The afternoon sun warmed Angelo's back as he descended toward the cliff face, his orange energy wings dissolving into sparks that faded against the cloudless sky. The glowing tendrils that had been carrying Sol and Neiva unwound gently, setting them down on the rocky ground. Angelo cracked his neck, scanning the cave entrance carved into the mountainside.

  "Some climb, huh?" Sol remarked, patting his silver jacket down. "At least we didn't have to take the stairs."

  Neiva squinted against the brightness, shielding her eyes with one hand. Her gaze fixed on a figure standing near the cliff edge, silhouetted against the vast expanse of sky.

  "Look over there," she said, nudging Angelo's arm. "That might be one of the miners we're looking for." Without waiting for a response, she started walking toward the stranger, her curiosity pulling her forward.

  Angelo and Sol exchanged a quick glance – Angelo's filled with caution, Sol's with amusement – before following her lead.

  As they approached, details came into focus: a man with wild brown hair that tumbled past his shoulders, clothes hanging loosely on his frame, the fabric worn thin in places. He stood perfectly still, gazing out over the drop as if communing with the view itself.

  "Excuse me?" Neiva asked, her voice gentle as a morning breeze. "Are you one of the miners who work here?"

  The man turned, surprise flickering across his weathered face before settling into a warm smile that reached his eyes. "Hello there."

  "You work in these mines?" Angelo cut in, his tone direct and unadorned.

  Sol jabbed an elbow into Angelo's ribs. "Forgive my socially challenged friend here. What he means is, we'd love to chat if you have a moment."

  Angelo rubbed his side, shooting Sol an irritated look.

  The stranger's laugh rumbled like distant thunder. "No offense taken. And no, I'm not one of those who harvest from this magnificent mountain."

  The trio exchanged puzzled glances at his choice of words – 'magnificent' seemed an odd way to describe the craggy, weathered cliff face.

  Neiva stepped forward. "I'm Neiva, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

  "Rorck," the man replied, inclining his head slightly. "The pleasure is entirely mine, Neiva."

  Sol slid forward with practiced ease, hand extended. "I'm Solomon, but friends call me Sol." His smile was bright enough to rival the afternoon sun.

  Everyone turned toward Angelo, who suddenly found the ground fascinating. After a moment of awkward silence, he looked up with a sigh. "Angelo," he said flatly.

  Rorck's smile never wavered as his gaze drifted back to the cliff face, a look of reverence in his eyes.

  "What brings you all the way up here if you're not mining?" Sol asked, rocking back on his heels. "Bit of a trek for sightseeing."

  Angelo huffed, scanning the surroundings with a skeptical eye. "You called this mountain 'magnificent,' but it looks like regular rock to me."

  "Ah, but appearances deceive, my friend." Rorck's eyes sparkled with hidden knowledge. "This mountain isn't born of ordinary earth."

  The three visitors studied their surroundings with renewed interest, but confusion remained etched on their faces.

  Angelo's brow furrowed deeper. "Still just looks like a mountain."

  "You two," Rorck pointed to Angelo and Sol. "You're Aurons, yes? Why not discover the truth for yourselves?"

  Angelo and Sol shared a look of mutual challenge before their auras ignited simultaneously – orange light bathing Angelo in a warm glow as his eyes shifted from brown to blazing orange, while Sol's silver energy wrapped around him like liquid moonlight, his blue eyes transforming to shimmering silver.

  Without a word, both men darted forward, fists connecting with the mountain wall with enough force to shatter ordinary stone. The impact reverberated up their arms, but the wall remained unmarked.

  "What the hell?" Angelo pulled back his hand, genuine surprise breaking through his usual stoicism.

  Sol pressed his palm against the cliff face, a stunned whistle escaping his lips. "No way. That should have at least chipped."

  They returned to where Neiva and Rorck waited, their auras fading. Neiva barely noticed their return, her forehead creased in thought, eyes distant as if working through a complex puzzle.

  "Well?" Rorck asked, an expectant smile playing at his lips. "What did you discover?"

  Angelo flexed his fingers, reluctant admiration in his voice. "It's dense. Way harder than any rock I've encountered."

