to see something. Now, Akira, don''t think I forgot about you."


    Akira jumps in her seat upon hearing those terrifying words from Mr.Mink.


    "From you, I need two physical things you think will help you reach level three and present them to the class. Now class is dismissed."


    Kage and the Unknown look at each other with conflicted faces.


    "Unknown, how the hell are we going to do this?"


    "We could just work together."


    "Your right, let''s do that."


    "But where the hell do we start?"


    "Grava Forest¡ªthat place has many things we could discover."


    "Yeah, you''re right. It''s a huge forest; let''s go there right away."


    "Wait before we go."


    Kage cracks his knuckles and starts to smirk.


    "How about we head to the training hall and spar? It has been a while."


    Unknown starts to smile ear to ear and says, "You know I can never say no to a challenge from you."


    Chapter 3 end

 Battle For Respect

    Kage and Unknown leave the classroom in a rush so they can get to the battlegrounds as fast as possible. When both of them arrive at the batllegrounds, they quickly get started.


    "Are you ready, Unknown? As usual, I won''t go easy on you."


    "Of course not; I wouldn''t expect anything less from you."


    "Ok, let''s do it!"


    Kage walks over to a control panel and starts setting up the terrain for their battle.


    "Unknown, what type of terrain should I pick for our sparring match?"


    "The rocky terrain is fine."


    "Ok, let''s do it!"


    The Grava Academy battleground is something special that is only found at places like Grava Academy since it has some of the most advanced technology in the world. It can completely change the terrain of the battlefield, giving students the ability to practice in many different situations.


    Kage turns the battlefield into a rocky terrain that has very tall rocky pillars, rocky minerals flowing through the air, and giant rocks scattered around the field. Kage and Unknown both jump onto rocky pillars and get into fighting stances.


    "You should know my powers by now," Kage remarks.


    "Of course! If I''m going to beat you one day, I have to know. Your power is energy manipulation; it gives you the ability to send out different types of energy attacks and to control all forms of energy, and I can''t forget about that little x-factor of yours."


    "Ha, you know me so well, but you still haven''t reached level two yet, so you''re at a disadvantage."


    "That might be right, but I can still keep up with you despite my so-called disadvantage, so am I really at a disadvantage?"


    "Don''t worry, we will answer that right now!"


    Both Kage and Unknown start to glow, signaling the activation of Level One. Both Kage and Unknown rush at each other and start going blow for blow, neither letting up.


    Kage goes for an ambitious strike on Unknown''s head, but Unknown gracefully dodges Kage''s attack and pays him back with multiple left jabs to the face. Kage backs away from Unknown and jumps on top of one of the rocky mountains.


    "Damn, you''re as strong as I remember, but let me remind you why, in class, I''m ranked fourth and your rank is fifth!"


    "They only ranked you higher because you''ve already unlocked level two."


    "Exactly, which makes me stronger!"


    Kage''s body starts to glow intensely, signaling the activation of level two. Kage puts his palm up, and a ball of energy forms in front of it.


    "Energy manipulation:multi-attack!


    Multiple beams of energy shoot from the ball of energy in front of Kages'' hand. The beams of energy fly at great speed towards Unknown.


    "So this is the new attack you were talking about!"


    Unknown easily dodges every energy beam with great speed and grace.


    "You know screaming your attacks out loud doesn''t make them stronger, and there''s no point in an attack if they can''t hit me!"


    "But screaming out your attacks is cool!"


    "Who the hell told you that?"


    "Instead of worrying about me yelling out attacks, you should be more worried about the energy beams you thought I missed."


    Unknown starts looking around him in confusion after hearing what Kage says.


    "What the hell are you talking about?"


    Unknown looks behind him and sees the multiple energy beams he dodged, turning around. The energy beams start to chase him once again. He starts to run from the beams of energy, using rocks as places to hide. Even with his best effort, he can''t seem to get away from the beams of energy.


    "Sorry to break it to you, Unknown, but this new attack of mine is impossible to dodge!"


    "Fine, if I can''t escape these energy beams, I''ll just bring the battle to you."


    Unknown starts jumping from rocky pillar to rocky pillar to get closer to Kage, who''s standing on a rocky pillar on the other side of the battlefield.


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    "Ha, you''re so predictable; I knew you would try to cut the distance.


    Unknown jumps up to get up to the rocky pillar Kage is standing on.


    Unknown looks behind him and sees the multiple energy beams fuse and become one big energy beam. Unknown, seeing the huge energy beam behind him, screams, "It doesn''t matter how big the energy beams are; they will never catch up to me!"


    Unknown looks back to his front and sees Kage jumping off the rocky pillar, preparing to punch him. Now with Unknown in the air, unable to dodge, he says, "Oh shit," with a bummed-out tone.


    Kage punches Unknown and sends him straight into the big beam of energy behind him. After getting hit with the energy beam, he falls to the ground with many bruises on his body.


    "Is that all you got?" I thought you weren''t at a disadvantage!" Kage screams with a cocky smile.


    "Shut the hell up! I''m not done yet!"


    Unknown gets up with a face of intense determination.


    "A battle isn''t over till it''s over!"


    "That''s what I like to hear!"


    Both Kage and Unknown once again get into fighting stances, but before Kage and Unknown could continue their battle, the battlefield went back to its original state.


    "What the hell happened to the artificial battlefield?" Kage screams.


    Kage and Unknown look over to the control panel and are unhappy to see a very familiar face.


    "Oh shit, it''s him," Kage says with a displeased expression.


    "Yeah, but why is he here, and what does he want?" Unknown asks.


    A very smug guy with white skin dressed in expensive clothing coming in at the height of 6''3 is none other than the number one of class six, Seth. Seth is known around the academy as some dumb, rich kid who got into the academy because his dad funds the school.


    "Seth, what the hell do you want? Can''t you see that me and unknown are using this battlefield?"


    "Yeah, I can see you two are having fun using my battlefield."


    "What the hell are you talking about? We were here first; if you want to use a battlefield, use a different one!"


    "No, I want this one. Now chop-chop, pack it up, and leave."


    "This guy gets on my nerves."


    "Kage, just ignore him; he just wants to get a rise out of you," Unknown says while turning away from Seth.


    "Yeah, I know he''s probably still mad about being put in the lowest-ranked class out of the top six classes at Grava Academy."


    "Do you two dumbasses hear me? I said to leave now! You might think just because you''re in class one and I''m in class six, you''re better than me, but everyone knows those people who made the entrance exams are a bunch of dumbasses."


    "They''re not dumbasses! They just knew how to find where you belonged."


    "If you think so, then how about a battle? If I win, I''ll take your rank as number four in class one."


    "Sorry to inform you, but that''s not how it works, but I''ll take you on; I''ll even let you pick the terrain."


    "Fine, icy terrain it is!"


    "Ok, Unknown, go ahead and watch me mop the floor with Seth from the spectating room."


    "Oh man, I knew it was going to lead to this."


    Unknown leaves the battlefield and heads to the room next to it. When Unknown walks into the spectating room, he is met by Selena eating popcorn and enjoying the show on the spectating screen.


    "Selena? How long have you been in the spectator room?"


    "Oh, I overheard you and an Unknown talking about sparring, and every sparring match I''ve seen between you two has always been a spectacle, so I decided to come to watch. So I''ve been here since you two started."


    "Wow, really, are our battles that good?"


    "Yeah, but you both need some work.


    "Yeah, you''re right, especially me. I wish I could just hit level two already."


    "You''ll get there one day, but let''s focus on this battle first; it should be an interesting one. Seth has ice manipulation, and he picked an ice terrain; it''s obvious he purposely picked that field to get an advantage."


