It took nearly 45 minutes for them to return to the main path.
As Jimmy stepped out from the overgrown trees back toward the forest's outer grounds, he immediately noticed a strange shift in the air—too many people were gathered. Noise buzzed in the air. Flyers fluttered on poles and digital posters shimmered on portable screens, all showing the same image.
It was her.
That soft, floating, dreamy Whisp they'd trained with—the one Jimmy had fed, held, and watched vanish in wind and silence. The poster named her clearly:
#Kliken
Type: Psychic-FairyIts body still resembles a fluffy, floating candy puff, but now soft lilac glows pulse just beneath its cloud-like surface—especially around its swirl and tail. Its once sky-blue eyes now shimmer with hints of violet and starlight, reflecting dreams and thoughts like a still pond under moonlight. Tiny psychic rings sometimes appear around it when it's thinking or casting abilities.
Jimmy stared at the description, and for a second, the world muted around him.He pulled out his Data Sphere, double-checking the entry. Luna leaned close, nodding silently beside him.Jimmy signed, "Wasn't this… her?"
Luna nodded again—more slowly this time. Her tail gave a slight electric flick.
Suddenly, a deafening roar exploded from the crowd nearby.
"There she is! KLIKEN! KLIKEN!!" a voice screamed.
And just like that, the forest clearing turned into chaos. People surged forward like a tidal wave, cameras raised, barriers breaking down, the air thick with dust and excitement.
But Jimmy froze.
In that whirlwind, his device buzzed.
An unknown number flashed across his screen.
His hand trembled slightly. He didn't answer. He just stared at the name—Kliken—then at the fading memory of a blackened feather that had dissolved in his hands earlier. Something was off. Something was coming.
He quietly turned away and walked, not toward the crowd, but in the opposite direction—toward the bus station. Luna followed close, sensing his unease.
But just as he reached the outer gate, a policeman stepped in front of him—one of the three who had been watching him since morning.
"Hey!" the officer barked, snide and sharp. "What are you doing here, unlucky brat? You get lost like a little kid? did you lost?"He laughed. Another officer joined in, snickering under his breath.
Jimmy said nothing. He kept walking, eyes low, lips sealed.
But then—A fourth officer ran in with urgency and whispered something serious to the first two. Their laughter vanished instantly. Faces turned pale.They rushed off, leaving only one behind to stare at Jimmy, confused.
Jimmy said nothing. He boarded the bus quietly and took a window seat.
The world rolled past in motion blur.
High above, far beyond the crowd's reach, no one noticed the sky ripple faintly.
Soft clouds parted just enough to reveal a familiar shimmer—like cotton candy riding the wind. The Whisp known as Kliken hovered there, quiet, dreamy… tired.
She watched him from afar, her form partly hidden behind the veil of mist and daylight.
Then the wind shifted.A strange magic rolled through the air.
Her eyes grew heavy.
"I don't know…" she whispered, her voice carried only by thought, "how many more years I'll sleep this time…"
And with a final blink, her form dissolved into sparkles—vanishing into a darkened fold of the sky.
The clouds returned. The air calmed. The jungle fell still again.
But something had already begun to stir—deep in the threads of fate.
............................................
At exactly 6:00 PM, Jimmy arrived at the school gates—quiet as always, Luna nestled atop his head like a small child with sleepy eyes, munching contentedly on torus-shaped bluish-red quip nuts. These rare nuts were a delicacy for Whisps—crunchy on the outside, soft within, with a faint shimmer when bitten into. Luna's purring hum echoed gently through the fading light.
As Jimmy approached the dorm building, a hostel guard halted him politely.
"Hey, kid. A boy and a girl came looking for you," the guard said.
Jimmy raised his hand and signed: What did they look like?
"Them fancy students. Tall, neat. School crest polished like their shoes. Looked like they walked out of a brochure."
Jimmy nodded. His face stayed unreadable as always. He took out his pad, scribbled something, and showed it to the guard. The guard chuckled.
"Yeah, they looked like that emoji too."
Jimmy gave a faint grin, turned, and headed to his room. It was 6:18 PM. He had some time. Showered quickly. Changed. Played a little game with Luna where he lightly tossed a quip nut and made her catch it with her tail mid-air—a game that always made her wiggle with joy. At 7:10, he headed down.
When he arrived at the lobby, the two students were already waiting.
The boy straightened up and said, "Let's talk in the cafeteria."
Jimmy nodded, then quickly turned back, went to his room, grabbed his notepad and pen, and returned without a word.
