Red Hound.

Ezra and Leo kept moving through the forest, this time a little more careful. The last fight had been a wake-up call—if they weren't careful, they'd get wrecked.

The trees got thicker, sunlight barely squeezing through. The air was damp, and the silence was almost worse than constant noise.

Leo sighed. "Man, I really hope we don't run into anything huge again. My legs still feel like jelly."

Ezra snorted. "You're telling me. Any more running, and I'll start looking like a damn sprinter."

Leo chuckled. "Hey, at least we'd be fast."

Ezra rolled his eyes. "Yeah, real useful when we still have no points."

Leo groaned. "Ugh. Don't remind me."

They needed a win. Something easy to kill.

Then—

A rustling in the bushes.

Both of them stopped.

Ezra raised a hand, signaling Leo to shut up. Carefully, he crept forward, his grip tightening on the spear.

Another rustle.

Then a low snarl.

Ezra cursed under his breath. That's not a rabbit.

A shape stepped out of the shadows—a Red Hound.

Jet-black fur. Glowing red markings. Sharp-ass teeth.

Leo muttered, "Yeah, that thing looks very murder-y."

Ezra sighed. "We can take it. It's just one."

Leo whispered, "You sure about that?"

The hound growled, muscles tensing.

Ezra grit his teeth. "Stick to the plan. I distract, you blast it."

Leo nodded. "Got it."

Then the hound lunged.

Ezra barely dodged, twisting as claws scraped the ground. He swung his spear—

Crack!

It hit, but the hound barely reacted.

Leo raised his hand. "Alright, let's see how you like this!"

A gust of wind shot out, slamming into the hound. The beast yelped as it stumbled back.

Ezra didn't waste time. He lunged forward, aiming for the throat—

But the hound recovered fast.

It twisted mid-air, dodging—

And sank its fangs into Ezra's arm.

Pain exploded through his nerves.

"Fuck!"

Leo panicked. "Ezra—!"

Ezra gritted his teeth. "Just—hit—it—again!"

Leo didn't argue. He sent another blast, knocking the hound off.

Ezra staggered back, clutching his arm. Blood dripped from the wound.

Leo ran up. "Shit, you okay?!"

Ezra hissed. "Not dead yet."

The hound growled, trying to get up.

Ezra's eyes darkened.

No more playing around.

Ignoring the pain, he tightened his grip—

And plunged his spear into the hound's throat.

The beast let out a strangled whimper.

Then—silence.

Ezra exhaled, watching as it slumped to the ground. Blood pooled beneath it.

Ezra yanked his spear free, letting the hound drop. He shook out his arm, wincing at the pain.

Leo sighed. "That was awful."

Ezra smirked. "No kidding."

Leo eyed his wound. "You good?"

Ezra rolled his shoulder. "I'll live."

Leo pulled out some bandages. "Here, let me wrap it. My mom's a healer, so I know how."

Ezra froze.

His head pounded. His vision blurred.

Then—memories. Not his. Ezra's.

A huge mansion. A cold father. A mother who barely spoke to him. Siblings who don't even look at his way. Servants whispering. A family that felt wrong.

The pain faded, leaving him breathless.

Leo frowned. "Dude? You okay?"

Ezra forced a smirk. "Yeah. Just tired."

Leo didn't buy it but didn't push.

Ezra exhaled. "Let's keep moving."

Ezra flexed his fingers, testing his arm. It still ached, but nothing he couldn't handle.

Leo finished tying the bandage and stepped back. "There. Try not to get mauled again."

Ezra snorted. "No promises."

They started walking again, keeping an eye out for anything useful—water, shelter, something weak enough to kill without nearly dying.

After a few minutes, Ezra glanced at Leo. "Hey, how does the academy even count points?"

Leo blinked. "Huh?"

Ezra shrugged. "Like, do they track every kill? Do we have to report them? How do they know who gets what?"

Leo frowned, thinking. "I mean, the professors are definitely watching. Probably using magic to keep track."

Ezra hummed. "So, no way to cheat it?"

Leo laughed. "You thinking of stealing someone else's kill?"

Ezra smirked. "Just weighing my options."

Leo shook his head. "Nah, they're strict about it. If you didn't do the work, you don't get the credit."

Ezra sighed. "Great. So we actually have to fight."

Leo grinned. "Welcome to the academy."

Ezra sighed. "Great. Hope they don't play favorites."

Leo smirked. "Oh, they definitely do."

They kept walking, stepping over roots and ducking under branches. After a while, Leo glanced at Ezra. "So, what's your deal?"

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "My deal?"

"Yeah. Like, family, background, all that."

Ezra tensed slightly. "Nothing special."

Leo hummed. "You talk like someone who doesn't like talking about it."

Ezra rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because I don't."

Leo held up his hands. "Alright, alright. Just making conversation."

Ezra hesitated, then sighed. "I've got four siblings."

Leo perked up. "Oh? Older? Younger?"

"One older brother, one older sister, one younger sister, one younger brother."