    "I''m sure Kage will win, even if that is the case."


    On the battlefield, Seth programs the panel, and the battlefield turns into an icy terrain. "


    "Ok, Seth, I''ll end this quickly so you won''t get embarrassed too badly."


    "Enough talk! Time for me to prove why I deserve class one!"


    "You don''t, and I''ll show you why!"


    Both Kage and Seth''s bodies start to glow intensely, signaling the activation of level two.


    "Energy manipulation!"


    "ice manipulation!"


    Kage charges headfirst and instantly attempts to attack Seth. Seth puts up an ice wall to surround him, and at the same time, Kage shoots a ball of energy, which destroys the ice wall.


    "How do you like that energy bomb, huh?"


    "Just shut your mouth!"


    Seth forms a sharp ice crystal around his hands and arms and then rushes at Kage. He tries to stab him with ice, but Kage screams out, "Energy manipulation: energy barrier"


    "a barrier?"


    "Did I catch you off guard? You didn''t know I had my own defense, did you?"


    A barrier forms around Kage, blocking Seth''s attack. Seth quickly backs away from him, and Kage drops his barrier. Then Kage goes on a hot pursuit with a smile. The ice around Kage starts to bombard him with attacks as he runs.


    "Damn, I see why you picked the ice terrain, but you can''t beat me with something like this!


    Kage''s body releases a burst of energy in every direction, destroying all the ice around him. Kage, with no hesitation, sends out an energy beam at Seth, sending him into a block of ice. Seth comes out of the rubble, bleeding from the head.


    "You stupid bastard, I''m going to kill you," Seth remarks with an aggressive tone.


    "You know you''re pretty out of shape; the battle just started, and you''re already huffing and puffing like we just ran a marathon. Quiet while you''re ahead!"


    "Shut the fuck up!"


    Suddenly, the battlefield goes back to normal, leaving both boys confused. Kage and Seth look over to the control panel and see Selena and Unknown.


    "This battle is over," Selena says with a stern tone.


    "No fuck you, this battle isn''t over till I say so," Seth says with a furious tone.


    "Seth, you need to use your brain; it''s clear that Kage outclasses you. You''re bleeding from the head and have bruises all over. You need to go to the doctor and get checked out for your own safety."


    "Shit the hell up, you damn women; what the hell do you know?"


    "What the hell did you just say to me?" Selena asks with an angry tone.


    "I''m sorry, ma''am; I''ll just take my leave now," Seth whispers with a scared tone.


    Seth leaves the battlefield in a rush while holding his head in pain.


    "That battle was too easy," Kage screams with a smile.


    Selena giggles at Kage''s statement, and at the same time, Kage looks at her.


    "Is something funny?"


    "Nothing; you still have a lot to learn."


    "I know I do, but that''s what''s so fun about this world we live in¡ªthere''s still so much to learn and see. With that said, level three will be mine!"


    "Well said, Kage; never change that mindset," Selena says with a warm smile.


    "Thanks, Selena; I will."


    "But I suggest you go get that assignment done; you don''t want to feel Mr. Minks''s wrath, do you?"


    "Oh shit yeah, you''re right! Unknown, hurry up, let''s get to Grava Forest now."


    "Right, let''s go!"


    Chapter 4 end

 Best Friends Forever

    Kage and Unknown arrive at Grava Forest and stand at the front gate, preparing to walk in, but see a suspicious sign that says stay out.


    "Unknown look at this sign that says "stay out."


    "Come on, Kage look at the sign; it doesn''t even have any type of official symbol to signal that it''s official. Grava Forest is an open place for anyone to go in, so someone like the police would put up a sign to keep people out. "


    "Yeah, you''re right, some dumb kid probably put this up as a prank."


    "Yep, so in that case, let''s go."


    "Wait, before we go, did you do the research for what we need to look for?"


    "Yeah, I know exactly what we''re looking for."


    Unknown pulls out a small notebook and shows a sketch of a small white flower.


    "Ok, Kage, this right here is called the Deande flower, which is a special flower that is said to increase life expectancy."


    "Oh, I see where your heads at! If you live longer, you have more time to reach level three."


    "Right, it''s the perfect physical object to present to Mr. Mink."


    "Ok, that''s that. It''s time to head in."


    Kage and Unknown head into Grava Forest to look for the Deande flower, but they don''t realize the impending danger they just put themselves in by taking a step into the forest.


    Deep into Grava Forest, a group of suspicious men have set up camp and seem to be led by a creepy, pale, scrawny man with long black hair dressed in white and wearing a red cloak with four curved blades on his waist. The creepy man who is sitting on a rock gets up and starts to brief his men.


    "Now men! Listen up, our operation here in the Grava Zone is almost done, and after it is, she will finally allow me into her more serious operations. Now men, don''t fuck this up because my promotion is riding on this."


    The creepy man walks into a tent and sees a cage full of scared and beat-up children from the ages of six to ten.


    "Hello, children, how are you holding up in this cage? Don''t worry, you will soon reach the boss, and your potential will be used in the way it should be," he says in a creepy tone and a chuckle.


    As the creepy man starts to laugh, one of the children reaches through the cage, grabs the creepy man''s cloak, and says in a weak voice,


    "Please, sir, I''m so hungry, and I miss my mommy. Can you please let me see my mommy?"


    The child starts to cry without any sign of stopping, and at the same time, the veins in the creepy man''s head start to pop out of his head.


    "Get your dirty fucking hands off of me, you snot-nose brat!"


    The creepy man takes out a curved blade and slices the child''s hand off.


    "Ahh!"


    As the child screams in pain, the creepy man becomes even more angry.


    "Would you shut the fuck up? This is why I hate children."


    The creepy man takes his curved blade and stabs the crying child in the face while twisting it at the same time. The creepy man pulls his blade out of the child''s face and gets blood all over the other scared children in the background. All the children in the cage start to cry and scream for their parents. As the children cry, the creepy man looks at them with a crazed expression.


    "Fine, the boss doesn''t need all of you, so I''ll do him a favor and cut this group in half!"


    Before the creepy man could make a move on the rest of the children, one of his men ran into the tent to report something.


    "Nest this is terrible!"


    "What the hell do you want? Don''t you see that I am busy dealing with these brats?"


    "Sorry to disturb you, but we have a problem."


    "What could possibly be the problem?"


    "Two kids who look like they go to Grava Academy have entered Grava Forest."


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    "What! Didn''t they see the sign?"


    "They seem to have seen past our ruse, sir."


    "Well, why the hell are you here? Go get them and kill them; we can''t have any problems, especially right now."


    "yes sir!"


    The underling leaves the room, and then Nest looks back at the children with a smile. Nest walks to the cage and opens it with his blade in hand.


    "Now to get back to what I was doing," he says menacingly.


    At the same time, on the other side of the forest, Kage and Unknown are looking everywhere for the Deande flower but can''t seem to find it.


    "We''ve been looking for hours; where is this thing?"


    "Kage, you''re overexaggerating; we''ve only been here for 25 minutes."


    "I know, but that''s what it feels like. Where the hell is this flower?"


    "The Deande flower is very rare; we could be here for a long time."


    "Of course, it just has to be rare."


    As Kage speaks, he notices, in the corner of his eye, a familiar crater.


    "Aye Unknown look over there; it''s that crater!"


    "Oh yeah, it''s the crater where we first met."


    "Yeah, the day we became best friends happened right here at this crater."


    "You know it''s really funny because if you never found me that day, I don''t think I would be alive today."


    Kage and Unknown start to reminisce about how they became best friends right here at this same location.


