A dark, cloudy sky stretched endlessly before them, three colorful comets leaving vibrant trails against the darkness. Rain pelted down mercilessly from above, but thankfully, their forged energy acted as perfect cover, the droplets hissing as they struck the glowing shields.

  Sol pushed his wet silver hair from his eyes, grimacing as another flash of lightning illuminated his tired face. "This is getting ridiculous," he called out, his voice carried to Angelo and Red through Blue's mental connection as the azure duplicate held him securely with bands of forged energy. "We need to land before we all get electrocuted."

  Angelo glanced downward, squinting through the curtain of rain. The darkness below was impenetrable, a vast sea of shifting shadows that offered no hints of a safe landing spot.

  "Impossible to see anything down there," Angelo thought, his mental voice carrying the weight of exhaustion. "Looks like we're carving out our own spot again."

  Red's mental voice bubbled with manic excitement. "Finally, some real fun! Move aside, trees! The forest's worst nightmare has returned!" Without waiting for agreement, he dive-bombed toward the ground, crimson energy trailing behind him like a comet's tail.

  Angelo rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Why does he always have to be so dramatic about everything?" he muttered before adjusting his grip on Neiva and following Red's descent, Blue and Sol right beside them.

  By the time their feet touched the muddy earth, Red was already wreaking gleeful havoc. His crimson energy tentacles had transformed into buzzing chainsaws, slicing through tree trunks with terrifying efficiency before yanking the stumps from the ground with theatrical flair.

  "Anyone else think this is just a little bit excessive?" Sol asked, watching Red uproot another tree with unnecessary enthusiasm.

  "Have you met Red?" Angelo replied dryly, gently setting Neiva down. "Excessive is his default setting." He rolled his shoulders and joined the clearing effort, his orange energy forming more practical cutting tools.

  Within ten minutes, they'd created a decent-sized clearing. Angelo and Blue worked together to weave a massive canopy of forged energy between the surrounding branches, creating a surprisingly effective shelter from the downpour. The soft orange and blue glow cast gentle shadows as everyone set about preparing the campsite.

  Miles away, in a cave that leaked soft amber light from its entrance, another group huddled around an electric heater. The small collection of folding chairs formed a loose circle, their occupants equally tense and impatient.

  "Well, well, look who finally decided to rejoin the land of the living," a man said, his voice dripping with mock concern. "Did the thunder ruin your beauty sleep, Nova?"

  Nova's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as she shifted in her chair, immediately wincing as the movement pulled at the bandages wrapped around her midsection. "Why don't you take your concern and shove it straight up your—"

  "What my sister means," Ashly interrupted smoothly, "is that we appreciate your patience, Lavvy."

  Lavvy didn't acknowledge the intervention, instead leaning forward with a smile that never reached his cold eyes. "Now that both of you are finally conscious, perhaps you'd care to explain how you managed to botch such a straightforward assignment?"

  "Straightforward?" Nova exploded, half-rising from her chair before pain forced her back down. "We were facing that three-in-one freak show! There was nothing 'straightforward' about any of it!"

  Lavvy's expression didn't change as he shifted his gaze to Ashly. "I assume you've collected yourself enough to provide something actually resembling useful intelligence?"

  Ashly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her composure a stark contrast to her sister's outburst. "They're more resourceful than anticipated," she admitted, her voice measured and calm. "I'll grant them that much."

  "Elaborate," Lavvy pressed, tapping his fingers against his knee.

  "What do you want elaboration on?" Nova cut in, jabbing a finger in Lavvy's direction and completely ignoring the way it made her wound throb. "How about the fact they completely played me? I knew that second Angelo was going to materialize behind me—I could see the smoke!—but when I turned to slice the bastard in half, there was nothing there! Just fucking smoke that I couldn't touch!"

  "Interesting." Lavvy rubbed his chin thoughtfully, reaching into his pocket to extract a square of dark chocolate. He broke off a small piece and placed it on his tongue, considering the information. "So these duplicates can maintain their ethereal state rather than manifesting physically. That's quite useful to know."

