“This first trial seems a bit cruel, don’t you think?” Professor Erina said.

  Professor Mach turned to face her.

  “Don’t be such a fool, Erina. This isn’t some daycare; we are training the next generation of warriors,” he said, turning his back on her. “This is what we need to do, Professor Gale start the process.”

  "Yes sir."

  Erina shook her head in silence.

  Imara nudged her. “Hey, don’t worry, the students won’t be in danger of being killed.”

  “If you say so.”

  A deep pressure built in Abell’s chest, as if his entire body were being compressed from all sides. He tossed and turned in his bed, but the pressure continued to get heavier. The sounds of voices and shifting air rang in his ears—then silence.

  The sensation vanished as quickly as it had come.

  He slowly began to open his eyes. As he sat up, he noticed trees, large, tall trees covering the night sky and damp leaves beneath his boots. The familiar smell of animal carcasses filled his nostrils.

  “A forest.”

  The moment he realized, a sharp gasp came from beside him.

  Masako was coming to her senses.

  As she sat up, she scanned her surroundings; then, as she turned her face to the side, she noticed Abell looking at her. Their proximity caused her to jolt up and reach for her blade.

  Abell raised his arms in defense.

  “Relax, I just woke up too.”

  She maintained a grip on her blade.

  “Hmm, I cannot be certain of that. Why would we be so close if it was not your choice?”

  “Listen, let’s focus on where we are.”

  She lowered her blade. ‘I suppose you are correct...but I won’t forget this.”

  “Yeah, yeah, like I did this on purpose.” he rolled his eyes.

  Masako began scanning the area, her eyes darting back and forth, taking in the surrounding area. She noticed branching paths that seemed to go on forever and felt strange energy permeating them.

  “I don’t think we’re alone, Abell.”

  As she turned around to face him, she noticed he was gone.

  “Abell!” she shouted.

  But he didn’t respond. “Ugh.” she thought.

  A few moments passed after her thought, and Abell reappeared.

  She grilled him. “Where did you go?”

  He tried his best to keep a straight face. “Duty called.”

  “What? Duty called?”

  “I went to pee,” he replied.

  “Oh, I see; just tell me before you leave,” she said. “I have a feeling this is the first trial. We must stay on high alert. You can’t go—”

  Then.

  Scattered shouts erupted around them.

  “Where are we?!”

  “What just happened?!”

  “Did we get teleported?”

  They looked at each other and prepared for anything. Masako grabbed her sheathed black and gold blade while Abell clung to Genevieve's broken blade.

  “Should we get going?” he asked.

  She responded with a nod.

  As the two walked side by side, they heard footsteps and chatter. They walked to the place with the most chatter. When they arrived, they met a massive group of other examinees. Some whispered among themselves, others shifted around uneasily, scanning the area, and some looked relaxed.

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  Neris leaned against a tree with his arms crossed. He looked amused, probably excited to know what was going on. Next to him was Serin. She stood by his side but was utterly silent. She just scanned the crowd probably collecting data on the other examinees.

  Others, such as Tank, Lance, Nona, and the band of noble girls, were also present. However, they remained quiet, opting to prepare themselves for whatever was to come.

  Abell noticed a familiar face.

  “It’s Gaius,” Abell thought. “And he’s next to someone? Interesting.”

  A few more moments passed until—

  A sudden blue glow flickered high above the treetops. A projection of Professor Imara materialized.

  “I’m sorry for such a rude awakening, but as luminaries, you must be ready for anything,” she said. “Though I'm sad a few people dropped out already, oh well.”

  As she spoke, some students started to become irritated.

  “On with it.” A student shouted.

  “As some of you guessed, this is the first trial. Your goal is simple,” she said, her voice smooth but commanding.

  “Reach the safe zone before time runs out.”

  Murmurs rippled through the students.

  The students exchanged glances to verify if their ears had served them right. But she wasn’t finished.

  “Along the way, you will face obstacles.

  More murmurs—this time laced with unease.

  “Obstacles?’ Abell thought.

  “Fight if you must. Run away when necessary, but ensure you make it to the end, which is north from here.”

