Kale looked around. It was deep night, and the surrounding forest was thick and black, illuminated only by the bright, indifferent moon.

  Damn, I need to catch up to them.

  He forced his legs into a run again. Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop—the sound of his desperation on the paved road—until his energy finally ran out.

  "Huff, huff, huff, huff." Kale stopped, chest heaving. "How far is it, damn it?" he yelled, punching the trunk of a tree in frustration. Clenching his fist, he tried to run again, but it was just a slow, painful jog.

  He had already covered five or six kilometers, and still, there was nothing but trees and the lonely sound of an owl howling. I can't run anymore. Damn, I’ve hit my limit. He sank to the ground, trying to imagine how much farther the barracks could be.

  After a short, precious rest, Kale pushed himself back up. "I wonder how far they've gotten. Man, these people's strength is truly amazing, especially that lady. I can't give up here. I need to keep going until I reach my destination. I won't give up!"

  He ran for a few more brutal kilometers and finally reached the end of the road.

  "What the heck?" Kale muttered.

  The road didn't lead to a building; it simply stopped at the base of a huge, sheer rock cliff, rising approximately fifty-six feet into the air. Kale stopped, looked up at the impossible ascent, and saw the three figures waiting at the very edge of the cliff top.

  The young girl was waving her right hand vigorously. "Quick, big brother! Or else you'll be late!" she shouted down the mountain with a gentle, cheerful voice.

  The young boy stood there, hands on his hips, facing Kale. The woman, Nymeria, didn't even acknowledge him; she stood with her back turned, facing the wilderness ahead.

  Kale’s mood, surprisingly, lifted upon hearing the young girl call him "big brother." Huh, big brother? He started climbing the cliff, determined.

  The Climb and The Revelation

  Minutes passed, and Kale was utterly exhausted. Damn, I don't think I'll make it, he thought. His hands were numb, and he felt the muscles in his arms tearing with every upward pull. Each frantic grab at the rock face sent a spike of searing pain through his fingers.

  He was dangling precariously in the middle of the cliff face, feeling hopeless. What should I do now? I can't climb up anymore. My arms and legs have given up, and my fingers are numb. But if I fall from here, I might break all my bones, or worse, I might die.

  "Come on, big brother! Don't give up! You can do it!" the young girl cheered from above, her voice infused with a powerful, kind energy.

  Kale looked up again, fueled by her cry. "Yeah! I can't give up here! She's right! Let's do it!" he screamed to himself, ignoring the throbbing pain. He hauled himself up, scraping his body against the rough stone. His fingers were already bleeding, and his clothes were torn where they rubbed against the rock.

  An hour later, Kale finally hauled himself over the edge of the mountain. He collapsed onto the rough ground, gasping. "Huff... huff... huff." He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.

  When he opened them, the young girl was kneeling beside him. She wore a pristine white uniform, had striking red eyes, and her red hair was pulled back neatly. She was beautiful, kind-looking, and smiling brightly.

  "Congratulations! You did it, big brother! Haha!"

  Kale managed an exhausted laugh. "Th-thank you," he rasped.

  He stood up, looking at his bloody, dirty hands and torn clothes. The young boy gave Kale a thumbs-up and a wide, energetic smile. "Heh! Nice!" The boy also wore a white uniform, had white hair and red eyes, and looked smart and brimming with energy.

  Nymeria was still standing, back turned, showing no reaction. Finally, she spoke in a normal, cold voice. "Let's go, Izuna and Izume, and bring that boy as well."

  Just a bit further ahead, the cliff ended at the edge of a huge, wide river. Nymeria stood on the bank, then leaped high into the air. She descended rapidly, but instead of plunging in, her feet simply touched the water's surface. With another effortless jump, she bounced off the water, never sinking, and landed lightly on the opposite shore without a single drop on her clothes or boots.

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  Kale's jaw dropped. His eyes popped wide. "What?! How is that even possible?!" he screamed.

  Izume, the girl, chuckled gently. "Hehe, it is possible, actually. Let me explain," she said. "Imagine a coin and a cup of water. If you gently place the coin on the surface, it will sink. But if you drop the coin from a height, the water will splash. Do you know why?"

  Kale looked at her nervously. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

  Suddenly, Izuna pushed Izume aside, arriving in front of Kale with alarming speed. "Basically, if you gently put your hand on the surface, it sinks smoothly. But if you apply enough force and slap the water's surface, you feel like you're hitting something hard for a second," Izuna explained rapidly.

  "That's what Lady Nymeria just did! Her physical strength is so immense that when she jumps and hits the water, she slaps the surface with such force that it temporarily becomes hard, like rock, for a few milliseconds. That allows her to jump back into the air and reach the other side. It wasn't a miracle; it was just science applied in the right spot."

  "Oh, I see! I get it now! So you two can do it as well, right?"

  "Nope. Our physical strength isn't as strong as Lady Nymeria's," Izuna replied smugly.

  TUNG!