    About two years ago, a fourteen-year-old kage was practicing for the Grava Academy entrance exam in Grava Forest.


    "Ok, one more time."


    Kage glows, signaling the activation of level one, and as OGI flows through his body, he grits his teeth. His muscles start to bulge, and the glow coming from his body starts to slowly intensify.


    "Come on level two! Come on level two! I have to hit level two and be able to keep using it before the entrance exam, or making it in might be impossible."


    Kage powers down and is left exhausted after pushing his limits.


    "Damn, I really can''t do it again, can I?"


    As Kage slowly gets up, he hears a loud crash in the distance.


    "What the hell was that?"


    Kage rushes to where he heard the crash, and while Kage is running to the crater, he looks up and sees something disappear in the sky.


    "What the hell was that? It looked like a hole in the sky."


    Kage stops and sees a crater with a badly beaten fourteen-year-old Unknown lying knocked out at the bottom of it. Kage rushes down to the bottom of the crater with a worried expression.


    "Hey, are you ok?"


    Kage touches Unknown looks back at his hand and sees blood.


    "Oh shit! He''s bleeding badly; I need to get him to the hospital."


    Kage throws Unknown on his back and sprints to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, Kage tries to talk to Unknown, who is still unconscious.


    "Hey dude, I know you can''t hear me right now, but I will get you to that hospital. You will survive, so just hold on."


    As Kage runs to the hospital, a thunderstorm starts, which causes it to rain so intensely that it becomes hard to run.


    "What the hell? There wasn''t any sign of a thunderstorm earlier. Don''t worry, mystery person on my back, I will get you to that hospital."


    With sheer determination, Kage makes it to the hospital, even with the thunderstorm making it a struggle. Kage takes the injured Unkown to the emergency room and talks to the doctor.


    "Hey, doctor, this kid here is in really bad shape. Do you think you can help him?"


    "Of course, put him on the stretcher, and we will deal with him!"


    After Kage put Unknown on the stretcher, he sat in the waiting room the rest of the day and then slept in the waiting room the entire night until the doctor walked in to give him an update.


    "Good morning to you Kage. The boy you brought us has fully recovered and has woken up, but he seems to have no memory of who he is or where he came from."


    "There''s no way you''ve got to be joking."


    "I''m afraid not, but Kage I know this might be much to ask of you, but if you wouldn''t mind, could you take him home and take care of him for now?"


    "Well, it''s ok if it will help."


    Kage takes Unknown home with him and talks to him about who he is.


    "So you seriously have no memory of who you are or where you came from?"


    The confused Unknown stays silent to Kage''s question.


    "Hey, I''m talking to you after saving your life. Can''t you at least answer my question?"


    "I''m sorry, it''s just..."


    Unknown grabs his head in extreme confusion and anguish.


    "Who the hell am I? I know that I was someone before, but everything is so foggy."


    Unknown starts to pull his white hair and cry. Kage, seeing Unknown in such a state, sits down next to him and puts his hand on his back.


    "Hey listen I know it can be hard to not know who you are or where you came from, but you still have to keep calm. The world is a weird place, and everything might be weird for you, especially right now, but I will help you find out who you are, I promise."


    "Do you mean it?"


    "Of course, I''m a man of my word!"


    "Thank you, Kage, but why are you helping me?"


    "Oh, um, it''s just that I know how it feels to be completely vulnerable, weak, and feeling like your birth was a mistake and you''re being tortured because of it, but someone taught me that no matter how bad it gets, you should never question the worth of your life."


    "I know we haven''t known each other long, but I can tell you''re a good person, so I''ll trust you."


    "Perfect now to find you a name."


    "I already thought of a name; just call me Unknown."


    "What? "


    "The doctors called me unknown when they were talking about me. I''m guessing it''s because they don''t know my name, but I feel Unknown matches who I am currently, so I will use this name proudly."


    "Sounds good to me, but let''s get you some clothes."


    "Okay, but if we''re going to do that, can I get a mask to wear?"


    "Why?"


    "I don''t know why it''s the same as my name; it feels like it just matches me."


    Kage starts to laugh after hearing what Unknown says.


    "You know you''re pretty funny. I''m glad you''re here. So the doctors told me, you''re a level one OGI user; do you think you can help me master my level two?"


    "Well, Kage, since you saved me, it would be rude for me not to help."


    Kage and Unknown from that point on became not only best friends but also extreme rivals, and to this day they always have each other''s back.


    Kage''s and Unknown''s minds drift back to the present.


    "Wow, Unknown, we have grown a lot together."


    "Yeah, you''re right. I can''t believe all of that happened two years ago."


    "Well, as my best friend and rival, let''s complete this damn assignment and continue with finding level three together."


    "right!"


    Kage and Unknown fist bump each other energetically, but as they do, they suddenly get surrounded by many suspicious men who all have level one activated. Kage looks around while getting into a fighting stance.


    "Oh shit! We''re surrounded. Who the hell are these guys?"


    Chapter 5 end

 Battle In Grava Forest Part One

    One of the men surrounding Kage and Unknown starts to shout commands at them.


    "Hey, you two, leave this forest now before we make you leave!"


    As Kage and Unknown stand back to back, surrounded by multiple level one OGI users, they start to strategize on how to get out of their predicament.


    "Hey Kage, these guys are probably the ones that put up that sign at the front of the forest."


    "Really? What makes you think that?"


    "Did you hear what that guy said? He told us to leave the forest, even though Grava Forest is a free area. It''s obvious they''re hiding something in this forest."


    "I think you''re right. In that case, let''s split up; you go deeper into the forest, and I''ll stay here and fight all these guys here."


    "Yeah, good idea. I''ll go find out what''s going on in this forest."


    "You''re not even going to ask me if I can handle these guys on my own."


    "No, why would I? Can''t you handle these losers on your own?"


    "Ha, of course, these guys are light work for me; just get out of here, and I''ll make sure to clear a path.


    Kage activates level two and points his right fist at the many suspicious men standing in front of him, then grabs his right shoulder with his left hand and says silently,


    "Energy manipulation: energy shotgun"


    A shockwave of energy shoots out of Kage''s fist, blowing away the multiple men standing in his way.


    "Now, Unknown go! I cleared a path!"


    "Right!"


    Unknown activates level one and rushes through the path Kage has created for him to go deeper into the forest. As Unknown runs past the suspicious men, one of them screams, "Hey, where the hell do you think you''re go¨C?"


    Before the man could finish his sentence, Kage kicked the man in the back of the head.


    "Hey, if you want to get to him, you have to go through me!"


    Kage starts to send energy beams at every enemy but can''t seem to take them down in one shot.


    "Damn, it seems this will be harder than I thought. It''s time for me to get serious!"


    Unknown, now a far distance away from Kage''s battle, he starts to think to himself.


    "What the hell is going on in this forest? Those people seemed to want to hide something. Whatever it is, it can''t be any good, so I have to stop them."


    As Unknown runs through Grava Forest, he stumbles upon Nest''s camp. Unknown hides behind a tree and inspects the area.


    "So I''m guessing this is the camp of those guys I saw earlier, but I need to know what they''re doing."


    As Unknown scans the camp, he notices a heavily guarded tent in the middle of the camp.


    "That tent seems to have something important in it."


    Unknown leaves the tree he was hiding behind and sneaks into a bush next to two guards. While hiding in the bush, he overhears the two guards talking.


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    "Hey, did you hear there are intruders in the forest?"


    "Yeah, Nest is pissed."


    "When is he not pissed? The other day, all I did was nod off a little bit, and he pulled out his weird blades and tried to cut my throat."


