I sit on the boat as it moves rapidly through the onyx sea. The clouds seal the skies once again, bringing darkness back to the atmosphere. The smell of the sea isn't of salt; it's of metal and blood. An environment so dangerous that the navy had to warn us. But now, there's peace in this archipelago. Waves rise and fall slowly, with no sea creatures or monsters ambushing us. Just a breeze and the gentle singing of the waves.
Rowan sits across from me, his back slouched forward and his head lowered as his necklace glows throughout the entire trip. Alexandria sits beside him, her gaze never leaving the children, Oolga and Georgios. These kids have survived so much at such a young age, from the battle royale to the psychopath exam, and now this.
"Georgios, Oolga," I call out. "Why did you join the exam? Do you also want to become adventurers?"
Georgios, who was adjusting his crossbow, freezes. He looks at me with an awkward smile before his expression turns to one of determination.
"Well, where I'm from, the war between Drakva and Zendorium still has an impact. There are bandits and rogue mercenary groups everywhere. Eventually, I left my old village so I could become an adventurer. I've heard stories about them. How Bejah-Marr defeated a giant sandworm, how Galicia defeated a crystal golem, and how the legendary Tallis defeated the Dragon Patriarch."
He grins widely, the gap between his teeth visible.
"The wealth adventurers gain and the fame. I want that."
He looks down at his crossbow.
"I made this crossbow myself, and with it, I hope to become an adventurer. Potentially an S-rank."
"Reaching S-rank is impossible, kid," Alexandria says.
Oolga nods. "There's only 1,000 S-ranks out of 90,000 adventurers, Georgios. Those people are crazy strong."
Georgios snorts.
"Then I'll work hard. Harder than all of you. I'll be known as Georgios, the greatest ranger in history!"
Oolga laughs, and even Rowan lets out a small huff. Georgios tries to stop Oolga from laughing. Even Alexandria gives a slight smirk.
Kids, thinking they'll conquer the sun. I used to be like that too, thinking I'd become rich and famous. Then I eventually realised I couldn't handle the sun's heat. Now I'm here, learning how to fight and finding myself in circumstances the old me would have thought were crazy. Fighting poisonous apes, man-locusts, and even a sea monster.
Among the sounds of waves and wood colliding with the water, a loud scream follows. A loud, agonising scream.
I turn my head as the boat approaches an island, one far bigger than the rest. Its black sand resembles ash, while its grey trees stand tall. Tall enough to be seen even from a distance.
"Where are we heading?" Alexandria asks.
Rowan raises his head as his golden Lumin arms begin to manifest. Oolga grips her spear, while Georgios grabs a bolt from his pouch and places it on his crossbow.
The boat reaches the shore. All of us disembark. Another scream follows, much louder this time, before a deafening slam.
Silence follows. Only the sound of trees rustling and distant lightning remains.
Rowan steps forward, preparing to investigate. But before he leaves, two massive golden hands emerge from the ground where Oolga and Georgios stand. They clasp together, trapping the two children.
Oolga and Georgios punch against the hands, shouting, but we can't hear anything.
Alexandria pulls out her axe, ready to charge at Rowan.
"What are you doing?" she spits.
Rowan doesn't even look at her, his gaze fixed on the forest.
"I want to protect the children. Whatever is in that forest is far too dangerous," he says calmly, his eyes narrowing.
What Rowan says is true. Whatever is in this forest is dangerous. I'm already getting goosebumps.
Rowan continues walking, entering the forest. I look at him, then at Alexandria and the children, who are still bashing against the golden hands.
Alexandria looks at me, her eyes narrowing.
"You're going to follow him, aren't you?"
"Why?"
I turn towards her, holding my claymore.
"I made a promise to Rowan. That we would fight each other to the death, and the winner would be the victor of the war."
Her face softens, and her shoulders drop slightly.
"So you two are going to fight each other to the death? After all of this?"
