Alden opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room, more like a hall. His head ached, and he could hear whispers all around him. As he got up from the floor, he realized that the hall was filled with children, some his age and some older. Some of the children stayed on their own, while others formed small groups and spoke among themselves. As Alden looked around, he noticed cloaked individuals surrounding the hall, watching them silently.
Suddenly, the door clicked open, and the room went quiet. Any small talk ceased immediately.
Boldieus walked into the hall and stood on top of a small podium at the end of the room, eyeing every child in the hall. Finally, he spoke.
"The reason you are all here today is because you are all dead," he said. Even though confusion filled the faces of the children, they dared not speak a word.
He continued, "To the outside world, you are dead. You no longer exist. No matter what status you owned or what family you came from, it died with you when you came here. You have no name and will only be identified by numbers."
"So, the question is, what are you?"
"You are dogs. Untrained dogs, to be specific, and that's where we come in. We are your trainers. We are going to train you until you become loyal, and if a dog is found useless, it will immediately be discarded, because we have no use for useless things."
"Is that understood?" he asked.
But no one said a word. Alden could feel the air become thicker, making it hard to breathe, and he felt an unbearable weight on his body, as if it were crushing him.
Suddenly, he heard a scream as one of the children fell to the ground, holding his throat and twitching, blood trickling down from his mouth and nose.
"The next time I ask a question, I expect a response. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," the hall resounded with the children's voices.
Alden saw two of the cloaked individuals carry the boy out of the hall. Boldieus gave a satisfied nod before leaving, and as soon as he stepped out, another man walked in.
A short, purple-haired man entered, his walk showing a hint of elegance. He looked thinner than the rest, and his purple hair added to the ugliness of his face. He looked at the children with disgust, his features twisting into an even uglier expression.
He glanced at the cloaked individuals and gave them a brisk nod. Immediately, they moved and grouped themselves into two groups of four, making them eight in total. One group stood to the right, while the other stood on the left side of the hall.
The door burst open as two more cloaked individuals came in with carts filled with orange clothes.
"Boys to the right and girls to the left," the ugly man's voice resounded through the hall. Without a moment's hesitation, the boys and girls were separated, and a large curtain was placed in the middle of the hall, dividing them.
"Line up, make a row of four," one of the cloaked individuals shouted. As they did so, the individuals began handing out clothes. The clothes had numbers, and the number on them became their name. Alden's number was 0035.
When everyone was dressed and the curtain was removed, the ugly man was no longer in the hall. The cloaked individuals led them outside, where the ugly man stood, and behind him was a forest.
"This is your new home," the ugly man said, pointing to the forest.
Whispers could be heard among the children.
"Silence," the ugly man commanded.
"You will be staying there for one month. There are monsters and traps, but we aren't so ruthless—food and supplies have been placed inside as well. All you have to do is find them."
Alden felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn't sure if it was the medicine or the ugly man's words.
"Your main objective is to survive. Anything is allowed," the man said.
As he finished speaking, Alden felt his consciousness fading, the world around him blurring into darkness.
The ugly man looked at the cloaked individuals as they carried the unconscious children into the forest.
"Master Delmund," one of the men said, "everything has been arranged as you asked."
Delmund smiled wickedly.
Alden opened his eyes; he was in the forest. He looked beside him and saw a sword and a map. Various circles were drawn in blue and red. Red marked his location, while blue indicated where the supplies were kept. But one thing troubled Alden—the map showed only three supply locations.
Alden clicked his tongue in annoyance. They want us to fight for it, he thought. He looked at the map one more time and noticed a lake nearby. But he needed a pouch to store the water. Coincidentally, a small rabbit hopped out of the bushes.
A wide smile crept onto Alden's face.
After eating the rabbit, he washed its skin and used it to fetch water. Alden looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting dark. He needed a place to hide, so he searched around and found a huge tree. He climbed the tree and rested for the day.
As Alden slept, he felt crumbs fall on his face. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw Savo above him, eating biscuits. Instinctively, Alden jerked back.
Savo gave a small smile and jumped down, urging Alden to do the same. As Alden jumped down, he saw Savo sitting on a rock, signaling him to come closer. Alden's feet shook as he walked toward him. Something inside told him to run.
Savo looked at Alden with a wide smile, showing him a book and pointing at a picture of a bear in it.
"I want to eat this," he said, pointing at the bear.
Alden frowned. "And how does that concern me?"
"I want you to catch one for me."
"No," Alden replied without hesitation.
"Come on, I'll teach you a trick to get supplies easily," Savo said, catching Alden's attention.
"What trick?" Alden asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
"Let's just say supplies won't be a problem," Savo said, smiling widely.
After some contemplation, Alden agreed, causing Savo to grin. No matter how much Alden didn't want to help him, he needed to avoid fighting at all costs.
