Desby Forest, two months since the commencement of the Protector's examination.
Samuel Juladee stood atop a fallen trunk. In his soiled, frail hands, he held a wooden sword smeared with blood.
He and his partner, Blepharo Clemens, had just concluded an intense battle with another group.
It was an ambush; Samuel and Blepharo had split up and hunted the pair individually.
"Let us rest for now." Blepharo's calm and sophisticated voice echoed in the forest as he called out to Samuel.
Over the past month, Samuel's attitude and approach to the examination have changed drastically. The key moment was after his incident with the sick boys in the hut.
His perception of helping people and the stakes of the exam were made clear.
The ground thumped as Samuel landed with both feet. The pair were in the western part of the forest, a couple of kilometers away from Theales.
Sheathing his wooden sword in a makeshift scabbard, Samuel ducked and jumped into the cavity hidden behind a large bush.
It was their hideout, which they stayed in for 14 days. As he stepped in, he was met with Blepharo, who was already knocked out cold.
Noticing the dark bags under Blepharo's eyes, Samuel took it upon himself to stay awake and stand watch. He's exhausted... Samuel couldn't help but remark.
However, 'tired' was an understatement. The look on Blepharo's face had changed astronomically. His eyes were hollow yet piercing.
The look he donned reflected the image of one who was going through an endless awakening.
As he looked toward the crumbling roof, Samuel exhaled and thought optimistically, _Only one month left.
The starry night sky made its revolution, and the sunlight had returned.
Trying not to doze off, Samuel quietly got up, his legs stumbling as he did.
The rustling sound of his movements echoed in their little hut. His bony hands reached for a beige sack; it was their food storage. Samuel fiddled with and tried to undo the string that held the sack together. After unfastening the bag, his dark, gloomy eyes peered inside.
Empty.
Glancing at the sleeping Blepharo, Samuel took the initiative to find more food for the both of them. The toll of constant battles had affected Blepharo clearly.
He quietly made his way outside of their enclosed area and exposed himself to the bright yellow sunlight.
He donned a red t-shirt and white pants, the same outfit every other participant had. The bottom of his trousers was cut and jagged, while his shirt had numerous holes in it. The makeshift scabbard that lay on his hip bore his wooden, maroon-stained sword.
The hair that rested atop his head was clumpy and greasy. It often prompted him to scratch it, trying to ease the pain and itchiness. His soiled hands massaged the outer parts of his lifeless eyes, letting them know it was daytime.
With a deep, heavy breath, Samuel's chest rose and flattened as he took in the air. Although he wasn't fond of it, he was starting to get used to life here.
The area surrounding him was a small, flat land on the western side of the forest. Colossal trees enclose it and provide shade in certain areas.
Without looking back to his hideout, Samuel clutched the handle of his sword and ventured off to find food.
Throughout most of the exam, the pair's nutritional intake usually consisted of berries and fruit, which were abundant in the forest. However, they began to experiment with traps designed to capture small rodents, which they cooked over a small fire.
This time around, Samuel was intent on finding deer, which they had spotted a couple of days back. He would often see Blepharo eyeing the animal with curiosity and hunger before moving on.
Hopefully it will be a nice surprise for him. Albeit their ups and downs, Samuel was eternally grateful to Blepharo for constantly keeping him alive.
As he cleared a couple of dark green bushes, he continued his expedition with enthusiasm.
After 15 minutes had passed, Samuel had finally spotted his target. A small baby deer lay sleeping beside a fallen tree trunk.
Pumping his fist in the air, Samuel slowly approached the resting deer, clutching his sword in anticipation.
While he was aware his sword couldn't sever the head, he was going to inflict immense blunt force trauma to rupture its neck.
Clearing some fallen branches and bushes that were in his path, he reached the sleeping deer, grinning with delight. However, it was not until he locked eyes on what was behind the deer.
It was the remains of an adult deer, with some flesh still attached to the bones. He staggered back, mouth ajar. The color drained from his face as he realized exactly what he was looking at.
This was no ordinary death, no. This brutal killing and eating was caused by none other than a-
…Monster!
The bushes to the left of Samuel ruffled before an enormous figure emerged and charged directly at him. Not having enough time to react, Samuel was seized and thrown onto the ground.
The impact left him spewing blood and clutching his head in agony.
However, the monster was not finished yet.
Its grueling, purple-laced hands wrapped around Samuel's legs, puncturing his calves in the process. Lifting him off the ground, they left him dangling upside down.
Trying not to faint, Samuel could barely see what wretched being was holding him.
It had dark purple, coarse skin with bulging veins and taut muscles that covered its 3m-tall body.
Feeling its heavy breath hit his skin, Samuel couldn't help but smell the scent of blood and death escaping its protruding mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. Three eyes leered at the poor desolate boy, who was gasping for air.
The monster spun and launched Samuel against a tree trunk; the collision left him leaking blood from his mouth.
Crouching down so all six of its limbs touched the ground, the monster charged at Samuel. Its eyes locked on his neck, and its mouth began salivating and foaming.
As he felt the ground shake, Samuel began to pray to Mt. Ignis, one of the Four Holy Landmarks.