  "What kind of material is this?" Sol leaned forward, his detective instincts fully engaged. "I've never seen anything resist an Auron's strike like that."

  "Geodite," Rorck pronounced the word like he was sharing a cherished secret. "A rare substance most commonly found beneath the desert sands of Geovale. Its durability surpasses ordinary earth many times over."

  Sol tapped his chin, brow furrowing. "That doesn't make sense. Geovale's on the other side of the world. How did it end up here?"

  Rorck's smile widened, satisfaction dancing in his eyes. "Precisely! A true wonder of our world, isn't it? Even the Legendary Geovale himself, couldn't have transported this marvel."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Meaning what, exactly?" Angelo's patience was wearing visibly thin.

  Golden light bloomed around Rorck's form, his eyes shifting to a molten amber as he spread his arms wide. "I am an earth Auron, yet this material refuses my command." His fingers twisted and curled in intricate patterns, clearly attempting to manipulate the cliff face. The mountain remained stubbornly unchanged.

  "You could be an Enlightened rank Auron or even reach Legendary status like Geovale himself," Rorck continued, admiration coloring his voice. "And still, this substance would deny you. Truly magnificent."

  With a fluid gesture, he raised one hand. Earth responded to his call, what started a tiny pebble that appeared out of thin air, turned into a boulder that grew until it towered over them.

  "This is ordinary earth," he explained, releasing his hold. The massive rock crashed down with a thunderous impact that sent tremors through the ground beneath their feet. "Compare them side by side, and the difference becomes undeniable." As his aura faded, the boulder began disintegrating, crumbling into mist.

  Angelo and Sol crouched, running their fingers over the dissolving boulder and then the solid ground, feeling the striking contrast in texture and density.

  Rorck drifted past them with the unhurried confidence of someone who had already found what they were seeking. "It was wonderful to meet you all – Neiva, Solomon, Angelo. Our encounter has been... enlightening." His warm smile remained as he turned away, walking with measured steps.

  "Strange guy," Angelo muttered once Rorck was out of earshot, dusting his hands off on his pants.

  "You can say that again," Sol agreed, watching the retreating figure. "Let's find a real miner inside and see what they know about this Geodite stuff." He turned, noticing Neiva still staring after Rorck, her expression troubled. "Neiva? Everything okay?"

  She blinked, returning to the present moment. "What? Oh... I'm fine..."

  Angelo stepped closer, reading the concern on her face. "Something's bothering you. What is it?"

  "It's probably nothing, but..." Neiva lowered her voice, glancing in the direction Rorck had disappeared. "He knew you two were Aurons."

  Angelo and Sol exchanged glances, "So? Angelo's flashy entrance probably tipped him off," Sol shrugged.

  "That's not it." Neiva twisted her hands together. "How did he know you were an Auron, Sol? And..." her voice dropped further, "how did he know I wasn't?"

  The realization hit them like a physical blow. Angelo and Sol whipped around toward where Rorck had been heading, but the strange man had vanished completely – as if the mountain itself had swallowed him whole.

  "GET ME OUT OF THIS STUPID JAR!" Red's thoughts thundered through their shared mind connection, his crimson smoke whirling furiously inside the glass prison. On the other side, Veronica tapped her fingernail against the glass, watching the strange substance swirl angrily, like a miniature storm trapped in a bottle.

  "The more I look at this thing, the more I'm convinced it's alive..." She muttered to herself, still waiting for one of those brains type to come.

  "Would you kindly lower your mental volume?" Blue's composed voice slipped into their connection. "Your unnecessary shouting is quite distracting."

  He materialized two rooms above Red's makeshift prison, carefully checking that the space was empty before his azure aura flickered to life around him like gentle blue flames dancing over water.

  "I believe this technique was your breakthrough, Red," Blue murmured, his scholarly tone carrying a hint of reluctant admiration. "I must acknowledge its usefulness."

  "Just hurry up, you pretentious know-it-all!" Red shot back.

