The forest felt endless. Roots tangled like veins beneath their feet, the moss clinging to their legs with every step. Trees rose like pillars in a cathedral, their long branches hiding the sun from view. There wasn't much left to say. Just the sound of boots sinking into damp moss and breaths dragging through fatigue.
Piera's shoulders ached. He flexed his fingers around the hilt of his blade, catching a glimpse of dried blood on his wrist. Blood that was not his, of course.
They'd fought two teams already—one of them a noble crew who talked big and fell harder. Each fight had shaved off more of their strength. But they'd survived, barely.
[GROUP 16 - SCORE: 3200 POINTS]
Time until location reveal: 2:45
Time until exam ends: 5:00
"We immobilized 4 of them, but the remaining 4 members fled. Our locations have been revealed 10 times, each time being more dangerous than the last," Lex said, voice steady despite the dirt smudging his face and the cut running across his cheek. "I won't blame those who ran. Cowardice is, in itself, a tactic."
"It's better for us," Syris muttered, adjusting the strap on her quiver. "If they run, they don't get in our way."
"I could use a nap," Uriah sighed. "Well, that'd be preferably not on the floor of a haunted forest."
"Stay sharp," Elena said, glancing through the trees. "We're close to the location reveal, meaning that all types of people will be after us since we have the highest points, so be careful. Because desperate people do desperate things."
Each step forward felt heavier than the last. And yet—despite the silence, despite the stillness—there was tension in the air. It felt almost like a breath that had been held too long.
Then they saw it.
A clearing opened ahead, where the trees thinned just enough to let the mist space out. They first noticed the blood smeared across the grass and bark. Then the bodies. Six of them, maybe seven. It was hard to tell. Some groaned. Others twitched. Most of them didn't move at all.
And standing in the middle of it all was her. Thera.
As blood dripped from her knuckles, the black mark on her hand shone ever so dimly. Her eyes were calm. She looked way too calm, almost like she just finished a bug extermination.
She hadn't finished the job yet. Another team was still alive—barely. One tried to crawl away, dragging a leg that looked broken in three places.
And then Thera turned.
Her gaze found them instantly, like she'd known they were there the whole time. She didn't speak. Just tilted her head—and smiled.
"I don't like that smile," Uriah whispered.
Thera didn't charge. She simply vanished.
One blink, and she was already on Syris.
The archer ducked just in time—Thera's fist carving through the air like a blade. Syris spun, letting loose an arrow that Thera batted away with the back of her hand, the motion too fast to track.
Thera was everywhere. Her foot slammed into Elena's ribs, sending her flying into a tree. Before Piera could turn, she was behind him—he barely raised his blade in time to deflect a strike that numbed his arm.
Karren charged, roaring, fists raised. Thera caught his punch with one hand and drove her knee into his gut. He doubled over, gagging. She flung him into a tree without looking.
The injured team behind her tried to flee.
Big mistake.
Thera spun mid-air, launching herself toward them like a bullet. One got their arm shattered before they hit the ground. Another didn't move after she landed a kick square to the throat.
"She's going for the kills!" Elena coughed, clutching her side.
"Damn it," Piera snarled, stepping in front of one of the injured. His blade flicked once, fast, clean. The girl dropped, groaning.
"That's one!" Lex called. His eyes were wild, scanning the battlefield like a chessboard. "If we down two more—"
A blur. Thera was on him.
Lex dove, a fist barely missing his face as it cratered the ground. He rolled, coughing, eyes flashing. "She's too fast!"
"Lex!" Syris fired again. This time—contact. An arrow to the shoulder. Thera staggered.
Not from pain. From surprise.
She yanked it out. Barely a wince.
She didn't bleed much. She barely seemed to care.
"Why dost thou do this!? Answer me, woman!" Lex shouted at her, holding his injured side.
"If I own the world, do I need to have permission to do with my subjects as I please?" Thera asked.
For a moment, the battle stopped… Everyone tried to make reason out of what she said.
"Ignore this vermin's point of view. We can still win!" He dodged a sweeping kick. "Fight the girl not! Focus on the half-dead team—five more and we pass!
"I thought we needed—" Uriah ducked, eyes wide—"Thera's points!"
"No!" Lex flipped behind a tree, panting. "Anyone's! Five kills or three downs. We're already close!"
Karren grinned, wiping blood from his chin. "Well, why didn't you say so?!"
He dashed toward a conscious enemy who was dragging herself away from the chaos. One hit. Down.
[GROUP 16 - SCORE: 3300 POINTS]
Time until exam ends: 2:00
Syris loosed an arrow into another's thigh, sprinted forward—stabbed, fast, clean.
Two.
[GROUP 16 - SCORE: 3500 POINTS]
Time until exam ends: 1:24
Piera ran a blade across the back of another's knees—clean, fast, nonlethal. The boy dropped, screaming.
Three.
[GROUP 16 - SCORE: 3700 POINTS]
Time until exam ends: 0:47
Thera paused mid-swing.
Her eyes narrowed at the number, then flicked to the groaning team behind her. Her lips pressed into a flat line.
Lex was panting, clutching his side. "She's realized what we're doing."
"Too late," Elena hissed.
Uriah fired off a bolt that slammed into the leg of another enemy, pinning him to the ground. Karren followed with a brutal punch to the jaw.
[GROUP 16 - SCORE: 4000 POINTS]
Time until exam ends:0:20
Thera stared at them.
Just stared.
"You're not worth it," she muttered. "Not anymore."
Then, she was gone.
Not a mech, nor a machine. Not magic, none of them could use magic at this age. Just… speed. She blurred through the trees like a phantom, gone before anyone could follow.
Silence fell. Just breathing. Labored. Raw.
They stood among the injured and unconscious. Piera exhaled, hands shaking.
Breaths came ragged. Uriah leaned on his knees, blinking. "That… was insane."
Lex let himself slide down against a tree. "But we passed."
Above, the drone buzzed. A flash of green. Confirmation.
[GROUP 16 - SCORE: 4000 POINTS]
STATUS: PASSED
The forest, at last, felt still.