Mt. Ignis, I ask you to please protect Heart, Amariel, and my parents. I ask you to please shower them with love and happiness. Please find a way to heal Heart. I know I'll probably die soon, and that I've never really asked anything of you... please.
Before it reached Samuel, a piercing cry shot through the area: "MONSTER!!"
Samuel, whose brain was becoming foggy and his vision blurred, could still recognize this voice. It was none other than Diallo Haidar, his ''Lord of the Mysteries'' acquaintance.
Stopping in its path, the monster's head pricked up as it jerked it side to side. The breath escaping it turned a light shade of red, and its nostrils flared.
With a thunderous roar, it finally locked eyes on Diallo and was about to pounce at him.
However, instead of jumping at Diallo, the monster stumbled and fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Its legs were severed, and were left standing upright on the ground.
The rest of its body slowly crumbled before disintegrating away.
A figure vanished and emerged in front of Samuel, who was trying his best not to lose consciousness.
A soft hand was placed on his shoulder, and he could hear a delicate voice begin, "Rejoice, for 'He' has heard your prayers and is pleased with you, Samuel."
As soon as she finished, Samuel felt his body losing its once-painful numbness. Looking down at his calf, he didn't notice any puncture wounds.
What the... Who was that…?
"Samuel!" Diallo's energetic voice rang in his ears. "Are you okay?"
Samuel flexed and examined his body before replying softly, "Yeah...?"
"There was a monster, Samuel! A big, scary, purple monster!" Diallo exclaimed with worry-struck eyes, "But when I yelled at it, it fell and disappeared! What the heck! Where did it go?"
It seems as though Diallo did not notice the ethereal being who had come to Samuel's rescue.
"D-Diallo... Who is t-t-that?" A frail voice stuttered as it came from behind Diallo. It was a slim and fragile boy; who had soft ginger hair and red, timid eyes.
Looking back at his partner, Diallo introduced them both, "Oh, George! This is Samuel; we met during the first day." He gestured to Samuel to George, "Samuel, this is George; he's my awesome partner!"
'A-Awesome'…? Samuel smiled wryly while waving, "Hi…"
George hid behind Diallo; only his pale hand escaped and shyly waved back.
Focusing his attention on George, Diallo beamed, "George! Did you see that monster!?" George's head bobbed as he looked at his partner in admiration.
"Y-yes! I-I saw it!" Affirming his partner's question, George replied with the same enthusiasm.
"You did? Where did it go?" Diallo grabbed George's shoulders in anticipation. "I have n-no idea! It disappeared!" Trying his best to repress the stutters, George looked at Diallo with beaming eyes.
"What a mystery..." Diallo scratched his head. "Y-Yeah.." George mirrored Diallo's expression, also scratching his head in confusion. It was clear that George looked up to and admired Diallo.
Samuel chuckled softly while observing their cute interactions. I'm glad he found a good partner...
"So… do you guys have a hut or anything of that sort?" Samuel rubbed his neck and asked.
George twitched and hid behind Diallo, who took the initiative to speak, "Not really. Our hut got blown away after a fight with two instructors"!
Two?! Samuel couldn't hide the shock that spread across his face. "You fought two?!"
Diallo nodded eagerly, "Yeah! But we beat them both!"
It was surprising to Samuel to think about Diallo ever beating an instructor. He was just never someone who had the vibe of strength and power.
Diallo continued, "Well, George helped me a ton! He's reeeaaally strong!" What.?
Samuel was never rude to anyone, but even he couldn't help but leave his mouth agape at that statement. "I-I see…" It was all he could manage.
While he wasn't weak in any way, shape, or form, Samuel felt belittled and inferior to the pair in front of him. He wasn't even at a level where he could hurt an instructor, let alone beat one.
Remembering how the group didn't have a hut anymore, Samuel offered generously, "If you don't mind, you guys can stay at my hut…"
Diallo's eyes lit up with joy. "Really!"
"Yeah." It was better to make allies with two people who could fight instructors. Blepharo won't mind, right? He scratched his nose while thinking of his stoic partner.
Nadia did say that four people will pass... maybe it can be us and them! We can team up. His optimism was shining through as he led the two to his hut.
After a quarter of an hour of maneuvering, the trio finally reached the hut. "Wait here while I talk to Blepharo..." First and foremost, he had to get his partner's approval.
In Samuel's mind, though, it was more than guaranteed.
Diallo nodded and replied, "No problem!" And out of the corner of his eye, Samuel could spot George faintly bobbing his head in agreement.
Lifting the door, Samuel called out to his partner, "Blepharo. I need to talk to you about something." Looking through the dimly lit hut, Samuel could not find the boy anywhere. It wasn't until he heard a shriek outside that his heart dropped.
Scrambling out the door, the sight he witnessed was not pleasant.
Blepharo and George were in a blade-lock. With the way their blades were positioned, it appears that Blepharo originally aimed for Diallo's neck before being intercepted by George.
Grimacing, George pushed Blepharo back using his weapon and stood in front of Diallo, glaring daggers at Blepharo.
Noticing Samuel exiting the hut, Blepharo spoke with a cold, deadpan tone.
"Kill or be killed."