Six long hours had passed since the exam had begun, and everything seed to be running smoothly from Harvey's point of view. Seated comfortably in front of the expansive control panel, the dim glow from the Screens illuminated his sharp, focused features. The vast screens displayed live feeds of the students' movents, scattered throughout the forest zones, with their vital signs softly pulsing in the corner of each screen.
His eyes were currently fixed on a particular group: Selene and Alia, two of the more promising students, moving cautiously through the dense undergrowth. The two girls walked in unison, their bodies alert, scanning the surroundings. They hadn't encountered any other students yet, which struck Harvey as rather unusual. Two hours without conflict or confrontation was a rare occurrence during these exams.
He mused quietly to himself, perhaps they were fortunate enough to have gone unnoticed, or maybe the other students had wisely chosen to avoid them. After all, Selene and Alia were hardly easy prey—intelligent, resourceful, and highly skilled. Anyone would think twice before engaging them, and those who didn't would likely regret it.
anwhile, Jas, seated beside him, was less interested in Selene and Alia. His attention was drawn to Victor and Sirius, his sons. Victor was positioned in the 8th Zone, while Sirius prowled through the 7th, both making impressive progress. The screens showed their swift, thodical movents as they eliminated their competition—dispatching other students one after the other.
'Sirius…Victor…both of you really beca strong…' Jas smiled a little.
But it wasn't just the students they had to worry about. The forest was teeming with deadly beasts, the most dangerous of which were the poisonous creatures lurking in the shadows. The venom of these creatures could incapacitate even the strongest of students in re monts. One bite, and the victim's chances of survival plumted unless they could quickly concoct the rare and complex antidote. Though the devices strapped to each student's arm contained instructions for creating the redy, assembling the ingredients and crafting it in the midst of danger was a task only the truly skilled could manage.
The poisonous beasts, normally a terrifying threat to the others, seed like re nuisances to them. Victor was naturally immune to the poisons that coursed through the veins of the forest's most lethal inhabitants, and Sirius shared the sa rare gift. Both of them made quick work of any threat that crossed their path, whether it be human or beast.
"Professor Zestella."
"Yes?" Harvey replied, his eyes never leaving the glowing screens in front of him. "It's about Professor Bens. It seems he can't continue any longer," the staff mber inford him.
"Which Zone was he assigned to guard?" Harvey asked, finally shifting his gaze slightly to acknowledge the report.
"The 9th Zone, sir."
Harvey's brow furrowed at the ntion of the zone. "Hmm. That's troubling," he muttered, mostly to himself. The 9th Zone was among the more dangerous areas, and leaving it unguarded was not an option. "We'll need to find him a replacent imdiately."
In the lower zones, it wouldn't have been as concerning—those areas were more manageable—but Harvey knew better than to leave the higher difficulty zones without oversight. With students' lives on the line and the constant threat of the forest's many dangers, it was crucial that each zone be monitored. Fortunately, thanks to the advanced Life-Screen technology, they had the precise location and heartbeat of every student in the exam. This gave them the ability to intervene if necessary, alerting their colleagues in the field to provide assistance.
It was their safeguard to prevent any loss of life.
"Jeia is available," another staff mber offered from across the room.
Harvey's eyes flicked over to Jas, who seed to bristle slightly at the suggestion.
"Jeia?" Jas repeated with a frown. "Wasn't she sick this morning?"
At that mont, the doors to the control room slid open, and Jeia stepped in. "I was indeed unwell," she admitted, with an awkward smile, "but as you can see, I've made a swift recovery."
Jas narrowed his eyes slightly, studying her carefully. Sothing about her sudden return to health seed odd, almost too convenient. He searched her face for any sign of lingering illness, any clue that might explain the rapid turnaround, but her composed deanor gave nothing away. After a mont, he glanced toward Harvey, silently deferring to his judgnt.
Harvey after studying her for a mont, he gave a curt nod. There was nothing odd about her, she was the sa as the one he had known for years.
"Alright, then," he said. "Please take over guarding the 9th Zone, Jeia. We'll contact you shortly with further instructions."
"Yes, Professor Zestella," she replied before turning on her heel and making her way out of the room.
