In the dunes of the wastelands, on another blistering day under the relentless sun, Hennah drove the car once more.

  "HENNAH!!!" both Jug and Ying shouted in unison.

  Up front, Ming was sleeping peacefully, and Myke—calm as ever—held onto the trunk while giving directions.

  “On the left,” he said evenly.

  Without warning, Hennah yanked the wheel left with violent force, nearly sending Ying and Jug airborne.

  “CAN YOU CHILDREN CALM DOWN?! MAMA’S DRIVING!!” Hennah shouted.

  “YOU’RE NOT EVEN DRIVING PROPERLY, PINK HAIR!!”

  “OH, I HAVE A LICENSE, THOUGH!!”

  “YOU CAN’T JUST CLAIM THAT!!” Jug snapped.

  Then, Hennah flashed a “license”—crudely drawn, filled with childish doodles.

  “THAT’S NOT OFFICIAL FOR FUCK’S SAKE!!”

  “IT IS TO ME!!” she laughed maniacally. “AM I READY, LYO?!”

  “Proceed,” Myke answered, dry as desert stone.

  But just as Hennah opened her mouth to chant, a dark aura suddenly wrapped around it—muffling her voice completely. She struggled, unable to scream or speak.

  Jug noticed something approaching fast from behind. Another car.

  “HEY, VALIRION DICK SACKS!!” Sonnie shouted from the Jashash vehicle, laughing wildly.

  Myke glanced over calmly, his eyes falling on AyLex—who was bouncing around with Kana in his lap, playing some twisted couple game.

  “Myke…” AyLex called out mockingly. “Let go of Ying.”

  Grug, at the wheel, glanced nervously. “Please, Ying! You’ve gotta get over it! Your team’s the worst of the worst!”

  Ying froze. Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came. She didn’t know how to respond.

  Suddenly, out of the blue, gunshot rang out. Ming, eyes still half-lidded, had shot at their tires. Dhark, who had been perched atop the Jashash car, lost balance and tumbled off.

  A moment later, Hennah gasped. The aura vanished. “FUCK YOU—oh… I can speak again.”

  “HENNAH!!” Myke yelled.

  “YAGNA SELTA!!” she roared.

  A portal ripped open—and the Valirion car vanished into it.

  Behind them, Kana pouted. “Aww… I thought it’d be much hotter with them next to us, hubby.”

  AyLex kissed her neck and whispered, “Well, it'll be better in Geil.”

  “DRIVE PROPERLY, GRUG!!” Sonnie snapped, slapping his shoulder.

  In Tala—where it all began as the Gladiator’s Arena—the entire town of Fala brimmed with banners, fanfare, and people gathered from across the region to witness legendary battles. This wasn’t just a battleground—it was history in motion.

  And when the echoes from afar thundered, the civilians knew who was coming.

  Valirion.

  “YAGNA SELTA!!”

  A car exploded through a portal, flew above the rooftops—and landed perfectly on its wheels.

  The crowd erupted in applause.

  Hennah immediately climbed onto the roof of the car, striking a dramatic pose. “Thank you! Thank you!” she bowed dramatically. “You’ll get my autograph soon!”

  “Not now, Hennah,” Ming muttered as she stepped out, stretching her stiff limbs, still half-asleep.

  Jug stumbled out next, immediately vomiting everything inside him. Ying followed close behind, holding her stomach.

  “I think Myke should drive next time,” Jug groaned.

  Finally, Myke stepped out of the car, eyes drawn toward the towering coliseum before them—Geil Arena, with banners and flags billowing in the desert wind.

  “Ying. As usual,” Ming said calmly.

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  Ying nodded… while vomiting.

  As they walked toward the tavern, Myke paused. “Go ahead without me. I need to find someone.”

  Minutes later, the team arrived at Tala’s infamous tavern—loud, smoky, and full of old gladiator energy.

  “This has gotta be the best place for me to sleep!” Hennah cheered, clapping her hands.

  “Oh no you don’t!” Jug barked, dragging her away by the arm. “Groceries. Now.”

  “MING, HELP ME!!!”

  “Get me some Shein too,” Ying added, still recovering.

  As they hauled her off, Hennah screamed, "Y'all ain't helpin', fuck you all!!", flailing like a child mid-tantrum.

  In the middle of Fala, Myke walked alone into a cold alleyway, dragging his hand along the dusty stone walls. When he reached the heavy metal door, without hesitation, he pushed it open.

  The stench of rot hit him—stale air, forgotten blood, rusted chains. He descended the stairs slowly, one step at a time. The room below was stained with old blood, the walls lined with chains left untouched for what felt like centuries—only God could tell how long.

  He knelt down, placed a hand on one of the rusted chains, and rested his forehead on the cold iron. He whispered—

  “Mena Telka.”

  A shimmer of cherry-blossom sparks bloomed from the chains. Soft, delicate. He unlatched them from the wall, replacing his own with these—Mya’s chains—the ones she once wore in battle.

  Each turn of the links around his arms sparked a vision. He gritted through it. The past showed him no mercy.

  “Myke... Myke...”

  The echo of her voice. Still haunting.

  He endured it. As always.

  That night, years ago—after Mya disappeared—Myke and Ming had searched for months. Their arena rank had dropped. They missed matches. But they never stopped.

  Jug, Hennah, and Shorin—the team’s Vanguard at the time—joined them in the search.

  Exhausted after hours of searching, they sat beneath a flickering lamp near the arena quarter.