  While Nova continued seething, Ashly nodded, her analytical mind already cataloging the tactical implications. "Another thing. One attempted to approach me covertly, but my wind attacks proved effective at dispersing his mist form. They appear physically invulnerable in that state, but still susceptible to certain elements."

  "Fascinating," Lavvy murmured, a small smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Anything else noteworthy?"

  "Are you kidding me right now?" Nova practically vibrated with indignation. "What about that nightmare-inducing clown puppet? What in the absolute hell was that monstrosity? Your intelligence report conveniently left that part out!"

  For the first time, Lavvy's composed expression faltered. "Clown... puppet?"

  Ashly leaned forward, recognizing a critical information gap. "Angelo and his duplicates can manifest solid energy constructs," she explained methodically. "One of them departed with what appeared to be a non-Auron. Then minutes later this puppet came in his stead. It wore a disturbing clown mask and operated with unexpected independence."

  "And this glorified marionette gave two experienced Aurons trouble?" Lavvy's voice dripped with contempt. "My, my, how utterly disappointing."

  "There was more to it than that," Ashly insisted, while Nova looked ready to launch herself across the circle at Lavvy, injury be damned. "The puppet's movements were unnatural—almost impossible."

  Lavvy gestured for her to continue, his interest visibly piqued.

  "The controller was nowhere in sight," Ashly continued, her forehead creasing as she recalled the battle. "That means he couldn't have had direct visual contact with us. Yet the puppet moved with precision that suggests..."

  "Suggests what, exactly?" Lavvy prompted when she trailed off.

  Nova threw up her hands in exasperation. "What my overthinking sister is trying to say is that the damn thing moved like it had a mind of its own! It wasn't behaving like something being controlled—I've fought enough puppeteers to know the difference. It was like the red-aura duplicate was somehow inside it!"

  "Precisely," Ashly confirmed with a small nod.

  "Now that is genuinely intriguing!" Lavvy exclaimed, suddenly animated. "Almost a shame we'll have to eliminate such a fascinating specimen. Any other observations worth sharing?"

  "Your assessment about his condition limiting his raw power seems mostly accurate," Ashly replied, tapping her fingers thoughtfully against her chair arm. "Even with his evolution, we maintained the advantage in terms of pure strength."

  "Mostly?" Lavvy echoed, sensing a qualification.

  "Yes," Ashly frowned slightly, clearly troubled by the inconsistency. "They created this... massive energy construct. The duplicates combined their energy somehow. The resulting creation withstood our combined attack without faltering." She looked directly at Lavvy. "If they're truly weakened by their condition, how do you explain that level of power?"

  Lavvy's eyes lit up as he broke off another piece of chocolate, practically vibrating with intellectual excitement. "Oh, fascinating, yes, yes," he mumbled around the melting morsel. "The implications are simply exquisite."

  The twins exchanged uncomfortable glances as Lavvy continued his private mumbling. "Have you reached a conclusion?" Ashly finally asked.

  "Nothing definitive yet!" Lavvy jumped to his feet, nearly knocking over his chair in his enthusiasm. "I need to reference that research paper again. We'll maintain our current position for now. Await further instructions!"

  As he strode toward a large tent at the back of the cave, Nova called after him. "What about Thunderclap Port? Are we a hundred percent sure that's where they're heading?"

  "Absolutely," Lavvy replied without turning. "Their destination is confirmed. We'll receive final verification shortly." He paused at the tent entrance, glancing back with a cold smile. "Rest and recover. That wound needs healing before your rematch."

  The tent flap fell closed behind him, leaving the twins alone with their thoughts and the steady drumming of rain against the cave entrance.

  Back in their hastily-made forest clearing, everyone huddled around the crackling fire, steam rising from their damp clothes. The rain continued its steady drumming against their energy canopy overhead, creating a surprisingly peaceful backdrop to their temporary shelter.

