The days passed in a steady rhythm, almost no different from before, with candidates entering the tower one after another while the rest stood outside watching, cheering, and waiting for their turn, yet despite how lively everything appeared on the surface, there was one clear difference that no one could ignore.
No one else reached the eighth floor.
A few managed to reach the seventh, pushing themselves to their limits, only to fall short at that stage, while during that sa period, more of Felix’s mbers slowly regrouped under Page’s influence, strengthening his side again.
The cycle continued like that until the middle of the third week finally arrived, and by then only a handful of candidates remained who had yet to take the trial.
That morning, the training grounds filled early.
So candidates arrived from the café, wiping their mouths after eating, others ca quietly from the library, while a few stepped out from their rooms, adjusting their coats as they walked.
No matter where they ca from, all of them moved in the sa direction.
The tower.
The atmosphere had changed.
It felt more bustling with voices overlapping, laughter mixed with tension, and even the way people looked at the tower showed sothing deeper.
Expectation, excitent and pressure.
Because today...
The main mbers of each group would be climbing.
"So, I’m going next, huh..."
Linda muttered under her breath as she glanced back at her group, her fingers tightening slightly as she noticed how all of them were staring directly at her.
"Getting cold feet, Linda?"
Spence grinned, leaning casually against the door near the center right, his arms folded as if he had all the ti in the world.
"? Cold feet?"
Linda snapped back imdiately, her brows tightening as irritation rose to her face.
"If anyone should have cold feet, it should be Lyra."
Page’s eyes turned cold instantly as she shifted her gaze toward Lyra.
"Is talking the only thing you’re good at?"
Lyra stepped forward slightly, her hood still covering part of her head, yet her eyes remained fixed on Page without backing down.
"What’s with all this useless noise?"
A voice cut through the tension.
Arrogant.
Loud enough to silence others nearby.
"You’re wasting everyone’s ti."
Felix stepped forward, his hands folding behind him as he looked at the four of them like they were beneath him, while several mbers of his group followed behind him in formation.
"Get inside already... or leave if you’re too scared."
The effect was imdiate, the surrounding noise dropped.
People turned.
Most candidates’ attention shifted toward him.
The expression on his face was no longer the one from before.
The fear, the collapse.
Gone.
What replaced it was familiar.
That sa look.
The one that made it seem like no one stood above him.
"Wow..."
Vera covered her mouth lightly, her eyes widening just enough to seem surprised, though her tone carried no real emotion behind it.
"He has resurrected."
She pointed at Felix casually, tilting her head slightly as if observing sothing amusing.
Her people behind her exchanged glances, understanding imdiately.
She was mocking him.
Felix’s jaw tightened.
"Tsk..."
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down.
Felix glanced back briefly, his eyes flickering as the mory of Gareth’s efforts resurfaced, recalling how he had stayed beside him, pulling him up step by step when he had nearly fallen apart completely.
That bitch nearly reduced to nothing...
His jaw tightened slightly as the thought lingered, but the next mont, his lips curved upward into a smile.
But jokes on her...I’m back.
And this ti, I’m not going to let her... or that trash... Veda... look down on again.
His thoughts flowed smoothly, confidence rising again from within as if nothing had ever shaken him.
He leaned back slightly, his posture loosening as pride returned to his expression.
She thinks I don’t have loyal subordinates...
? Felix?
His eyes narrowed faintly.
Do you think my people don’t fear enough to even consider betrayal?
His gaze shifted toward the tower entrance, landing on the door Lyra had just passed through.
For a mont, his fingers twitched, then his fist tightened.
When we return ho...
His expression darkened slightly, though the smile on his face remained.
I’ll make sure she pays for that betrayal and every single one of those cockroaches that follow that bitch...
I’ll root them out.
His smile stretched further, becoming sharper, almost unnatural, as if the thought itself pleased him.
Believe it or not, Vera...
His eyes flicked toward her for just a brief second before turning away again.
I’ll bring you down.
Then his gaze shifted again to Veda.
And your useless brother too.
All of you...Will kneel. Everything... Is, for my dear mother’s wish.
The Ashenlocke family...Will be mine.
He exhaled slowly, calming himself.
Then he snapped his fingers.
