Angelo's boots sank into the cool sand as he touched down on the beach, Rorck's giant mountain looming over them in the distance. Without a word, he settled cross-legged on the sand and closed his eyes, his breathing gradually slowing to a meditative rhythm. Behind him, Blue descended gracefully, Neiva suspended from his shimmering azure energy tether. He released her gently, the energy dissolving into sparkling particles that faded against the backdrop of churning waves.

Neiva shifted from foot to foot, the awkward silence stretching between them like an invisible barrier. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and approached Angelo's back.

"So... what exactly are we doing here?" she asked, tucking a strand of bright red hair behind her ear as the wind tried to claim it.

Blue remained perfectly poised several paces away, hands clasped formally behind his back, his scholarly eyes assessing both Neiva and Angelo with calculated precision.

Angelo didn't immediately acknowledge her presence. After several moments, he opened his eyes but kept his gaze fixed on the horizon where sky met the wall.

"I'm letting Red recharge," he stated flatly, his voice barely carrying over the crashing waves. "You're going to jog along the beach with Blue. No aura, your stamina's pathetic."

Neiva's face contorted with indignation. "Are you kidding me? That's the most basic training ever!" She threw her hands up in frustration. "I finally unlock my aura after all that struggle, and instead of learning some awesome aura manipulation, I get assigned cardio?"

Angelo remained unmoved, his back a wall of indifference.

"How long am I supposed to run, anyway?" Neiva pressed, crossing her arms over her chest.

When Angelo offered nothing but silence in response, Neiva released an exaggerated sigh that seemed to come from her very soul. "Fine. Whatever. Let's get this over with."

She began jogging reluctantly along the shoreline, her steps kicking up small sprays of sand. Blue immediately fell into stride beside her, his azure aura trailing behind him like morning mist, his movements effortlessly fluid while Neiva's breath already began to labor.

"Hold up," Neiva gasped, pointing accusingly at Blue's glowing form. "Angelo specifically said no aura! Why do you get special treatment while I'm suffering here?"

Blue's eyebrows arched slightly as he turned to her, his posture remaining impeccable despite the movement. "I find your misinterpretation quite understandable, given your novice status. Allow me explain." He gestured to his own body with precise movements. "Red and I exist in a unique state. Our physical forms are predominantly composed of energy. Every movement we execute necessitates energy consumption. Therefore, to prolong my manifestation, I've elected to employ my aura as an alternative energy source. While this does deplete my body's energy reserves, the consumption rate is substantially lower than—"

"That's not—" Neiva interrupted between labored breaths, her face reddening with exertion. "What I—meant! Why aren't—you training—too?"

Blue's expression shifted to one of sudden comprehension. "Ah, I see the source of your confusion now." His tone remained perfectly measured despite Neiva's growing frustration. "Physical conditioning would be entirely meaningless for Red and myself. Our bodies lack the biological capacity for muscular adaptation. My participation in this exercise without aura would achieve nothing beyond accelerated energy depletion."

Neiva's shoulders slumped as she continued her laborious jog, feeling simultaneously exhausted and foolish. "Fine. Whatever. Just tell me—how much longer—do I have to—keep this up?"

Blue stroked his chin thoughtfully, his movements precise as a surgeon's. "Red typically requires approximately thirty minutes to achieve full energy restoration. I would estimate you have approximately twenty-five minutes remaining to your exercise."

"Are you—serious?" Neiva wheezed, her face a picture of dismay.

Meanwhile, across town, Sol meandered through the narrow streets, his silver-white hair catching occasional glints of sunlight as he walked in a distracted haze. His detective's mind was piecing together the fragments of their case, fitting them against each other like pieces of a puzzle.

"Let's run through this again," he thought to himself, barely registering the townspeople passing by him. "Valuable gem discovered, buyer appears suspiciously fast, two security companies hired..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, his steps slowing as he analyzed each detail. "Gem vanishes without a trace, security firms point fingers at each other while demanding payment, and then—" He stopped abruptly, realization dawning across his face. "Then Hugo rides in like a knight in shining armor to 'save' everyone with his loans."