  Izume, who had recovered from being pushed, landed a sharp hit on the back of Izuna's head.

  "Ow! What was that for, Izume?" Izuna cried.

  "That was for pushing me," Izume replied with a stone-cold expression.

  "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! I got too excited to explain it!"

  TUNG!

  Izume hit him again. "And that was for interrupting me while I was explaining."

  "Ow! Okay, okay, I said I'm sorry! Fine, I'll let you go this time," Izume conceded, rubbing his head and walking toward the river shore.

  "Where was I?" Izuna asked Kale, regaining his focus.

  "You were about to tell me how we are going to cross this river," Kale pointed out.

  "Oh, yeah! Right! Of course, we have to swim!" Izuna exclaimed.

  "What?! We're going to swim? No, no, no, you're joking! With that high current, we'll just drown or be swept away! Plus, it's forty feet to the next shore!"

  The Hard Reset

  THUMP! A loud splash echoed as Izume jumped into the river. She began swimming toward the other shore against the strong current as if it were nothing. Within minutes, she reached the next bank.

  "Wow, she is amazing! You guys are—hey, wait, wait!" Kale was cut off as Izuna grabbed his left hand with his right and began pulling him toward the river.

  "Come on! Come on, now! It's your turn! Don't worry, nothing will happen," Izuna assured him.

  "But—"

  THUMB! Izuna jumped into the river, dragging Kale along. Kale was immediately submerged, struggling to breathe, sometimes popping up, sometimes pulled down, loud whooshing sounds filling his ears. Gulping, bubbling noises came from Kale's mouth underwater. Meanwhile, Izuna held his left hand with a firm grip and swam with his right, a big, happy smile on his face.

  Soon, they reached the shore. Izuna hauled Kale out of the water. Kale was barely conscious, lying on the ground, his head spinning with stars.

  "Oh, did he pass out?" Izume rushed over to check on Kale.

  "No, no, he just drank too much water. Here, I'll fix him," Izuna said. He then planted his foot hard into Kale's stomach.

  "Ugh!" Kale gasped, his eyes widening. Now, not only were his stars spinning, but he briefly saw fairies and angels beckoning him to the other side. Water came out of his mouth like a fountain.

  After a few seconds, Kale regained his senses. He coughed two or three times. "Hey! What the hell was that, Izuna?! You almost killed me, man!"

  "Oh, so you're still alive after all!" Izuna said with a happy, smiling face. "See? See? I told you, Izume!"

  TUNG! BOOM! Izume hit Izuna on the head again.

  "Hey! What was that for?! You almost killed him, you idiot!"

  "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Izuna held his head in pain.

  "Hey, Izuna, stomping on my stomach wasn't necessary! You could have used your hand!" Kale shouted, angry and wet.

  "Well, it would take me a lot more time if I did that with my hands, don't you think? It was the easiest way! Just think about it, big brother: what if the water didn't come out with my hands? Then I would have had to use my mouth! And what if your mouth stank? What if you didn't brush your teeth?" Izuna replied, rubbing his nose with his finger in a joking, taunting tone.

  "What do you mean by 'not brushing my teeth' and 'my mouth stink'?" Steam poured out of Kale's ears and nose, his face turning red with rage. "You've got a lot of nerve, huh, Chicken Head?"

  The insult, "Chicken Head," hit Izuna like a giant arrow. "Wha—What did you say?" Izuna demanded.

  "You heard it right! Chicken Head!" The second arrow struck.

  Now steam was pouring from Izuna's face, too. The two boys stood nose-to-nose, anger radiating between them—the space between their faces crackled like lightning.

  BOOM!

  Nymeria hit both of them hard on the head, sending them tumbling to the ground. "Both of you, enough! Or else I'll hit you again," she said in a sharp, annoyed tone.

  "Ow, ow, ow! That wasn't necessary, Lady Nymeria!" Izuna whined, holding his head.

  Kale also apologized instantly. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I didn't mean it."

  Large, potato-shaped lumps formed instantly on both Kale's and Izuna's heads from Nymeria's blow.

  Nymeria ignored them and started walking forward. "Let's go, Izume."

  "Yes, Lady Nymeria," Izume responded quickly.

  "And as for you two, you're not getting any dinner tonight for arguing in front of me."

  "What?! No dinner?!" Tears streamed down Izuna's face. "Humph, humph. Why no dinner? Why such bad luck?" he whined alone on the ground.

  "Keep moving already, Izuna, or you won't be sleeping inside the barracks for the whole two nights!" Nymeria snapped without looking back.

  Gah! Izuna's face went white with shock. "Yes, Ma'am!" he responded with a sudden, manly voice and ran like a flash, instantly catching up with the group.

  Kale, meanwhile, apologized deeply again. "Yes, Ma'am, I deeply apologize, Ma'am," he said, standing up and bowing to Nymeria before quickly following Izume and Nymeria. Izuna was left running behind, still whimpering about his missed dinner.