Chapter: 13
Perched silently on a sturdy tree branch, I observed the scene below. Four teams, all tense and anxious, surrounded a flag planted firmly in the middle of the clearing. Each group eyed the others, their movements uncertain, calculating.
"This should be fun," I murmured to myself.
Leaping down from the branch, I landed without a sound, about thirty feet away from the groups. The dense forest cast shadows over the area, making it easy to remain unseen. But subtlety wasn't what I was going for. As I stepped forward, my rose-gold eyes began to glow, becoming scarlet, piercing through the darkness.
"Why, hello there. Wonderful day we're having, isn't it?" I said, my voice echoing through the stillness as I emerged just enough to be seen.
"Who's there?!" one of them demanded, their eyes darting toward my glowing gaze.
As I approached the edge of the clearing, I let the air no reality itself around me shifted as the shadows twist and writhe around me. Eyes and teeth began to form within the darkness—a permanent, sinister grin stretching from one side to the other. One of the shadowy eyes aligned itself with my half-hidden figure, amplifying the grotesque illusion.
A girl with long auburn hair, who looked like she relied on raw strength, took a cautious step back. Her team followed her lead. "What… what is that?" she whispered.
Alright test one is already a failure time for test two.'
"Aww, don't run. I just got here," I said, my lips curling into a smirk.
They glanced around, realizing the shadows were creeping in from all directions, boxing them in. Panic painted their faces. A muscular guy with tan skin, clearly the strongest of his team, gritted his teeth and whispered, "This isn't normal."
"Do you really think I'd let you escape so easily?" I said, tilting my head mockingly. "Think again."
Before they could process my words, I vanished and reappeared directly in front of the muscular guy, delivering a brutal right hook to his jaw. His head snapped back, and he crashed into the ground with enough force to leave a crater.
The others didn't even have time to scream.
I darted through the group like a predator among prey. A girl with dark braids and striking hazel eyes tried to summon an ice wall to block me, but I backhanded her effortlessly, sending her flying into a tree. Another, a wiry boy with glasses who appeared to be their strategist, barely managed to raise his hands before my punch knocked him unconscious.
One of the larger guys, with broad shoulders and a desperate look in his eyes, swung a staff at me. I leapt onto it, balancing on the weapon for a split second before kicking him squarely in the jaw. He soared backward, colliding with a tree head-first and slumping to the ground.
I flipped backward into the air, landing on another girl—a redhead with freckles and a determined scowl. She screamed as I brought my heel down on her, driving her face into the dirt and knocking her out cold.
A boy with pale skin and fiery orange hair stepped forward, summoning a ball of molten lava in his palm. He hurled it at me with everything he had even though I was still standing on a fellow candidate, the heat alone could have melted through most metals.
'Test two a failure as well.'
But as the ball reached me, it disappeared, fading out of existence like it didn't exist in the first place.
"What—?" the boy began, but he froze when he caught my glare. My crimson eyes locked onto his, and the fear in his expression grew so intense that he passed out where he stood.
The remaining students—two girls and a boy—staggered backward, their faces pale. I didn't need to lift a finger. A simple command was enough to send half of them collapsing in terror.
"Run." I said
For the rest, I let the shadows finish the job. Their screams filled the clearing for a brief moment before silence settled in once more.
"A total failure," I muttered under my breath as I turned and walked away, and I vanished in a flash of light to regroup with my teammates.
"He hasn't changed in the slightest, has he?" Thai sighed, crossing her arms.
"Sometimes I forget just how bloodthirsty he can be," Jhai added, shaking her head.
Chevelle chuckled. "Don't mind him. There's always a method to his madness."
"Oh, we know that," Jhai retorted. "But couldn't he at least pretend to give people a proper chance to fight back?"
"To be fair, this isn't the worst thing that's happened during the final test. Remember last year?" Chevelle reminded them.
Thai and Jhai shivered in unison, grimacing at the memory.
"Don't remind us," Thai muttered, her expression darkening. "Still… are you sure they're going to be okay?"
Chevelle shrugged. "Eh, a little mental scarring won't kill anyone. Besides, need I remind you both that you're more bloodthirsty than he is?"
Thai and Jhai turned to glare at her, their eyes glowing black and white, respectively. "We don't know what you're talking about," they said in perfect unison.