  Ignoring Red's outburst, Blue closed his eyes, focusing as blue energy particles – just like his smoke form – gathered around his fingertips. With flowing, precise movements, he guided the azure mist through the ventilation system, splitting it into two streams. One drifted into the room directly below him, while the other hovered near the entrance of Red's prison.

  The particles acted as extensions of Blue's senses, letting him see and hear through them like a network of tiny cameras. The stream that entered the room below solidified into a small blue orb that clung to the ceiling – a perfect surveillance device. Through it, Blue watched three Cliffhangers lounging below, completely unaware of his presence.

  "Can we PLEASE get a move on before I lose my mind in this glass prison?" Red's patience had worn paper-thin.

  Blue sighed softly, raising his hand in the shape of a gun, azure light collecting at his fingertip as he aimed downward, as if he could see through the floor itself.

  Meanwhile, the remaining energy particles slipped into Veronica's room, solidifying into small blue marbles that rolled silently across the floor behind her.

  "You'll need to move quickly once you're free," Blue instructed. "Exit through the hole I'm about to create before she can recapture you."

  "Just do it already!" Red urged, his smoke form pressing against the glass.

  "Preparing now." Blue monitored the room below through his makeshift camera, confirming no one stood between him and Red's jar. Satisfied with the positioning, he shifted his focus to the marbles behind Veronica.

  In one smooth motion, the marbles transformed from solid energy back to active power, exploding like miniature firecrackers with a sharp SNAP! The sound made Veronica whirl around, her yellow aura flaring to life like sudden lightning.

  In that perfect moment of distraction, Blue whispered, "Precision Shot," and released a tiny bullet of concentrated azure energy from his finger. The bullet pierced through the wooden floors with surgical precision, breaking through the ceiling and shattering Red's glass prison in a spray of tiny fragments.

  Red didn't waste a second. His crimson smoke rushed through the fresh hole, disappearing upward faster than mist in a windstorm. Veronica reacted instantly, a massive whip of crackling yellow energy forming in her hand. She lashed upward with a frustrated cry, the energy tearing through the ceiling above her.

  The floor of the room above gave way, dumping three very surprised Cliffhangers into Veronica's room with shouts and curses as they crashed in a heap of limbs and dust.

  But it was too late. Red and Blue had already vanished, their smoke forms streaming through the building's ventilation system and out into the afternoon air, racing back toward Angelo and the others.

  "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Veronica's voice cracked with anger as she glared at the three groaning gang members sprawled across her floor.

  One pushed herself up on an elbow, wincing. "What was whaaaat...?" she dragged the word.

  "You didn't see anyone sneaking around up there?" she demanded, yellow sparks still dancing around her clenched fists. "Someone just broke in and freed my fog monster!"

  Seeing their blank, confused expressions, she realized they had no idea why the floor had suddenly collapsed beneath them. "Search the entire building!" she ordered, frustration evident in every word. "They must have left some trace!"

  But her efforts would be futile. Blue's forged energy had already dissolved into nothing, leaving behind no evidence they were ever there.

  Deep in the mine tunnel, Angelo and Sol walked with their auras glowing like living torches – orange and silver light painting the rough stone walls with shifting shadows. Angelo suddenly exhaled, his shoulders dropping as tension visibly left his body.

  "Red's safe," he announced, relief clear in his voice. "Blue got him out."

  Neiva shook her head, amazed. "How does smoke even get into trouble? Red's got a special talent."

  "Yeah," Angelo snorted, "a special talent for turning situations from bad to worse."

  "I heard that!" Red's indignant voice echoed through Angelo's mind.

  "You were supposed to!" Angelo shot back out loud.

  Sol raised an eyebrow at what appeared to be Angelo talking to himself. "If you're done shouting at yourself," he teased, nudging Angelo with his elbow, "we should focus on staying under the radar. These Cliffhangers are enough trouble without our original mission already being complicated."

  "Who goes there?!" A gruff voice suddenly echoed through the tunnel, making them all freeze.

  Angelo and Sol instantly dropped into defensive stances, their glowing auras casting long, eerie shadows as they prepared to face whoever – or whatever – had found them in the darkness.