The crimson-stained horizon burned above the treeline as the academy's outer gates finally appeared in the distance. High, silver pillars shaped like spears shimmered in the sunlight. Beyond them, safety… sanctuary… rest.
For a moment, the students wept—not out of joy, but exhaustion.
And then the earth shook.
The wind died. Birds flew off in a flurry. Something heavy slithered beneath the roots, splitting dirt and rock. From the ravine below the hill path, a Bonejaw Serpent emerged—longer than three carriages, its head armored in white, jagged bone plates, with six blood-red eyes staring into their ranks.
Its roar shattered what little courage remained.
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!" Captain Varn shouted, already leaping in front of the students.
The hunters sprang into motion, drawing blades and charging their essence. Kael watched, frozen, as his vision blurred from blood loss and hunger. Liri pulled him behind a fallen tree.
The beast struck first.
Its tail whipped through the air, hitting the back line of students. Five died instantly, bones crushed. Screams followed. Some tried to run.
The serpent exhaled.
A corrosive mist burst from its mouth, melting the gear of those nearby. One noble girl fell to her knees, her armor eaten away in seconds. She didn't even scream—she just gurgled as her throat burned from the inside.
"Get behind the logs! Anyone who can't fight, just stay DOWN!" Clyne yelled.
Kael helped drag a smaller kid away from the mist. His broken blade was still sheathed, but it felt like a toothpick compared to the monster in front of them.
One of the hunters, desperate and cornered, shoved a student forward as a distraction. The serpent struck. The child screamed.
Kael's eyes widened. "He… he sacrificed him…"
Ravi cursed beside him. "They don't care. That's survival."
Another hunter did the same. This time, a noble student—a boy who'd mocked Kael days ago. The serpent's tail flattened him.
Captain Varn didn't even flinch. He wasn't watching the others—he was walking slowly toward the serpent, eyes glowing faintly. His aura began to shift.
Kael felt it.
That strange, subtle pull—the kind of pressure only those trained in Soul Cultivation emitted.
Varn had never used it before.
And now, as the serpent reared to strike a third time, Varn drew his sword… and it split the air itself. A thin arc of light slashed across the creature's chest. The Bonejaw Serpent screamed.
The impact was massive.
It reared back, slamming its body into a tree. Varn lunged again, his blade now trailing silver flame.
Kael whispered, "He's a Soul cultivator…"
The serpent slammed its tail wildly, and a second hunter was caught mid-jump. He smashed into a boulder with a wet crunch—dead.
But Varn didn't stop.
He moved with terrifying grace, carving into the serpent's side. Blood rained in sheets. The monster screeched, turning its head in a last-ditch attack.
Kael didn't even realize he was moving.
A younger student had tripped in front of the path.
The beast lunged.
Kael grabbed a fallen hunter's longspear—not even his size—and leapt, slamming the spear's broken edge upward.
The point hit the beast's eye.
The serpent reeled.
And Varn took the opening. His sword split the creature's skull, from brow to jaw.
The Bonejaw Serpent collapsed with a deafening thud.
Silence.
Blood soaked the forest floor. The students stood trembling, those still alive. Seven more were dead. Two had been sacrificed. Others were maimed.
Clyne was breathing hard, shoulder torn open. Liri helped a boy pull splinters from his leg.
Kael stood still, the broken spear shaking in his grip.
Then… he dropped it.
And wept.
Not from pain. Not from grief.
But because he had survived.
And the cost was too high to celebrate.
Varn wiped his blade on his cloak, then faced the students. His voice was calm.
"Those two hunters who sacrificed students… did what they had to. If they hadn't, we might've lost all of you. This isn't an academy simulation. This is the wild. Cruelty is part of survival. If you don't understand that, then leave now."
Kael looked at the broken corpses. His knuckles were white with tension.
The others didn't argue.
Some were too tired. Others simply didn't care anymore.
Clyne walked over and handed Kael a cloth bag. "Your kill on the beast's eye helped create the opening. That makes you part of the final strike."
Inside: a small pouch—50 gold coins.
"You get ten percent. The rest of the serpent's body will go to gearmaking."
Kael didn't thank him.
He didn't speak.
He just looked up at the Flame Gate, now close enough to touch.
And wondered if crossing it meant leaving part of himself behind forever.