Aris seemed to have been blessed with luck, though not good luck.

The bark dug into his back. His breath hitched between sobs, raw and ugly. He clawed at his head until it hurt — anything to drown out the laughter still echoing in his skull.

All the frustrations that were pent up, all his hopes crashed, all the disappointment weighing on him, and how he wished he could go back in time.

He scratched his head, gritting his teeth as the frustrations ate at him.

"Sylas.... I—"

"You called for me?"

Aris knew that voice, and he could already imagine that grin.

His heart thumped wildly as he raised his head to look at Sylas.

Laughter surrounded him.

"Where's your master, dog?" Sylas sneered.

Aris's vision was distorted. All he could see was the grin stretching out on Sylas's face.

I hate you.

i hate you.

I'll kill you.

I—

"That's a nasty look on your face; you'll become uglier than you already are."

Before he could react, Sylas's foot came crashing down on his face.

Aris was thrown on the ground, coughing out dirt.

He stood up, but the boys came closer around him.

"Enjoying life as a pet?" one sneered.

"I—look, it's not what it looks like—"

The punch came fast. His vision blurred.

"Not what it looks like? You think you can switch sides and nothing would happen to you?"

They shoved him again. He stumbled into the dirt, coughing.

"You think hiding behind a girl makes you safe?"

Sylas stepped forward again.

"You ran to her for protection, but now your secret is out." He paused a moment. "And worse yet, Aramith's secret is out as well. So what did you gain?"

The question hung in the air.

Aris felt more worthless than ever.

He was sure that now he had Sylvia backing him, Sylas wouldn't carelessly leak his secret.

And worse, Aramith's secret also came out.

He couldn't believe it at first, but it made sense that that was Aramith's past.

So what was the point of trying to escape?

I want to die

"Let's continue from where we left off last time," Sylas said.

Two boys gripped Aris strongly, forcing him to his feet. He didn't even struggle.

"This time, we'll—"

"SYLAS!" A voice tore through, loud and clear.

Sylas frowned. "Who's that?"

They all turned to the source of the voice to see an enranged Mozrael stomping towards them.

But Sylas wasn't afraid. He, in fact, sneered. "It's the servant girl. Running off without you— Ah!"

Mozrael disappeared from where she stood to appear right before Sylas, grabbing him by the neck.

Her eyes burned with starved fury.

Sylas didn't step back or show any fear.

"What do you want? This is a matter between me and him, so mind your own business."

The pride with which he said those things enraged Mozrael even more.

Her grip tightened, and her eyes burned with dangerous bloodthirst.

"You know perfectly well, what I'm talking about."

She raised her other hand, which burned bright blue.

"Is it about those rumors?" Sylas asked.

"Are you mocking me?"

"I have nothing to do with those rumors," Sylas said calmly.

"Stop playing dumb, what is ti you want to gain from doing this?"

Sylas frowned more. "The rumors about you and Aramith have nothing to do with me. First of all, the rumors started from the girls dorms. I only have influence with the boys."

Mozrael wanted to deny it, but what he said was true.

The girls heard the rumors before the boys. But the rumors about Aris starteed among the boys first.

Still...

"Who are you working with?" She asked.

Sylas didn't reply. He just smiled.

It took all she could to fight off the voice in her head urging her to kill him.

"I know you won't do anything rash without Aramith allowing you."

Mozrael glared. She didn't want to be irratoinal, but Sylas was oushing it.

The flames in her hand disappeared and Sylas's smile widened.

He knew he was right, but he didn't know Mozrael well enough.

She loosened her grip on his throat a little, allowing him to breathe, but right then, the flames flowed onto her hand, burning his throat.

She tightened her grip again.

Sylas remained clam, though the fire burned painfully.

Mozrael hated his pride, and the voice in her head was growing stronger.

"I'll just kill you then."

Sylas felt the bloodthirst in her eyes, and for the firsat time, he felt truly afraid.

She'll kill me.

"Wai—"

"Stop!" Another voice rang out.

Sylas was thrown on the ground, and the flames in Mozrael's hand died out.

"We shouldn't be reckless," Aramith said, holding Mozrael's hand.

If he didn't act quick, she would have killed him.

Ice pillars shot up from the ground, separating Aris from his captors.

before any of them could escape, their legs were frozen inn place.

Sylvia walked forward. "I'm th only one allowed to punish my dog," she said.

Aris couldn't speak. He couldn't believe she was saving him.

"Isn't this what I said? Hahaha! I was right," Sylas stood up, grinning like a fool.

They all turned to him.

"You're his servant! There's no way you'd do anything without your master's permission!"