Imdiately, one of the boys from his group stepped forward and brought a short bench, placing it behind him without a word.
Felix sat down.
His posture straightened and his confidence returned fully, settling on him like a familiar cloak.
At the sa ti, inside the tower...
The four candidates who had entered moved quickly.
Within just one and a half minutes, they had already reached the fourth floor.
Cheers burst out from the crowd outside.
Voices overlapped again, excitent rising as people pointed toward the glowing floors.
At the end of the run, Lyra ca out ahead.
She had reached the eighth floor and remained there for a noticeable amount of ti before losing.
Yet her expression did not reflect pride.
Instead, her brows were drawn together as she walked back, her lips moving in quiet complaints as she spoke to Vera.
The sa frustration Nina had shown earlier.
The sa dissatisfaction.
Page, Linda, and Spence all lost at the seventh floor after long, drawn-out Akai battles that had lasted for hours.
The next group entered shortly after.
Ti passed.
Another set, another attempt with nothing changing.
The pattern repeated.
Then...
It was ti for the vice-captains to step forward.
Nickolas, Gareth, Bess, Nate, Fay, and from Vera’s side... Pala.
She stood quietly among them, her presence almost faint, like a shadow that blended into the background, yet her eyes remained fixed on the tower without wavering even once.
The crowd reacted imdiately.
Cheers rose louder than before with excitent surging again.
It was as if the earlier shock of no one reaching the top floor...except Ezra...had completely faded from their minds.
Now, all they cared about was how far these ones would go.
Ezra arrived at that mont.
He walked calmly toward Veda’s group just as the vice-captains stepped forward.
As he reached them, he could feel it.
The energy.
The noise was one thing, but the expressions on everyone’s faces told more than their voices.
Anticipation and curiosity, everyone wanted to see it.
Who would go the furthest?
He had also co for the sa reason, especially to watch the leaders of each group progress in the trial.
"Sir Gareth!!!"
A wave of voices rose from Felix’s side, most of them coming from the girls in his group.
"Bess!!! Beat them all!"
Henry’s group shouted just as loudly.
"Ahh..."
Bess rubbed the side of her head, her shoulders dropping slightly as the pressure weighed on her.
"It’s my trial... I can’t afford to act carelessly," she said, her voice low, almost muttering to herself.
"Relax."
Gareth’s voice cut in, calm and steady.
He looked at her softly, his expression gentle without any trace of tension.
"All you need to do is stay focused and trust what you’ve built up so far."
His tone carried no force, no pressure, just quiet reassurance.
Bess froze for a brief second.
A faint red tint crept up her face before she quickly turned away, frowning as if to hide it.
"I already know that... and I didn’t ask for your advice."
She faced the tower door, arms slightly stiff at her sides.
"Hmph."
Nate narrowed his eyes as he glanced between them.
"How smooth..."
He muttered under his breath; irritation clear in his tone.
Nickolas said nothing, but his gaze also sharpened slightly, while Fay remained silent watching everything unfold without interfering.
Then...
They moved.
One after another, they scanned their cards.
The doors unlocked.
Gareth, Nickolas, Pala and Nate entered the tower while Bess and Fay stayed back, waiting at the side, their eyes fixed on the tower, knowing they would only enter once soone ca out.
Inside...
The lights moved fast; the first floor lit up...
Then turned green almost instantly, the second floor followed.
Green again.
Their speed was almost equal and fast.
So fast that the crowd outside instinctively quieted down, many holding their breath as they watched the progression.
"Ezra moved like this too..."
Bobby said, his voice filled with excitent as he leaned forward slightly.
He stood close to Ezra, along with Veda and Tracy.
"Yeah."
Veda replied simply, his gaze shifting briefly toward Ezra.
Ezra turned to look at both of them, one brow lifting slightly.
"Why are you saying that?"
"Because you were just as crazy in there." Veda grinned.
Ezra stared at him blank faced.
The grin on Veda’s face slowly faded.
"You really are like a wall..."
He muttered, then turned his attention back to the tower.
Ezra did the sa.
The others had already reached the fourth floor.
Seconds passed, and Gareth was the first to break the balance, his progress reaching the fifth floor as the light above his position shifted.