    "Yeah, let''s just hope those kids don''t piss him off again, or it might get even worse for us."


    "Yeah, lucky for us, we''re leaving this forest tomorrow."


    Unkown, listening to this conversation, starts to think to himself.


    "So Nest is the leader of this camp, and did they just say, kids? Don''t tell me they''re talking about the kids that have gone missing all over the Grava Zone. Shit, this is worse than I thought."


    One of the guards near the bush walks away, and Unknown quickly jumps out of the bush. He rushes for the middle tent, and as he does, many guards jump in his way.


    "Hey, where the hell do you think you''re going? Are you one of the intruders?"


    "Maybe, who knows? But what I do know is that I need you to move out of my way."


    Unknown activates level one and starts to fight the guards one-on-one with a ferocious look in his eyes. As Unknown starts fighting his way through Nest''s camp, Kage on the other side of the forest is fighting a one-vs.-eight but seems to be having issues.


    "Ok, so you guys aren''t all bums. Even so, you all are going down here whether you like it or not," he screams with many brusies on his body.


    "Hey kid, instead of talking shit, you should put your money where your mouth is!"


    Kage takes a strong fighting stance and smirks.


    "Yeah, you''re right! I will put my money where my mouth is!"


    Kage plants his feet on the ground and grits his teeth.


    "Now let me show you my real power!"


    Kage throws out multiple balls of energy at all his opponents, and the energy balls explode on contact.


    "Energy manipulation: energy cutter!"


    Kage sends out multiple slices of energy at all eight opponents, leaving all of them on the ground in critical condition. Kage wipes sweat off his head and remarks, "Damn, fighting multiple people who are level one is kind of intense. Now it''s time to catch up with Unknown."


    Kage starts to run deeper into the forest to catch up with Unknown. Unknown on the other side of the forest is still fighting hard against many level one OGI users. While breathing heavily, he gets into a fighting stance.


    "I''m going to have to strategize my way out of this with so many enemies."


    Unknown starts to retreat into the forest behind him, and as he does, the guards chase him down.


    "Hey, you son of a bitch, get back here! Come on, men, we can''t let him get away, or Nest will have our heads!"


    The guards go into the trees and have completely lost track of Unknown.


    "Where the hell did he go? He was just here."


    "Ok, let''s split up and look for that bastard."


    "Right"


    The guards split up to search for Unknown. As the guards search, Unknown is up in the trees, ready to attack.


    "Now that those guards have split up and are alone, I can take them out one by one."


    Unknown jumps down from the tree and smashes each guard''s head into the tree one by one with great speed. Once he defeats the last guard, he lets out a breath of relief.


    "Only if I had level two, I could take these guys head-on. Kage probably took on all of those guys head-on with no fear of losing. He''s such a fucking idiot, but I''ve got to admit he''s one of the strongest people I know, so him being an idiot isn''t a problem."


    Unknown returns to Nest''s camp to finally get into the middle tent. As Unknown returns to Nest Camp, he thinks to himself.


    "Ok, I''m sure of it; that middle tent has the missing kids I saw on the news."


    Unknown makes it to the middle tent and opens it, only to be met with a shocking and bloody sight. He sees a cage full of scared children covered in the blood of the dead children next to them. He backs away from the cage and falls to the floor with a face full of shock. He then starts to tremble and, with a voice of disbelief, says, "What the hell is this? This can''t be real. Who in the world would be so fucked up in the head to do such a thing?"


    "Well, since you asked, I''ll tell you who did this; it was me, Nest, but you can just call me your worst nightmare!"


    As Unknown sits on the ground, still in disbelief, Nest appears behind him. Unknown jumps up and backs away from Nest in shock.


    "You son of a bitch, you did this. Do you have a fucking heart? These are children!"


    "Ha, so what if I did? What are you going to do about it?"


    Unknown activates level one full of rage and punches Nest out of the tent. The impact from Unknown''s punch sends Nest sliding on his back out of the tent.


    "Damn, that was a good punch. I see you''re pretty powerful, but I didn''t see any sign of you using the flex technique."


    "What the hell is a flex technique?


    "Oh, I see, so I''m guessing you don''t know what a level-one technique is; that''s perfect. I love when they make it easier on me."


    "I don''t know what the hell you''re on about, but I know that I have to beat you."


    "Well, if that''s what you think will happen, I''ll just show you why you''re wrong."


    Nest pulls out two curved blades and spins them in his hand at great speed.


    "Accelerate!"


    Nest suddenly disappears in the blink of an eye to Unknown''s surprise.


    "What the hell, where did that sick bastard go?"


    Chapter 6 end

 Battle in Grava forest part two

    Unknown, seeing Nest vanish right in front of his eyes, looks around in confusion. In confusion, he starts to think to himself.


    "Did he just disappear? I can sense that he only activated level one from the amount of OGI coming from his body, so there''s no way he''s using some type of power or ability. Ok, if he''s not using powers or abilities, then where the fuck did he go?"


    Nest appears behind Unknown and cuts him twice in the back. With blood spilling from his back, Unknown falls to the ground.


    "Ha, you damn fool, you thought you could just come into my camp and beat up my men and see the results of my operations and get away with it! I''ll skin you like a wild beast; now it''s time for you to die!"


    "It won''t be that easy, you bastard!"


    Unknown jumps up and kicks Nest in the face.


    Nest backs away from Unknown and once again disappears.


    "Fuck, he disappeared again. How the hell does he keep doing that? Wait, why am I starting to feel woozy?"


    Unknown starts to breathe heavily and turns pale.


    "Wait, are those blades posined tipped?"


    As Unknown sways side to side, Nest appears in front of him and stabs him in the shoulder.


    "Ahh!"


    Nest once again disappears, and Unknown falls to the ground.


    "Damn, I can''t take another attack like that. I can feel the poison flowing through my body. If I don''t move now, it might be over."


    Unknown grabs his wound and tries to run. The second he starts moving, Nest appears behind Unknown and says, "You can''t run from me, you fool; I''m a master of the accelerate technique. So running from me is pointless!"


    Nest attempts to slice Unknown''s head off, but Unknown turns around and catches Nest''s blade with his bare hands. He then grabs Nest by the collar and brings him closer. Nest quickly takes out a second blade and stabs him in the stomach, but despite that, Unknown hugs Nest tightly.


    "What the hell, you fucking freak, let go of me."


    Unknown starts to hug Nest even harder, pushing his limits to hold him down.


    "You''re not going anywhere, bastard!"


    As Unknown hugs Nest tightly, the poison takes effect, and he loses his grip on Nest. He falls to the ground, and Nest quickly backs away from Unknown.


    "You fool, the poison on my blade is made out of the guts of those vicious beasts in the Moro Zone, which is extremely effective on humans. My poison causes your body to weaken, and too much of my poison could kill you!"


    As Nest stands over Unknown, they both hear a voice from the forest.


    "Why don''t you just shut the hell up, you creepy weirdo?"


    Kage finally arrives at Nest''s camp and wastes no time. Kage quickly kicks Nest in the face to send him flying away from Unknown.


    "Are you alright, Unknown?


    "Yeah, I''m fine, but you know this isn''t an anime, right? Waiting until the last second to save a friend isn''t cool."


    "Ha, come on, Unknown, you know I wouldn''t do that to you. It''s just that I had a hard time finding this camp, but I''m here now, so let me know the situation.


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    "Right!"


    Unknown gets up off the ground, pulls Nest''s blade out of his stomach, and throws it on the floor.


    "That skinny bastard right there is the guy who''s been kidnapping kids with the potential to become OGI users, and not only that, but in the tent in the middle of this camp, he''s already killed half of the missing kids."


