Avic, Eliisabet, Custos, and Chrono carefully paced themselves through the forest. Their goal was to reach the finish line as soon as possible. The longer they remained in the forest, the more dangerous it would become.
Eliisabet walked quietly beside Avic. Her gaze lined the forest floor. Timidly, she twiddled her fingers. It was evident that she had something on her mind.
"Eliisabet? Is something wrong?" Questioned Avic.
"Oh... Ah..."
Eliisabet stuttered. She didn't know where to begin. However, she couldn't keep it in any longer. She had to tell Avic. She had learned once that any of them could die at any moment. It was best to get things out in the open than selfishly keep them to herself.
She then took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Slowly, she looked up into Avic's eyes.
"Avic, I've been wanting to apologize to you ever since that day... I'm sorry for the way I reacted... And I know it was upsetting to you since it seems like Custos and I are always keeping you in the dark... And you have a right to be upset! I would be too if my friends kept secrets from me... But it's not that I don't want to tell you! It's just that I can't—"
Eliisabet then paused as she noticed the smile on Avic's lips. He didn't seem upset or bothered in the slightest.
"It's fine. Seriously. You're going to put me to sleep with such a long apology..."
"You're not upset..?"
"At first, I was. I mean, I've been tolerating your secrecy for years now. It's only natural that I'd get a little frustrated. But it's also not my place to force you to tell me stuff you don't want to. Just because we're friends doesn't mean you're obligated to tell me everything. Besides, I'm sure you have your reasons. So I won't force you to tell me. I'll be ready to listen whenever you're ready."
Eliisabet felt her heart flutter. Avic's words had put her at ease. Strangely, even her face became a little hot as a smile crept across her lips.
"So don't you think it's about time you told me the truth as well, Eliisabet?" Questioned Custos.
"Right... I should, shouldn't I?"
"I'd sure appreciate it."
"Okay... It was back on the first day when I was sent to the medical room. Valves visited me, disguised as one of the medical personnel... That's the truth I've kept hidden from you..."
"What?! So you knew Valves was here the entire time?! Why didn't you say something?!"
"I... I'm sorry... I knew you'd be upset if you knew Valves was here... It would also be inconvenient for Avic's pursuit of becoming a Registered Sicarius since we'd have to leave..."
"Eliisabet! None of those things are nearly as important as your safety! My vengeance should mean nothing to you and Avic can always retake the Sicarius Exam next year!"
"I'm sorry..."
"Sigh... It's fine. What's important is getting out of this forest alive. Hopefully, we don't run into any more trouble along the way. It's already day 5 and none of us are in the best condition."
Chrono then glanced back at both Avic and Custos. He was curious about something.
"The marks on your necks have mysteriously faded away. Shouldn't you be a little more concerned as to what that Valves freak did to you?" Queried Chrono.
"It's impossible to say. Valves was always known for experimenting on others in the past. He was a scientist who loved his research. Whatever he did to me and Avic was probably part of one of his experiments too. But whatever he did to us, I doubt it's anything good."
"For someone who doesn't know what could be going on inside their body, you're quite calm. Are these two always like this?"
Eliisabet chuckled awkwardly, "You'd be surprised. They rarely lose their cool. But I think that's a good thing because whenever they do, you know that we're dealing with a serious threat."
"I see."
Just then, the four pulled themselves to a stop as the scent of blood caught the attention of their noses. They quickly looked around, trying to identify its source. This was when they realized that they were in an area that was torn by battle.
Swords, spears, and other weapons were stuck in the ground. Dozens of dead bodies lined the forest floor and trails of blood were everywhere. It was as if something terrible had passed through there.
"What could have done this..?" Muttered Eliisabet in shock.
"A monster, hopefully... I'm a little too lazy to deal with any other threats at the moment..." Murmured Avic.
Chrono stooped down and began inspecting one of the bodies. He doubted it was a monster.
"The most powerful monsters in this forest are probably the Two-Headed Wolves. There are arguably others that can compete with it but they shouldn't be strong enough to kill this many people. Not to mention that there are no signs of claw or teeth marks anywhere. If you look closely, you'll realize that the dead were impaled by something."
"Impaled? Then are you saying that someone did this?" Queried Eliisabet.
"Seems likely."
"Take a closer look at the bodies," interjected Custos. "These people aren't students from the Sicarius Faction like us. Their uniforms indicate that they are a mixture of Knights and Registered Sicarius. Whoever managed to kill these guys had to be strong."
This sent a chill running down their spines. It would be logical for them to assume that this was the work of Valves, Valkyrie, or someone from the Umbra. However, before anyone could say anything, Avic made a shocking discovery.
"Hey, guys... I think you should have a look at this..."
Quickly, the others rushed to Avic's side. What met their eyes left them in utter disbelief.
"N-no way... That can't be..." Mumbled Eliisabet.
"There's no doubt in my mind now. It had to be one of them. They did this to leave a message..." Cursed Custos.
Before them was a spear that was stuck in the ground. Blood slowly trickled down the side of the spear, running to the ground. Hanging from the top of the spear was Instructor Hudson's head. He had been decapitated and had his head stuck to his spear. It was truly brutal.
"That says it all. We shouldn't waste any more time here. We need to leave now!" Demanded Custos.
Just then, Avic ran over to a body that was sprawled out on the ground a few feet before them. The figure had spiky red hair and was covered in blood.
"Agni! Agni!" Shouted Avic.
"Avic, do you know this guy?" Questioned Custos.
"I do... He was the other guy that Old Man Palem assigned to find out the identities of Valves and Valkyrie!"
Chrono then stooped down and braced his fingers on the side of Agni's neck.
"He's still alive. He has a pulse but it's pretty weak. If he doesn't get medical attention soon then he'll die."
"Shit..!"
"Don't panic. We can figure this out."
"Figure what out?" Asked a seductive voice ahead.
Everyone then looked forward as a chilling aura made itself known. Standing before them was a girl with long gentle black hair and cool brown eyes. No one knew who she was apart from Avic.
"You!" Shouted Avic in anger.
"I knew it was a good idea to mark you, my handsome prince! You came out alive, just as I had expected!"
"Delilah, you bitch!"