Layers upon Layers of concrete bridges stacked over each other moss and greenery etching out from the cracks with some supports dangling on the ground. The rushing sound of water ran through a tunnel system underneath, standing between one of the open holes of these bridges was Taylor. In her hand was the same tablet as always, only this time with each press against it — protective armor plates materialized along her body, lighting up with a neon trim of blue. Many would argue Taylor had the most technical power among all those fighting in the tournaments.

Sunlight beamed down onto her as she ever so slightly pushed up her glasses. Before long in her left hand, she’d materialize a small round drone, about the size of a penny before it split off into multiple forms. Her brown hair altered its coloration into lime during this process, and electricity sparked off her armored plating. Even her boots had been converted, replicating them into thruster boots.

To Taylor, the power of a singularity was an odd thing. It varied from person to person. Even if someone shared an ability, their aptitude could be so far apart that one could compare them to an apple to a tree. Yes, this oddity that sparked her curiosity from a young age made her both envious and joyful at the thought of other singularity users.

A slight chuckle left Taylor’s voice as her body started to propel upward from the thrusters kicking on. The round drones that split off resembled that of small probe droids. With the snap of her fingers, the probe droids flew even higher and started to scatter across the strange complex. About a dozen of them, all with miniature armaments added as they flew off.

Passing through the holes and making her way up through the complex and into the sunlight, Taylor finally made it out, realizing the entire zone was covered in gigantic trees that far exceeded the building. The air outside was chilling — by her calculation, snowfall wasn’t impossible. Yet, there were no clouds, merely trees blocking most of the sun's light from reaching.

“Gotta take note of any weather-altering singularities…” Once more, Taylor looked down at her tablet. The layout of the entire battlefield displayed itself, yet it was shrouded in fog. The only spots revealed were the underground tunnel complex that a few of her drones were moving through and the forest itself. The remaining drones scattered about hunting for the others. Her eyes began to shift and change coloration again, tapping against the screen and turning into a psychedelic green.

Two cylindrical disks materialized next to her, protectively spinning around her. Taylor started to move through the vast forest before her tablet signaled that a few drones were taken out underground and close by above in the woods.

Glancing to the side at the nearest destruction of her drone — There Taylor made eye contact with Cheveyo and, without a moment of hesitation, snapped her fingers as the Cylindrical disks shot out two beams at the warrior.

The beams were of a low charge thus missed their mark at the cost of vaporizing branches and nearly splitting one of the trees in half. The warrior had run off, utilizing the treeline to his advantage. Yet, Taylor gave chase, recollecting the data on Cheveyo.

Out of the entire cast of Starlight, this one was perhaps the one with the most unexpected plays. Every time he fought, the data never remained the same, at least with the rest; things had a similar pattern.

Taylor gave chase flying through the treeline, avoiding the branches. “If I can lure him towards the others, they can deal with his schemes.” She continued to ramble in her mind, only for one of her disks to move in front of her projecting a barrier. Flames flung off the barrier only for another attack to hit the disk, creating an explosion mid-air!

The force knocked Taylor back a few meters in the air. The secondary disk attached itself to her back, creating a protective barrier around her entire body. Swatting away the smoke gathering, she tried to pinpoint who threw out the attack. Of course, she knew it was Cheveyo once their eyes locked onto each other.

Cheveyo’s right arm embroidered in flames, the silhouette of a phoenix quietly faded into his shadow. With the swing of his arm, a fireball flung out towards Taylor, the barrier surrounding her taking the brunt of the attack, and when the smoke cleared, it barely made a dent.

“Was that the best you could do starli-” Pausing herself, She realized Cheveyo had already fled. No one ever wanted to monologue. The best part about these fights was that one could live out movie scenes and express themselves like a show if they weren’t interrupted. But, something that was all the more common, most singularity users would instead intercept and dogpile a foe speaking in a lengthy rant than let them finish.

“Mmm..” Mumbling something underneath her breath, Taylor took off yet again, flying through the treeline in search of Cheveyo. The rest of her drones were being taken out, indicating that her scouting routine failed in some capacity with half the drones gone now.

With the shake of her head, Taylor disapproved of the course of action she took, being cautious and careful, clearly costing her resources. Yes, resources, for she could not constantly craft these mechanical devices to aid her infinitely. There was a price to be paid like most singularities. The only difference was when this price occurred and what it was.

Complications after complications, to think one such as herself would be doing a goose chase so early on, this was beneath he-. A tiny portion of her barrier shatters at the impact of a high-speed kick!

Bam! Another impact! Whack! Another impact! Cracks appeared around the barrier. Taylor frantically typed on her tablet to strengthen the shield. Based on the incoming attacks, the one making this particular pattern was Jumon Hudson. He is a tricky opponent to tackle due to his insane speed.

Yet another common singularity, only perfected with age and time. But, even this singularity could be countered. Taylors tablet let out an electrical discharge allowing the shield to absorb it. The following impact was met with Jumon being shocked, falling from the sky and down into the misty grass.