  Neiva wrung water from her bright red hair, her face scrunched in disappointment. "Not exactly the hot shower I was dreaming about," she groaned, then suddenly perked up. "Wait a second! That metal barrel we found—did we lose it when we ran from the twins?" She turned to Red with hopeful eyes.

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  Red's trademark wild grin spread across his face as he gave her an exaggerated thumbs-up, then pointed behind him with a flourish like a magician revealing his best trick. There sat the metal barrel, completely intact and somehow looking even cleaner than before.

  "Red, you absolute miracle worker!" Neiva bounced in her seat like an excited kid, her previous gloom instantly forgotten. Her smile faded slightly as a new problem occurred to her. "But... it'll take forever to fill that thing in this weather, even with the rain."

  Blue materialized beside her, his perfect posture making everyone else look like they were slouching. He adjusted his non-existent glasses with scholarly precision. "Allow me to propose a solution utilizing basic principles of fluid dynamics and gravitational acceleration," he announced, his azure aura flaring to life around him.

  His energy transformed into something that looked like a giant funnel—a wide blanket of blue light suspended between the trees with a hole at the bottom leading directly into the barrel. Rain immediately began pooling in the center and streaming down into their makeshift shower.

  "Show-off," Red muttered, though his grin never faltered.

  Sol chuckled, shaking his head at the elaborate setup. "The lengths we'll go for basic hygiene," he said, running a hand through his silver-white hair. His expression sobered as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "While we're waiting, maybe we should put our heads together."

  "Put our heads together?" Neiva asked, fixing her hair. "For what?"

  Sol's playful demeanor had vanished completely, replaced by something harder and more calculated. "We got our butts handed to us by those twins, and something tells me they're just the welcome wagon. I'd bet my last clean shirt they're not working alone."

  Angelo looked up from where he'd been absently poking at the fire. "What's your point? You want us to come up with some kind of battle plan?"

  "For starters," Sol replied, wincing slightly as he gently touched the glowing energy patch on his chest where Red's makeshift stitches still held his wound closed. "I wouldn't mind having some of that Auranium under-armor they were sporting. Talk about fighting with a stacked deck."

  "What's Auranium?" Neiva asked, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. Angelo's head tilted slightly, the term tugging at some distant memory.

  Sol leaned back. "It's this super-rare metal that reacts to an Auron's aura. When exposed to an Auron's aura, the stuff gets crazy hard—like, practically unbreakable. Best part? It's lighter than aluminum, so you barely feel it when your aura's down. And when its up, you wouldn't even know you're wearing armor at all."

  "Wow," Neiva breathed, immediately grasping the implications. "That does sound—wait." Her eyes widened as the pieces clicked together. "Are you saying those twins were wearing this stuff when we fought them?"

  "Bingo." Sol nodded grimly. "And that's a serious red flag. Auranium isn't something you pick up at your local hardware store. We're talking serious connections, serious money, or both."

  Angelo's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right," he said slowly, drawing everyone's attention. "I might know a way to get our hands on some, but..."

  "But?" Sol prompted when Angelo trailed off.

  Angelo gestured to his dead phone sitting uselessly by the fire. "But I need to make a call first, and as usual, my battery's completely drained."

  Sol let out a resigned sigh. "Guess that'll have to wait until we reach Thunderclap Port, then. Any other bright ideas in the meantime?"

  "If I may interject," Blue said, stepping forward with his hands clasped behind his back. "I believe we possess the capacity to fabricate effective defensive and offensive implements utilizing our unique abilities."

  Red threw his head back with a theatrical groan. "Here we go, Professor Blueberry about to launch into lecture mode. Should I make popcorn or just take a nap?"

  Sol's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. "You're talking about that Silver Golem thing you guys made during the fight!"

  "The what now?" Neiva asked, her expression perfectly capturing her confusion.

