The vast grasslands stretched endlessly beneath a sky painted in soft shades of blue and gold. The giant tree towered over the land like a silent guardian, its colossal branches casting a cool shadow across the ground below. Beneath it sat Arata, calm as ever, his posture relaxed as he read the book resting in his hands.
Around him, the heroes lay scattered across the grass.
Denma was sprawled on his back staring at the sky. Jess sat rubbing her shoulder from the beating they had just received. Kimotsu stared silently at his sword. Faith was catching her breath while Gene had somehow managed to fall asleep despite everything that had happened.
Only Kaelen seemed somewhat accustomed to this level of absurdity.
Arata slowly closed his book.
The sound immediately drew everyone's attention.
His gaze swept over the heroes before settling on them.
"I know how you fight and the circuits you use, so listen carefully. Sit cross-legged and close your eyes."
No one argued.
They still didn't understand who Arata truly was. They didn't know why he was so overwhelmingly powerful.
They didn't know how a clone had completely humiliated them. What they did know was that questioning him felt pointless.
One after another, they followed his instructions. The heroes sat beneath the giant tree and closed their eyes.
Arata rose from his chair.
The book in his hand disappeared without a trace.
"Everything in existence draws its power from the Great Circuit. Its energy is free because it is the origin of all things. Take a few deep breaths and go within yourself."
The wind drifted softly through the grass.
The heroes inhaled.
Then exhaled again and again.
Their breathing gradually synchronized.
The tension in their bodies faded.
Their minds became quiet.
Seeing this, Arata continued.
"Your circuit energy is stored inside your circuits. Once a circuit awakens, it enters the subconscious and establishes its domain there."
His voice was calm, yet every word carried an unusual weight.
"When a circuit reaches the subconscious, it takes shape. It becomes a mark. That mark is formed by the pathways and meridians opened within you."
Arata folded his arms behind his back and slowly walked around them.
"No two marks are exactly the same. Every person is different. Every circuit is different. The shape reflects the user."
The heroes listened carefully.
Even Gene remained awake.
"The goal is simple."
Arata stopped walking.
"Find your mark."
A brief silence followed.
"You may be using your circuits right now. You may evolve them. You may advance stages and gain greater power."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But that does not necessarily mean you're using your circuits as they were meant to be used."
The heroes felt their hearts tremble.
Arata's words carried undeniable truth.
"You've only touched the surface."
The world around them slowly faded.
Darkness swallowed their senses.
And then Denma opened his eyes.
"…Huh?"
He immediately stood up.
The grasslands were gone.
Arata was gone.
The giant tree had vanished.
Instead, he found himself standing inside a dense forest.
Ancient trees surrounded him on all sides.
Their roots twisted through the earth like sleeping serpents.
The air was cool and the place was quiet.
Almost unnaturally so.
Denma frowned.
"Where the hell am I?"
No answer came.
The forest stretched endlessly in every direction.
After wandering for several minutes, something finally caught his attention.
A small wooden cabin stood between the trees.
Its walls were weathered.
Its roof looked like it should have collapsed years ago.
Yet somehow It remained standing.
Denma approached cautiously before pushing open the door.
Creak.
The cabin's interior was simple.
Dust covered most of the furniture.
In one corner rested two crimson daggers.
But Denma barely glanced at them.
Something else had captured his full attention.
Floating in the center of the cabin was a strange red spiral, It hovered silently in the air.
The shape resembled a line curled into a circle.
Yet it wasn't fully enclosed.
One curve rested within the center while another stretched around the outside.
It pulsed softly like a heartbeat as if it was alive.
Denma couldn't explain it.
But the moment he saw it….He felt drawn toward it.
The spiral vibrated gently.
Almost as if it recognized him.
Denma slowly reached out his hand.
"This must be what the old man was talking about…"
The instant his fingers touched the spiral everything changed.
The red symbol exploded into countless streams of light.
They wrapped around his arm like chains.
Then they tightened.
A burning pain shot through his body.
"AAAAARGH!"
The spiral branded itself directly into his skin.
The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt.
It wasn't physical.
It felt like something was carving itself into his very existence.
Then denma lost consciousness.
Moments later, his eyes snapped open.
The forest was gone, the cabin was gone and the spiral had vanished.
Now he stood upon a battlefield.
An endless battlefield.
The ground was littered with broken weapons and ancient bones.
The sky overhead was dark red.
And everywhere he looked he saw Monsters.
Thousands upon thousands of them. Massive creatures covered in scales.
Towering beasts with armor-like skin.
Monstrosities whose bodies radiated impossible durability.
Each one looked capable of surviving catastrophic attacks.
Denma stared then slowly looked upward.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
A deep voice echoed across the battlefield.
Ancient, Powerful and unyielding.
"Prove you have what it takes to wield great strength."
Denma's eye twitched.
Then another.
A vein bulged on his forehead.
"I got set up."
Far away, beneath the giant tree in the real world, Arata sat comfortably in his chair once more.
The heroes remained motionless as they journeyed through their subconscious worlds.
A faint smile appeared on Arata's face.
"For your own Circuit Mark to acknowledge you…"
He leaned back slightly.
"…its test must be completed first."
The wind rustled the leaves overhead as the first trial began.