What? Mist? Taylor was distracted by the recent barrage of attacks that she failed to collect data on her surroundings. Yes, mist. This strange mist has appeared out of nowhere. Could it be…? Her thoughts started to ramble on only for one of her drones returned to her hovering close by. The barrier retracted back into the disks while the drone moved into Taylor's palm. Tweaking the device for a split second, it began to immediately flash red, ticking away only for her to fling it down into the mist. The ticking became faster while the barrier reformed, then it stopped.

A blinding flash of light erupted around the forest, taking up a good portion of the field, the birds flew off the trees, and the ground rumbled. In the distance, a sluggish Drogo watched from a treetop. By the time he got a good look at the area, a portion of the forest had been vaporized altogether, leaving behind a massive crater, smoke rising up.

Yet, he could see a lone figure intact, Taylor still hovering in the air.

“Pain…” That word escaping his lips allowed a foul odor to protrude behind him as an elongated figure started to stretch out from his shadow. Its arms longer than Drogo’s body and legs towering over the lad, looking malnourished with beating red eyes staring at the scene. Lumbering from the shadow of Drogo, the creature sprang into action, rushing towards the crater!

“Ah…Pain. Wendigo shall ease it.”

Alarms started to ring in Taylor's head, instinctively turning in the direction of the foul stench. The creator leaped forth, tackling Taylor mid-air — the barrier continuously shocking the creature but to no avail.

What was this thing?! It didn’t make sense; was it one of starlights spirits? No…No. This was someone she was familiar with. Despite it panicking her at first, Taylor couldn’t accumulate her thoughts quick enough before the creature slammed her into the ground, repeatedly pounding away at the barrier.

THUNK!

THUNK!
Each impact of the creature's fists kept rupturing the barrier's defense, cracks continuously forming more and more. Drogo watched on from a nearby tree branch, his eyes looking tired.

“The worst ones about to be eliminated...Just a little more…That’s right…A little mo-” The tree he stood on toppled over, knocking him off and into the foot of Jumon, kicking him along the ground.

“Now, I’ll admit. Thank you for the save there, but can’t have that creature going on a rampage. Let’s get to it then!” Jumon lashed out, sending a devastating kick towards Drogo.

“I didn’t save you, you merel-” Impact! With the sound of bones breaking against the forceful kick, Drogo dragged against the ground and into the nearby bushes.

The wendigo continually bashed against Taylor's barrier until it completely broke, running out of energy. Taylor reached for her side right as the creature attempted to finish her off. It would be impaled by a beam of energy knocking it away from her. At Taylor's side was a gun, a specific type that resembled a railgun, materializing just in time for her to counter.

“This is just cheating at this point.” Looking at the railgun in her hand, data congregating throughout this particular weapon. In her left hand, a solid object started to conjure up. Guns were often unfair in the lower level fields, but when among the best of the best, one could dodge a bullet or two, maybe more with the adaptation of their abilities.

To think the foundation would allow any type of weapon for the finals made it clear the higher-ups were watching. That or they didn’t care. Taylor was simply complying with the rules. Holly also liked carrying around a gun, but that gunslinger could only manage it in battle royales.

Taylor moved forward only to notice her disks reacting behind it, forming yet another low-powered barrier that shattered in an instant to the quick kick of Cheveyo. One of the spirits halfway through controlling him, but he still had control, his body struggling to keep attacking Taylor or take on the Wendigo that now stood firmly against the two.

“So Starlight seeking to knock me out first, huh? I’ll make sure it won’t be that easy!” The disks started to spin around her, energy dripping onto the grass. Nearby the Wendigo let out a blood-curdling scream, proceeding to charge at the two. “Or could it be…” Taylor jumped over the Wendigo as it tackled Cheveyo to the ground.

The beast repeatedly slammed their fists into him until he caught onto them, slowly pushing the Wendigo off in a match of strength. The spirits within Cheveyo come together to overpower this creature tossing it up into the air. The beast was impaled by another bullet from the railgun piercing its chest before it slammed into the ground. Taylor turned her attention to Cheveyo, only to grimace at the sight of giant spiders looming behind him. Matches always got weird when it came to those attuned with spirits.

Back in Starlight’s room, Alexia, for a moment, moved away from the couch and decided to head out of the room.

“And where are you going this time?” Deveron asked.

“Just going out to poke around the plaza a bit, I know the way back.”

“I’m not the one that gets lost so easily.” While Deveron let out a tiny laugh, his attention remained on the match; with the wave of his hand, he didn’t care where Alexia went so long as she got back in time.

Roy and Heidi were off to the side with Heidi poking Roy’s leg to see where his injuries were. While no wounds were present, his body was quite sore.

“I’ll be back!” Alexia exited the door and wandered off into the halls. The foundation guards that were monitoring them departed not long ago. For all she knew, the foundation was always watching.

Eventually, she arrived at the plaza, gazing around to see a few people scattered about in groups; situated near the fountain was Clarice, a recognizable face. The two eventually met eye to eye again, with Alexia giving a wave. Still, Clarice merely motioned for Alexia to approach.

