Bibi watched the man in front of them with great attention. It was clear that he was the person controlling the rocks that had moved out of the way to let them see the entrance... She tried to see what was inside, behind him, but it was so dark that it was impossible to observe any detail. She finally answered his question, not wanting to take up too much of his time

- To join... your cause.

Na turned to her, shocked.

Hadn't they come here to pass the test? He remained silent, not wanting to interfere in their conversation. Did she have a plan...?

After all, if she told them we were passing a test, maybe he wouldn't let us pass?

Whatever Bibi’s reasons, Na didn't intend to impose: seeing that man control so many rocks scared him. If Na got angry or said something wrong, he would end up buried under them or even crushed. He valued his life, so he let Bibi do it. He turned to the man who was controlling the rocks. He had beautiful blue hair that reached to his shoulders. He was wearing a dark robe with a belt around his waist. What drew Na's attention were his legs. They were mechanical. He was sure that they were not pieces of metal placed as armor, but really his legs. Na wondered what had happened to him

- Eeeeh, so you want to join the Grand Sanctuary? asked the man, a suspicious smile on his face.

Bibi nodded.

- That's why we're here," she admitted.

- I'm not the one to ask the questions, but would you allow me to ask one anyway?

- Of course.

A piece of rock beneath him broke away from the ground and floated under his buttocks, allowing him to sit on it, legs crossed. Before speaking, he looked at the man next to the girl. He couldn't tell where they were from, but he didn't give off any aura. He probably didn't have any Power... He turned to the girl and asked his question.

- How do you know us?

Na looked at the man with a touch of wonder. Seeing the blue haired boy "fly" like that impressed him, even if it was because of the rock under his buttocks. Bibi, too, was watching him, but with other emotions in her eyes. He was giving her an impression she really didn't like... Plus, his aura was much bigger than she thought. However, they were there for a reason and she was sure that everything would be fine for them. She couldn't tell them about the ordeal, so she had to alter the truth without appearing to be lying. She didn't know enough about the Grand Sanctuary, but she did have one piece of information that would be helpful

- It was one of your 'travelers' who came to find me... The young man next to me is my companion," she replied.

The man in front of them, still on his rock, stared at her in a disturbing silence. After some unbearable seconds, he hid his dark blue irises by closing his eyes.

- I see.

He slowly descended from his rock and the latter became embedded in the earth, where he had come from. He shook his blue hair and gave a small nod.

- If that's the case, then you can go home," he told them.

It was a first victory... but it wasn't over yet. Bibi looked at Na and smiled.

- Let's go," she said.

Na nodded and took her hand. They walked together into the dark interior. Even with the light coming from outside, it was very difficult to see anything... The rocks behind them moved again and closed behind them, making the interior so dark that it was no longer possible to see anything. Bibi clutched Na's hand, making sure they didn't lose each other. She could still feel the young man's aura in front of her, but she wouldn't be able to find her way in such a place.

- Lights.

Suddenly, the inside of the cave lit up brightly, forcing Bibi and Na to close their eyes to avoid going blind. He opened them again little by little, giving their eyes time to get used to it.

- Follow me," said the man in front of them.

Bibi did so without waiting and forced Na to follow him, who had been observing his surroundings. The interior of the cave was made up of ruined buildings that had fallen on top of each other and vegetation was falling from the high ceiling. Torches with bright flames were placed everywhere, which made him question how they had been lit. Since the man in front of them possessed a Power that controlled the rocks, he could not have set them on fire himself. Yet he could see no one but Bibi and this man... He quickly lost sight of this detail and turned his head to the girl next to him. Before asking the question he had in mind, he could not help but observe the pretty face of the girl. She had blood red eyes, menacing, but yet, rather bright. She didn't seem to have the slightest bit of malice in her and when she smiled at him, his heart went wild. After all, she was really cute... She only had one piece of clothing clinging to her skin on her body, one part was light blue, the other dark blue, but it suited her. She was small: Na was a head taller than her, at least. With every step she took, her dark hair moved with her, creating a kind of hypnosis in the young man's eyes. Having her by his side was relaxing, it made him feel good, without knowing her or who she really was. Perhaps her presence itself was reassuring...? What drew his attention last was the piece of metal that she had placed in his back. He didn't know what it was, but it was what she had thrown at him before they met... It was probably her weapon. Bibi, noticing that Na was watching her, turned her head towards him and questioned him with his eyes. He shook his head and apologized.

