After Liam had finished saying his piece and relinquished control to Edith, she wasted no ti stepping fully into the role she had proposed. Calmly and thodically, she spoke everyone through how they would approach the journey toward the center point, laying out her plan with the kind of clarity that left little room for argunt. Once she was done and no one raised an objection—whether out of agreent or resignation—the group finally set off into the forest to begin the trial in earnest.
As they moved beneath the dense canopy, Edith took the lead without hesitation. She suggested a balanced and layered formation, one that prioritized awareness and reaction ti rather than speed alone. She positioned herself at the very front, her posture relaxed yet alert, eyes constantly scanning the terrain ahead. This environnt suited her well. Hunting had been her family’s specialty for generations, and navigating forests like this was second nature to her.
Directly behind her was Yuriel. Though his arrogance far outweighed his actual competence, Edith judged that he was at least capable of keeping pace and reacting quickly if sothing unexpected occurred. She didn’t trust him with decision-making, but she trusted him enough not to collapse under pressure. That, in her mind, was sufficient.
At the center of the formation were Lily and Linda. Edith’s reasoning there was deliberate. She knew all too well how pampered the two girls were and how little they had shown themselves capable of contributing during previous group exercises. Keeping them at the center minimized the risk of them panicking, lagging behind, or wandering into danger.
If sothing were to happen, they would be protected from both ends. And if luck favored them, perhaps they would manage to assist in so small way—even if it was late or weak. As much of a liability as they appeared, they were still students of the Dark Knight Academy, and more importantly, they had survived the brutal weeks of training leading up to this evaluation. That alone ant they weren’t entirely useless.
anwhile, Liam was assigned the rear position.
Edith trusted him to watch their blind spots, to catch anything she might miss while focused on the path ahead. It was a role that suited him perfectly—quiet, observant, and removed from unnecessary interaction.
To make things easier for the group—and, truthfully, for himself—Liam quietly sent one of his shadows ahead. Smoke, the spiked-furred wolf with four unblinking eyes, slipped soundlessly into the forest, moving roughly two hundred ters in front of them. Its task was simple: alert Liam if anything felt off. Danger, unstable terrain, hostile wildlife—anything worth knowing before it beca a problem.
In practice, that ant Liam was serving as both rear guard and scout, a role that extended far beyond what Edith had formally assigned. He had no intention of relying heavily on his dark magic unless it beca absolutely necessary, but given how late their start had been, he was forced to bend so of his own rules. Efficiency mattered more than restraint today.
With the formation set, the group moved at a steady, disciplined pace. Edith guided them forward, Yuriel followed tensely, the girls remained sandwiched in the middle, and Liam watched from behind while Smoke prowled ahead unseen. Whenever Smoke sensed sothing amiss, the information flowed back to Liam instantly, allowing him to quietly warn Edith. From there, she would decide whether to alter their route, slow their pace, or prepare the group for what lay ahead.
Using this thodical approach, hours passed without serious incident. They avoided dangerous terrain before it could slow them down, steered clear of hostile wildlife long before it entered their path, and when obstacles were unavoidable, they had ample ti to plan their approach. What could have been chaos instead beca controlled progression.
For now, at least, the forest offered no challenge they couldn’t anticipate—and that alone marked the difference between a group dood to fail and one that still had a fighting chance.
***
After hours of steady movent through the forest, Edith finally raised a hand and brought the group to a halt as they erged into a small, open clearing nestled beneath towering trees. Sunlight filtered weakly through the canopy above, scattering pale shafts of light across the ground, while the surrounding woods pressed in close, silent and watchful.
"Alright," Edith said firmly as she turned to face the others, her voice low but authoritative. "We rest here for twenty minutes, then we continue."
Lily and Linda didn’t even wait for her to finish before their legs gave out beneath them. They practically collapsed together beneath the nearest tree, backs slumping against the rough bark as they struggled to catch their breath.
"Finally," Lily panted, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she wiped sweat from her brow. "I swear, you’re actually trying to kill us."
"Yeah," Linda added between breaths, her tone sharp with irritation. "We could’ve rested ages ago, but you just kept pushing us. What do you take us for, huh?"
Edith rely looked at them for a mont, her expression unreadable, before she responded. "Dark Knight Academy students," she said coolly. "That’s what I take you for. So stop complaining and get so rest." Her gaze hardened slightly as she continued. "And keep your voices down. This forest isn’t empty. Loud noise attracts predators—and territorial animals."
"Hey, just because you’re the leader doesn’t give you the right to—" Lily started, her irritation flaring as she shifted to sit up straighter.
But she stopped mid-sentence.
Liam had turned his head slightly, his cold, expressionless eyes sliding toward her without a word. The look alone was enough. In that instant, Lily rembered his earlier warning, the calm certainty in his voice when he’d made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate dead weight or reckless behavior.
Instantly, her resolve faltered.
"Tsk," she clicked her tongue as she looked away, folding her arms. "Fine. We’ll be quiet," she muttered in a much lower tone.
Edith watched the exchange with a faint smile, clearly aware of what—or rather who—had made Lily think twice. She gave a small nod, accepting the concession, then turned away from the girls.
"Yuriel," she called out as she headed toward the edge of the clearing, "stay on guard."
"Don’t tell to do what I’m already doing," Yuriel replied irritably, his posture stiff as his eyes scanned the forest.
Edith didn’t bother responding. She took his words at face value and continued walking until she reached Liam, who stood a short distance away, partially shadowed by the trees.
"Thanks to you," she said calmly, stopping beside him, "we’ve made it this far without any serious injuries."
Liam glanced at her briefly, then humd in acknowledgnt, neither dismissing nor dwelling on the praise.
"And thanks to that talk you gave earlier," Edith added with a slight smirk, her eyes flicking toward Lily and Linda, "those two are at least sowhat in line now."
"I guess," Liam replied evenly after studying the girls for a mont. "Still, I don’t think we should stay here for too long. As you know, this forest has plenty of predators. The longer we linger in one place, the higher the chance sothing picks up our scent."
Edith considered his words as she looked around the clearing, taking in the positions of the others and the surrounding terrain. "You’re not wrong," she said after a mont. "But we’ve been moving for nearly five hours straight. Twenty minutes won’t kill us." Her tone softened slightly as she continued, "Besides, that ti’s already ticking down. We’ll move out again soon."
Liam studied her for a brief mont, then gave a small nod. "Alright. If you say so, Captain." He turned toward the forest, already shifting into motion. "I’ll scout the area in the anti, just in case. I’ll alert you if anything cos up."
"Sure," Edith said, watching him go. "Be careful."
With that, Liam disappeared into the trees, the forest swallowing his presence as easily as it always did, leaving the clearing behind in a tense, uneasy quiet as the group rested—fully aware that the forest was never truly at rest with them.
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