In the lobby, Lebo waited for the moment they would enter the forest.
He looked around at the other kids. Some were training their Uniqes. One boy created objects out of thin air, forming shapes and tools with ease. Another blended into the environment, becoming almost invisible as he stood against the wall.
Lebo watched quietly.
Everyone had something special.
Then he noticed a boy punching the air and performing sharp, powerful kicks.
Lebo recognized him immediately.
"Adam…"
The boy with the Dragon Martial Art—one of the hardest Uniqes to master.
Lebo walked toward him.
"Hi, Adam," he said. "I know you. You're the one who learned the Dragon Martial Art. Is it true you fight like a dragon?"
Adam stopped and looked at him. "Yeah. But I'm still trying to learn the Dragon Claw Backflip."
"What's that?" Lebo asked.
"The strongest move."
Lebo smiled. "That's amazing. Do you want to team up and survive the week together?"
Adam shook his head. "We already decided something."
"What?"
"All of us are going as one big team."
Lebo blinked in surprise. "Seriously?"
"Yeah. It gives us a better chance to survive."
Lebo nodded. "That actually makes sense."
"What's your name?" Adam asked.
"Lebo."
"Nice to meet you."
Time passed as the kids talked and showed their Uniqes. Some had powerful abilities, others had unique skills, but all of them were preparing.
Soon, the elders called them forward.
"The forest is dangerous," one elder said. "It contains slimes, golems, and wolves."
The children stood ready.
"Survive for seven days… and return."
Without hesitation, they entered the forest.
At first, they moved together as a large group. But after some time, they realized it was too risky.
"There are too many of us," Adam said. "We'll attract monsters."
Lebo nodded. "We should split."
The rule was clear:
Each person could only have one teammate.
So the group separated.
Adam and Lebo stayed together.
They moved deeper into the forest, gathering wood and searching for shelter. Eventually, they found a large hollow tree and decided to stay there.
At night, they took turns keeping watch.
They had to be careful of the creeking monsters—small creatures that looked like rats and hunted in groups during the night.
The first day passed quickly.
The second day passed just as fast.
On the third day, they encountered a bear.
They didn't run.
They fought.
Lebo focused and pulled small meteor rocks from underground while Ams distracted the bear.
"Hey! Over here!" Ams called, bouncing around it.
The bear roared and tried to strike him.
"Now!" Lebo shouted.
Ams increased the gravity, forcing the bear to stop moving.
Adam rushed forward and attacked—striking the head, the belly, and the leg.
The bear collapsed.
They had won.
That night, Lebo sat awake during his shift.
"Ams," he said quietly, "how do I have two Uniqes?"
Ams floated beside him.
"Inside every human soul, there are many Uniqes," he explained. "But usually, only one becomes the main Uniqe."
Lebo listened carefully.
"But sometimes, two Uniqes fight for so long that they stop… and fuse together."
"So mine is a fusion?" Lebo asked.
"Yes," Ams said. "Space and pets."
Lebo smiled. "That's amazing."
Then he asked, "Why do you always use gravity to move?"
Ams paused for a moment.
"My body is weak," he said. "If I stay on the ground too long, it hurts. Normal gloops have stronger bodies, but I don't."
"That explains a lot," Lebo said.
They kept talking until it was time to switch shifts.
By the fifth day, they had gathered plenty of food—berries and meat. They already knew how to cook, so they were doing well.
They decided to split up to gather more supplies.
While searching, Adam suddenly encountered a group of creeking monsters.
He slowly stepped back.
They noticed him.
He ran.
They chased him.
Then he remembered a move—the Flames of Tomorrow.
He stopped running.
He had no choice.
He took a deep breath, got into position, and moved his hand quickly.
Flames burst around him.
The monsters were burned instantly.
"I did it…" Adam whispered.
But then he looked around.
The trees had caught fire.
"No…!"
He tried to stop it, but the flames spread too fast.
Then Lebo arrived.
Using gravity, Lebo crushed the burning parts of the trees and stopped the fire from spreading.
Adam let out a breath of relief.
"That was insane," Lebo said.
Adam smiled. "Yeah…"
On the final day, they encountered a golem.
It was massive and incredibly strong.
They attacked together.
Lebo tried to trap it with gravity.
Ams increased the pressure.
The golem didn't move.
Adam used his strongest attacks.
Nothing worked.
They looked at each other.
"Run," Lebo said.
They ran as fast as they could. They fell, got back up, and kept running until they finally escaped the forest.
They were the last to return.
The elders stood before them.
The other children were already there.
Alive.
All of them.
Not a single one had failed.
The elders looked surprised.
"…This has never happened before," one of them said.
"You have all survived."
The children looked at each other in disbelieve
"You worked together… and overcame the forest."
He stepped forward.
"You all deserve your own claw."
he said proudly, raising his head
"Because all of you survived, you won't become Green Claws. Instead, you'll get your own claw"
He looked at Adam.
"You are the Orange Claw, because you are the first kid to learn the dragon martial art"
Then he looked at Lebo.
"You are the Purple Claw, because your power is mainly focsed on purple"
Lebo smiled.
He had made it.
After a long week, Lebo returned home.
As soon as he entered, the door opened.
"Lebo!"
"Jane!"
His older sister ran toward him and hugged him tightly.
Jane was seventeen years old, and she had been away on a mission near the Long River. She had only just returned.
"I'm so proud of you," she said.
"I did it," Lebo replied, smiling.
He told her everything—the forest, the fights, and his Uniqe.
She listened, clearly impressed.
"You've gotten stronger," she said.
"I have a gift for you tomorrow."
Ams bounced happily. "A gift? That's great!"
Lebo laughed softly. "Yeah… you're the best."
He yawned.
"I'm really tired. Good night."
"Good night," Jane said.
Lebo lay down and quickly fell asleep.
Ams floated quietly beside him.
Watching.
(End of Chapter 2)