    "What? So this dude is just a sick bastardad!"


    "Haha, I see both of you two dumbasses have weak stomachs, which explains why you''re so stuck on me killing those kids."


    "Shut the hell up! I''m done listening to you speak! Come on, Unknown, let''s beat this guy down and get the rest of the children out of here."


    "Right, I''ve got your back, but we''ve got to watch out. This guy was babbling on earlier about something called a level-one technique called accelerate, and with that, he''s somehow able to move so fast it looks like he''s teleporting."


    "huh?"


    "Yeah, I was confused too, but while fighting him, I figured it out by hugging him tightly so I could better sense the flow of his OGI. While hugging him, I realized that when he activates level one, he focuses 85% of his OGI into his legs instead of letting it flow throughout his entire body like usual, causing him to be able to move way faster than usual."


    "Wow, that must take a lot of focus to do. Wait, Unknown, did you say it''s almost like he''s teleporting?"


    "Yeah, it sounds familiar, doesn''t it?"


    "Yeah, that must be how Mr.Mink gets around so fast."


    As Kage and Unknown speak, Nest vanishes, reappears behind them, and exclaims, "Good job! You figured it out, but what good will that do for you?"


    Nest pulls out two curved blades and attempts to cut down both Kage and Unknown.


    Kage and Unknown jump out of the way of his attack.


    "Kage, watch out; his blades are poison-tipped."


    "Right, in that case, don''t you think you should rest? You''ve already been stabbed a few times."


    "No, these stab wounds are nothing. Let''s just take this creep down!"


    Unknown rushes Nest head-on without hesitation, but then Nest vanishes and reappears behind him. Before Nest could make a move on Unknown, Kage hit Nest with three energy beams, causing him to fall to the ground. Nest once again disappears, which causes Kage and Unknown to start looking around but can''t seem to find Nest. Nest starts to run around Kage and Unknown so fast that it''s almost like they''re in a tornado.


    "Damn it, Unknown, he keeps using that accelerate technique."


    "I know, but I still have no idea how to deal with his speed."


    "Wait, I think I got it."


    "Really?"


    "To use that accelerate technique, he needs to run right, so knowing that I have a plan, just trust me. On my signal, jump up as high as you can."


    "Ok, I trust you; let''s do it."


    As Nest runs around Kage and Unknown, he screams, "I bet you regret not minding your business now!" Now you will die!"


    Nest stops running around them and goes in for an attack on Kage.


    "Unknown now!"


    "Right!"


    On Kages signal, Unknown jumps as high as he can. Now with Unknown in the air and Nest coming at him, Kage smirks.


    "Perfect! energy manipulation: energy cutter!"


    Kage sends out multiple energy slices in all directions. Nest gets hit by multiple energy slices and starts to bleed from his multiple cuts. Nest gets back up and remarks, "Oh, I see, that''s how you''re playing."


    As Nest speaks, Unknown comes down from the sky and slams his foot into Nest''s head.


    "Good job, Unknown; now let''s finish him so we can save those kids."


    "Shut the hell up! You damn kids think you can just walk in here and ruin my promotion! Fuck you, I''ll make sure both of you stop breathing."


    Nest gets up off the ground, full of rage, and starts screaming at the top of his lungs.


    "Burgus, get your ass out here right now!"


    Kage and Unknown look at each other in confusion.


    "Unknown Who the hell is Burgus? Is that another enemy?"


    "How am I supposed to know?"


    "Goddamn it, Burgus, didn''t I tell you to come out here and help me?"


    The ground suddenly starts to shake so hard that the two boys feet leave the ground for a moment. Kage and Unknown look over to see where the shaking is coming from. They look over and realize the shaking is coming from a tent on the far right side of the camp. The tent gets ripped open from the inside, and the person who comes out of the tent is a dark-skinned man made out of pure muscle at the height of 9''3 wearing giant clothing.


    Kage and Unknown look in shock as Burgus walks to Nest.


    "What the hell, he''s huge!"


    "Unknown, you''re telling me you didn''t notice this guy the entire time you were here."


    "No, I didn''t look in that tent. I''m guessing this is Nest''s secret weapon."


    "Haha, don''t be scared, children; this is just my best buddy Burgus, a master of the flex technique."


    "Shit another level one technique; watch out, Kage, this could get b¡ª"


    "Ahh-hha!"


    Before Unknown could finish his sentence, he got distracted by a loud yawn from Burgus.


    "I want blood!"


    "Oh, you do? Good Burgus! Now, Burgus, kill the one in the mask, and I''ll kill the one with the weird shirt."


    "Hey, my shirt is not weird. He''s the greatest artist of all ti¡ª!"


    Before Kage could finish his sentence, his face turned into shock as Burgus appeared in front of Unknown and kicked him so hard that he went flying deep into Grava Forest.


    "Unknown!"


    Chapter 7 end

 Battle in Grava forest part three

    Burgus''s kick sends Unknown flying extremely far and through multiple trees. Nest starts to laugh as Kage''s face turns to despair after seeing his friend get sent flying.


    "Haha, Burgus is strong, isn''t he? Burgus focuses on letting OGI flow through his muscles for not only more strength but also more durability. He''s pretty much a tank. I hope your friend that Burgus just sent flying doesn''t die too fast. It would be so sad if I wasn''t able to hear his screams! Now, Burgus, go finish him and make sure he suffers!"


    Burgus starts to walk towards where he kicked Unknown. Kage instantly jumps in the way of Burgus in an attempt to stop him.


    "Hey, you''re not going anywhere near Unknown!"


    "Sorry to tell you, but you''ll be fighting me!"


    Nest appears next to Kage and kicks him out of the way of Burgus.


    "Hey, you creep, move out of my damn way!"


    "You''ll have to kill me for that to happen."


    "Fine, since you asked, I will!"


    Kage activates level two and proceeds to rush at Nest with a ferocious look on his face.


    "Come on now, little boy; you should know by now that coming at me head-on won''t work since I''m a master of the accelerate technique."


    Nest disappears in the blink of an eye, then reappears behind Kage and lunges at him with his blade.


    "Die!"


    "It''s the same shit with you disappearing, reappearing, and attacking from behind!"


    Kage dodges Nest''s attack and puts his palm in Nest''s face.


    "You are nothing but a one-trick pony!"


    Kage''s palm starts to glow with green energy.


    "Oh, shit!"


    Nest vanishes with the accelerate technique in an attempt to run from Kage.


    "This entire time, all you''ve been doing is fucking running. Now I think it''s time for me to cut the distance!"


    As Kage specks, his legs start to glow, signaling OGI flowing through them.


    "Accelerate! "


    Kage, with great speed, rushes forward and grabs Nest''s face with his right hand.


    "But how?"


    "Energy manipulation: energy shot!"


    A concentrated force of energy releases from Kage''s palm and slams into Nest''s face. Nest falls to the ground and starts rolling on the ground in pain.


    "Ahh! Fuck! You son of a bitch!"


    "What the hell, how is he alive? My energy shot is a concentrated form of energy that can even tear apart steel. So how the hell is he still alive?"


    Nest stops rolling on the ground and gets up with his face bleeding all over and his right eye destroyed.


    "Didn''t I tell you earlier? That big boofoon burgus is a master of the flex technique. I might not be a master at it, but I can use it for a strong defense."


    Kage chuckles at Nest''s statement.


    "Yeah, your right you can use it for a strong defense. I''m sure your right eye would say the same thing," he says with a smug tone.


    "Shut the hell up! I only got these injuries because you randomly learned the accelerate technique."


