It was the lullaby, Vince realized.
The louder it became, the heavier his body felt, and he could no longer sense the traps coming at him.
He hadn't read anything about this kind of power in the materials at Raine's house, but he was sure it was part of the test.
Having no idea what it was, he couldn't figure out how to counter it.
He tried covering his ears, but the lullaby was still audible.
It wouldn't simply go away.
Vince struggled to move forward, his legs feeling heavier with each step, and he remembered the times Raine had trained him to walk underwater. The way he was walking now felt just like that, making him more vulnerable to the traps.
He needed to focus and block out the lullaby.
But it wasn't easy.
The lullaby, which he assumed was created by magic, seemed to invade his mind and attack his senses, making it almost impossible to tune out.
Vince knew that if this continued, he would die.
Dying for everyone to see… how embarrassing.
He had promised himself a better life, to become powerful in this world, so how could he meet such a dire end? Not to mention, it was a pitiful and ordinary death that would only be remembered by people as the subject of their ridiculous gossip. He wouldn't give those rats the satisfaction.
After being hit by another swinging log and nearly crushed by a falling trunk, Vince rose and looked ahead with a determined expression.
'Now, what should I do?'
He started by calming his breathing.
He needed mental discipline above all else, or the lullaby would overwhelm his mind, making him weaker by the minute.
Vince briefly considered giving himself a wound to distract himself with pain, but he dismissed the idea as soon as it came to him. If it didn't work, it would only slow him down further, which wasn't ideal in his current situation.
The gentle wind rustled, and leaves fell to the ground, some of them glistening under the sunlight filtering through the tall trees in the forest.
As Vince took in the scenery, he realized that the background music for this scene shouldn't be something as soft as a lullaby.
He smiled.
His lips parted, and he began singing a famous upbeat song.
"Big wheels keep on turnin'… carry me home to see my kin🎶"
If he couldn't block out the lullaby, then why not drown it out with his own song?
Vince kept moving, his eyes alert on all sides while he continued singing.
"Singin' songs about the Southland🎶"
"I miss Alabamy once again, and I think it's a sin, I said…🎶"
The tune of his song filled his mind, and as the seconds passed, the lullaby was slowly replaced by the imaginary melody of Vince's singing.
He could still hear the lullaby, and he still got hit a few times, but gradually his speed returned to normal.
Once again, he began noticing subtle changes in the surroundings and detecting incoming traps.
"Sweet home Alabama… where the skies are so blue🎶"
While the survival test continued, back in the garden of the city chief's castle, the judging panel watched everything.
In front of them floated several hollow circles, showing what was happening at the test site. Each circle focused on one participant.
"Is he singing?" Lord Damian muttered under his breath, a thick tobacco pipe between his lips.
A young man had caught his attention—the only participant who was a dormant.
"Maybe, but I don't recognize the song," Raine said with a bright smile.
"Kayena's hymn of death is a trick of the mind, preying on a weak mental state. The weaker a person's mind, the stronger the power of her hymn, slowly paralyzing their senses. Seeing how many are struggling against it is rather disappointing," said Lord Damian.
The city chief believed that a city guardian must possess a strong state of mind, making it difficult for enemies with psychic abilities to prey on them. Additionally, strong willpower comes with a strong state of mind, which was crucial for a city guardian who was constantly exposed to life-threatening situations.
The sands in the hourglass continued to fall.
Time was passing, and as Vince pushed deeper into the forest, he kept singing.
Eventually, he noticed the lullaby was slowly fading.
He passed a couple of participants along the way, but they minded their own business and took different paths.
Vince paused when he realized that, for the last 30 meters, he hadn't triggered any kind of trap.
The lullaby had completely disappeared by now, so he stopped singing.
Panting, he sat on the ground for a moment and took out the water container he had brought with him. It was attached to a sling across his chest. He drank some water, feeling thirsty after everything he had been through.
However, he was fully aware that this was only half the distance he needed to cover to reach the exit portals.
After a few minutes of rest, Vince started running again.
Until he reached the forest's dead end.
A rocky cliff stretched as far as he could see. As he stood there, some participants emerged from the forest and gathered at the edge of the cliff, just as he had.
Each of them appeared at different points along the cliff's edge, scattered and maintaining a noticeable distance from one another.
"Hey, Vince!"
Someone called from a distance, and Vince turned to see Lexus waving from about fifty meters away.
"I'm glad you made it out of the forest!"
Vince only waved back briefly. He also noticed Max in the distance, who seemed focused on assessing the surroundings and thinking of the best way to cross the next mountain.
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Featured song: Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
A/N: Vote with your power stones! More exciting scenes will be up soon, fellas.