The next day arrived faster than Ethan expected.
One moment he was nervously flipping through their strategy notes, and the next—he was standing in front of Simulation Lab C, staring at those heavy chrome doors with way too many thoughts buzzing around his head.
Alright, here's the moment.
The first real match.
Team "Scrap Reclaimers" versus the Red Class elite.
No do-overs. No simulations.
Just the real deal, synced in real time with full realm integration.
His hands felt sweaty and clammy.
Behind him, Jasper couldn't stop bouncing on his heels. "Hey, do you think there's, like, a prize for Most Underdog Victory?"
"Probably a medal made from our exploded self-esteem," Ethan muttered with a half-smile.
Iris walked up last, calm as always, even sipping a plain black coffee like she wasn't about to enter a mental death match. She glanced at them both and raised an eyebrow.
"Are you two ready, or do you need another panic lap around the hallway?"
Ethan exhaled deep. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's do this."
Even if deep down he wasn't all the way ready. Gotta pretend I am—that's kind of halfway to feeling real, right?
They walked into the lab together.
And yup, it was colder inside—sterile, clinical.
Rows of simulation pods lined the room, each with a headset, a bio-harness, and a glowing nameplate floating above.
A technician greeted them at the front console. "Scrap Reclaimers? Pods 5 through 7. Please lie down, sync in, and stay relaxed. Match kicks off in four minutes. Remember, communication is mental in the Shared Interface—your minds will sync once the realm loads."
"Let's go."
Ethan climbed into his pod and tried not to think about how much it looked like a futuristic coffin. The lid hissed shut followed by darkness.
Then light.
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[Synching Realm Interface… Initializing Shared Projection… Verifying Cards and Loadout…]
[Entering: UR-Collapse-013]
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And suddenly, Ethan was falling.
Not really.
But it sure felt that way.
He blinked, and the world around him spun into focus.
The Shared Arena was a broken cityscape—cracked concrete highways, leaning buildings with shattered windows, and rusted train tracks winding between smoke-filled alleys. Somewhere in the distance, an abandoned dome flickered with faint light—possibly a control point.
Ethan landed on a crumbling rooftop with a soft thud, but his feet made no real sound.
He looked down.
His avatar still looked like him… but sharper, and more focused. His clothes shimmered with faint green veins—an energy sign of his realm's root.
Okay, this is new. And kind of creepy. But also pretty cool.
He heard two soft blips and turned around.
Iris stood nearby, glowing with white-blue data orbiting her sleek armor. Jasper was last to arrive, his whole left arm replaced by a rusted, oversized mechanical gauntlet.
"Yo," Jasper said, flexing the gauntlet. "This thing feels like it could punch through a planet."
"Don't try that," Iris said calmly. "Just focus."
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[Scrap Reclaimers - Synced | Realm Link Stability: 92%]
[Objective: Capture the Core Node and Prevent Realm Collapse for 10 Minutes
Opponent: Crimson Rift
Realm Class: Volcanic Pressure
Preparing Entry...]
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A low rumble echoed through the cityscape.
Far across the arena, glowing lava began to leak from the cracks in the earth.
The enemy team had arrived.
"Positions?" Ethan asked, already scanning the rooftops.
"Jasper's at front and center, distracting and pressuring the opponent." Iris said. " I'll move mid and act as relay. Ethan, you keep rear and support—guard our node. If it starts to flicker, reroute the energy."
"Got it," Ethan nodded. "Root lines are tied to the decay spots—if I can stabilize two out of five, we should be able to hold the node for longer."
Jasper cracked his knuckles. "Time to wreck 'em."
They split up quickly—Jasper rushing down a stairwell with energy and enthusiasm, Iris taking the bridge toward the center, and Ethan climbing onto a nearby collapsed billboard to get a view of the battlefield.
The wind whistled through the arena, carrying ash and burning bits of concrete as the Crimson Rift team made their entrance.
Three glowing figures emerged from the lava fissures: Bryce Maddox leading them, his body cloaked in burning obsidian armor, with flaming wings stretching behind him. His teammates wore lighter variants—one wielded a magma spear, the other hurled miniature suns with every flick of her fingers.
Ethan's throat tightened.
This is real. They're coming right at us. And we're supposed to win?
A voice echoed in his mind—Jasper's.
[Hey Ethan. How's your roots doing today?]
Ethan focused.
[Yeah, I think I've got the anchor points set, but the node connection's pretty faint.]
[Boost it if you can. Iris just flanked their side path, and we've only got twenty seconds left.]
Suddenly, a loud warning blared through:
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[Enemy Offensive Detected – Midline Breach in 5 Seconds]
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And right on cue, Bryce sprang into action.
His flame-wings burst open and he launched himself toward the center like a missile.
"IRIS, DOWN!" Ethan shouted aloud.
There was a flash of light.
Then, an explosion.
The blast sent a shockwave through the broken city.
Ethan's ears were ringing, and a wave of heat rushed up the broken tower he was perched on. Through the smoky haze, he saw Iris skid across the debris, barely catching herself with a quick burst of light from her projection lines.
