Anatolia sat trembling, tears streaming down her face as her sobs filled the quiet night. The images of her comrades' betrayed faces haunted her, each one a knife twisting deeper into her heart. She couldn't bear it—their silent accusations, the weight of her own guilt crushing her.
Akshran sat beside her, his posture stiff and uncertain. He watched her from the corner of his eye, his expression betraying his discomfort. He wasn't used to moments like these.
'What am I supposed to do here?' he thought, his mind grasping for answers. But before he could settle on a course of action, Anatolia's trembling hand shot out, slapping his shoulder hard enough to snap him out of his thoughts.
"Don't you dare zone out," she said, her voice shaky but forceful. "I won't let you disappear on me too."
Akshran blinked, startled. He studied her tear-streaked face, her red eyes filled with a mix of fear and anger. 'This is hitting her way too hard,' he thought. Memories of their shared moments flashed through his mind: late-night talks, exchanging stories about their pasts, the rare laughter they'd shared over small victories. 'We didn't even talk that much, but she's clinging to me like I'm her lifeline.'
"You're a heartless bastard, you know that?" Anatolia said suddenly, her voice trembling as she wiped her cheeks.
Akshran's lips quirked into the faintest of smirks. "I know," he replied simply, his tone even.
Anatolia stared at him, anger flickering in her eyes, but it faded as she looked up at the sky. Her hands pressed against her chest as if trying to steady her racing heart. 'Sorry, Mother,' she thought, her resolve hardening. 'I've failed you. I broke my promise. I let people down. But I swear I won't let Akshran down, no matter how heartless he may be.'
Akshran observed her silently, her turmoil playing out in the lines of her face. 'Probably something personal,' he thought, dismissing it. 'Not my business.' Yet, despite his usual detachment, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"It'll be alright," he said, his voice unusually soft.
Anatolia glanced at him, her lips trembling. "Betrayal... why does it happen?" she whispered, her words raw with anguish. "I betrayed them. They betrayed me."
"What do you mean?" Akshran asked, though he had already guessed the answer.
"They were prepared when we attacked," Anatolia muttered, her voice barely audible. "Someone told them. Someone from our side. There's no other explanation."
A humorless smirk spread across Akshran's face. "There are three things that will always betray you: a friend, a promise, and trust itself."
Anatolia turned to him sharply, her eyes narrowing. "You speak from experience."
"I do," Akshran said, his voice turning cold. "But not from the experience of being betrayed."
His words hung in the air like a dagger poised over her. Anatolia shivered, an involuntary reaction to the truth in his tone. She understood exactly what he meant, but the weight of it left her silent.
After a moment, Akshran broke the tension. "Enough of this," he muttered. "I have a plan to win."
Anatolia blinked at him, confused but eager for anything to distract her from her spiraling thoughts. "What plan?" she asked hesitantly.
"Victory and defeat come from the same source," Akshran said cryptically, his tone as calm as ever.
Though the words made little sense to her, the steady conviction behind them eased some of her panic. She took a deep breath, nodding despite herself.
"They'll attack soon," Akshran muttered, standing and extending a hand to her. "Come on. Get up."
Anatolia took his hand, her legs unsteady as she rose. "You think I can't run?" she asked, her voice regaining a hint of its old strength. "Did you forget who carried you here?"
A faint smirk crossed Akshran's lips again, but this time, it carried a glimmer of approval.
________________________________________________
"We are sending an espionage mission to capture Anatolia and extract the flag's location from her," said Ryan, his tone sharp and commanding.
"Krix and Seri, you're up," he added, glancing at the two.
Krix's shark-like grin widened as he nodded. Beside him, Seri let out a bored yawn, casually adjusting the audiotape tucked in his pocket, a device primed to record every sound and word spoken.
"Go," Ryan barked.
As the two left, Krix grumbled under his breath, "Did they really have to pair me with you?"
Seri smirked, ignoring the jab. "How do we even know she'll tell the truth?" he asked lazily.
"Oh, that's the easy part," Krix replied, pulling a small pill from his pocket. "This baby cost us all of our CP—except for the audiotapes, of course."
