Hands trembling, Nico gazed at his fellow peers again, this time understanding why their nerves were on edge.
The fact that someone had killed a trainee, shattered their relative illusion of safety within the Camp.
It didn't help that the perpetrators had dumped the limp body of the deceased trainee right in front of the gates provocatively... as if imparting a silent warning to all those who lived within its confines.
Nico gritted his teeth as he hyperventilated. Sweat slid down his brow faster and in greater volume. He desperately closed his eyes and did his utmost to shut the mental image that the limp form of one of his peers had generated.
'Blazing Fates!'
As he gasped for air, Nico sensed the fear in the clearing slowly but surely rise. It was reaching a fever-pitch. If it continued in this manner, any of the youngsters could do something which they might regret later, under the guise of mass hysteria.
Luckily, before it got too out of control, the metal gates clanked and parted, heralding a single man. A hush descended on the young trainees as they turned their heads and stared at their instructor with lumps in their throats.
William who had a deeper scowl than usual - probably because of the noise his students were making - frowned as he sensed the grim atmosphere in the air. He inspected their states from afar, his frown deepening as he saw how pale Nico was.
The white-haired man's scar twinged ominously.
Just as he was about to ask what all the commotion was about, his students' parted, gifting him access to what they all crowded around. Once his vision settled on the listless form that lay in the centre, his eyes widened.
The trainees saw a mixture of shock and disbelief range across William's usually impassive face. Then, suddenly, they noticed the man's expression twist into a nasty grimace.
Yet, perhaps for the very first time, that look did not intimidate them.
The raw shock the death of one of their peers brought, had frayed their nerves a little thin. Right now, they cared not for how unnerving William looked, rather they sought reassurance that they would not end up like the teen on the floor.
Full of simmering fury, William made his way over with heavy steps. Each step added to the weighty burden he held as the one responsible for these kids.
The reality that one of them was murdered right under his nose, made his shoulders sag a little.
His conscience now had to bear another hefty weight.
As he reached the dead trainee's location, the Head instructor bent down and closed his deceased student's eyelids. Then, with a flicker of hesitation, William picked up the crumpled form in his arms and headed back into the Camp.
"Come inside."
William's bone-chilling voice reverberated through the clearing full of such coldness that the trainees shivered despite themselves. Goosebumps appeared on their skin…
As William trailed ahead, his expression was dark.
He had an inkling on who dared scheme like this…
***
Back inside hut number three, Henry, Leon and Nico sat at the wooden table. All three of them were in a daze. They still couldn't get over what had happened earlier in the day.
After William had told them to enter the Camp, he briefly instructed those who had completed their missions to place what they had found/hunted beside the board in the centre of the Camp.
After that, they had returned to their accommodations.
Every trainee now felt there was going to be an irrevocable change in the Camp.
Absently shuffling the cards in his hands, the farmer spoke in a quiet tone, "What do you think will happen now that one of us is dead?"
Nico sighed, "Instructor William will probably implement stricter security measures to keep us safe. The downside is that it restrict us in where we can go."
Leon nodded at the brown-haired boy's brief assessment.
Henry shifted his gaze to the cards in his hands, a hint of fear in his eyes. If he were the one that died instead, then the hope his family placed in him would go to waste.
Just the mere idea sent a burst of anxiety surging through his stomach.
His cheek throbbed silently.
The green-eyed trainee immediately shook his head. He had to trust in William's ability to keep them safe and trust that no harm would come to them.
Otherwise, the alternative, being overwhelmed by a paralysing sense of fear, unable to forge ahead, would flood his entire being.
As the card game continued and Henry reaffirmed his goals and what needed to be done in the immediate future, the grim tension in the hut slowly dissipated.
The trio did their utmost to put what was happening in the background to the back of their minds.
Unfortunately, it seemed fate had other plans for them. Just then, a short sharp knock resounded from the door. Henry flinched and cast his gaze to the entrance, his eyes slowly widening.
Only one person knocked like that…
Sure enough, a moment later the somber form of their instructor slid into the hut. The door clicked to a close behind him.
"I congratulate you on completing the mission and come with a few questions," William spoke with a heavy tone.
The three trainees shared a glance and shrugged, before making room for their instructor to sit, should he choose to.
William sat down on the chair, his face bleak and solemn. "First, as I just mentioned a second ago, congratulations on your successful hunt of a Shadow Fang Leopard. I see it wasn't without any injuries," the white-haired man nodded in Henry's direction.
"Now time for the debrief."
The Head instructor took a deep breath, "Tell me everything about your time in the East Leaf Wilderness."
Over the next ten minutes, the two humans and half-blood carefully narrated all the events they had experienced in the forest. They left nothing out. Partly because they had no reason to do so, and partly because they felt it could aid William in his investigation.
"... and so on our way back with the merchant caravan, the merchant warned us about nearby danger - a bandit group that goes by the name of The White Cobras. The man stated that another merchant caravan had fell at the hands of these bandits, perpetual fear frozen on their faces. I initially dismissed this as something we didn't need to worry about, but now…" Nico paused, unsure of how to go on.
"Hmm…" William rubbed his chin thoughtfully with narrowed eyes.
A vague memory resurfaced, telling the whispers of a certain rumour before the Camp started. He had been in the City of Valdence to stock up on all the supplies needed to run this place before the trainees were to arrive.
During his shopping spree, a certain conversation caught his interest. It told of a certain individual who had escaped prison.
One who went by the name 'Boss', the leader of the White Cobras.
Another part of the rumour stated that he had pledged to get back at those who were part of his eventual imprisonment.
William distinctly remembered a person asking how the 'Boss' had escaped from one of the Empire's prisons. They were notorious for being very difficult to break out of.
According to the merchant at the stall, the man had received help from the Death Temple. That was also most likely the reason the White Cobras had evaded capture, he thought darkly.
The white-haired man's expression turned even bleaker. His eyes hardened.
He suddenly stood up, "Thank you. You have been most helpful." William sent a grateful nod in the trio's direction, before briskly striding over to the door.
He inwardly wondered who could do such a thing as to order the death of his fellow trainee.
Immediately following that thought, the image of a haughty fiery-haired boy with spiky hair surfaced at the forefront of his mind.
William's eyes darkened as his barely suppressed rage threatened to spill over…