Phew, she's still hanging in there—that was way too close.
In the distance, Bryce hovered midair, still wrapped in flames, arms outstretched like he was inviting the entire battlefield to bow.
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[Status: Iris – Light Shields at 32% | Midline Holding: Unstable]
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Jasper's mental voice buzzed through the link.
[I'm gonna punch him. Like, really hard. Give me five seconds.]
"No, wait—!" Before Ethan could shout. From an alley, Jasper launched upward with a war cry that sounded more of a joy than strategy. His gauntlet arm surged forward—powered by some leftover realm energy Ethan had diverted earlier.
The punch connected, and—whoa—the air cracked like thunder.
Bryce spun midair, caught off guard, and slammed backward into a floating train car that had been frozen mid-derail in this weird simulation.
Cheers erupted from the students watching—those who thought they'd see a quick loss were suddenly glued to their seats. But it's not over yet.
Bryce recovered in seconds, flames coiling tighter around him.
And now… man, he was mad.
"Alright," Ethan whispered to himself, watching smoke curl from every corner. "This is getting out of hand."
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[Status: Node Stability – 41% | Root Energy Fluctuating]
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Then it happened.
The ground beneath him shivered.
And a soft green light flickered in the cracks between tiles.
Wait, what? That's not part of the plan. That's—
Ethan dropped to one knee, palm on the ground, sensing something beneath the surface, something ancient awakening.
A whisper, like wind through dry leaves, rustled in the back of his mind.
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[Anomaly Detected – Rootheart Subsystem Reactivated]
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"What does that even mean?"
He didn't have time to ask.
All at once, a surge of realm energy burst from the cracked tiles, spreading like a pulse. Vines and twisted branches—half-alive, half-rotted—erupted from below, wrapping around the nearby pillars and forming a barrier around their node.
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[ALERT: Defensive Mutation – Root Warding Activated | Duration: Unknown]
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Iris's voice zipped through the mental link.
[Ethan! Was that you? That's… not in the notes.]
[Not planned! Not expected! I think my realm just did something on its own!]
Jasper whooped.
[Are you telling me your dumpster garden just leveled up mid-fight? Fuck!]
Ethan wasn't smiling.
Because this definitely didn't feel like a "level-up."
It felt more like his realm had opened its eye—and was now watching, from somewhere deeper.
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[Update: Core Node Protected | Opponent Movement Halted]
[Temporary Advantage Gained – Use Time Wisely]
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"Okay," Ethan muttered. "We've got a window here."
He glanced over the edge of the ruined rooftop to see Bryce's team regrouping, clearly thrown off by the barrier vines. Iris had already slipped behind a train wreck to set up a pincer.
Jasper's ready with his crackling gauntlet, waiting for the signal.
Use what the realm gives you.
Work with it. Even if it feels weird.
Ethan closed his eyes again and focused.
Come on, Rootheart—show me what you've got.
Something answered him.
Something responded—not quite a voice but a tug, like muscles stretching underground.
He reached out mentally and wrapped a small node thread around the broken billboard nearby, bending its metal frame into a sharp makeshift antenna. Sparks flew, and it snapped into place.
The roots around him glowed.
Then... the vines moved.
They began growing toward the sky, like an antenna, connecting together.
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[Realm Development Feature: Passive Adaptation - Triggered]
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Oh. Ohhh. Okay. That's either brilliant or cursed. Possibly both.
Jasper's voice cut in. [They're flanking left! Iris's side! What do we do?]
"Hold them off," Ethan said, standing. "I've got a surprise ready."
As the Crimson Rift team lunged forward to break the barrier, a pulse of green energy surged from the antenna Ethan had manipulated, causing the entire area to tremble.
And from the muck rose a towering vine-beast—its limbs made from rusted iron and twisted plant matter, eyes faintly glowing in a cracked metallic skull. It roared, filling the arena with its terrible cry.
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[Realm Anomaly: Root Construct - "Mirewarden" Spawned]
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[UNREGISTERED ENTITY DETECTED]
Name: Mirewarden
Origin: Polluted Wetlands (Variant Mutation)
Class: Unknown
Traits:
- Swamp walkers: Natural movement in contaminated terrain.
- Root Pulse: Supports Saplingkin with regenerative nutrients.
- Toxic Sludge Aura: Mildly corrodes invaders over time.
Personality: Semi-Sentient | Alignment: Realm-Bound
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Everyone in the simulation froze.
Even Bryce.
Iris, hidden across the arena, chuckled in shock.
[You summoned a boss monster from compost?]
Jasper was howling with laughter.
[This is the best day of my life.]
Ethan just stared at the Mirewarden.
Surprisingly, it didn't attack them.
Instead, it slowly turned around to face the Crimson Rift team, its huge arms sprawling out as if to guard the cracked, decayed node.
This isn't just a power-up. This felt like a message.
My realm… it's fighting to survive.
And with that in mind, Ethan squeezed the mental link a little tighter.
"Let's win this," he said with quiet determination.