    "random? Sorry to tell you, but I didn''t learn it. I just did what Unknown said you did to use the technique and ran forward because I knew you would just back away from me to get away. The only reason I was able to catch you was because of how predictable you are."


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    "Why, you little shit, I''m going to fucking kill you."


    Nest vanishes once again.


    "Ok, where are you going to go this time, creep?"


    A far distance away from Kage and Nest''s battle, Unknown is heavily injured and is struggling to get up after a kick from Burgus.


    "Damn it, I have to get up; that big thing is coming."


    Unknown looks up and sees Burgus getting closer to him.


    "Shit, he''s getting too close. I have to move!"


    After massive amounts of struggling Unknown finally gets up.


    "Ok, I think I can fight now, but this guy is huge, not to mention his strength. When he hit me, I could feel his flow of OGI going mostly to his muscles. I guess that explains why that kick was so strong."


    Burgus slowly throws a punch at Unknown.


    "What a slow punch."


    Unknown jumps out of the way of the punch but gets blown away by the impact of the punch hitting the ground.


    "Damn, that''s how it feels when he misses a punch. I don''t want to know how it feels when it makes contact."


    Unknown starts to run around Burgus, looking for an opening. Unknown jumps up and kicks Burgus in the chin, but when he does, Burgus screams something out.


    "Flex!"


    The muscles in Burgus''s chin fill up with OGI and completely bounce off Unkown''s attack. As Unknown hits the ground, he starts to think of himself.


    "Shit, so that flex technique can be used to attack and as a defense. I need to find a way to break through that defense and land an attack strong enough to take him out quickly."


    Unknown gets up and starts to run around Burgus''s huge body. He starts to attack Burgus from all sides, but seems to be doing no damage.


    "Nothing is working; if I had level two, maybe I could work something out, but there''s no point in complaining now!"


    "Do you always talk to yourself?"


    Burgus suddenly turns around and smacks Unknown, cracking his right arm and sending him flying. He then crashes and rolls onto the ground.


    "Ahh, fuck my arm. I think he completely shattered it. That strength is seriously a problem. I need to avoid getting hit by him."


    After getting up, Unknown tears the sleeve off of his shirt and wraps it around his shattered arm. Unknown gets into a strong fighting stance and screams for battle.


    "Raarr!"


    Unknown rushes at Burgus with a face of determination.


    "There are trees all around us; maybe just maybe I can use those to get enough power to knock him out, but I''m going to need that accelerate technique. I''ve never used it before, but there''s no time like the present."


    Unknown''s legs start to glow with OGI flowing through them, and he starts to pick up speed. He starts to move faster and faster.


    "Accelerate!"


    With great speed, Unknown starts to jump from tree to tree around Burgus, leaving him confused.


    "What the hell is this kid doing?"


    Unknown continues to jump from tree to tree while quickly increasing his speed with each jump. With him confused, Burgus starts to become frustrated.


    "So that''s how you want to play it, huh?"


    Burgus tries to snatch Unknown out of the air multiple times but misses every time.


    "Stop fucking moving, you damn fly!"


    "Oh, is that what you want? Fine, I''ll give you exactly what you want."


    Unknown bounces from one tree to another and launches himself at Burgus with great speed. While in the air, he starts to spin with great speed.


    "Take this, you big ugly bastard! I call this one Metor kick!"


    Unknown kicks Burgus in the jaw, completely breaking it and causing him to fall face-flat on the ground. Unknown stops spinning and lands on the ground, and when he lands on the ground, he starts gasping loudly.


    "I had to push my OGI capacity to the limit to pull that one off, but he''s finally down."


    Unknown falls to his knees in exhaustion.


    From behind Unknown, Burgus gets up and stands over him. With his jaw completely broken, Burgus lets out a huge yawn.


    "Of course he gets up after I put my all into that attack. I have no more OGI in the tank, and not only that, but I can still feel the effects of the poison from earlier. Shit, I might die!"


    Burgus lifts his arm, lets out another yawn, and falls to the ground on his side.


    "What the fuck? He got up, only to fall to the ground again. Whatever doesn''t bother me."


    Unknown Starts to cough aggressively.


    "Oh no, this looks bad. I''ve been fighting nonstop and getting a lot of injuries, and with me using up all the OGI I had left, I don''t think I ca¡ª"


    Before Unknown could finish his sentence, he fell to the ground, unconscious. As Unknown lies unconscious on the ground, Kage and Nest are fighting to end this battle in Grava Forest.


    Nest uses his accelerate technique to get next to Kage and stab him in the shoulder.


    "Haha, you''re not so smug now, are you?"


    "Damn, I got a little distracted, but that won''t be a problem."


    Kage kicks Nest and sends him into a tree. Kage wastes no time and rushes at Nest with a ferocious look in his eyes.


    "Rushing at me won''t do you any good anymore; I''m fully prepared for all your attacks."


    Nest vanishes, reappears behind Kage, and tries to cut him down. Kage ducks Nest''s attack and hits him with an uppercut.


    "You said you were prepared; what happened? Were you lying?"


    "Shut the hell up!" I don''t need your damn adlibs."


    Nest backs away from Kage and uses the accelerate technique to start running around Kage at top speeds.


    "You love running around, don''t you?"


    Nest starts running around Kage so fast that it causes the wind to become intense. Nest starts to speak while running around Kage.


    "Shut the hell up! I don''t care how I got to kill you, but you will die here, and I will get my promotion!"


    "What the hell? I can''t even see him anymore. Could he have done this the entire time?"


    "Oh, now you''re afraid? good! Because now you know you can''t win! Now it''s time to finish this!"


    Nest, at high speeds, starts to cut Kage from every angle without missing a beat.


    "Shit, his speed might be too much, but I''ve got to wait it out just a little more."


    Chapter 8 end

 The next generation

    Kage grits his teeth and plants his feet on the ground.


    "Attack me all you want; I won''t fall!"


    Nest continues to hit Kage with multiple cuts to the body.


    "Haha, you think you can just stand there? fine! I''ll make sure you suffer!


    Nest goes in for another attack on Kage, but Kage sees it coming.


    "Energy manipulation: energy barrier!"


    A barrier of energy forms around Kage, completely blocking off the Nest attack.


    "What the hell? You have a shield? Whatever it doesn''t matter with my speed, I should be able to put enough pressure on that shield until it breaks!"


    Nest starts to once again speed around Kage and cut the same spot on Kage''s barrier in an attempt to break it.


    As an intense fight goes down in Grava Forest, back at Grava Academy, Mr. Mink is having a very interesting conversation with two other teachers inside the teacher''s lounge.


    "So how was your first class after winter break?"


    Mrs.Iris, a slim, white woman standing at 5''6 with copper-red hair and an all-black suit, is the first to respond to Mr.Minks'' question.


    "Yes! It was amazing. My students are just the cutest things; I missed them so much!"


    The second person to respond to Mr.Minks'' question is a 6''1 tired-looking, beefy, dark-skinned man with an afro and a short beard who also wears an all-black suit. Everyone refers to him as Mr. Chad.


    "I mean"


    Mr.Chad starts to doze off as he speaks.


    "It was alright; my students are more tolerable, I guess."


    Mr.Chad takes a sip of his coffee and starts to doze off. As Mr.Chad dozes off, Mrs. Iris and Mr. Mink continue the conversation.


    "Well, Mr.Mink, speaking of classes, how are your students doing?"


    "Well, Mrs. Iris, considering that I have the top class and your class is second to mine, they''re doing pretty well."


    "Well, it seems your sense of humor hasn''t changed since the last time I saw you," she says with an agitated expression.