Savo tossed him the book and said, "Everything you need to know is in there. You only have four hours to come back, or I won't teach you."
Alden clicked his tongue. "You didn't say anything about a time limit," he said angrily.
"What's the use if you can bring it anytime? You should go now. The clock is ticking."
Alden glared at Savo before disappearing into the woods. As he speed-walked through the forest, he looked at the book.
The Helmed Bear: It is a green bear, very sensitive to sound, and is mostly found near waterfalls or lakes. It is attracted to the blood of dead rabbits or hamsters.
Alden looked at his map again and, luckily, he was near a waterfall. He immediately hunted three rabbits and poured their blood on trees and rocks near the waterfall. After completing this, he headed toward the waterfall, but as he drew closer, he heard humming. The closer he got, the louder it became.
Upon reaching the waterfall, he saw a pink-haired girl washing herself in the water, her hands caressing her skin. Alden's face turned red, and he backed away slowly to avoid making a scene. But as he moved, he tripped on a stone and fell, alarming the girl.
"Who's there?" she asked, submerging her body into the water, leaving only her head visible.
Alden emerged from the bushes, his hands raised in the air.
The girl's face turned red as she screamed in embarrassment. Alden apologized repeatedly, trying to calm her down.
That's when he noticed it—the Helmed Bear was standing behind the girl. Without a moment's hesitation, Alden threw his sword into the bear's eye, causing it to scream in pain. He quickly ran to the girl, grabbed her, lifted her in his arms, and ran away.
After distancing themselves from the bear, Alden laid the girl on the ground. Her face was flushed, and she held her hand over her chest. Alden immediately removed his top, threw it to her, and ran toward the bear. When he arrived, the bear was no longer there.
He looked around cautiously, and suddenly, he felt a shiver down his spine. Instinctively, he dodged as the bear's paw missed his head by an inch, slamming into a tree. Alden jumped back, putting space between himself and the bear.
The bear lunged at him again, but Alden noticed that its movements had become predictable. It was enraged, moving erratically. Alden stood his ground this time, and as the bear lunged again, he ducked, revealing the bear's stomach. Alden immediately stabbed it.
The bear was breathing heavily. Alden knew he had hit a vital organ. The bear lunged again, slower this time. Alden dodged and stabbed its other eye, causing the bear to recoil in pain. Now, the bear was completely blind.
But just as Alden moved in for the final blow, he stepped on a branch, and the sound alerted the bear. It swiped its paw, hitting Alden and sending him crashing into a rock. Blood dripped from his head, and his vision blurred.
The bear, now blind and bleeding, stood still, listening for the slightest sound. Alden struggled to stay conscious as blood dripped down his face, but he gripped his sword tightly, refusing to give up. His vision blurred as he steadied his breath, moving slowly to avoid making any noise.
The bear's ears twitched, trying to locate him, but the blood clogging its nose prevented it from smelling Alden. Alden crept closer, his movements careful and deliberate. With the bear completely unaware of his proximity, he raised his sword high and, with a swift, final motion, decapitated the beast.
As the bear's head fell to the ground, Alden slumped beside it, utterly exhausted. He could barely believe he had survived. He let out a weak, hollow laugh, realizing how close to death he had been. His body ached, his ribs throbbed, and his head was pounding. He knew that if anyone saw him now, they might think he was insane for laughing after such a brutal fight.
Alden lay there for a moment, his body too weak to move. He still had thirty minutes left before the time Savo had given him ran out, but he couldn't force himself to stand. His vision dimmed, and his consciousness slowly drifted away.
In the distance, a voice echoed, calling, "35, 35!"
Jenna, the pink-haired girl, had found him. She ran over to Alden, her face filled with panic as she saw the blood pouring from his head. She knelt beside him, unsure of what to do. She immediately grabbed her shirt from the tree and soaked it in the nearby water. Rushing back to Alden, she pressed the damp cloth against his wound, trying to clean the blood.
Jenna realized the wound on his head wasn't deep, but it needed treatment. As she frantically searched around for anything to help, Savo emerged from the woods.
Without saying a word, Savo glanced at the dead bear and smiled to himself. He seemed satisfied. Jenna, seeing him approach, grabbed the sword from Alden's hand and pointed it at Savo, her eyes full of distrust.
Savo paid no mind to her threat and casually tossed a first aid kit and a map in her direction. "Go to the nearest cave you see and stay there. When he wakes up, tell him to meet me at the tree," he said calmly before disappearing back into the woods.
Jenna hesitated, unsure whether to trust him, but she had no choice. She slung Alden's arm over her shoulder and, with great effort, helped him to his feet. They made their way toward the nearest cave. Once inside, Jenna found food scattered on the floor. She laid Alden down and carefully treated his wounds using the supplies from the first aid kit.
She glanced at Alden, her expression softening. Despite everything, he had saved her from certain death, and now it was her turn to repay the favor.