Daniel lounged lazily on a tree branch, his head tilted back as he sighed. A brief flash of light appeared above him, and he didn't even flinch. "I still don't know how you keep getting through that, Oraine," he said to no one in particular.
Opening his left eye, Daniel glanced at a branch above him to see Oraine perched comfortably, a smug smile on his face.
"Oh, you know me—I'm just that good," I quipped.
"You know there's still thirty minutes left, right?" Daniel asked, sitting up slightly.
"Yeah, but I think it's time to regroup," I replied with a shrug.
"Fair enough," Daniel said, stretching lazily as he grabbed their flag.
I leapt down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. In a flash of light, the two disappeared, reappearing moments later in a clearing.
They found Shaheem lying on the ground, snoring softly, surrounded by a group of unconscious students.
"Of course, he's asleep," I sighed, rubbing his temple.
"You know he's never going to change," Daniel remarked.
"I know," I said as he walked over, flicking Shaheem on the forehead. "Get up."
Shaheem groaned, covering his face with his arm. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, unfortunately," Daniel replied.
Grumbling, Shaheem sat up, stretching. "I was comfortable…"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go," I said, grabbing his arm. In another flash, they vanished again.
The group appeared in another clearing, where Sarah was perched on a pile of unconscious students, cleaning her nails with an air of boredom.
"You know you shouldn't have over done it like this you know," I commented.
"I know," Sarah replied, pouting, "but it's still disappointing."
"Sigh. Shaheem, deal with your problem," I said, gesturing toward her.
Shaheem chuckled. "All right, Sarah, come here."
Sarah leapt from her perch, landing gracefully on Shaheem. He caught her with ease, setting her down gently.
"Okay, let's go," Shaheem said.
I nodded, and with another flash, the group disappeared.
They found Kevaughn sitting on a tree branch, staring into the distance with a serene smile on his face.
"Pinnock. Pinnock. Pinnock," I called, snapping him out of his trance.
Kevaughn blinked and looked down. "Hmm? Yeah?"
"You good?" I asked, with a raised brow.
"Yeah, I'm good," Kevaughn replied, hopping down.
"Good, because it's time to go." I said
"Okay," Kevaughn said, joining the group.
"Where are we headed?" Daniel asked.
"Back to where we were teleported in the first place," I answered as they disappeared once more.
The group reappeared at the starting point, finding the area untouched.
"Well, that's good," I remarked.
"Indeed," the others agreed.
"How much time is left?" Sarah asked.
"Twenty minutes," I replied.
"What are we doing for the rest of the time?" Kevaughn wondered.
"Relax, of course," Shaheem suggested, already reclining against a tree.
"But don't we need—" Kevaughn started to say, only to be interrupted by Sarah, Shaheem, and Daniel, who raised their flags triumphantly.
"Oh… okay then," Kevaughn muttered, blinking. "But do we need that many flags?"
"No, no we don't," I said. "Hand two of those to me."
Daniel and Shaheem tossed their flags to me, who caught them effortlessly. Without hesitation, I hurled the flags back into the forest.
"There. Now we wait until time's up," I said, sitting down cross-legged.
The group quickly settled into their usual positions. Shaheem dozed off again, Sarah resting her head in his lap. Daniel climbed back onto a tree branch, while Kevaughn meditated in silence. I pulled out my phone, occupying myself with a game.
The twenty minutes passed quickly, marked by a loud siren signaling the end of the exam. The group stirred, blinking as they rose to their feet.
"What's going on?" Shaheem asked groggily.
"The exam is finally over," I explained.
"What happens now?" Kevaughn inquired.
"We're all going to be teleported back to the arena," I answered.
As he finished speaking, a blue glow enveloped the group, whisking them away. They reappeared in the arena, surrounded by other students.
"Well, that's it, right? Results in a week?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, pretty much," I confirmed.
The group nodded as Mrs. Leon took the stage.
"Good night, student hopefuls. We hope you're not too injured to make it home. Congratulations on your performances today. We'll see you in a week with the results. Goodbye," she concluded, leaving the stage.
"Well, that's that," I said.
"Finally, home time," Daniel cheered.
"Yes, and sleep," Shaheem added.
"And food!" Sarah exclaimed.
"About time," Kevaughn agreed.
"So, see y'all in a week?" I asked.
"You know it," the group replied.
"Good. See you then," I said, turning and walking away.
Chapter 13: End