  Blue stepped smoothly into the conversation before Red could make another crack. "Allow me to illuminate. Our energies naturally repel one another—it's a fundamental property of our unique condition. Angelo's neutral energy repels both my positive energy and Red's negative energy at equal strengths, while Red's and mine repel each other with even greater force."

  Neiva's brow furrowed as she tried to follow. "So... wait. Is Red's energy negative because he's, well... Red?" She gestured vaguely at his perpetually mischievous expression.

  Angelo actually chuckled—a rare sound that made everyone glance his way in surprise. "That's exactly what I asked Albert when he first explained it to us," he admitted, the memory softening his usually stern features.

  Blue continued without acknowledging the interruption. "This natural repulsion is why our combined attacks are so effective. The energies push against each other, creating a concentrated force. The Silver Golem works on the same principle—mixed forged energy is significantly more resilient than its individual components." He paused, searching for a comparison. "It's similar to mixing cornstarch with water—the resulting substance behaves differently than either ingredient alone."

  "That's actually brilliant," Sol nodded, genuine respect in his voice. "So you're suggesting we create weapons and armor using this mixed energy approach?"

  "Precisely." Blue's perfect posture somehow straightened even further with pride. "It will require considerable time to generate sufficient permanent forged energy, but we have the entire evening at our disposal."

  "Sounds like a plan to me," Angelo said, clapping his hands decisively. His evolved aura burst to life around him like a gentle orange flame. He brought his palms together, and a tiny sphere of light appeared between them, glowing like a captured sunset. Blue and Red followed his example, their respective azure and crimson auras adding to the colorful display.

  Neiva watched them with undisguised wonder, a wide smile spreading across her face as the three worked in rare harmony. After a moment, she quietly slipped away to a corner of their shelter, settling into a cross-legged position to resume her meditation practice.

  Sol observed it all with a mixture of fascination and resignation. "Guess I'm the only one with nothing better to do but twiddle my thumbs," he murmured to himself, fingers gently probing the energy patch sealing his chest wound. He winced slightly at the contact. "Though maybe doing nothing is exactly what the doctor would order right now."

  The rain tapped a gentle rhythm against their energy shelter as Angelo finally straightened up, rolling his shoulders to work out the stiffness. "Alright, that should be enough!" he called out, his voice breaking the peaceful quiet that had settled over their makeshift camp.

  Sol blinked his eyes open from his own meditation spot, while Neiva scrambled to her feet, her face bright with excitement as she hurried over to see what they'd created.

  Blue stood with perfect posture beside the pile of glowing energy they'd gathered. "The moment has arrived to forge our forged energy into weaponry," he announced with scholarly precision.

  "Was that an actual attempt at wordplay from Professor Blueberry?" Red clutched his chest in mock astonishment. "I'm getting all misty-eyed with pride over here!"

  Blue didn't dignify the comment with a response, instead turning to work with Angelo. Both of them held out their hands, palms up, as their energies—orange and blue—began to flow like water. The colorful light twisted into smoke that swirled together between them. Where the colors met, tiny sparks jumped and danced like miniature fireworks, the different energies pushing against each other just as Blue had explained.

  Angelo's forehead creased with concentration as beads of sweat formed along his hairline. Even Blue's normally perfect posture showed signs of strain as they forced the opposing energies to solidify. The smoke-like power slowly compressed, becoming more solid with each passing second until finally, floating between them, was a gleaming silver scythe.

  "Whoa," Neiva breathed, her eyes wide as she took in the weapon. The blade caught the firelight, reflecting it with an almost liquid shimmer.

  "This version should prove significantly more resilient to damage than your previous implements," Blue said, carefully handing the scythe to Angelo.

  Angelo turned the weapon slowly in his hands, testing its weight and balance. The silver light cast strange patterns across his face as he examined his new creation. "I should name it," he decided, his voice carrying unusual reverence.

  Sol chuckled, leaning back on his elbows. "Says the guy who announces his attacks out loud."

