Kaisen turned to face them and crossed his arms. "Before we start — let me go through the basics of Raiki."
Across the four islands, Rika, Cole, Philip, Hamilton, Hannah and Zack were doing the same thing with the rest of Team Z.
"As you know," Kaisen began, "there are four stages of Raiki. Each stage has three or more qualities unique to it — except Stage 4. Stage 4 comes with one condition." He paused. "Death."
Ruqqaya added quietly, "And it means you've reached your absolute peak."
Kaisen nodded. "Exactly. So let me break down the qualities. Stage 1 — control, speed blitz and infusion. Both of you probably already know these. Stage 2 — presence, outburst and flow."
He paused and let that settle.
"Now here's where it gets interesting. Presence and flow are the only two qualities you don't necessarily need to reach Stage 2 to use."
Across four different islands, every member of Team Z — except Zain and Bob, who were somewhere on the water enjoying the sea — said the exact same thing at the exact same time.
"...Huh? Wait, what?"
Kaisen looked at Ryo, who was scratching the back of his head with the expression of someone who had just been handed a book in a language they didn't speak. "This is too much all at once."
"Let me explain." Kaisen held up a hand. "Depending on how strong you are in your other skill set — your Damik abilities, or in the case of a Ranian, your physical abilities — you may be able to use presence and flow while still in Stage 1. That's if you're strong enough." He paused. "However — if you've reached a point where your other skill sets are exceptionally developed, you can enter a phase where you don't even need to activate your Raiki to access Stage 2 qualities. This also requires your Raiki itself to be on another level entirely." He looked between them. "I call this phase Absolute Zero."
He looked at Ryo. "Is there something you don't understand?"
Ryo thought about it. "The entire Stage 2 section."
Ruqqaya sighed. "I'll take it, Mr. Kaisen." She turned to Ryo. "Presence is when your Raiki and willpower are strong enough that your opponent can feel you — and that feeling alone can kill them. But it only works if your Raiki and willpower outweigh theirs completely."
Ryo stared at her. "You're joking."
"I'm not. Next — outburst. Exactly what it sounds like. Your Raiki bursts outward. Usually used in tight situations when you need a quick escape or to break free from a struggle. Last — flow. This is when you enter a state where you stop thinking entirely and your body and consciousness take over on their own. The condition is that the moment you try to think about using it, it becomes impossible. You can only use flow or outburst at the same time if you reach Stage 4 — or Absolute Zero."
Kaisen raised an eyebrow. "You know your stuff." He turned back to Ryo. "But don't confuse the levels. If you're strong in your other abilities but only average in your Raiki you can still access presence at Stage 1 — but it'll be degraded. It won't kill. It'll knock out at best."
Ryo frowned. "But you said earlier we'd only be able to use it if we were lucky."
Kaisen shrugged. "I said that to scare you."
Ruqqaya looked at him flatly.
"As for Absolute Zero — that requires excellence in everything. Your Damik, your physical abilities and your Raiki all need to be at an exceptional level simultaneously." He paused. "Which is why it's nearly impossible. Even the King of Rolencia hasn't achieved it."
Ryo and Ruqqaya both turned to him at the same time. "What?"
"That's all I can tell you for now." Kaisen clapped his hands together. "We're not wasting any more time. Back to the shore."
They returned to the shoreline. Kaisen faced them.
"Alright. I need you to use control — Stage 1 — and extend it across your entire body evenly. That's the foundation of flight."
They tried. Ryo made it halfway up before losing the balance of it and dropping back down.
"I'm used to only controlling it at my feet," he muttered. He looked at Ruqqaya. "Come on. We've got two hours."
They tried again. And again. On the fourth attempt they both lifted slightly above the ground — then fell.
"Good," Kaisen said. "One more."
Fourteen attempts later, they were flying.
Kaisen watched them for a moment, hands in his pockets. Across the other islands, the rest of the Revolt were watching their groups do the same thing — Rika, Philip, Hamilton, Cole, Hannah and Zack all with the same quiet expression on their faces at the exact same moment.
"Well done," Kaisen said. "You're ready."
Ryo looked down at his own feet hovering above the ground, then back up. "But we only just learned how to fly."
"Enter flow," Kaisen said simply. "Trust it. You'll do more than you think."
Ryo looked at Ruqqaya. She looked back at him. Neither of them argued.
"Fine."
Kaisen led them to the center of the island.
The people of Red Island had gathered there — dozens of them, filling the open space around a large mural painted into the stone at the heart of the island. Ryo slowed when he saw it.
A boy. No face. Red dots where the eyes should have been. Arms and legs spread wide, almost like a star. Behind him — a black moon.
"This," Kaisen said, coming to stand beside them, "is Originator Red. Also known as Revallo." He looked up at the mural. "They say he was the first red Raiki user. Around fourteen hundred years ago."
Ruqqaya studied the image. "What does he symbolize?"
"Each Originator symbolizes something. Originator Green — happiness. Originator Pink — hope. Originator Blue — integrity." Kaisen looked at the mural for a moment longer. "Originator Red?" He shook his head. "No one knows. All these people know is that he was one of them. That's all they've ever been told."
Ryo looked at him. "And that doesn't bother you? Not knowing?"
Kaisen glanced sideways. "I wouldn't think too much into it. It's a myth."
Ryo watched him for a second. "You got curious for no reason. You're no better than Captain Zain."
Kaisen's expression shifted immediately. "Don't you dare compare me to that—"
A bell rang out across the island. Deep and resonant, rolling across the open space until it faded into the water.
Kaisen straightened up. "Time to see who represents Red Island."
Ruqqaya looked around at the crowd beginning to move toward the arena. "Do they worship the Originators?"
"No," Kaisen said, already walking. "They don't worship them. They embody what they symbolize. That's all." He glanced back. "Let's go."
The island tournaments were long. They were hard. Not everyone made it through.
When the dust settled across all four islands, the representatives had been decided.
For Red Island — Ruqqaya and her partner Agnis, a native of the island.
For Blue Island — Scarlet and Hama, a native of the island.
For Pink Island — Sulaiman and Suka, a native of the island.
For Green Island — Leona and Mimi, a native of the island.
Ryo, Ali, Benjamin, Abraham ,Aisha and Rimazu had not made it through.