THE FIRST BATTLE

“Kane-san! Mathew-san! Wake up!” Aldine’s urgent voice pulled Kane from his sleep, her hand shaking him gently. Groggily, he blinked open his eyes, still trapped in the remnants of a dream.

“Morning already?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.

“Yes, and we’ve got to move!” Aldine urged, her expression tense with the importance of their mission.

Yawning, Kane grabbed his side bag, tying it securely around his waist. “Alright, I’m ready.”

They hurried through the forest, the coolness of the early morning air slowly giving way to the warmth of the rising sun. As they reached the edge of the trees, Kane was met with the sight of a vast, open grassland. The land stretched as far as he could see, a sea of vibrant green grass peppered with patches of pink and purple wildflowers swaying in the gentle breeze.

Kane stared for a moment, taking in the beauty. “So... what do we do now?”

“We need to find you more Sciros,” Aldine replied, already scanning the horizon for any signs of life.

“Sciros? I don’t even have one yet.”

Aldine raised an eyebrow. “Of course you do. Check your spellbook.”

With a shrug, Kane reached into his bag and pulled out the spellbook he had barely touched since arriving in this strange, magical world. As he flipped through the pages, a small card slipped out and fluttered to the ground. He picked it up, staring at the strange markings.

“What’s this?”

Aldine leaned in. “That’s your Sciro card. Which Sciro is it?”

Kane studied the card, his brow furrowing. “It says… ‘Reche’? And there’s a picture of a rabbit.”

Aldine’s eyes widened with excitement. “Reche! That’s a great one. I don’t remember what kind of dragon Reche transforms into, but he’s a fantastic start.”

“Dragons?” Kane scratched his head. “Wait, what exactly does Reche do?”

“It should say on the card.”

Kane glanced down again, reading aloud. “‘Reche. Flies with long ears.’ That’s… it?”

Aldine chuckled softly. “Reche’s abilities will grow as you unlock your own magic. The stronger you get, the more powerful your Sciro becomes.”

Kane frowned, feeling the weight of the task before him. “Right… magic. I don’t even know what mine is.”

Aldine gave him an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. Let’s start by finding you an opponent.”

Kane followed her across the sweltering grasslands. The heat was oppressive, the sun beating down relentlessly from a cloudless sky. The grass beneath their feet crunched dryly, and even the wind carried a warm edge, offering little relief.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Kane sighed. “Where are these opponents, anyway? We need to find someone soon, or I’ll never be able to get into the city.”

Aldine scanned the horizon, her gaze sharp. “We’ll find someone. Keep walking.”

After what felt like hours under the merciless sun, Aldine suddenly crouched down, motioning for Kane to follow suit. “Look over there.”

Through the tall grass, Kane could just make out the figure of a young boy, standing alone in the distance. His heart quickened.

“Okay, so... what do I do?” Kane whispered nervously.

“Pull out your Sciro card and activate Reche,” Aldine instructed.

With shaky hands, Kane removed the card from his bag and flapped it in the air like a fan. A small burst of light appeared beside him, materializing into a fluffy white rabbit with oversized, droopy ears and soft pink cheeks.

“Whoa… so that’s Reche?” Kane whispered, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Yeah, now let’s see what he can do,” Aldine whispered back.

“Alright,” Kane muttered, glancing between the boy and his small, adorable Sciro. “Uh... Reche, fly?”

Reche twitched its nose and, with a quick flap of its large ears, lifted off the ground, hovering a few feet above Kane’s head.

“Now we need to attack that boy,” Aldine encouraged.

Kane swallowed hard. “Attack? With what? Reche’s just... flying around.”

Aldine smirked. “You’ve got to figure it out. Use whatever Reche has.”

Kane glanced at Reche, then back at the boy. “Alright... uh, Reche, try creating a wind swirl with your ears?”

The rabbit tilted its head as if considering the command. Then, with a flap of its long ears, it began to spin in midair. Slowly, a small breeze picked up around it, growing stronger with each rotation until a modest gust formed.

“Send it toward that boy!” Kane whispered urgently.

Reche’s wind gust sailed across the grassland, aimed directly at the boy. But just as it reached him, the boy turned, noticing the attack.

“What the—Reche?” The boy’s eyes narrowed as he spotted Kane through the tall grass. “Who dares challenge me?”

Kane stepped out into the open, feeling exposed. “M-me. Do you want to battle?”

The boy gave him a sly grin. “You picked the wrong person. I already have three Sciros under my control.”

Before Kane could react, a flash of light appeared around his wrist. He looked down in shock, seeing a black metal band form around his arm.

“Battle grounds are set,” the boy announced, showing an identical band on his wrist.

Kane’s heart raced. “Wait, wait, what is this? Aldine!”

Aldine stepped beside him, her expression calm. “That band means you both agreed to battle. You can’t fight someone without their consent.”

The boy’s grin widened. “And since you attacked first, it’s too late to back out. Let’s see what you’ve got. Carass!”

A shimmering green light erupted from the boy’s hand, and his Sciro, Carass, materialized beside him. It was a massive grasshopper-like creature, with gleaming emerald skin and sharp, angular legs.

The ground beneath Carass trembled as the boy raised his hand. “You’re not just fighting my Sciro. I’m an earth mage. My magic flows through Carass.”

Kane’s eyes widened. “Earth magic...?”

The boy smirked. “Exactly. Carass, raise the earth!”

Carass stomped its legs, and the ground beneath it rumbled. Massive chunks of dirt and stone began to lift into the air, swirling around the grasshopper as if gravity had lost its hold. The stones launched forward with a sharp flick of the boy’s wrist, hurtling toward Reche.

“Reche, dodge!” Kane shouted, panicking.

Reche flapped its ears, flying higher to avoid the stones. But the boy wasn’t done. “Carass, send the earth after him!”

With another wave of his hand, the chunks of dirt and rock twisted in midair, following Reche’s flight path like guided missiles.

“What the—? How is he doing that?” Kane muttered, sweat dripping down his forehead.

“You’re fighting an earth mage. His magic lets him control the very ground beneath us,” Aldine said, her tone growing serious. “Kane, you need to use your own magic. Reche won’t stand a chance if you don’t.”

“But I don’t know what my magic is!” Kane shouted back, his voice filled with frustration.

“You have to try. You won’t survive otherwise!”

Carass stomped again, and the earth beneath Reche trembled. Jagged spikes of rock shot up from the ground, trying to impale the flying rabbit.

“Reche, move!” Kane screamed, his heart pounding in his chest.

Reche barely dodged the attack, but more spikes continued to rise, surrounding the rabbit in a cage of sharp stone. The air felt heavy with tension as the ground continued to respond to the boy’s magic.

“I have no clue what I’m doing!” Kane admitted, feeling utterly helpless as the earth continued to close in on Reche.

The boy sneered. “Should’ve thought about that before you challenged me. When I win, I’m taking your Sciro.”

“We’ll see about that,” Kane muttered, though doubt gnawed at him.

Carass stomped again, causing a large slab of earth to rise directly beneath Reche. The rabbit was forced higher into the sky, its movements growing frantic as the stones continued to pursue it.

“I can’t keep running!” Kane clenched his fists, watching Reche struggle.

“You won’t win if you don’t figure out your magic,” Aldine said firmly. “Reche can’t do it alone.”