Predators and Prey
A low growl echoed from the trees, primal and menacing.
Ryn and Veyran froze, instincts screaming at them to stay alert.
The corpse between them was still fresh. The blood hadn't dried yet. That meant the killer was still nearby.
Rustle.
Leaves trembled. A shadow flickered between the trees.
Then—silence.
The kind of silence that sent shivers down the spine. The kind that only existed when a predator was stalking its prey.
Ryn's fingers twitched toward his engraving tool. Veyran subtly shifted his stance, lowering his center of gravity. They didn't speak. They didn't move.
They waited.
A heartbeat passed.
Then—
A black blur lunged from the foliage.
Ryn barely dodged in time. Clawed limbs slashed through the air where his neck had been a second earlier. A beast landed between them, its inky fur blending into the shadows.
It was larger than a wolf, but its body was lean and unnaturally elongated. Its eyes glowed silver, reflecting the dim light filtering through the trees.
A Night Stalker.
A predatory beast specialized in ambush attacks.
Veyran didn't hesitate. His engraving tool flickered—lines of intricate symbols igniting along his arm as he activated an inscription.
Boom!
A blast of force erupted from his palm, slamming into the creature's side. The Night Stalker yelped, but it didn't fall—it merely skidded back, claws digging into the dirt.
Ryn reacted instantly, twisting his fingers into precise movements, tracing symbols in the air. A small inscription flared to life on the ground beneath the beast, crackling with energy.
The Night Stalker moved to lunge again—
And then its limbs locked in place.
For a brief second, it struggled against invisible restraints, snarling in frustration.
"Now!" Ryn barked.
Veyran was already moving. His engraving tool slashed forward, carving symbols mid-air, launching a concentrated burst of force straight at the beast's skull.
CRACK!
The impact was devastating. The Night Stalker's head snapped to the side, and its body crumpled instantly.
Silence fell once more.
The only sound was the ragged breathing of the two boys.
Ryn exhaled, stepping toward the corpse to confirm its death. The silver glow in its eyes had faded.
They had won.
But this was only the beginning.
Elsewhere in the Forest
The other applicants weren't faring any better.
Screams echoed in the distance—some cut off too quickly.
Some groups were lucky, encountering only weaker beasts. Others weren't so fortunate.
A team of three had been torn apart by an unknown creature that left nothing behind but bones.
Elias, as expected, was flourishing. With his supreme control over inscriptions, he had already slain two beasts and claimed a prime hunting ground in a clearing near a river.
Seraphina, on the other hand, moved alone. She did not fear the creatures. In fact, she seemed almost unbothered by them.
And yet—wherever she passed, the beasts fell silent.
It was as if the forest itself respected her presence.
As the night fell over the Forest of Ordeals, one thing became clear:
This was not just a test of strength.
It was a test of adaptation, intelligence, and the will to survive.
The weak had already started to fall.
And those who remained…
Would have to prove themselves worthy.
* * *
Night descended upon the Forest of Ordeals, shrouding the land in a suffocating darkness. The canopy above was so thick that only traces of moonlight seeped through, casting eerie silver streaks across the damp forest floor.
Ryn and Veyran had taken refuge beneath a gnarled tree, its thick roots forming a natural barricade. The corpse of the Night Stalker still lay nearby, its blood seeping into the earth, a silent warning to any other predators lurking in the shadows.
But silence did not mean safety.
Far off, muffled screams continued to ring through the forest. Some were brief—snuffed out in an instant. Others dragged on, filled with raw terror, before fading into nothingness.
This was no simple survival test.
This was a battlefield.
Ryn's fingers traced the engraving tool in his grasp, his mind replaying the earlier fight. The Night Stalker had been strong, its movements precise and deliberate. A natural-born hunter. And yet, it had not been the apex predator here.
Something else was hunting in this forest.
" How can a test just be so brutal? " Ren said.
" I've heard something before. You know that the Academy of Epponville is not the only one on this island, is it not? " Veyran replied. "There are two other academies not far from this area, and the new generation seems to have made significant progress there."
" Damn it, so, do they have to sacrifice all these guys? "
" Who knows? "
Veyran exhaled beside him. "We should move before the scent of blood attracts more trouble."
Ryn nodded. "Agreed."
Without hesitation, they slipped back into the shadows of the forest, their steps cautious, their senses sharp.
Elsewhere, deep within the heart of the forest, Elias stood atop a rocky outcrop, his golden eyes surveying the terrain below.
Around him, bodies littered the ground—not of humans, but of beasts. Three monstrous creatures lay slain at his feet, their bodies still twitching with the final remnants of life.
His hands were clean. Not a drop of blood tainted his robes.
He had barely exerted himself.
With a slow, measured breath, Elias turned his gaze toward the horizon. His sharp eyes caught movement—dozens of figures, scattered throughout the forest, fighting to survive.
It was amusing.
For them, this test was a struggle.
For him, it was nothing more than a formality.
The moment he stepped into this forest, his victory had already been decided.
On the other side of the forest, Seraphina moved with silent grace.
She did not flee from the creatures lurking in the darkness.
She did not fight them, either.
She merely walked.
And they moved aside.
Eyes glowing in the shadows dimmed as she passed. Clawed beasts that had stalked other applicants turned away the moment they caught her scent. Even the wind carried an unnatural stillness around her, as if nature itself bowed in reverence.
No one knew why.
No one understood what she was.
But the forest did.
The beasts knew.
And so, they did not touch her.
Seraphina's icy gaze swept over the terrain ahead, and for the first time since entering the Forest of Ordeals, she paused.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Something interesting was finally about to happen.
* * *
As dawn neared, the number of survivors dwindled.
But a select few had proven themselves.
Ryn and Veyran pressed forward, their instincts sharper than ever.
As the second day of the trial began, the strongest contenders were on an inevitable path toward one another.