“...Hm.” Clarice examined Alexia noticing the change of hair, then looked over at the nearby monitor showcasing the match. “Are you trying to stand out or something now? Such a look might help you with sponsors.”

“Ah… My hair.” Alexia’s hair constantly glowed a soft turquoise at the tips, the light of which seemed to draw an annoyed expression upon Clarice. “Sorry, It’s been like this for a month now? I thought by cutting it, the glow wouldn’t be there. But, it seemed to have returned.”

“Oh?”

Indeed, her hair was cut shorter now at her own request. Yet, Clarice wasn’t concerned about the length of her hair. The glow of bioluminescence was what kept her interest in Alexia at this moment in time.

“So tell me, Alexia was it? I’ve looked into your past matches. What exactly is that power of yours? If you don’t mind explaining it to a new fan.”

“Oh? It’s just the periodic tab-”

“No, No. I mean, your actual ability. Jotting it down to that table makes the mind wander, be more…specific.”

“Well, you said you watched my past matches. So, Stars.”

“Exactly that! How rare of an ability, though not surprisingly in the slightest. Though your affinity with it is…lacking.”

“I’m lacking?”

“Yes, at this rate, Mahdri will run rings around you. Though, take my words with a grain of salt. I might come off as harsh when I speak sometimes. Bit of a habit. What I’m saying is you don’t seem to use your star power until the match has reached the halfway point. It’s really peculiar…”

“Ok, Clare, I get it. I’m not here to hear another lecture on my skills. Teach goes through a ton of those already.”

“I apologize. I like to critique those I become a fan of. For example, when you use your star power as the match starts, it’s unstable and lacks proper control. Very weak in power too.”

Alexia blinked. Clarice figured all of this out just from watching a few of her past matches? There weren’t that many official matches to take note of these details. This conversation reminded her of Reynolds at a few points.

“Ok! Ok! Enough about me. I may have to work on a few things….But, how are you faring with your little chase issue?”

“Oh? Those folks…It’s a settled issue.” Clarice reached into her pockets, took out a pair of shades, and proceeded to wear them, examining the area. “In fact, they’re still watching me.”

“So what did they want with you? Are you an executive for the foundation or something?” Alexia tried to look for any signs of a suppressor on Clarice. Still, the woman had no indication of such on her upper body, and her lower was covered in winter attire.

“Sure, something like that. So what about yourself?”

“Me? Nothing is going on apart from waiting for my match to roll through.” Alexia looked to the monitor to witness Cheveyo struggling against drones chasing him, blasting away. “If I get my match…”

“You will… Unless you don’t have faith in your team. But, I ask the first thing because I noticed you’re being watched too. A couple of foundation members were tailing you before you approached me. Now they’ve seemed to have stopped.”

“I kinda had the feeling I was being monitored but didn’t see anyone.” Alexia glanced around the plaza, a few people scattered watching the monitors. A slight tug of her shirt alerted Alexia to follow Clarice.

“Come with me for a moment; they’ll be following too. We aren’t in any danger. I’d just like to ask why they’re eyeing you up also.”

The two walked down the hallway, a few people from a nearby group chasing their tail moments later.

“So what did you do? While they do keep eyes on players, constant eyes nearly at all times like they’re doing with you is uncommon.”

“Can’t say it’s 24/7 just yet. Admittedly, I might have alerted them, so they’re giving watch to make sure I don’t do anything crazy again. Probably, Lyn gave that order.”

“Lyn?” Clarice stopped walking for a moment, merely placing their hands onto Alexia’s shoulder before the two moved against the wall. Alexia’s confusion kicked in, and out of instinct, she braced herself lifting her arms up, preparing to throw a punch. That was until the group of people that tailed them walked by as if neither of them was there. They were concealed in a broad open hallway, yet none noticed.

The shades on Clarice slightly lowered, revealing a glimmer of red in her iris. Staring directly at Alexia, paying no mind to the group that now no longer wandered down the same hall as them.

“So I’m beginning to believe it was you that she was referring to and that Deveron? To think you gave them trouble, Ha! More and More, I'm starting to like you starlights. So not only did you rattle up the tournament by becoming a dark horse, but you also spooked the church.”

“The church?”

“Yes. The Vatican… Tell me you came across a girl with a halo above their head, right?”

“Yeah, she kept warping around like crazy too.”

“Don’t worry, they won’t do anything to you. Especially now that we’ve made contact. Though you’re going to have to tell me more about your situation.”

“Specifically, what do you do, Clarice?”

“Hmm? …Let’s make a deal then, if your team wins the championship, I’ll tell you. I’ll even introduce you to something grander…But, before that. Tell me, Little Star.”

Clarice moved in closer to Alexia, their face only inches apart. It was only now that Alexia noticed her arms were raised defensively. Why was she instinctively defending herself?

“Your power… It isn’t natural…Is it?”

Clarice saw the glimmer of particles racing through the Iris of Alexia. Time seemed to have halted for the two of them, yet the finals marched on to a victor.