Turning back to the screens, Harvey spoke. "Should we pass to the second part?" Jas nodded and turned toward the staff mber working on the computer. "Send the ssage."
***
Zone 7.
"Ah… fuck…" I cursed under my breath, leaning heavily against the rough bark of a tree as I fought to steady my breath. My body scread for rest, but I could only indulge it for a few fleeting monts. In my other hand, clutched tightly, was a single 'Red Flower of Dawn'. I'd made it to the 6th Zone, fought tooth and nail to retrieve this flower, but the journey back had been even harder—each step more grueling than the last.
The venom from the Red Viper was still coursing through my veins.
"I… just have to beat that damn Red Viper… whatever it was…" I muttered through ragged breaths. The war was still raging, and so much hung in the balance—Bryelle, Alvara, the outco of everything.
John was right.
Maybe I'm getting in over my head again.
He always said I stuck my nose where it didn't belong, always told I should focus on the people I cared about instead of trying to save the world. But how could I sit back and do nothing when I could stop not only Bryelle's death but much more others? I had to do sothing. I couldn't accept the sa fate the Ga had scripted. Alvara had killed—there was no denying it. People who, perhaps, deserved a punishnt of so kind, but not what she gave them. And ? I wasn't any better. I'd killed an innocent man, Jayden's brother. The mory of it gnawed at , sothing I tried to bury but could never forget. I didn't know if John knew, or if he suspected, but it didn't seem to matter to him. It mattered to , though. Killing Josua had done sothing to —left a mark that I couldn't wash away, no matter how much I tried.
It wasn't just about Alvara anymore. It was about . I made Josua pay for the mistakes of his brother, Jayden. I let my anger consu because Jayden had left when I needed him most. He took Mary and Jarvis away from , disappeared from my life when I needed their support. I had turned all that anger onto an innocent soul. And the look Josua gave in his final monts—it still haunted , no matter how hard I tried to forget.
Who was worse?
or Alvara?
I couldn't pretend I was any better than her.
That's why I had to do sothing. If there was any chance to stop her from going down the wrong path, I had to take it.
Aunt Belle would have certainly stopped back then but I was too hurt back then, too consud by grief and anger, too broken to listen.
Jayden.
His na was more than a bitter taste in my mouth. Everything had gone so well for him, while I was drowning in my own rage and pride. Blinded by my need for vengeance, I struck down an innocent boy just to hurt his brother. It was stupid, and it was cruel.
But Bryelle still needed . And Alvara—if there was a way to prevent her from spiraling, I had to find it. Even if I had to tie her up until the end of this war…
Wait.
An idea struck . My sluggish mind, hovering on the brink of unconsciousness, managed to find a simple solution. If I couldn't reason with Alvara, maybe I could stop her another way. I'd hide her—sowhere no one could find her until it was all over.
"Yeah… I'll tie Alvara up sowhere no one could find her," I muttered, a faint smirk creeping onto my lips as I clung to the thought. Even in my current state, it felt like a brilliant plan.
"Amael?"
The voice sliced through the haze, pulling back to the present. I turned, and my heart sank. Standing before were Elizabeth and Celeste, both watching with unreadable expressions. Celeste's cold stare sent a chill down my spine.
"So, you want to tie up Alvara now?" Celeste's smile didn't reach her eyes. "For what, I wonder?"
"T–There's a misunderstanding…" I stamred. Of all tis for them to show up, why now?!
Elizabeth stepped forward, concerned. "Are you okay? Your face is pale." She reached out, her hand gentle, but I instinctively took a step back.
"I'm fine…" I insisted, though I could feel my body betraying . The venom was still working its way through my system, and I could see it in their eyes. They weren't buying it. Their gaze fell to my arm where the Life-Screen glowed a dangerous red, signaling my deteriorating condition.
But their looks hardened upon seeing the color.
"Huh… You're Red Team, right?" I asked, hopefully.
Celeste's lips curled into a thin smile as she reached out her hand. "O–Of course, co closer," she said it exactly like a kidnapper baiting a child with candies.
I grimaced imdiately.
Gotta run.
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