The cafeteria at this hour was semi-crowded. Soft music hummed in the background. A few Whisps were working among the human staff—Ringtopus delivering trays with their extendable limbs, Linguqubes and Lingrithms translating orders from foreign students, and a towering Octaqube running dish cleaning cycles behind a counter. jimmy pulling his data sphere and checked everyone's name.
As Jimmy entered, some students noticed him—and slowly left the area.
The girl chuckled, more to herself than to Jimmy. "That's called fear. Or maybe... uneasiness."
Jimmy scribbled something on his notepad and flipped it toward her.
"Are you not feeling the same?"
Both the girl and boy fell silent for a moment. The tension hung in the air like unshed rain. Jimmy just smiled faintly and sat down at the table they picked.
The boy motioned to the AI-waiter. "Order anything. It's on us."
Jimmy shook his head and wrote:
"I don't drink that stuff. Water is enough."
He placed a worn water bottle on the table. Clear. Practical. Like him.
The other two ordered tea and light snacks. A pair of Linguqubes floated over with their trays and set them down gently. Soft holographic emoji-faces blinked once in acknowledgment before they floated off.
The girl leaned forward. "You really don't trust us, do you?"
Jimmy replied on his pad:
"Are you not the same?"
This time, neither replied.
Jimmy tapped the table, then wrote again.
"Let's talk business."
The boy nodded. After taking a sip, he reached into his coat and pulled out a black tablet. But before that, the girl finally spoke with a hint of guilt in her tone.
"I lied earlier," she said, "I'm not from Class A. I'm from the Elite Class."
Jimmy didn't even flinch. Calm, neutral, expressionless. He wrote without looking at her:
"I know. Checked the school forum already."
She blinked. "You're really something. Can't even show shock?"
Jimmy just took a sip of his water.
The boy, eager to shift the topic, leaned forward. "Do you know which team we're up against?"
Jimmy shook his head.
"We've been looking for you all morning," the boy continued. "Where were you?"
Jimmy hesitated, then wrote one word:
"Private."
The boy didn't press. Instead, he unlocked the tablet and slid it across the table. On the screen, three names appeared, each with a glowing school crest and a registered Whisp beside it.
#1 – HenryWhisp: VoltuskA compact, electric-type Whisp shaped like a coiled snake, its sleek yellow and black scales crackling with stored lightning. Twin thunderbolt-shaped tusks jut from its upper jaw, delivering devastating electric strikes with precision. Known for its aggressive combat style and unpredictable discharge surges.
#2 – SayaWhisp: MirrorailA water-psychic type with mirrored fins that reflected attacks. Graceful but lethal. Her mind-game strategy disrupted most opponents before the battle even began.
#3 – KravWhisp: HauntuskA ghost-type Whisp resembling a floating skeletal beast with a cracked mask and curling wisp-trails where limbs should be. It flickers between planes of existence and strikes with chilling howls and illusion-based confusion attacks. Feared for its ability to disorient both Whisps and tamers alike.
"These are our next opponents in the School Combat Trials," the boy explained. "We need someone unpredictable on the field. Someone they can't read."
..............................
The girl leaned in, brushing her fingers along the edge of her tea cup. "Alright," she said, eyes flicking from Jimmy to the glowing tablet. "Let's plan this right. We don't get a second shot."
Jimmy nodded slowly, already flipping to a fresh page in his notepad.
The boy tapped on Henry's profile first. "I'll take Voltusk. Electric types are twitchy, but I've got enough speed to bait him out."
Jimmy scribbled:
"Careful. He fights like a cornered rat. Sudden burst strikes."
The boy gave a half-smile. "I like rats. Especially the cornered ones."
The girl turned to Krav's entry next, her eyes narrowing. "I'll deal with Hauntusk. Psychic shielding and mirrored patterns should throw off its illusions. As long as it doesn't drag me into the fog."
Jimmy underlined the name Saya and drew a small spiral next to it.
"Water and mind tricks. Luna can adapt. We'll pin her with pressure."
Luna twitched her ears as if she understood, then stood up straight on Jimmy's shoulder. Her tail formed a confident loop above her head.
"Good," the girl said. "We split them up, corner their strategies. No solos. Stay mobile."
Jimmy added one last line to his pad:
"They're expecting us to underestimate them."
The boy tapped the table twice, thoughtful. "Then we won't. No flash. No mistakes."
They nodded in agreement, a quiet alliance forged not with loud declarations, but calm resolve.
As they finished, the cafeteria light flickered briefly, though no one noticed.
Far above them, hidden in the soft hum of the ceiling lights, a pair of unseen eyes watched.