"And what does it do?" Seri asked, his tone indifferent.
"It forces the target to tell the truth," Krix said, his grin widening. "Only for one sentence, but that's all we need."
Seri nodded, muttering, "I see."
The pair sped toward the location Krix was tracking, Seri's flight-based cursed spirits carrying them swiftly through the sky.
"You really burned 600 CP on that thing? Plus 400 on the audiotapes?" Seri asked as they flew.
"Yep," Krix replied with a laugh. "Didn't need to waste CP on supplies—one of our guys has a construction Resonance, and food's easy to scavenge."
As they neared their target, Seri's eyes narrowed. Below, Akshran and Anatolia were sprinting through the forest, exhaustion evident in their movements. Seri's lips curled into a sly smile.
"Finally," he muttered. Without warning, he swung his fist into Krix's gut, the blow knocking him out instantly.
"Idiot," Seri said coldly, watching Krix's unconscious body tumble through the air. "Didn't they teach you to never let your guard down?"
Seri leapt from the cursed spirit, landing gracefully on a tree branch near Anatolia and Akshran. His gaze bore into them, a mix of mockery and indifference.
"Long time no see," Seri muttered.
Before either could react, he summoned a cursed spirit fog, its tendrils swirling menacingly around them. "Sorry, Anatolia," he said, his voice devoid of remorse. "I really didn't want it to come to this."
"YOU!" Anatolia snarled, fury burning through her exhaustion, but her weakened state left her powerless against the attack.
Seri struck with ruthless precision. Anatolia fell back, her body trembling, unable to fend him off. Akshran stood still, his face indifferent, but his exhaustion betrayed him. He couldn't move to protect her.
"I hate people like you," Anatolia hissed through gritted teeth, her voice filled with venom.
The sound of bones and gouged eyes breaking echoed through the fog—fingers snapping, the sickening squelch of flesh. A pained scream of Anatolia ripped through the air as Seri's attack reached its brutal conclusion.
Moments later, Seri emerged from the fog, his body smeared with blood. He walked away without a word, leaving behind a shattered silence.
_______________________________________________
Krix stirred, groaning as he sat up. His head throbbed with lingering pain. "What the hell did you do?" he muttered, glaring at Seri.
"Necessary things," Seri replied with a shrug, his tone dismissive. "If they saw you, they would've bolted. But me? They hate me too much to run. They'll stay and fight."
Krix growled, but Seri ignored him, pulling out the audiotape from his pocket. "Here," he said, holding it up. "Proof. You can hear the sound of the pill going down her throat. It has the real location of the map."
"Show it to me," Krix demanded, his voice sharp.
Seri smirked. "No. I'll show it to Ryan. He's the one who matters."
Krix clenched his fists, his shark-like teeth grinding in frustration. But he knew he couldn't push back without consequences. Seri's smug expression only deepened his irritation.
_____________________________________________________________
"Akshran... so this was your plan? You're absolutely disgusting," Chatticus muttered, his voice heavy with contempt.
Seriphina stirred from her nap, her voice groggy. "What's going on?"
Chatticus glanced at her, shaking his head. Eddie, sitting nearby, didn't miss the tension in the air. "He probably didn't even try to stop Seri," Eddie said, his voice dripping with disdain. "He left his comrade behind. Truly disgusting."
Chatticus's gaze shifted to Eddie. 'If only you knew the whole story,' he thought, his expression unreadable.
Eddie continued, oblivious to the unspoken truths. "He's probably trying to transfer to Class A. This move would make it seem like he's given up on us. They'd think he's desperate to switch sides."
Despite his words, Eddie knew he was speculating. He hadn't seen the full picture, but suspicion lingered in his tone. Chatticus said nothing, the weight of his knowledge hanging unspoken between them.
_________________________________________________________________
At the Class A base, the room was silent except for the faint hum of the audiotape as it began to play. Everyone leaned in, their attention riveted.
Through the static, Anatolia's strained voice broke through, each word weighed down by exhaustion and pain. "Why are you doing this, Seri? Huff… puff…" The faint, chilling sound of blood dripping punctuated her words.
