I Can See Evolution Paths

Arthur stared at the enormous purple barrier surrounding the Everglades. It stretched from the ground into the sky, forming a massive dome around the entire region, while streams of purple energy flowed across its surface like veins. Every so often, faint symbols appeared within the barrier before fading away.

Arthur frowned. "What is this?"

Luna looked toward the barrier. "A sealing formation," she said.

Arthur glanced at her. "A sealing formation?"

She nodded. "It prevents anything from entering or leaving."

Arthur looked upward. The barrier was enormous. "So we’re trapped."

Luna hesitated before nodding.

Arthur looked toward Athena, who was already studying the formation. "She’s right," Athena said. "Whatever created this isn’t simply a defensive barrier. It’s enclosing the entire region."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. "Then can we break it?"

Luna’s expression became complicated. She didn’t answer immediately.

Arthur noticed. Instead of pressing her, he walked over and gently took her hands. Luna looked up at him in surprise.

Arthur smiled. "I know you’re worried."

Luna’s fingers tightened slightly.

"But you can trust us," he said, gesturing toward the others. "We’re students from Pathfinder Academy."

Luna blinked.

Arthur continued. "I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it, but it’s the kind of place that wouldn’t accept people greedy or terrible enough to hurt a child."

Sun immediately looked at him. "That’s your selling point?"

Arthur nodded seriously. "It’s a very good selling point."

Sun stared at him. "You make it sound like the academy has a morality test at the entrance."

Mithra laughed.

Luna couldn’t help staring at them. The tension around her face eased slightly.

Arthur smiled. "See? We’re trustworthy."

Luna suddenly looked at Arthur. "You’re really from Pathfinder Academy?"

Arthur nodded. "Yep."

Her eyes widened. "My grandpa told me to find you."

Everyone froze.

Arthur blinked. "Your grandpa?"

Luna nodded. "He told me that if something happened, I needed to find people from Pathfinder Academy."

Arthur looked toward the others. Athena raised an eyebrow. Vedas folded his arms. Sun scratched his head. "That’s surprisingly convenient," he said.

Arthur ignored him. He pointed toward Mithra. "Then that’s good. You can trust us."

Luna looked confused.

Arthur smiled. "She’s Mithra."

Luna waited.

Arthur added proudly, "The Principal’s daughter."

Luna’s eyes widened. "S-She is?"

Mithra sighed. "Yes."

Arthur nodded. "Because of that, we’re always in contact with the Principal."

Sun immediately interrupted. "Isn’t it because you keep dragging us into trouble?"

Arthur slowly turned toward him. "Don’t listen to that one," he said, pointing at Sun. "He’s crazy."

Sun’s eyes widened. "Hey!"

Mithra shook her head while walking toward Luna. She knelt down and gently touched Luna’s cheek. "He’s right about one thing," she said.

Arthur smiled.

Mithra continued, "My father is the Principal." She smiled gently. "What’s your name?"

The girl hesitated. "L-Luna."

Mithra’s expression softened. "Luna?"

Luna nodded.

"Can you tell us why your grandfather wanted you to find us?"

Arthur crouched beside them. "And where is your grandfather? I’d like to ask him a few questions."

Luna’s expression immediately changed. Her fingers tightened around her clothing. "He," she started, swallowing. "He and my whole village."

She couldn’t finish.

Everyone understood.

Eden immediately moved closer and gently rubbed Luna’s shoulder. Luna looked at her. Eden gave her a small smile.

Arthur carefully picked Luna up. She gasped. "A-Arthur?"

"Don’t cry."

Arthur adjusted her in his arms. "I’m guessing your grandfather sent you toward the academy because he wanted you to be protected."

Luna’s eyes trembled.

Arthur smiled. "Then don’t worry. We’ll protect you."

Luna stared at him. "But you’re just students."

Mithra immediately answered. "That doesn’t matter." Her voice was gentle. "We won’t leave you alone."

Sun nodded. "She’s right." He looked toward the forest. "And honestly, leaving you alone in a place like this would be pretty heartless."

Vedas nodded. "And dangerous."

Luna looked around at them. "Thank you," she said.

Arthur smiled. "Think nothing of it." Then he looked toward the barrier. "But you can help us too."

Luna blinked. "How?"

"Tell us how to get through that barrier."

Arthur pointed toward the purple dome. "If we can meet the professors and the other students, they’ll be able to protect you too."

Athena nodded. "Professor Roland would probably insist on keeping you at the center of the group."

Luna bit her lip. Then she finally spoke. "Only the Mirror can break the barrier," she said.

Arthur’s expression immediately changed. "Mirror?"

Luna nodded. "A mirror protected by my village."

Arthur suddenly remembered something. "Wait." He looked at her backpack. "You had a mirror."

Luna blinked, then nodded. "Yes."

Arthur smiled. "Can I see it?"

Luna hesitated before nodding. She asked Arthur to put her down. Once her feet touched the ground, she moved her backpack around and carefully pulled out the mirror. It was circular, with strange symbols depicting the sun and stars around its frame.

