Escalating stakes

The field has been set. The end is drawing near. As expected, the opponents didn’t stand a chance. I’m ending this now! The bracelet around my wrist starts to glow faintly. In one swift motion, I stretch out my hand. A vortex appears, shallowing my hand as I wait for the right moment. A brief moment passes, and something solid touches my hand. On instinct, I grab hold of it as I pull the object out. “It’s my turn!” Though it’s difficult to tell because of the veil covering his face, I can tell my opponent is getting anxious. After revealing a green-colored crystal in my hand, it is becoming harder to control my excitement. I take a commanding stance. Like the veil my opponent got when our fight started, I too, gained new equipment. The set of wings on my back, as well as the ring hovering behind my head, are starting to emit light.

“First, I use my ability, Holy Lance, to boost Cameal’s power once more!”

The gray light surrounding me moves over to the red-armored angel in front of me. Facing off against it is a demon with purple-colored scales covering its body. Behind that demon is my opponent, one of the followers of Rhea, the ones we were sent out to defeat. After using my ability, the angel Cameal makes a short motion, indicating its power has increased.
“Now take him down Cameal!” In response, the angel swings his axe, cutting the demon clean in two before it changes into yellow dust and disappears. With his last line of defense gone, the man starts to panic. He takes a step back, but he has nowhere left to run. I’m not giving him a chance to make a comeback. It is still my turn as I move in closer before raising the green crystal I'm holding. “Now come to my side Azreal!” The crystal in my hand shatters, and a bright light descends from the sky, reaching a spot in front of me. A black-winged angel emerges from the light, wielding two sickle swords.

“Now Azreal, it’s time for a final strike!”
“N-N-No, wait!”

The black-winged angel jets to the man with his weapons crossed before him. A brief moment passes as Azreal cuts the enemy down. With his final life removed, a strange force leaves his body. His equipment disintegrates, and he falls to the ground. Our duel has now come to an end. The arena slowly collapses, and I see the warehouse where we started again. On the other side of the warehouse, the hooded man is slumped on the ground, not moving an inch. I walk over to him to confirm that he is unconscious. I notice the gadget he is using is nothing more than a small box with a crystal in it. After taking it from his hand and taking a closer look at the box I see a faint reflection. Although I can’t make out many details, I still can see the earring on my left ear and the blue-colored lock of hair against the remaining black. Despite obtaining victory and clearing the objective, the uneasy feeling hasn’t quite been dispelled. I get back on my feet and look around to see if I missed something. The once eerie silence within the room is quickly broken by one of my comrades rushing into the room.

“There you are. It seems you were successful too. Although, that was to be expected.”
“You seem to have finished up on your end as well.”

Xander entered the room carrying a similar item to the one I just picked up. Following Xander are Flynn and Faizel, who are both catching their breath. Xander must have sprinted at full speed to get here while dragging them along. I feel sorry for them. Xander smirks as he points to the outside.
“Our pick-up is on its way. Best to rap things up and go on our way.“ I nod in response as we all head outside.

Even on our way out, we don’t meet any resistance. Once we arrive, we can see the jeep with our driver leaning against the bumper, smoking his cigarette. Most of our teammates have already assembled. With everyone being so tense, the driver’s laid-back demeanor tends to stick out. I look over the rest of the group. Five six, there are still four more to be accounted for. Before the words can pass my lips, two more run up to us. They’re gasping for air as they seem to be in a panic. “What’s wrong?” After taking a deep breath, the one named Erica stands up straight and answers.

“They have been taken!”

“What do you mean”, Xander asks, slowly starting to panic himself. The other, named Estelle, finally composed herself and started adding the details,
“They took Lydia and Joey. They lost and were both taken afterward!”
Xander starts cursing, losing all of his composure. I can’t really blame him, though. This is the first time I’ve heard the children of Rhea are taking in hostages. Before we have a chance to formulate a plan, the driver calls out to us. He must have been tired of waiting, as he already took a seat behind the wheel. Naturally, everyone is hesitant. The Ivanda circle is vast, and if we leave now, there is no way we will ever find Joey and Lydia again. The driver honks his horn insisting he wants to go and everyone reluctantly gets in the jeep one by one. Xander, standing in the back entrance, faces me. He speaks up though his usual energy isn’t there. “We don’t have a choice, Lloyd. We have to go.”

Even though I understand where he is coming from, it is still hard to hear him say it. I grind my fists as I’m the only one left, still not on the jeep. “Get in now or I’m leaving you behind”, the driver yells, apparently not caring about the missing members. I take a deep breath as I make my decision. I turn around and face all of them with full determination.
“I’m going to look for them!”

“Don’t think you get special treatment, as I am not going to wait for you”, the driver says agitated at my response.
“I’m not expecting you to. I’ve heard a new team will be sent out in three days, correct? Just make sure you pick up all three of us once they arrive.”

Xander gets off the jeep as he walks up to me.
“Don’t be foolish. How are you going to survive here? You don’t even know where those two are!” I place to hand on Xander’s shoulder, trying to reassure him.
“I can’t leave those two to their fate. I have to try at least!”
He argues with me about going in alone, but I explain how it would be safer to go in alone, as it makes it easier to search without getting spotted. I then turn to Estelle, asking her where they took the others. She shakes her head, saying she hasn’t seen where they were taken to, but were taken somewhere north. That isn’t much, but for now, that is all I need. Xander hesitates a bit but then moves back to the jeep. “You better get back”, he says, before taking a seat. I simply nod, as the jeep starts driving away. Seeing the bus fade away in the horizon I set my sights north. Just wait for me, Lydia! Joey!