- S-Sorry! I wanted to ask you... Have we already passed the test...?

She shook her head.

- Not yet. We're accepted inside, but we're not part of the Sanctuary yet," she answered.

- Oh... You think it will be easy...?

Bibi looked ahead and watched the man before them. A metal tail was moving behind his back and he was walking down a long corridor that seemed to be endless... He was leading them to the Grand Sanctuary, but she didn't know what was at the end of that corridor. After all, she had very little information about this place... She shrugged.

- I don't know. As long as we stay together, we should be fine," she answered honestly.

She squeezed his hand with a weak smile and Na didn't answer. After all, she was right. As long as he stayed by her side, there was no reason for anything to go wrong.

After five minutes of walking that seemed endless, they arrived at a metal door with strange patterns. Even Bibi did not recognize them. The man put his finger on a small screen beside him and a metallic noise was heard. He pushed the door open and it opened without any problem. Na looked at the screen, but he didn't have time to observe it more: Bibi forced Na to follow her. They arrived in a new room... bigger than expected. Na opened his eyes wide and looked ahead.

They were now outside.

- A stadium...? wondered Bibi.

They were in the courtyard and all around them were hundreds- maybe thousands - of stone seats. Underneath them was gravel mixed with grass and it stretched for hundreds of feet away from them. Bibi noticed something strange rather quickly.

They were in the middle of the stadium and the door they had come through was no longer visible.

- Teleportation...?!

She looked around, but there was no other explanation. They had crossed the door and now they were in the middle of a huge stadium... Na asked himself the same question, but had no explanation and preferred to enjoy the landscape. The man told them to follow him and started to walk faster. Bibi and Na followed him and when they arrived at the end of the stadium, a voice rang out.

- Any newcomers?

The man formed a stone staircase with his power and joined the stone seats. He left the other two behind and jumped up to a seat that was bigger than the others... Where a woman was sitting with her head resting on her fist.

- Hmmm...

With her starry eyes, she was carefully observing the two people who were in the courtyard. The girl was staring into her eyes while the messy brown haired man seemed to be enjoying the scenery around him. One had a weak Aura, the other had none. Without looking away, she asked the man next to her who they were.

- They knocked on the cave entrance," he replied. They would have been sent by one of our travelers.

She continued to observe them before smiling and standing up.

- You two!

Na looked up at the woman who had just shouted.

- Your names?

- My name is Bibi. He is Na, answered the girl directly.

- Na...? A strange name.

- …

The woman walked a little before reaching the stairs and went down one step.

- What are you doing here?" she asked.

- We're looking to get to your Sanctuary.

- Why is that?

- We are interested in your way of life.

- Do you know much about us?

- Enough to know that this is the right choice, not enough to take a quiz.

This remark made the woman smile as she continued down the steps. The girl did not hesitate on any of her words. Na observed the woman approaching them. Her long blond hair moved in harmony, making her even more graceful. Her red and purple clothes hid part of the suit she wore on her body. With each new step, her large star-shaped earrings caused a new clatter. Na couldn't describe this woman as anything but elegant. She was beautiful. Sublime. Bibi was not interested in her looks, seeking to accomplish her goal above all. The man who had brought them here had stayed upstairs, watching his best friend walk down the stairs in such an elegant way. It was like an angel floating down from the heavens to join mere mortals.

- Would you really like to join our Sanctuary? she asked.

She reached the last step and stopped in front of the steps. She looked at them from her height, her calm smile beaming down on them. Her hair floated calmly in the gentle breeze that flowed through the stadium and her eyes watched them gently. Na was mesmerized by the sight of the woman while Bibi did her best not to say anything stupid.

- We are determined.

The woman sat down on the stone and let her feet sway as she continued to stare at the two people below her. She began to hum a soft melody and moved her head to her own music. Bibi had taken Na's hand again as she stared at the woman. She was sure that showing her determination to succeed would not be enough, but she hoped that she would quickly agree... The sooner they were done, the sooner they would go home.

- My name is Bibha. The man who brought you here is called Naim. Nice to meet you.

The woman stopped moving her legs and put back a lock of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. She kept her beautiful smile and touched her cheek.