Athena immediately became interested. She crouched beside Luna but didn’t touch it. "May I examine it?"

Luna nodded.

Athena studied the symbols carefully. Arthur stared at the mirror. Then his expression changed. He remembered the Memory Crystal. Robed figures. Mirrors. People screaming. The ancient scene he’d witnessed in the Archive.

Arthur looked toward Athena and Vedas. "Me, Athena, Vedas, and Eden saw people carrying something like this inside a Memory Crystal," he said.

Luna froze. "You saw them?"

Arthur nodded.

Luna stared at him. "Then," she said, her voice trembling, "those were my ancestors."

Arthur looked at the mirror again. The ancient memory wasn’t random. It was connected to Luna’s village.

Arthur slowly straightened. "Then we can use this mirror to break the barrier," he said.

Luna shook her head. "Not this one."

Arthur blinked. "What?"

She pointed toward another portion of the barrier. "This mirror cannot break that section."

Arthur’s expression became interested. "Why?"

"Each mirror has a different section."

Athena immediately understood. "There are multiple sealing points," she said.

Luna nodded. "Five."

Arthur’s eyes lit up. "Five mirrors."

Athena’s eyes widened slightly. "Five..." She glanced toward Arthur. "The five regions."

Arthur immediately understood what she meant. "The same five locations where the Beasts refused to continue."

Vedas’s expression became serious. "So those places weren’t random."

Eden looked between them. "They’re connected to the Mirrors?"

"We don’t know that yet," Athena said, though her voice had lost some of its earlier certainty.

Arthur looked toward the enormous barrier. "But five Mirrors, five sections, and five locations..."

He smiled slightly. "That’s too many coincidences."

Sun folded his arms. "You say that like you’re happy."

Arthur looked at him. "I am."

Sun sighed. "Of course you are."

Luna stared at him. "You really did see them... Can you tell me what you saw?"

Arthur nodded before he told her what he remembered.

The fleeing ancestors.

The people chasing them.

The words – How long do you plan to let it stay dead? Then the ancestors refusing to let the mirrors fall into their enemies’ hands.

When Arthur finished she nodded. "There are five mirrors," she said. She looked toward the barrier. "Each one controls a different section of the Everglades."

Arthur immediately asked, "And which one do we need?"

Luna answered, "The Fire Mirror."

Arthur smiled. "Good." He turned toward the others. "Then that’s our next destination."

A tremendous crash suddenly came from another section of the barrier.

Everyone turned. Several massive Sky Whales were attacking the barrier, unleashing torrents of water and powerful gusts against it. The barrier didn’t even move.

Then a roar shook the forest. Storm clouds gathered above the Sky Whales. Lightning crashed down. The Sky Whales scattered.

The ground suddenly erupted. A massive serpent burst from beneath the earth, its enormous body covered in crackling lightning. It coiled around one Sky Whale. Another Sky Whale attempted to escape. The serpent lunged after it. The remaining Sky Whales unleashed whirlpool attacks, water crashing into the serpent, forcing it to release the whale and recoil. The Sky Whales escaped into the distance, and the serpent immediately pursued. The entire battle moved farther into the Everglades.

The group watched. Arthur’s eyes were practically shining. "That’s amazing," he said.

Sun looked at him. "That’s what you’re focused on?"

Arthur pointed toward the serpent. "Did you see that?"

Sun sighed. "Of course I saw it."

Arthur looked toward Athena. "How strong do you think it was?"

Athena’s expression remained serious. "Strong enough that I don’t want to find out," she said.

Vedas watched the direction the Beasts had disappeared. "The barrier is forcing everything into the same territory," he said.

Athena nodded. "That’s the problem." She looked around. "The barrier isn’t just trapping us." Her expression became more serious. "It’s trapping the Beasts too."

Arthur’s smile faded.

Athena continued, "And if they’re all trying to escape," she looked toward the destruction left behind by the battle, "there may be a lot more fighting."

Arthur looked toward Luna, then toward the barrier, then deeper into the Everglades. He gripped his spear. "Then staying here isn’t a good idea," he said.

Vedas nodded. "We need to find the Fire Mirror."

Arthur smiled. "Exactly." He looked toward the others. "We’ll find it, break this barrier, and get everyone out."

...

Luna quietly looked at Arthur. For the first time since they’d found her, she looked slightly less afraid.

But then she looked toward the direction of the serpent, and her expression became uneasy. Because she knew something Arthur didn’t. Finding the Fire Mirror may be much harder than he thought.

Luna looked down at the mirror in her hands. The sun and star symbols around its edge were glowing faintly. She hadn’t noticed them doing that before. Her grandfather had always told her one thing about the Five Mirrors.

They were never meant to be used together.

Luna slowly looked toward the other four sections of the barrier. Her fingers tightened around the mirror. "Please don’t let them find the other mirrors first."

Arthur was already walking ahead with the others.

He didn’t hear her.

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