    "It wasn''t humor; it was me being 100% honest with you."


    "Oh, is that right? Don''t you have a meeting with Principal Nixion in like half a minute?"


    "Yeah, you''re right, but like I tell my students, I''m never late."


    Mr.Mink vanishes in the blink of an eye. Mrs.Iris looks behind her and sees the door left wide open.


    "That Mr.Mink is always showing off his mastered accelerate technique like we''ve never seen it before."


    Mrs.Iris slams her hand on the table to wake up the sleeping Mr.Chad.


    "Is it time for work already?"


    "Hehe, oh, Mr. Chad, you never fail to make me laugh."


    Mrs.Iris leaves the teacher''s lounge. After she leaves, the confused Mr.Chad says, "What the hell is up with her being so strange?"


    In another part of the school, at the very top, is the principal''s office. The principal''s office is the biggest room in the school and has one huge desk with multiple bookshelves on the sides of the room and a big window behind the desk and chair.


    The large desk is occupied by a serious-looking middle-aged man with a beige complexion and green hair who goes by the name Principal Nixion among staff and students. He is dressed in a green suit and glasses. After completing a piece of writing for the school, Principal Nixion glances up.


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    "He should be here in three, two, one."


    Principal Nixions door opens, and out of nowhere, Mr.Mink appears in front of his desk.


    "Never late; as usual, I see Mr. Mink."


    "You know it! So what did you want to talk to me about?"


    "I need to ask you about many things concerning this next generation."


    "Oh really? Well, ok, then go ahead and let me hear your concerns."


    "I don''t know if you have noticed, but ever since this school year started, I''ve been being watched."


    "Yeah, actually, I''ve been sensing watchful eyes, especially around you, but I didn''t know it''d been going on for that long."


    "Yes, and who knows, it could have been going on for longer, but I''m afraid that I''m not being watched for giggles. I''m sure of it; I''m being watched by someone or many, so then they can make sure I can''t do anything when needed."


    "Are you sure? What could happen in the future that someone would need you to be unable to do anything?"


    "I have theories, but for now I can''t say."


    "Oh well, if that''s the case, what do you need me to do?"


    "As the number one teacher in Grava Academy, I want you to put the best teacher other than you on guard duty."


    "Ok, I''ll put Mrs.Iris on guard duty; she has a great response time, so it should be a no-brainer."


    "Okay, great, now for the students."


    "huh?"


    "What do you think about them?"


    "Um, sorry, I don''t seem to understand your question," he says while gigling.


    "Mr.Mink You have the top class in the entire school, so I''m asking you to be honest. Do you think they have enough potential to achieve level three?"


    "Haha, so that''s what you''re asking. I should have figured Principal Nixon would ask such a serious question."


    "..."


    "Oh, right, to answer your question."


    The weather suddenly changes from sunny to stormy, and Mr.Mink''s face turns serious.


    "If any generation could discover the secrets to level three, it''s this one."


    "hmm? Why do you say so?"


    "In my years of teaching, I''ve seen many different situations, different personalities, and different reasons for people to do what they do, but this one, this generation we are teaching now, is the one. They have more drive in their eyes¡ªmore drive than any student I''ve taught before. Trust me, we will have many struggles, but that comes with any generation. All we have to do is watch over them; they will form their own path, and then one of them will reach the ultimate goal.


    "So what you''re saying is that with enough time, eventually one of them will discover level three."


    "Yes! I''m saying it now without a doubt that this generation will flip this world on its head," he screams happily.


    Back in Grava Forest, it has started raining. As it rains, Unknown, who is knocked out, starts to regain consciousness.


    "Ouch, my head hurts; it feels like it''s being stabbed by a million needles."


    Unknown stumbles his way back on his feet.


    It seems the poison is still taking effect. Ok, then, from the amount of noise I''m hearing in this forest, Kage must still be fighting. So in that case, I''ll go make myself useful and save those kids."


    Unknown gets up and runs to where Kage and Nest are fighting.


    As he runs to save the kidnapped kids, Kage and Nest continue their intense battle. Nest, at great speed, is continuously attacking the middle of Kage''s energy barrier, attempting to break it.


    "Come on now, creep! What''s wrong? You can''t break my barrier! How about you just give up?"


    While running so fast that Kage can''t see him, Neat responds.


    "Would you shut the hell up? Also, stop calling me creepy, damn it!"


    Nest slams his blade onto Kage''s energy barrier and leaves a small crack in it.


    "Haha, you fool, if you hit something hard enough, it has to break!"


    "Yeah, you''re right, but don''t get too cocky now."


    Nest once again slams his blade onto Kage''s energy barrier, completely destroying it. Nest, while standing in front of Kage, is breathing heavily and sweating aggressively."


    "Hehe, good. Now it''s time to die!"


    Nest tries to cut Kage''s head off, but Kage easily dodges it.


    "Hmm, it seems you''ve gotten slower, creep. Have you used too much of your OGI, or are you playing around?"


    "What, but how? I haven''t used that much OGI, and even then, I should still be quick enough to cut your head off."


    "Hehe, I see you haven''t noticed this entire time."


    "What the hell is your smug ass on about?"


    "It''s my ability "energy drain." This ability allows me to drain the energy of anyone who happens to be within my 20-meter radius. So that means this entire time you''ve been fighting me, you''ve been using double the energy while at the same time recharging my energy. Unknown loves to call this ability my X-factor."


    "You damn cheater! So this whole time, you''ve been letting me expend all my energy on that damn barrier so then you can finally keep up with my speed."


    "Boy, oh boy, thanks for stating the obvious creep."


    "My name is Nest!"


    Nest throws his blade at Kage, but Kage shoots it down with an energy beam. Nest rushes at Kage with a face full of rage.


    "Now that you''re low on energy, you''re throwing shit and going in head first. Tch, pathetic!"


    Kage dodges Nest''s attack and punches him in the face. Nest''s holds his nose as it bleeds.


    "Wipe your damn nose and listen up. You dare to come to this zone and kidnap children!"


    Kage walks up to Nest and punches him in the face, then continues to scream in anger.


    "And then you kill them while at the same time traumatizing the other children!"


    Kage once again punches Nest in the face.


    "You''re sick! You are the scum of the earth! Now I''m going to treat you like scum!"


    Kage jumps up into the air.


    "This attack right here will end it!"


    Kage curls up into a ball, and his body starts to excude a massive amount of energy.


    "This attack takes all of the excess energy I drained from you and releases it all at once!"


    Kage starts to glow, with green electricity coming off his body. Nest falls to the ground and starts to sweat aggressively.


    "Wait, please, we can talk about t¡ª"


    "Now energy manipulation: energy release!"


    Kage uncurls and releases a massive amount of energy that engulfs Nest and destroys the surrounding area."


    Chapter 9 end

 Pain and sorrow

    Kage''s attack causes dust to completely engulf the camp, and after the attack, he lands on the ground.


    "Ok, maybe that was too much; he did have no way to defend himself. Tch, nah, honestly, I didn''t hit him hard enough."


    The dust clears, and Kage sees Nest knocked out with many bruises and his head bleeding.


    "Oh, I see we''re sleeping now! I guess that accelrate technique didn''t help you much against me!"


    Kage sits down on the ground and takes his shirt off.


    "I think your poison is getting to me because why do I feel so sleepy?"


    Kage hears a familiar voice scream his name in the distance.


    "Kage!"


    Kage looks behind him and sees Unknown, with many injuries, running towards him, with the kidnapped children that were left alive following right behind him. Unknown makes it to where he is sitting, and both boys look at each other with tears in their eyes.