  She paused for a moment.

  “Oh, and remember you have a partner. Make sure to rely on them.”

  Abell turned to Masako, but she didn’t reach. As usual, he never understood what she was thinking.

  Imara's image started to fade. "Everyone starts to get ready, now.”

  The tension in the air cracked like a whip.

  No one moved at first. The weight of her words sank in. The only sounds heard were the distant rustling of leaves and the faint breathing of examinees.

  Then—a scream erupted.

  It wasn’t just fear but sharp pain.

  Abell turned to face sound and was met coldly by a feeling of dread. A shadowy figure had impaled the person who was screaming.

  Many people ran away, leaving their partners behind, while some were frozen by fear, unable to move, and teary-eyed.

  Abell's fists tightened while his heartbeat thundered in his ears.

  The real test had begun.

  A roar tore through the forest. Dozens of shadowy figures emerged from the bushes into the clearing. Once they stepped under the moonlight, their forms were revealed. They were malignants, some familiar and some types Abell had never seen before. The clearing erupted into chaos as they rushed the examinees, most of whom were stricken with fear.

  Abell stood still momentarily, taking in the chaos that engulfed his surroundings. He breathed in and out slowly.

  “If this is what it takes to become a luminary, so be it.” followed by a smirk, he stormed in.

  “Abell wait!” Masako yelled.

  But he didn’t stop; he sprinted toward the action. Dodging and weaving through the chaos. As he ran, he saw a student paralyzed with fear lying on the ground. Another is getting pummeled by a malignant with blood at his side.

  Finally, a malignant lunged towards him.

  He pulled out his sister’s broken sword, attempting to block the incoming attack. The creature's fangs met the weapon and sent Abell skidding backward. The malignant felt untouchable, more potent than the ones he was used to fighting. The malignant roared as if it was taunting him to advance.

  Masako finally caught up with her blade in hand.

  “You’re too reckless!”

  “Yeah, yeah, lecture me later! Abell snapped as he readied himself. “Help me stop this, stop this thing first!”

  “I don’t think we should! I noticed something is off,” she said.

  The beast rushed forward, quickly tearing through the dirt and running over anything in its path.

  Abell braced himself, gripping his blade tightly. Due to its time limit, he couldn’t use his lux, so he had to rely on the broken blade.

  Masako hesitated as her gaze shifted between the malignant movement and other battles around them, searching for something.

  “Abell, I’m serious! Something is off about every malignant here!”

  “Then, we’ll figure it out later!” he said

  The malignant pounced, targeting Abell first.

  He managed to twist his body, narrowly sidestepping the massive jaws. Now at its side, he lowered his blade, aiming to carve through its side. But the strike barely connected.

  “My attack!”

  The Malignant faced forward one moment, and then its limbs curved instantly, avoiding the strike altogether.

  “What the...”

  Masako moved in, attempting to flank it. She held her blade high, readying herself for an upward slash.

  “Fwoom!”

  Her blade struck nothing but air. But the malignant remained still.

  Abell’s eyes widened.

  “Her blade went through it?”

  Masako's balance wavered as she recovered from her miss.

  The malignant returned its front limb, readying a devastating swipe and aiming straight for her.

  “Masako! Watch out!” Abell yelled.

  She barely had any time to react. The strike was too close and fast.

  Abell moved instantly.

  He threw himself in her direction, shoulder slamming right into her side. Just as the claws swiped where she had been standing. The force sent both of them tumbling through leaves as they hit a nearby tree.

  Masako recovered first, pushing him off her body.

  “Why does this keep happening?” she thought.

  Abell recovered shortly after, still trying to catch his breath.

  “You were right,” he admitted. “Something is wrong.”

  She paused for a moment, gripping her blade tightly.

  “I’m not sure how, but we’re not supposed to fight them.”

  Abell jolted up from the ground.

  “What? That’s wild. We're here to test our skills!” he shouted.

  “No, think about it; the goal is to get to the safe zone. This.... is a waste of time. she said

  “This isn’t a battle… it’s a distraction.”