(24 hours later)
"Huh, they're still not back yet?" Siege asked, standing up with a shocked expression on his face. He was sitting in front of Laila in the cafeteria. It had been a day since the two made it back after being the second pair to make it back from Floor Two.
"Yeah, it's been a day and they might be-" Laila said, her voice was hoarse and her eyes were puffy. She tried to hide her tears by covering her face.
"They'll be fine!" Siege said firmly, using all his willpower to convince her.
"Dominic... Where are you?" she muttered. Siege knew he had to do something to comfort her, but the events that took place in the Simulation was fresh in his mind. It was something he would never forget during the rest of his time at the Nafan Training Camp.
"Remember, we have to keep going, Laila" Siege's words were harsh but true. Laila knew if she showed weakness now, she will not be fit for her future challenges. She nodded, her face was melancholy.
"Greetings candidates. All training lessons will continue as normal until the time limit is up and the candidates are back. Training centers will also be open. We will notify you if there are any further changes. Here is where all candidates should go for their next lesson. In Magic Control..."
The list of names where called out in alphabetical order.
"Siege: Room 55"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Laila: Room 53"
The message was followed by a a short ringing sound signaling the start of the first lesson.
*Ring*
"God, we're going to be late!" Laila shouted, grabbing Siege's hand and running through the hallway. The pair darted across the corridor and stopped in front of the room at the very end of the hallway.
Siege peered through the other classrooms which were full empty. There were only 3 or 4 in each one as there were only 25 candidates remaining.
"Good luck!" Laila said with a smile before opening the door and disappearing into the room. Siege took a deep breathe before he too, stepping in to his classroom.
*******
"Siege Damon" The female voice was sharp. Siege looked up to see where it had come from but before he saw who it was from, he saw a glint of light travelling towards him through the edge of his vision.
"What the-" he said, his superhuman reflexes instinctively activated and he ducked and moved, estimating the direction it was going to. It barely missed him, cutting the back of his T-shirt. He slowly moved his head round to what had caused it.
"An axe?" he whispered, seeing the large metal axe stuck deeply into the wall. He turned back around with a dark look on his face.
"What the hell did you-" he paused mid sentence and saw a woman of large stature peering down at him. Siege felt intimidated and soon realized she was the one who threw it at him.
"You're late!" she said. Her voice was deep and her instructions were straightforward. The woman had long black hair and pale skin. Siege estimated her to be around 6f 3 inches.
"Yeah... I'm sorry" Siege began, looking down. He saw the other 4 candidates in his class staring at him with afraid looks on their faces. 'This is going to be fun...' he thought, sarcastically.
"Sit down..." the woman screamed, pointing at the only available seat in the room. Siege slowly walked to his seat. He noticed that there was nothing inside the room other than 3 tables at a space at the front
"For those of you who have not heard what I said..." the woman began. "My name is Madam Athena and I will be your physical trainer for the next few trials..." he finished.
"I will not hold anything back from you. My lessons are designed to push you to your limits, just like the training camp..." she continued. She held a stance. Siege knew that the person in front of him had many years of practice to get to the position she was in.
"I went through this same challenge nearly a two decades ago and my examiner was strict. "So don't expect anything less from me..." she said with a smile.
"Does anyone have any questions?"
The five candidates stared back at her, speechless. They didn't move a muscle, but they shook their heads in response.
"Good" she muttered. "Now, let's begin..."