"STOP THIS! I ORDER YOU TO!" Anatolia's voice rose, trembling with desperation.
A sharp scream followed. "You're hurting yourself more than me!" Her defiance cracked under the weight of her agony.
"How far are you willing to go… just to win a game?" Anatolia's tone shifted, her earlier resistance fading into resignation.
A brief silence followed, then the unmistakable sound of a pill being swallowed. Seri's voice returned, cold and resolute. "Now, tell me—where is the flag?"
"It's… it's located in the mountain behind our first base," Anatolia said, her words laced with strain, as though fighting against the answer spilling from her lips.
"And?" Seri's voice pressed on, quiet but unrelenting.
"It's been… embroidered with countless traps," Anatolia admitted, her tone broken, the tape cutting off with an eerie finality.
The room remained still, the weight of what they had heard hanging heavy in the air.
As dusk gave way to the deep indigo of night, Ryan moved purposefully through the camp, assembling his team. Each member readied their gear, checking weapons and supplies under the pale glow of lanterns.
'I can't handle this alone,' Ryan thought, his gaze sweeping over the group. 'With all the traps ahead, they'll serve as protection… and bait.'
"Listen up!" Ryan's voice cut through the murmur of preparations. "Everyone, gather around. We're heading out. Our target is the flag."
The group set off under the cover of night. Their footsteps crunched softly against the forest floor as they navigated the path toward the mountain. Shadows flickered from their torches, but the journey was surprisingly uneventful.
The air grew cooler as they approached the base of the mountain. The terrain shifted to jagged rocks and sparse vegetation, but still, no traps appeared. The silence was unsettling, but Ryan kept his thoughts to himself, leading the group with quiet determination.
They climbed steadily, the path winding but clear. When they reached the mountain's center, Ryan slowed, scanning the surroundings. The area was open and still, the flag nowhere in sight.
"Huh… no traps at all?" Ryan muttered, suspicion creeping into his voice. He glanced around, his unease deepening as the group halted behind him. The mountain's quiet seemed too perfect, too deliberate.
The flag rested in the clearing, untouched and gleaming faintly under the moonlight. Ryan approached cautiously, his heart pounding. He reached down and picked it up, the fabric cool against his fingers.
"Huh… we won?" he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Not unless someone beat us to it," Krix joked with a smirk, though the thought seemed absurd. No one else could have reached the flag before them.
Meanwhile, in the observation room, Eddie leaned back, his face lit only by the flicker of the replayed footage. Anatolia's screams echoed on loop.
"YES! YES!" Eddie shouted, his eyes wild with exhilaration.
"Feel the pain," he hissed under his breath, his hands trembling with unrestrained glee.
"Has he lost his mind?" Seriphina muttered, glancing uneasily at him.
"Seems so," Chatticus replied dryly, his pace unhurried as they made their way toward the center.
"It's about three hours until the trial ends," Chatticus added, checking his watch.
"I'll announce the winner then," he said with a yawn, completely unfazed by Eddie's antics.
At the center of the arena, Ryan and his team arrived, flag in hand. The air was thick with tension as they waited, the minutes ticking away.
"So, about three minutes left now," Chatticus remarked, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the anxious group before him.
Seriphina excused herself to retrieve Anatolia. When she returned, Anatolia trailed behind her—but her appearance sent shockwaves through the group.
Ryan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Her fingers… they're fine? Her eyes are intact? What the—?" He stared at her, then at Seri, who was now stifling laughter behind her hand.
"What the hell is going on?" Ryan muttered, his confusion spiraling as he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing.
____________________________________________________
The room buzzed with tension as Chatticus began the count.
"1… 2… 3," he announced with deliberate precision, his voice slicing through the charged air.
Eddie crossed his arms, muttering under his breath, "Whatever. My students won anyway." His words, though quiet, carried a tinge of defiance.
But something gnawed at him. A whisper of doubt flickered in his mind. Something's not right, Eddie thought, his brow furrowing.
"And now," Chatticus declared, drawing out the moment like a master showman, "the winner is…"
A heartbeat of silence fell over the room before the final words dropped like a thunderclap.
"Class S!"