"Run!" Elijah's shout cut through the dense forest air like a whip.
Kieran hesitated, his feet glued to the ground as he turned back to his friend. "What? What about you?"
"Just run!" Elijah bellowed, his voice louder this time, his eyes wild with a mixture of desperation and rage.
It wasn't like Elijah to lose his composure. Calm, calculating, and always one step ahead—that was the Elijah they knew. But now, the sheer urgency in his voice sent a chill down Kieran's spine.
Visconti grabbed Kieran's arm, his face unusually serious. "Let's… just run. Or else we'll hold him back."
Reluctantly, Kieran let himself be dragged away, his heart pounding as they darted into the darkness of the forest. Behind them, the shadows seemed to thicken around the man in the black robe, his dual short swords gleaming under the faint light.
Elijah stood his ground, his breathing uneven as his eyes tracked every movement of the man before him. The stranger tilted his head unnaturally, his mouse-shaped mask eerily still.
"You... keep looking... at that... direction," the man said, his voice fragmented, as if each word were being forced out.
Elijah tightened his grip on his sword, his palms slick with sweat.
"Ahh... are you... looking... to see if your... friends... have escaped?" The man's tone was taunting, yet there was something off, something unnatural about it.
"Why should I answer you?" Elijah shot back, forcing a smile despite the panic welling up inside him.
The man didn't respond. Instead, he lunged forward, his swords slicing through the air with terrifying precision. Elijah deflected the first strike, but the impact reverberated through his arms, nearly numbing his grip. He stumbled back, his boots digging into the soft earth as he fought to maintain his balance.
The man pressed on, his movements relentless. Each swing of his swords was calculated, leaving Elijah no openings to counterattack. All he could do was defend, parrying strike after strike as he silently prayed that Kieran and Visconti had made it far enough away.
Without warning, the man lunged forward, his swords slicing through the air with terrifying speed. Elijah barely managed to deflect the first strike, the force of the blow sending shockwaves through his arms. He stumbled back, his feet scrambling for purchase on the uneven forest floor.
Elijah's gaze flicked to the side for a brief moment, checking the direction his friends had fled.
"You. Keep... looking... there," the man rasped, his head tilting again. "Looking. If your... Friends have. Escaped."
The man chuckled—a guttural, unnerving sound that made Elijah's stomach churn. "How... noble... but foolish."
Elijah's jaw tightened. He couldn't keep this up. He needed a way out.
Summoning his mana, Elijah jumped back using Qinggong, propelling himself onto a sturdy branch of a tree five meters behind him. The movement gave him a split-second reprieve, just enough time to focus.
"10x Gravity," Elijah muttered, pouring his remaining mana into the ability.
A surge of energy rippled outward, slamming into the man in the black robe. The stranger staggered, his knees bending under the sudden weight. His movements slowed, and his swords dipped toward the ground.
Elijah didn't wait to see the effect. He leapt from the tree, his feet barely touching the ground as he sprinted away. His breath came in ragged gasps, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.
Don't look back. Don't look back.
The forest blurred around him as minutes stretched into an eternity. His body screamed in protest, his legs burning with every step, but he didn't stop.
The forest was a blur around him as minutes stretched into an eternity. Finally, he spotted Visconti and Kieran near the entrance of a cave. Relief flooded him as he pushed his exhausted body toward them.
"Elija—" Visconti called, his voice breaking with relief. But before he could finish, Elijah collapsed, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud.
When Elijah woke, the first thing he noticed was the warmth of a fire crackling in the center of the cave.
The soft crackle of a fire filled the cave, its orange glow casting long shadows on the rough stone walls.
He groaned softly, his body aching as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. His vision was blurry at first, but it didn't take long to adjust. Across the fire, Kieran was sprawled out on the ground, fast asleep. His sword lay by his side, its blade still faintly stained with dirt.
Visconti, however, was wide awake. He sat cross-legged near the fire, his eyes closed in deep concentration. His breathing was slow and measured, his hands resting on his knees.
Elijah recognized the subtle movements of Force Control, a technique Espers used to recover mana more efficiently..
Force Control was a technique Espers used to recover mana quickly, but it wasn't something just anyone could learn. It was a closely guarded secret, taught only to the most trusted members of powerful families.
Elijah shook his head and pushed himself into a sitting position. His mana wasn't as depleted as he'd feared, but he still needed to recover. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small mana stone.
The stone wasn't as potent as the one he'd used during training, but it would do. It wouldn't expand his mana core, but it would restore his energy
He placed it on the ground in front of him and closed his eyes, focusing on the faint energy pulsing within it. Slowly, he began to draw the mana into his core, the warmth spreading through his body like a gentle current.
The process was slow but steady. He could feel his mana core absorbing the energy, the familiar warmth spreading through his veins.
As Elijah worked to restore his strength, Visconti opened one eye, watching him with mild curiosity.
"You're awake," Visconti said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," Elijah replied without opening his eyes. "How long was I out?"
"Three hours, give or take," Visconti said. "You collapsed pretty hard. Kieran fell asleep not long after we got here."
Elijah smirked faintly. "Figures."
A comfortable silence settled between them as the fire crackled softly.
Finally, Elijah spoke. "What happened back there... That man-"
Visconti paused. "Yeah. He wasn't a corps officer. But he's as strong as a level 7 officer.
Elijah frowned. "Do you think he's part of the test?"
"No," Visconti said firmly. "This was something else. Someone like him doesn't belong in a test. He was… unnatural."
Visconti leaned back, his expression thoughtful. "He didn't follow you, did he?"
Elijah shook his head. "I don't think so. I used 10x Gravity to slow him down, and then I ran. He didn't chase me—at least, not that I noticed."
"Good," Visconti said, though his voice was tinged with unease.
By the time Kieran woke, the fire had burned down to glowing embers. He yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Visconti teased.
"Shut up," Kieran muttered, stretching his arms.
Elijah stood, testing his balance. He still felt sore, but his mana had recovered enough to move.
"We need to figure out what to do next," Elijah said, his tone serious.
"Do we keep going?" Kieran asked, his voice uncertain.
Visconti shook his head. "No. We need to regroup with the other teams if we can. That man… if he's still out there, we can't take him on alone."
"Have you tried calling the officer?" Elijah asked.
"Yeah. But for some reason we can't connect using the pocket." Visconti said stretching.
Elijah and Kieran exchanged glances before nodding.
"Let's move," Visconti said, stamping out the embers of the fire with his boot.
As they stepped out of the cave, the forest greeted them with an unsettling silence. The air felt heavy, and every shadow seemed to shift as they moved.