    "Bro, Unknown, you''re ok!"


    "Of course, man, my back hurts a little and the poison is making me dizzy, but I don''t care; I''m just happy you''re alive and well!"


    "Yeah, I''m feeling dizzy too, but first things first, we need to get these kids back to their families, where they belong."


    "Yeah, you''re right. So you already called the police, right?"


    "What I thought you called the police."


    "No, I thought you would have called the police, so I didn''t bother."


    "Why the hell would I call the police? Aren''t you supposed to be the smart one here? Plus, I was busy busting this creep''s ass."


    "Oh hell, nah, don''t try to use that as an excuse; I was fighting him first. Why didn''t you call the police after you beat up the guys that surrounded us before?"


    "Oh yeah, why didn''t you call the police after I cleared the way for you to get to this camp, huh?"


    "Oh, um, shoot, I don''t know."


    "Haha, I win. Now go ahead and make yourself useful and call the police."


    "Nah, screw that; I''ll never admit defeat. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot right now; whoever loses out of three has to call the police."


    "Fine then, but I''ll let you know I''m the rock, paper, scissors shoot champion!"


    Kage and Unknown get in a position to play rock, paper, scissors, and shoot, but then get interrupted by the six children that were left alive by Nest.


    "Um, tall people, can I please see my mommy?"


    The child starts crying, and then the other five kids start crying as well. Kage looks at the crying kids and looks back at Unknown.


    "Ok fine Unknown, I''ll call the police."


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    "Yeah, do it quickly before they start crying even louder."


    As the sun sets, Kage pulls out his phone and calls the police. About ten minutes later, many police cars pulled up to the front of Grava Forest. The policemen have Nest, Burgus, and his men in chains, escorting them all into cop cars. A white-skinned detective with shaggy brown hair wearing a brown suit and a long brown coat is having a conversation with Unknown and Kage.


    "So what you boys are saying is that Nest, who leads this shady group of men, kidnapped these kids, and you both fought them off."


    Both Kage and Unknown shake their heads up and down, confirming what the detective says. The detective pulls out his notebook and starts writing things down.


    "Ok, and I need to confirm one more thing with the one with the mask."


    "Me?"


    "You said that Nest was talking about getting a promotion for kidnapping these kids. So now that I know that, I need you to answer this question. Do you know who ordered him to kidnap these children?"


    "Sorry, sir, I have no idea. All he said was "the boss"; he could have been talking about anyone. Do you know Kage?"


    Kage shakes his head sideways. The detective puts up his notebook and looks up at the sky.


    "Fuck! I thought this time for sure! Whatever, back to square one."


    Kage and Unknown look at each other in confusion.


    "So, sir, do you have any idea what''s going on?" Unknown asks.


    The detective takes notice of Unknown.


    "Well, I''m asking because, from your reaction, it sounds like you know more than we do."


    "Oh, sorry, kid. I didn''t mean for you to see that you shouldn''t worry about it; there''s nothing for you to worry about. But for you two, do I need to call up a hospital? You both have multiple injuries, and didn''t you say that Nest guy had poison? If you let that sit for too long, it could become deadly."


    "Nah, don''t even worry about it! Kage has already called someone for our injuries; he''s on his way now."


    "What the hell are you talking about? You were supposed to call him!"


    "Bro, what the fuck are you on? You called the police, and after you got off the phone, I told you to call him."


    "Dude, calm down; I''m kidding. Of course, I called him, and you watched me do it."


    "Oh right, I did watch you make the phone call."


    The detective, while watching Kage and Unknown go back and forth, shakes his head in dismay.


    "You two kids were made for each other. I can''t believe you two, not only single-handedly beat down two strong level-one OGI users, but you also helped us solve a case that''s been a mystery for many months. That''s pretty impressive, but I guess that''s what you expect from kids that go to Grava Academy."


    Kage and Unknown smile proudly as Luthor speaks of them.


    "Ok, wait one more thing. You all are police, right?" Unknown ask.


    "Well, when it comes to me, more or less."


    "Ok, so how the hell did you not check Grava Forest for those kids? If you all searched better, maybe those kids would still be alive!"


    "Hey, kid, don''t you think I know that? For your information, we did check Grava Forest; we checked it multiple times but never once found the camp you found."


    Kage and Unknown''s faces turn to shock.


    "What the hell how?"


    "I know it''s hard to believe, but just look at this, and you will understand."


    The detective pulls out a strange, round brown capsule and shows it to Kage and Unknown. Both of them look at the strange object in confusion.


    "What the hell is that?" Kage asks.


    "Of course, kids like you wouldn''t know about this object. This right here is a high-tech miragerator! I found this piece of high-tech in the camp Nest and his men made in Grava Forest."


    "What a stupid name!"


    "Hey, I didn''t name it; some rich guy named it, but back on point, this piece of tech is a powerful one; it can make an area look like something completely different. For example, I believe Nest and his men used this device to make their camp blend in with the rest of Grava Forest, and if my theory is right, then that means every time we searched for them in Grava Forest, they were using this miragerator to hide from us."


    Kage and Unknown look in awe as the detective speaks. Unknown now, knowing this information, ask the detective a question.


    "Ok, if they had this thing the whole time, what was the need for that fake sign and them attacking us?"


    "It''s simple; I''ll show you."


    The detective shows the boys a crack on the back of the capsule.


    "You see, the capsule has been broken, so I''m guessing Nest had to make adjustments."


    "Wow, so we just got lucky?"


    "Yeah, it''s kind of crazy when you think about it."


    "It is crazy, but all I want to know is how a guy like Nest got his hands on this type of tech," the detective says with a suspicious tone.


    As the detective, Kage, and Unknown are brainstorming to get a clearer picture of this whole case, they all hear a scream coming from the area where the police cars are sitting.


    "No! You''re lying; this isn''t my baby."


    The group looks over at the situation and sees a stressed old woman on her knees, crying over one of the children Nest killed.


    "Hey, Unknown I know I don''t have the best memory, but isn''t that the same lady we saw on TV at the gas station? The one who threw a big fit over her child going missing."


    "Wait a minute, Kage; you''re right, that is the same woman, but it doesn''t seem her child is missing anymore."


    The detective runs to the police officer standing next to the frail woman.


    "Hey, what the hell is going on? Why is that woman here?"


    "Sorry, sir, I don''t know how she got in here; somehow she made it past security."


    "So you''re the boss around here?"


    "Um, yes, ma''am, I am, and if you don''t mind, could you please leave the premises?"


    "Please, sir, tell me this isn''t real. This child in my hands can''t be mine; it has to be fake."


    With the dead child in her hands, the frail woman starts to burst into tears. She then drops the dead child on the ground and grabs the detective by his coat.


    "Tell me right now! That''s not my child!"


    The detective looks away from the frail woman in shame and regret. The detective takes the frail woman''s hands off his coat.


    "I''m sorry; it''s our fault we couldn''t get to them fast enough, and I''m afraid that the lifeless body you were just holding is your real child!"


    "No, no, no, you''re wrong; he''s still alive; he''s still out there waiting for me."


    The detective''s face becomes filled with guilt.


    "No, that''s your child, and he''s dead, and he''s never coming back!"


    The frail woman falls to her knees with a face full of shock, and the detective takes a seat on the ground in front of the woman.


    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry; even with our best efforts, your child was lost."


    "I don''t want to hear your apologizes; it won''t bring him back, and now that he''s gone, I must find him a different way."


    "huh?? "


    The frail woman pulls out a knife, and the detective jumps up as quickly as he can, but he''s not fast enough. The frail woman, with great speed, cuts her throat.


    Chapter 10 end