Sol snapped his fingers, his trademark confident smile spreading across his face. "The timing's perfect. A little too perfect, isn't it?" His eyes narrowed as he resumed walking, too caught up in his thoughts to notice where his feet were taking him.

"What's my next move? Asking about preserved evidence after a decade would be laughable. Maybe track down someone from the security companies? No, they'd have buried this embarrassment deep by now." Sol ran a hand through his silver hair in frustration. "There has to be—"

His train of thought derailed abruptly as someone collided with him from behind, nearly knocking him off balance. He turned to see a woman with shoulder-length dark blue hair already hurrying away.

She glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes meeting his briefly. "Sorry about that!" she called out, continuing to move swiftly through the crowd. "Big rush! Not a pickpocket, I swear!"

Sol watched her disappear into the throng of people, her odd parting comment triggering his detective instincts like an alarm bell. With casual nonchalance, he slipped his hands into his jacket pockets, fingers immediately encountering something unfamiliar.

"Well, what do we have here?" he murmured, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

Whatever the mystery object was, Sol's instincts warned him against examining it in public. He glanced around, noting several pairs of Cliffhanger eyes that seemed to linger on him a moment too long.

He approached a local who was arranging fruit at a nearby stall. "Excuse me," Sol said, pulling his jacket aside just enough to reveal the glowing energy patch on his chest wound. "Is there somewhere I could get this looked at? Starting to think it might need professional attention."

The townsman winced visibly at the sight. "That looks nasty, friend. You'll want Doctor Gregory in the center of town. Can't miss his place—big sign with a syringe. He's the best we've got."

"Much appreciated," Sol replied, offering his most charming smile and a casual two-finger salute. As he turned away, his expression shifted to one of intense focus.

Back on the beach, Neiva staggered to where Angelo sat meditating on the beach, her legs wobbling like jelly beneath her. She collapsed onto the sand beside him, chest heaving as she gulped down air like she'd been underwater for minutes. Angelo didn't even crack an eye open to acknowledge her return or her dramatic flopping onto the beach.

Red emerged from Angelo's body in a swirl of crimson smoke, materializing beside Neiva and Blue. The wild grin that usually dominated his face was oddly absent, replaced by an uncharacteristic seriousness that made Neiva glance between him and Blue with growing concern.

Angelo rose to his feet in one fluid movement, brushing sand from his clothes with mechanical precision. He still hadn't looked at Neiva, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond the horizon.

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"You're training with Red and Blue today," he said flatly, already summoning his orange energy wings. "I'm training alone."

Before Neiva could even catch enough breath to respond, Angelo shot upward, his wings leaving faint orange trails in the air as he flew to the cliff wall. The moment he reached it, he began firing a continuous beam of energy that carved into the stone, sending small avalanches of dust and debris cascading toward the beach below.

"What's eating him?" Neiva asked when she finally had enough air in her lungs to form words. She propped herself up on her elbows, still breathing hard as she watched Angelo's distant figure against the cliff face.

Blue's perfect posture seemed to sag slightly, an almost imperceptible shift that spoke volumes. "Recent events have likely occupied his thoughts to a considerable degree," he said, his scholarly tone subdued. "The confrontation with Dray, the revelation about Hugo's dual auras... these developments warrant substantial contemplation."

"Forget Mr. Doom-and-Gloom!" Red bounced on his heels, his trademark wild energy returning like someone had flipped a switch. He clapped his hands together with enough force to make Neiva jump. "Today's the big day! You're finally gonna find out what your aura type is!"

Neiva scrambled to her feet, exhaustion instantly forgotten. "For real?" Her eyes widened with the excitement of a child on their birthday. "Like, right now?"

