The Hunt Begins

The moment Ren stepped into the Trial Grounds, the Loom around him shifted.

It was subtle—like a ripple through fate, a quiet adjustment to the patterns that governed reality. This wasn't just a forest, not just a stretch of untamed wilderness where students would be tested. The Academy had woven this place with intent.

The Endless Verdant.

That was what the instructors called it. A land of ancient silverwood forests, crumbling ruins, and ever-shifting anomalies, all shaped by the residue of past trials. No two students would experience it the same way. The Loom was too thick here, too unstable—as if fate itself had been forced to warp and bend over generations of trials and deaths.

Ren pulled in a slow breath. The air was heavy with woven fate, each thread lingering just beyond his senses.

This was a battleground.

Not just for power.

For survival.

The hum of conversation had died the moment they stepped into the field. Students moved quickly, breaking apart in every direction. Some rushed toward the ruins that jutted out in the distance, hoping to secure an artifact early. Others disappeared into the thicker parts of the wood, choosing safety first.

A few lingered.

Watching.

Waiting.

Ren ignored them. He didn't need to hear the instructor's final words to know what this test truly was.

The Trial of Survival. That was what the Academy called it. Survival. As if it was a test of endurance, of persistence, of talent. But the Academy didn't reward survival.

They rewarded victory.

Artifacts were hidden across the Endless Verdant. The students who claimed the best ones would pass. That was the official rule.

But everyone knew the truth.

The easiest way to win wasn't to find an artifact.

It was to take one from someone else.

Eliminations were encouraged. The Academy didn't care how many fell, only that the strongest remained. There were no rules against attacking another student. No restrictions on how Weaving could be used.

And those who failed?

They wouldn't be returning to the Academy.

Not immediately.

Ren had overheard enough of the older students to know what came after failure. The ones who lost disappeared into the Loom Dungeons, sent to struggle in a different kind of test. The Academy didn't waste resources on the weak—but they were more than willing to break them down and rebuild them into something useful.

His fingers brushed against the loom-marked token against his wrist. A thin silver thread pulsed faintly through it, connecting him to the instructors watching from beyond the Trial Grounds.

It would track his movement. His progress. His survival.

He had no intention of failing.

Ren knew before he even stepped inside that he wouldn't be left alone.

He had seen it just before the trial began—the bounty. His name, woven into the trial as a challenge. Not a real bounty, not one that would be honored outside of this test. But here? It meant one thing.

Take him out. Make sure he doesn't leave these grounds.

It was the kind of move someone with power would make. The kind of move someone like Varian Dusk would make.

Ren exhaled, adjusting his grip on the Loom around him.

Somewhere in this massive stretch of land, Varian was already moving. He wouldn't come after Ren immediately. No—he would send others first. Weavers who wanted to prove themselves. The ones looking for favor in the Academy.

Ren wasn't going to wait around to see who took the bait.

He turned sharply and headed into the forest.

The deeper he went, the quieter the world became.

The silverwood trees stretched high above him, their twisted branches pulsing with residual fate. The Loom was thicker here, more tangled, like the threads had been caught on something too large to unravel. The sun barely pierced the canopy, leaving the undergrowth in an eerie, perpetual twilight.

Most students wouldn't come this way.

They would go for the ruins first, where the artifacts were easier to find. They would fight over who claimed what, who proved themselves strongest. But Ren had no interest in artifacts—not yet.

Not when he had to worry about surviving first.

He moved quickly, stepping lightly across the uneven ground. The Loom pulsed softly at the edges of his perception, whispering of movement deeper in the woods. Distant. Not yet a threat.

Still, he didn't slow down.

His plan was simple—stay unnoticed. Keep moving. Use only normal Weaving techniques.

He needed to disappear.

But it seemed someone had other plans.

A faint rustle of leaves. A deliberate shift in weight.

Not the wind.

Ren stopped walking. His fingers curled slightly, brushing against the threads at his side.

"I know you're following me," he said, voice low.

Silence.

Then, after a long pause—

"You're sharp."

A figure stepped from the trees, dark robes blending into the shadows between the silverwoods. Her expression was as calm as ever, though the slightest hint of amusement flickered in her eyes.

Kara.

Ren exhaled slowly, tilting his head. "You're not after the bounty?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Would you believe me if I said I wasn't interested?"

No.

Not entirely.

But if she had meant to attack him, she would've done it already.

Kara sighed, crossing her arms. "You're going off alone. That's a mistake."

"It's survival," Ren corrected.

"Is it?" Her gaze flicked toward the distance, where the ruins loomed beyond the trees. "You think running off into the depths of the forest is going to keep you hidden? All it's doing is making you a harder target to track."

"Exactly."

Kara gave him a look, unimpressed. "That only works on people who don't know where to look."

Ren didn't reply.

Because she wasn't wrong.

He had avoided going with Jorrik, avoided taking the most obvious route—but Kara had still found him. If she had, then there was a good chance others would too.

She studied his expression for a long moment before sighing. "Fine," she said, turning fully toward him. "I'll make you a deal. I won't follow you if you can give me a good reason why I shouldn't."

Ren hesitated.

He had plenty of reasons.

None that she would accept.

When he didn't answer, Kara smirked slightly. "Thought so." She took a step forward, falling into step beside him. "Guess you're stuck with me, then."

Ren resisted the urge to sigh.

This was not how he had planned for this to go.

But arguing wouldn't change anything now.

For better or worse, he wasn't alone anymore.

And the hunt had only just begun.