  “Hey, when’s the next match?” Shorin muttered.

  “No idea, man. Not until Myke finds her,” Jug said, voice dry.

  “One... two... three... four…” Hennah whispered.

  “What are you doing?” Jug asked.

  “Shut up, Juggy boy. I’m counting.”

  Then suddenly—she stopped.

  Her eyes narrowed. She turned her head slightly. She sensed something.

  “GUYS—FOLLOW ME!” she yelled, shooting to her feet.

  “What the hell now!?” Shorin and Jug groaned in sync.

  “JUST MOVE, GOONERS!!”

  They ran through back alleys, between rusted walls and broken roads, until they found a sealed metal door.

  “This could be it,” Hennah said, breath sharp. “CRANK IT DOWN, JUGGY BOY!!”

  Jug didn’t hesitate. One punch, and the door collapsed inward.

  Lights flickered on. Still working.

  “MYKE—!” Hennah shouted.

  They ran down the stairs.

  And there… kneeling… bloodied, bruised, clothes ripped, spear broken, hair chopped—

  Mya.

  Numb. Barely breathing. Her body trembling in silence.

  Myke ran to her, knees crashing to the stone floor. “Mya?! MYA?!”

  Her eyes fluttered. Her lips moved.

  A soft, fragile smile. A breath.

  “Myke… Myke… Y-Yarh…”

  Her final words.

  Then her forehead rested against his. Nose to nose. A silent goodbye.

  Jug said nothing. Ming stood frozen. Shorin clenched his jaw.

  Hennah dropped beside them and screamed. “MYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

  Tears poured freely.

  “I’m sorry,” Myke whispered. “I’m a bit late... from recruiting…”

  His voice cracked, but he stayed calm. Barely. A single tear ran down.

  Now, in this same room, years later… he stood again.

  His arms wrapped in her chains. The final memory of her.

  He whispered—“Stay with me… one last time… my Rose.”

  Then he turned. And left the darkness behind.

  From afar, AyLex stood, watching as Myke emerged from the room.

  “Paying a visit, Myke?” he called out, his voice dripping with mockery.

  Myke didn’t even glance at him. He stood there, still, as if AyLex’s presence didn’t even matter.

  “Ooo, did she give you the chains? How lovely of her,” AyLex chuckled. He walked toward Myke with slow, deliberate steps.

  “You know, that time... you never wanted me to be the leader—not even once. But I left, and you insisted I stay. Why? Because of your Mya,” he said with a mocking smirk.

  Myke’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing.

  AyLex moved closer, his voice dropping to a taunting whisper. “You should’ve stood by me, Myke. We could’ve been tag teams, right?” He paused, his breath close to Myke’s ear.

  “But you listened to Mya, and your precious Rose fell miles behind.”

  Myke finally turned to face him, his eyes icy. “You killed her.”

  AyLex’s smirk only widened. “Oh no... you don’t get it. I cleaned the vermin off your team. But...” he continued with a hint of satisfaction in his voice, “it’s too late. Gholsha left because he knew... your team isn’t what it was anymore. And now... Ying. She’ll be the next vermin.” He paused, enjoying the words as they sunk in. “So... sell her to me.”

  The words hung in the air, thick with menace. Myke stood motionless for a long moment.

  Then, with quiet certainty, he spoke, his voice cold and unwavering. “I don’t sell my team. Not even to you.”

  AyLex chuckled darkly, shaking his head. “In Geil...” he whispered, “Amen.”

  As Myke walked away, AyLex’s figure lingered in the shadows, his smirk never fading.

  At the training area, as Ming and Ying finished their final spar before the match, Ying panting with exhaustion. She laid on the ground while trying to cooldown. "I'm going to settle something with those two hooligans there," Ming said as she goes to Hennah and Jug.

  "Yeah...yeah sure..." Ying said.

  Minutes later, she stands up, picks up her spear and train alone. She tries to memorized her moves, chants and swings. Jumping over with a spear, glitch clones and swirls and flurry attacks. Suddenly, an echo in her ears. "Ying...Hesky..." it said, making Ying stunned and fell mid-air.

  "Ouch! Who said that?" Ying confused. "Hennah!"

  "WHAT?!"

  "Did you call me?"

  "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, RED HAIR?!"

  "Nevermind," Ying still confused. But she ignore it once, and continues her training. After that, the echo comes in again.

  "Too tight, my lovely cinders," and Ying stunned again.

  "Who...s-s-s-said t-t-that?!" she trembled. She look everywhere and soon she found a woman with a white armor approach her. She also brought a similar spear with Ying, but with rose emblems and a banner-like on the top below it's blade. Her calm face yet warm and sweet as if she's not just a warrior, more than an angel.

  "Hold your spear like you hold the flowers," she said with a smile.

  "Why?"

  "Too much grip will feel hesitation. Too soft will feel vulnerable. Balance it."

  Soon, as she follows the woman's instruction, she swings the spear, and finally, her Dancing Cinders' is improving, and she didn't feel awkward to swing it creatively. "Woah...it works," As she wanna say thanks to the woman, she disappeared. "Oh? Huh. Who's that?"

  Then the echo rings. "Protect...my... Rose...Yingli Hesky," it says with soft tone. And it doesn't comes again.

  "Yo! Red hair! Look at this!" Hennah shout. As Ying turn around, Jug is above the air.

  "What the..."

  "STOP MAKING ME FLY, BITCH!!! I'M NOT A BIRD!!!"

  "FLY MY FAT PIGEOOOON!!!"