- I am the one who recruits our new members from now on. To live in our own society, to join our Sanctuary, a simple test is all you need to do. A proof of strength, of determination and that will show me if we can trust you, she explained.

She stood up and flipped her hair with her hands. She shook her head and held her hands, as if praying.

- Bibi, Na, I'm not asking you to do anything but pass a test and you can join us. Is that okay with you?

Bibi didn't know what to think. She had expected to take a test, so she wasn't surprised, but the way he spoke was so... calm. So gentle. She didn't know how much she could trust her... but she didn't really have a choice, anyway. She nodded.

- That's fine with us.

The woman smiled and turned to the man next to her.

- Is that okay with you, too, Na?

The man blinked and looked at Bibi. She nodded with a smile and swallowed. He turned his gaze to the woman and imitated the girl.

- T-That's fine with us, yes.

- First of all, may I know your ages?

Na pursed his lips. Unfortunately, he had no idea of his own age... The only thing he knew was that he was over 17... He decided to answer with the age Sheerah had told him.

- I-I'm 25," he said.

- I'm 17," Bibi replied.

She observed them for a few moments before nodding.

- Naim, open the passage to the outside.

- Good.

He tumbled down the steps and jumped in front of the two newcomers, startling Na. Naim put his belt back on properly before using his Power... which opened a passage in the rock in front of them. Bibha stepped into the void in front of her... but a stone staircase was created under her. She climbed down them and arrived in front of Bibi and Na with a smile.

- Follow us.

- Of course," said the girl.

Naim created the tunnel by "digging" into the stone, which impressed Na. He noticed that as they moved forward, the tunnel closed behind them. Bibi wondered what enemy they would have to defeat... A Longer? Perhaps they would even have to fight a member of the Sanctuary.

- Whatever is the test, we will succeed.

They finally arrived outside and Bibha told them to follow her, which they did without retort. They walked for a few minutes until they came to an area without too many buildings. It was as if part of the city had been wiped off the map... Bibha told them to wait there and walked ahead of them, heading for the ruined buildings beyond. Na shook Bibi's hand. The girl looked at the man's brown hair before smiling at him.

- Everything is going to be okay. I'm here.

Na turned to Bibi’s red eyes and looked down.

- But I'm useless…

Bibi stood on her heels to stroke his head and let out a cute little laugh.

- All that matters is that we succeed, okay? she said.

Na looked at her. Why was she so…

- If you can't fight, then watch me. Let your heart go and who knows, maybe you'll find... some courage?

She stopped stroking his head and closed her eyes, smiling broadly.

- I'm sure you have a potential you don't know about! I feel that.

Na blinked, watching her pretty little face. When she smiled like that, he couldn't help but stare. She was so pure, so beautiful, so kind to him... She wanted his well being and wanted to help him go home, even though they didn't know each other... She was trying to reassure him, even though he knew very well that he had no Power. Nevertheless, he trusted her words. Maybe—

- Good luck.

Naim interrupted his thoughts and Na turned around. The man with the metal legs was walking away from them... Bibi shook the hand of the man beside her. Na looked at her and was about to thank her when his heart skipped a beat. He opened his eyes wide and felt his body tremble.

- Na…

Bibi was staring at the landscape in front of her with a look she had not yet shown. She had grabbed her gun behind her back, but had not yet put it in front of her. Bibha came walking calmly back to them, still with such a sweet smile on her face. She may have had a beautiful aura, but she was not the reason for their fear. She passed by them and before walking away she said:

- Give up when you want to.

She continued on her way, leaving the duo to face what was happening to them. Bibi pulled Na back and put her metal weapon in front of her, ready to fight. She squinted her eyes and gritted her teeth.

- Is this a joke?!

The earth shook under their feet. Na took a step back, the courage he had just gained already lost.

The pressure on their shoulders was so heavy.

In front of them, where the buildings stood with difficulty, at a good hundred meters, they could see their ordeal. One of the buildings, though very high,collapsed. A paw crashed to the ground and the wind blew Bibi's dark blue hair wildly. She loaded her weapon and let out an expletive before preparing to fight with all her might.

Ahead of them came a Longer.

A Longer several feet tall, with the torn body of a rabbit and the head of a slimy slug.

A level 6 Longer, powerful enough to defeat an army of men.