"Indeed," Blue confirmed, stepping forward with hands clasped behind his back, though something about his stance betrayed slight discomfort. "I shall provide the theoretical foundation, while Red will employ his empathic capabilities to monitor your progress."

Neiva's excitement dimmed momentarily as confusion wrinkled her forehead. "Wait, what does Red being an empath have to do with figuring out my aura type?"

Blue adjusted invisible glasses with precise fingers. "If you recall our session yesterday evening, Red demonstrated an uncanny ability to detect the exact moment you successfully activated your special vision."

"Oh!" Red's eyes lit up with understanding. "Now I see where you're going with this, Blueberry!" His wild grin stretched impossibly wide. "Not a bad plan at all!"

Neiva looked between them, her head tilting like a confused puppy. "I'm still not following. What am I missing here?"

Blue cleared his non-existent throat. "Red will function essentially as a human tuning fork," he explained, his scholarly tone warming as he settled into teaching mode. "His empathic abilities allow him to sense minute shifts in your emotional and energetic state, providing immediate feedback whenever you approach or diverge from the correct path."

"That's brilliant!" Neiva clapped her hands together, bouncing slightly on her toes. "Like having a built-in hint system! This is going to be so much easier than trying to figure it out alone."

"First, allow me to elucidate the foundational principles," Blue began, his posture straightening further as he prepared to lecture. "The most crucial element in aura manipulation is imagination—specifically, your capacity to visualize both the manifestation and directional flow of energy."

"So it's like when I finally felt and controlled my inner energy?" Neiva asked, trying to connect this new information with what she'd already experienced. "Just... outward?"

"Precisely." Blue nodded with approval. "You must visualize drawing external energy rather than merely directing your internal flow. Most Aurons employ physical gestures to facilitate this visualization process."

"So the movements are just for show?" Neiva's eyebrows rose in surprise. "They don't actually do anything?"

"Not exactly." Blue raised a finger. "While the gestures themselves possess no inherent power, they significantly enhance your ability to direct energy. You would find it exponentially more challenging to draw energy to arbitrary points in space, but considerably simpler to visualize it gathering at your palm."

"Got it!" Neiva's blue aura flickered to life around her like a gentle flame, her excitement physically manifesting in the energy that danced across her skin. "I'm ready to give this a shot! You with me, Red?"

"Was born ready, sugar-tits!" Red bounced in place, his entire body practically vibrating with anticipation. "Just stick your arm out and focus on a spot right in front of your palm!"

"Okay, here goes nothing." Neiva extended her arm, palm outstretched toward the empty air. Her face scrunched in concentration, blue eyes narrowing as she tried to visualize pulling energy to a single point just beyond her fingertips.

Red circled her like a shark, his face contorting through various expressions. "Nope, that's not right—wait, almost there—no, you lost it—go back to what you were just feeling—come on, you can do it!"

Neiva gritted her teeth, his rapid-fire commentary simultaneously helpful and irritating. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she pushed harder, focusing on the spot in front of her palm with laser-like intensity.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Red suddenly leaped into the air like he'd been shocked. "You've got it! Don't let go of that feeling—just keep pushing energy into that spot!"

Neiva's heart hammered against her ribs, her entire body thrumming with excitement and effort. A tiny speck appeared in the air before her palm, growing steadily as she fed more energy into it. The sunlight caught its surface as it expanded, revealing a metallic sheen that glinted against the backdrop of ocean and sky.

The small metal orb grew until it reached the size of a baseball, hovering steadily in the air as Neiva maintained her focus. She turned toward Red and Blue with the eager expression of a pupil awaiting praise, only to find their faces frozen in expressions that weren't quite smiles.

"Metal..." Red began, his wild eyes meeting Blue's scholarly gaze.

"...Auron," Blue finished, the two words hanging in the air between them like a physical weight.

Before Neiva could process their strange reaction, a blood-curdling scream tore through the air from Angelo's direction. His agonized howl echoed across the beach, sending seagulls scattering in panic. The energy beam he'd been firing suddenly doubled in size and intensity, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that completely obscured him from view.

