The forest fell quiet again.
Zeke stood at the edge of the scorched clearing, chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. The battle was over, but his knuckles still ached from the force of the blows. His hair, damp with sweat.
He looked down at his sword.
"Damn" he muttered as he beheld the sight of the sorry blade.
"Stupid beast, you broke my sword"
The professors, hidden in sky, let out a collective chuckle.
Back in the forest the five students walked towards Zeke, two boys at the back walking a little slower, their steps uneven, faces still flushed with exhaustion and adrenaline. The shield-bearing boy's eyes gleamed with something between awe and nervous hope.
"Thanks... for saving us back there," the girl with the faintly glowing wand said, her voice soft but steady.
Zeke gave a half-smile. "Don't mention it."
The boy with the shield stepped forward, reverence in his eyes. "I'm darius, the mage over there is Mira, the one to her right is her twin sister Opal and the two cowards at the back are Jason and Martin."
Zeke nodded. "Ezekial, or Zeke for short"
"Right, Zeke, I know it's a lot to ask, but... can we stick with you?"
Zeke didn't answer right away.
His eyes flicked from face to face.
A small group. Two had minor injuries, scrapes and bruises, but nothing serious. Mira, the girl with the wand, gave him a nervous smile.
Scanning the tree line. He exhaled slowly. "Yeah," he said at last. "But don't slow me down."
Relief washed over their faces. Darius let out a breath he'd been holding. Mira actually smiled.
"Let me help with that," she said, gesturing toward Zeke's ribs. Mira's wand traced an intricate pattern in the air, a soft glow radiating from the tip. The gentle light of the healing spell wrapped around Zeke's wounds like a layer of clothing, knitting flesh and soothing pain faster than natural recovery.
The pain dulled, then faded entirely.
Zeke blinked. "...Thanks."
Mira gave a small nod. "You're welcome."
Zeke rotated his shoulder. The ache was gone.
He chose a random direction and ran off, leaving behind an echo.
"Alright. Let's go find more people."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rian had found a good group. Strong, level-headed—maybe too level-headed.
They moved through the forest with practiced formation. Rian, ever the mood-setter, tried a few jokes early on. The first one got a polite chuckle. The second? A cough. The third just met silence.
Rian stood slightly apart, the murmurs and laughter of his companions feeling forced. Their strong arms and confident stances betrayed no sign of real fear—but their lack of humor in response to his jokes gnawed at him.
Eventually, they stopped and set up camp. A small fire crackled between their ring of logs and stones. Night had fully fallen. The trial's first day was ending.
Just as he reached for a ration bar, the trees snapped.
A group of ragged students crashed through the brush, breathless and filthy. One of them—a tall boy with wild brown hair and a wild look in his eyes—froze when he saw him.
"Kaito?" Rian stood.
The boy's face lit up. "Rian! Oh man, you're alive."
Rian clapped his back in a hug. "Barely. You look like you've been through hell."
Kaito didn't laugh. His eyes flicked around. "Have you seen my sister?"
Rian's grin faded. He shook his head. "No. But she might be with Zeke. If anyone's looking out for her, it's him."
Something in Kaito's face shifted. The emptiness in his eyes softened. He sat down, shoulders dropping for the first time.
They spoke quietly after that. Swapped stories, Rian told a joke here and there.
Between Rian's group and Kaito's, they had seventeen people total. A fair few. We should be okay if we run into hollow, he thought.
Then the forest screamed.
A thunderous crash echoed through the trees—one, two, three trunks breaking. Something massive barreled toward them. The fire flickered. Silence snapped.
A moment later, it hit.
A Hollow burst from the trees like a nightmare given shape. A hulking blur of darkness and motion, it struck without pause.
The first scream sliced through the night as a sharp claw caught one of the archers in the throat, blood blossoming bright against dark fabric.
Another student fell with a grunt, tripped by roots and dragged under by unseen hands before anyone could reach him.
Screams filled the air.
Blood soaked the ground giving it a red tint.
Screams rang out as more people fell to the beasts.
Firelight flashed off blades and claws. Rian surged forward, slicing a path through lesser shades, trying to reach Kaito who stood in the thick of it, roaring, blade flashing wildly.
"Kaito, move!" Rian yelled.
Too late.
A scythe-shaped limb swept in from the Hollow's side, Kaito's hand gets sliced off like butter. He pales instantly. Blood sprayed like mist. His blade hit the ground with a metallic thud. Kaito froze, staring in shock as his hand fell beside it.
A scream tore from his throat. His eyes swept back and forth between his fallen hand and his arm.
His scream, drowned in the noise of another close by.
A girl, one from Kaito's group was dragged backward and silenced mid-cry as a clawed hand pierced her gut.
Rian fought like a demon. The scent of blood, the shouts, the burning wood—it was chaos. Nine other students left. Just nine.
He dodged a swipe, slashed at a limb, barely registered the fresh corpse at his feet.
It's going to kill us all.
Then—
"Hey, you crazy bastards —why are you letting yourselves be killed."
The voice rang through the clearing like a war drum. Rian's blade halted mid-swing.
He grinned, fierce and breathless. "Zeke…"
And he fought harder.
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