  Angelo shot him an irritated look.

  "Hey," Sol raised his hands in surrender, though his smirk remained firmly in place. "At least naming weapons is slightly less cringe-worthy. Go for it."

  Angelo turned his attention back to the scythe, considering it carefully. "Mercy's Edge," he finally declared, giving it an experimental swing that left a faint trail of light in its wake.

  Blue turned to Sol, gesturing toward their remaining energy. "We have sufficient material to craft something for you as well, Solomon. Perhaps gauntlets to complement your fighting style?"

  Sol hesitated, his confident expression faltering slightly as he glanced at the glowing energy. "You sure those things won't randomly explode on me? I've already got one hole in my chest—not really looking to add more."

  "Your concern is understandable but unnecessary," Blue assured him. "The durability of properly constructed forged energy is quite remarkable."

  "Yeah, I made some energy thread back in Ashford the day before those terrorists attacked," Angelo added, still admiring his new scythe. "It's still there—I can feel it even now."

  Sol considered this for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll trust you on this one. But..." he glanced down at his silver-themed appearance—his hair, clothes, even his aura—then back at the pile of silvery energy. "Any chance we could mix it up a bit? Maybe something with Red's energy? I'm silver enough already."

  Red's eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise before his face split into that familiar manic grin. "Hell yeah! Time to show Blue how it's done!"

  He bounded over to Angelo's side like an excited puppy, and together they worked their magic. Their combined energies—orange and crimson—swirled together into a deep, rich color that reminded Neiva of sunsets she'd seen in old paintings. Within minutes, a pair of gauntlets hovered in the air, glowing with that same warm light.

  Sol slipped them on, flexing his fingers as the energy settled against his skin like a second layer. "Heh, fits like a glove," he quipped, examining his hands with obvious approval. He threw a few practice punches into the air, leaving faint trails of orange-red light behind each movement.

  "Can't wait until I become an Auron," Neiva said softly, watching them all with a mixture of admiration and longing. "Then I'll get something cool too, right?"

  They all turned to look at her, their expressions softening. No one spoke, but their small smiles carried an unspoken promise—a silent acknowledgment of her determination.

  "Well," Red announced, breaking the moment in his typical fashion, "I've still got some energy left. Guess I'll make a little something for Angie-boy."

  He cupped his hands together, his crimson energy flowing between his fingers as he shaped it with surprising delicacy. When he opened his palms, there sat a tiny replica of his Crimson Puppet of Chaos—the mask, the clownish pose, all perfectly recreated in miniature, barely larger than a lighter.

  "There you go!" Red declared proudly. "A pocket-sized me for all your tiny chaos needs!"

  Before Angelo could even react, Neiva let out a high-pitched squeal that made everyone jump. She darted forward and snatched the tiny figure from Red's palm, holding it up to her face with absolute delight.

  "It's so tiny!" she gasped, turning it carefully in her fingers. "And cute! And perfect! Can I please, please, PLEASE have it instead?" Her eyes were wide as she clutched the miniature puppet protectively, already clearly attached to it.

  Angelo looked between Neiva's hopeful face and Red's amused expression. "Fine by me," he shrugged. "Not sure what I'd do with a pocket Red anyway."

  "Knock yourself out, sugar-tits," Red's grin somehow grew even wider. "Just don't blame me when it starts whispering evil plans in your ear at night."

  Neiva either didn't hear the warning or chose to ignore it completely as she cradled her new treasure, cooing at it like it was a baby animal. The rest of the group exchanged looks that ranged from amusement to mild concern—but in the warm light of their fire, with the rain pattering gently overhead and new weapons gleaming in the darkness, even Angelo couldn't help but feel that things were looking up.

  Tomorrow they would continue their journey to Thunderclap Port, but tonight, surrounded by friends and protected by their combined powers, they could rest a little easier knowing they were better prepared for whatever—or whoever—awaited them next.