She looks at me, her eyes losing that critical edge. Her grip on her axe loosens. Those crimson eyes seem to lose their colour as she raises a hand, pointing towards the forest.
"Zora is in there, Zain."
Her voice is low, but she's trying to stay strong, trying to hide that underlying fear.
"We can just destroy the hands, get the kids and leave Rowan there to fend for himself."
I look at her for a long time. I know I've made choices that have made our voyage difficult. From wasting time burying those skeletal corpses to adding Rowan to the ship. I've made bad decision after bad decision, thinking they were good ones. I've put a lot of pressure on Alexandria.
"You can leave me. Destroy the hands and take them off this island."
Alexandria's eyes widen.
"What about you? What will happen to you?"
"I don't know, but just go back to Aurelia and the others. Make sure the kids are safe."
I approach the hands, holding my claymore. I use my free hand to gesture for the kids to duck. Oolga understands immediately. Georgios continues shouting, oblivious to my signal, but Oolga drags him down with her, and they both duck.
I assume my usual stance, coating my claymore with Lumin. I take a step back and swing my blade.
AIR SLASH.
A crescent of wind moves swiftly, cutting through the hands with ease.
My eyes widen.
That easy? I didn't even put much effort into the slash.
Oolga drags Georgios out of the broken hands. I quickly reach out, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away. He falls onto the sand, looking up at me with a scowl.
"My leader is there right now, alone!" he protests.
Alexandria grabs the boy by the collar, pulling him towards the ship.
"You're not going to that forest."
Her eyes never leave the boat.
Oolga looks at me, her face anxious.
"I hope you and Rowan come out alive. Please help him," she says softly before turning to leave.
I'm not sure if I can do that.
I turn around and enter the forest. The dark trees tower above me as I walk deeper into the woods. Mist rises between the trees, followed by distant, foreign voices. The sounds of screaming and terror echo through the mist.
I ignore the whispers and wails, continuing forward.
Find Rowan, deal with Zora and leave.
I repeat those words over and over again in my head. A promise. A promise that makes my heart beat faster with every step I take.
Zora. Why did I make that alliance with you?
I thought the last exam would be something like a team-based war on the ship, but no. In a circumstance like this, an alliance is useless. But an alliance with a man like Zora? It's suicide. And I'm only now beginning to realise that.
Almost every time I even think about him, I feel uncomfortable.
Why? Why did I make an alliance with him? A man like him, someone who's probably committed crimes I can't even begin to imagine. Yet we made an alliance with him.
I stop in my tracks, and my eyes widen.
Bodies upon bodies. Bloodied, mangled, broken. Scattered across the grassy floor.
At the centre stands a man: tall, strong, with wild hair. He's gripping the broken neck of a woman, holding her as though she's nothing. He throws her against a tree, her body limp.
Zora looks down at Rowan.
Beside him stands a group of people. A lizardman clad in laminar armour but without a helmet. A dwarf wielding a heavy warhammer taller than himself. Koan stands beside Zora, his long dagger stained with blood. And finally, a pale man wearing nothing but a loincloth, holding a sword so thin that it resembles a needle.
Zora turns his head towards me. His eyes narrow, and his head jerks back in surprise.
He looks around at the carnage, his large mace held tightly in his grip.
"Zain!" His voice booms. "Didn't think you'd be here."
He spreads his arms wide, smiling broadly.
"As you can see, I have done my part of the alliance. Killed maybe twenty of these bastards while I was travelling with my crew."
He smiles again, looking around at the carnage.
I look at Rowan. His eyes haven't left the woman.
She looks young, probably in her early twenties. An ache in my stomach follows, like I've just been punched.
All of this was my fault.
The death of the priest, my confrontation with Rowan. All of this was my fault.
I clutch my head, my eyes unable to leave the poor woman's body.
Zora's smile drops. He looks at me with confusion. But before he can open his mouth, a golden fist collides with his jaw, sending his body flying.
Silence follows as his body hits the grey grass.