"What the—?" Neiva's concentration shattered, the metal orb dropping into the sand with a dull thud. She stared toward the cliff face, Angelo's scream still reverberating in her ears. "Is he okay? What's happening to him?"

Red and Blue exchanged a loaded glance that spoke volumes, some unspoken communication passing between them.

Red scratched the back of his head, his grin suddenly forced. "You know how some people really grunt during the last rep of a workout? It's like that. Just pushing for one final burst."

"Indeed," Blue nodded too quickly, his perfect posture unusually stiff. "Many individuals find that vocalization increases adrenaline production, thereby facilitating an ultimate exertion of effort."

Neiva stared at them, clearly not buying their explanation as Angelo's painful scream continued to fill the air. "Right..." She glanced nervously at the dust cloud engulfing the cliff face. "So, um, will I ever have to do... whatever that is?"

"Hopefully never," Red blurted, the words tumbling out with alarming speed. Blue immediately shoved him hard enough to make him stumble. "Hey! Watch it, you walking dictionary!"

The exchange only deepened Neiva's suspicion that something was very wrong with whatever Angelo was doing—and that her teachers were determined to keep her in the dark about it.

Back in the town center, Sol leaned casually against the reception desk, his silver hair catching the light streaming through the clinic's dusty windows. The receptionist—a tired-looking woman with hair pulled into a severe bun—barely glanced up from her paperwork.

"Please take a seat," she said, gesturing vaguely with her pen toward a row of worn chairs against the wall. "Doctor Gregory will see you shortly. There are just a few patients ahead of you."

"Thanks," he said, his eyes scanning the waiting area where three locals sat. "Quick question—restroom?"

"Down the hall." She pointed with her pen, already returning her attention to the stack of forms.

"Stellar," Sol replied, the casual warmth in his voice masking the urgency he felt. His fingers drummed against his thigh as he walked away, maintaining an unhurried pace until he rounded the corner.

The moment he was out of sight, Sol quickened his steps and slipped into the small restroom, locking the door behind him with a soft click. He pressed his back against it, listening for any approaching footsteps before reaching into his jacket pocket.

His fingers closed around the crumpled paper the blue-haired woman had planted on him. The paper felt oddly heavy in his hand, as if the secrets it contained added physical weight to the simple material.

"Let's see what was worth all that cloak-and-dagger nonsense," he murmured, carefully unfolding the note.

As the message revealed itself, Sol's confident expression gave way to genuine surprise, his eyebrows lifting toward his hairline. "What the hell?" he whispered, the words barely audible even in the small confines of the bathroom.

The note read:

The Heart beats still beneath shadows cast by those who stole its light.

The answer you seek lies where broken time points to stolen wealth.

Look where the eagle's shadow falls at midday - five jagged teeth marks the prey.

The second falls when first rises, beneath the split beard of stone.

Only the curious find what the ambitious lost.

When the port sleeps but before the dawn breaks. No guardians.

"Riddle," he said, tapping the paper against his palm.

He leaned against the sink, the cool porcelain a stark contrast to the excitement warming his blood. His mind raced through possibilities: Who was the blue-haired woman? How did she know what they were searching for? Was this a trap set by the Cliffhangers?

The soft knock on the door jolted him from his thoughts.

"Everything alright in there?" came the receptionist's voice, impatience evident in her tone.

"Just fine," Sol called back, quickly refolding the note and tucking it securely in his inner jacket pocket. "Be right out."

He splashed water on his face, collecting himself before the mirror. His reflection showed the gleam of excitement in his eyes that he couldn't quite suppress. Sol straightened his silver jacket and composed his features into a mask of casual indifference.

"Game on," he whispered to himself, unlocking the door to step back into the hallway. The treasure hunt had just begun, and if there was one thing Sol Thron excelled at, it was following the trail of breadcrumbs others had tried to hide.

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