Mozrael conjured a fireball, but Aramith held her back.

"At least you behaved well," he grinned maniacally as he looked between Aramith and Mozrael.

"I'll deal with him," Aramith said and walked up to Sylas.

"Who gave you the information?" He asked.

Sylas laughed. "I told you I'm not—"

SMACK!The sound cracked like thunder.Blood dripped. Half of Sylas's face hung red and raw.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Sylas screamed as searing pain shot through his face.

Aramith's hand moves so quickly only Mozrael and Sylvia saw the movenment.

The slap didn't go too deep, only tearing through the skin and muscles of half his face.

Blood poured from his face as he cried out.

"My face! What did you do to me?"

But Aramith didn't bat an eye.

He snapped his fingers and darkness surged outward, forming a dome around them.

"Nothing can leave this space," Aramith said calmly. "Not even sound or light."

Sylas trembled in fear and fury.

Sylvia, standing at Aramith's side, felt the faintest shiver of awe. Not fear — awe. The power that clung to him was beautiful, even if it was wrong.

"Now answer my question. Who gave you the information?"

Sylas looked at him defiantly. He couldn't believe he was going to allow Aramith to embarass him again.

He hid his hand behind him and was about to secretly attack Aramith, but—

CRUNCH!

"Aaaah!"

His arm twisted in an impossible manner, breaking and squeezing the blood out of it.

"I need an answer," Aramith said calmly.

His eyes glowed subtly.

Mozrael noticed the change and felt a shudder. This was brutal. Aramith was never like this. He hadn't lost his sanity.

Sylvia smiled, acknowledging Aramiths' methods of using power to get results.

And Aris...

His fear almost made him pass out. I almost offended him, he thought.

Sylas screamed out louder, kneeling on the ground and gripping his twisted arm.

He'd never felt so powerl;ess before.

"Again, who gave you that information?" Aramith asked.

But Sylas was unable to calm down from the pain.

"Very well." Aramith raised his hand, which morphed into a giant clawed paw made of swirling darkness.

"Wait! Please, it wasn't me!" Sylas begged.

"Tell me then. Who is it?" Aramith asked.

"It was one of the girls! She said she's Mozrael's roommate."

Mozrael subconsciously glanced at Sylvia, but then realization hit her.

"Elira!" Aramith looked at her, frowning

"Sylas nodded! Yes, that's her name. Please, let me go!"

Aramith dropped his hand and snapped his fingers for the dome to disappear.

He couldn't understand why Elira would do that. She didn't seem the type to involve herself in people's affairs like that, but then again, how could you know what was going on in someone's head?

"I never thought she had it in her," Sylvia said.

"Let's go," Aramith said, but right then, he felt a shift in the atmosphere.

Mozrael felt it too and looked up to see the clouds swirling erratically.

Lightning crackled and a portal appeared above them.

Before they could react, It sucked them inside.

Everything went black.

It lasted long enough for the world to forget itself, then the darkness peeled away.

Aramith opened his eyes to a forest that felt both familiar and wrong—the trees leaned like old sentinels, their branches etched against a sky that looked borrowed from some half-remembered dream. He turned slowly. No footprints. No voices. No other presences anywhere within sight. The silence was unnerving.

Then he heard a voice that was bright, teasing, impossibly close and impossibly far.

A small orb hovered high over the canopy, blinking like a watchful eye—the source of the voice.

"Hello there, children! Well… some of you are old enough to be parents, but here you are!"

Aramith immediately recognized the voice

"Lynnor!" Then, in a calmer tone, he spoke. "I wondered when you'd make your appearance."

Her voice still carried that careless tone Aramith remembered.

"Welcome to the beginning of Forsaken Peak's annual entrance exam! First thing — you've all been scattered." She paused, the orb twinkling. "You have until sunrise to find four companions. Fail to do so and… there will be consequences. Okay, bye!"

Static for a beat. Then the voice cut back in, almost as an afterthought.

"Oh, and I forgot to mention. There will be beasts. In random locations. Don't die. Well, some of you will die anyway."

The orb blinked out.

Aramith listened to the echo fade and felt the world rearrange itself around a single, sharp fact: they had been split up. Time had started.

Sunrise was now a deadline that meant something different out here than inside the academy.

He stood up. The thought of hunters and hunted tightened the muscles at the base of his neck.

Mozrael.

He scanned the treeline, nostrils flaring, reaching outward with the smallest, most cautious probe of his realm. Nothing. No familiar flare. No pulse of heat. For a moment, he allowed himself the sting of worry — then the worry hardened into action.

Keep low. Move fast. Find her before anything else can get in the way.

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