Leo nodded. "Big family."

Ezra smirked. "Try living with them."

Leo laughed. "Yeah, I get that. I've got two sisters. They're a pain."

Ezra snorted. "Sounds about right."

Leo smiled, then asked, "You close with them?"

Ezra opened his mouth to answer—but suddenly, his vision blurred.

A sharp pain stabbed through his skull, like someone had just slammed a hammer into his brain.

Memories flooded in.

His siblings. Their shouting voices, they didn't care what happened to him even the youngest one ignored him like he didn't even exist.

Ezra staggered, gripping his head.

Leo frowned. "Ezra? You good?"

Ezra forced a breath out. The pain faded, but the memories stayed.

"…Yeah," he muttered. "I'm fine."

Leo didn't look convinced, but he didn't asked. "Alright. Let's keep moving."

Ezra nodded, but his mind was elsewhere.

Ezra shook off the lingering headache, trying to focus on the conversation. He didn't need distractions right now. But Leo wasn't letting it go.

"Hey," Leo started, glancing over at him. "So, uh… you said you've got siblings. But are you from, like, a noble family or something?"

Ezra snorted. "I mean, technically, yeah. But I'm one of the low-ranking ones. Not some big shot or anything."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "A noble, huh? Makes sense, the way you carry yourself."

Ezra gave him a half-smirk. "Yeah, well, we don't all get to pick our birthright. I'm just another cog in the machine."

Leo shrugged. "Fair enough. But you ever thought about climbing the ranks? Maybe you could do better than 'low-ranking.'"

Ezra shrugged back. "Not interested. I'd rather stay out of the spotlight. Besides, family politics are a pain in the ass."

Leo nodded thoughtfully. "I get that. Seems like that kind of life'd be draining."

There was a pause as they kept walking, the silence feeling a bit more comfortable now.

"So, uh," Leo started again, his tone light, "if you're from a noble family, I'm guessing you've seen your fair share of women, right?"

Ezra blinked. "What, like noble women?"

"Yeah," Leo said with a grin. "You know, the type who are all prim and proper. So, what do you think of them?"

Ezra raised an eyebrow, then laughed bitterly. "I don't think much of them. I mean, sure, some of them are nice to look at, but they're just… so fake, you know? Always so polished, always acting like they've got some perfect image to uphold. It's exhausting."

Leo grinned. "Well, hey, can't say I blame you there. I think I'd prefer someone a little more… genuine, you know?"

Ezra chuckled. "Yeah, exactly."

Leo suddenly got more animated. "So, what's your type then? What kind of girl would you go for?"

Ezra thought for a moment. "I don't know. Someone who can actually hold a conversation without pretending they're some porcelain doll. Someone real."

Leo grinned wider. "So, no 'high society' types then?"

Ezra snorted. "Definitely not. Too many strings attached. I don't have the patience for it."

Leo nodded in agreement. "Fair. You know, I'm with you on that one. But I've always had a thing for, like, girls with messy hair. Something wild, you know? Like they don't care about keeping everything perfect all the time."

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Messy hair, huh? So you are one of I can fix her guy?"

Leo laughed. "Maybe. I just like the whole 'I woke up like this' vibe. Also, I'm a sucker for tall girls. Not like… giant tall, but, you know, above average. It's just... I dunno, something about it's appealing."

Ezra nodded. "I get that. I guess I'm not that picky. But if she's got long hair, I'm definitely sold."

Leo grinned. "Ah, a sucker for long hair. I should've guessed. You strike me as someone who appreciates the little things."

Ezra smirked. "I guess. What about you? You've got some specifics?"

Leo shrugged, a playful glint in his eye. "I mean, I guess I'd be into someone who's a little on the athletic side. Not super muscular, but someone who looks like they could throw down if they needed to. I like a bit of strength, you know?"

Ezra chuckled. "Alright, so you're into the 'action girl' type."

"Exactly," Leo said, grinning. "I mean, I'm not saying I want someone who could beat me up, but… it wouldn't be a bad bonus."

Ezra shook his head, amused. "You and your type."

"Hey, it's just preferences," Leo said with a shrug.

Ezra smirked, but it faded as his thoughts drifted back to his family, those brief flashes of memories he'd gotten earlier. He tried to push them away. Now wasn't the time to be getting lost in that.

Leo, sensing the shift in Ezra's mood, didn't press. Instead, he just kept walking, letting the conversation fall into comfortable silence again.

After a while, Leo glanced over and asked, "So, what do you think the academy's really about? Like, why are we here?"

Ezra's response was slow as he processed the question. "Survival, I guess. Proving we can handle ourselves. But there's gotta be more to it than just this trial."

Leo nodded. "Yeah. I feel like we're just pawns in some bigger game. But I don't mind. At least the challenge's real."

Ezra looked at him, a faint smirk on his face. "Well, just don't expect me to play nice with everyone, alright?"

Leo laughed. "You don't have to. I'm just here to survive. Just like you."