Nate followed closely behind him, not allowing much distance to form between them, while a short mont later, Pala advanced as well.
Nickolas was the last.
A clear gap, already beginning to form.
"He’s falling behind."
Linda said, her tone flat as she stared at the tower, her eyes fixed on the order of their progression.
"Yes... he is falling behind."
Tracy nodded, her voice carrying the sa calm observation, though her gaze remained sharp as she followed each movent of the lights.
"That’s quite surprising."
Veda spoke, his attention drifting toward Pala’s window on the tower, his fingers moving slowly along his chin as he thought.
"I really thought she would underperform."
He paused briefly, then shifted his gaze toward Ezra. "Maybe she has moved on."
"If you are asking what I think..."
Ezra turned his head slightly toward him, his expression unchanged.
"I don’t care enough to think about it."
He replied flatly.
Veda stared at him for a mont.
Then...
A smile appeared.
"You know... you two have quite a history."
Without warning, he moved, placing his arms around Tracy and Linda’s shoulders, pulling them slightly closer as if he had just co up with sothing interesting.
"What’s the na of those love stories you girls love to read... the ones where enemies end up becoming lovers?"
He asked, his tone playful.
"That’s the bitter love genre you’re talking about, Sir Veda."
Mariam answered from the side without delay.
"Eh...?"
Linda blinked, her face turning slightly confused as she looked at Mariam.
"So, it actually has a na..."
She placed one hand under her chin while the other supported it, her brows furrowing as she fell into thought.
"No wonder it was hard to buy those books back ho... all this ti, it had a proper na."
She muttered quietly to herself, her expression becoming oddly serious, as if she had just realized sothing very important.
Tracy turned to look at her, her eyes widening a little.
"You actually read things like that?"
"If you think about it..."
Veda moved, leaning slightly closer to Ezra, lowering his voice just enough to make it sound like he was sharing sothing amusing.
"Your relationship with Pala sounds exactly like that kind of story."
"Yeah, that’s true." Linda imdiately followed up, her lips curling into a small smile as she caught on to Veda’s teasing, clearly ready to join in.
"But isn’t it you and Ezra that fit it more?"
Tracy suddenly cut in, pointing directly at both of them, her grin widening.
"Huh?"
Linda stepped back instinctively, caught completely off guard.
"Why would you even think that?!"
She grabbed Tracy’s collar imdiately, pulling her forward as her face flushed.
"Calm down, calm down..."
Tracy laughed under the pressure of Linda’s grip, not even trying to resist.
"You’re exposing yourself... Hehehe."
"You...!"
Linda’s face burned red, her grip tightening slightly as embarrassnt mixed with frustration.
"So, what do you say, Ezra?"
Veda continued, nudging him twice with his elbow, clearly enjoying himself.
"Want to be your wingman?"
"You’re really enjoying yourself." Ezra sighed, his gaze resting on Veda.
"I guess I am."
Veda replied without hesitation, stretching his arms slightly as he smiled.
Then his tone softened just a little.
"You always look stiff... and blank."
He pointed at Ezra.
"I know you’re introverted, but you don’t avoid conversations, and you’re confident in what you believe in."
He paused, his eyes shifting briefly before returning.
"So, I just think... life will be sweet for you if you loosened up sotis."
A faint smile remained on his face.
"Maybe even smile for no reason once in a while."
Ezra did not respond, he just listened in silence.
"I feel like... if you were in a group of friends, you’d be the quiet one..."
Veda added.
"But also, the one who says sothing unexpectedly funny."
"You overrate , Veda." Ezra finally replied, his voice calm and even.
"Nah..."
Veda shook his head slightly.
"I’ve noticed so of the comnts you make sotis around Nickolas and Linda."
He glanced back toward the tower.
"They were interesting... at least to ."
After that, the two of them went silent.
Around them, the noise of cheering continued, rising and falling as the crowd reacted to every change in the tower.
Ezra stood still.
His thoughts shifted just slightly.
Sweet life...
The words passed through his mind.
Images, War, Gunfire. The faces of those who had stood beside him and then...
Aliya.
For a brief mont, everything surfaced.
He blinked once and it was gone with his expression remaining the sa, as if nothing had ever crossed his mind.
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