Maho's Point of View
At 17:55, the eastern arena gates opened. The sky was painted in shades of orange and deep violet. The sunset made everything look beautiful, almost peaceful. It felt too wrong.
The ten of us stood in silence before entering. No one spoke. No one dared to make eye contact for too long. Sara stood beside me. Tsuki was slightly ahead. Riko's hands were trembling, but she kept them clenched tightly.
When the gates closed behind us, the sound echoed like a verdict. The eastern arena was different from the first one. It was larger. It wasn't just a fenced courtyard.
It was divided into sections. Obstacles, Elevated platforms, Dark corners, Metal structures, there were no weapons visible this time.
The principal's voice echoed through hidden speakers. "Finalists," she began smoothly, "this is your last test before permanent admission.".
''Permanent'' that word just chilled me.
"You will remain inside this arena for one hour. Only four of you will be granted full enrollment."
A heavy silence followed. Nobody spoke a word.
"Methods are not restricted," she added gently. My stomach twisted. Why was this?
The timer on the large digital screen began counting down.
59:59.
For several seconds, no one moved. We all remembered the first round. The chaos, The panic. The blood. This time, it was different. No weapons had fallen from above. No instructions had forced us.
Which meant— The decision was ours. The boy moved first. He ran toward one of the elevated platforms, clearly planning to gain advantage from higher ground.
I felt Sara's hand brush mine. But she didn't hold it. We all understood something. If we clung to each other too obviously, we would become targets. Tsuki stepped slightly forward, positioning himself where he could see most of the field. His movements were calm.
That guy dodged, pushed, tackled. Using the environment instead of weapons.
Riko avoided a direct hit by slipping behind a barrier. Sara used her agility from dance training to evade a grab. I nearly lost my balance when someone collided with me from behind. For a moment, I froze.
Before I could react, Tsuki intercepted, pulling the student's arm and making him fall. "Move," Tsuki said firmly. I moved. The timer read 42:17.
We had nothing but to beat that one student. I know we can do this!
Sara narrowly avoided being cornered near the wall. She spun away from a grip and kicked backward instinctively, creating space before running. I saw Riko push that guy off a platform to avoid being thrown herself.
The arena felt smaller with every passing minute. At 21:03, only 4 of us were still standing. The timer stopped automatically.
00:12:44 remaining. A loud buzzer echoed, it ran through my spine. I was chilled. The gates opened. Silence followed it. Four of us were still standing. We were all breathing heavily, Bruised, Shaken, But alive.
The principal's voice returned. "Congratulations." Her tone was pleased. "You have demonstrated strength, adaptability, and the will to remain."
As we walked toward the exit, I felt something shift inside me. We had not killed with weapons. We had not planned betrayal. But we had fought. And we had chosen survival.
AND WE WON!! We survived this selection!
Kai stood outside the arena as we stepped out. His eyes met mine again. This time, there was something different there.
As if he now saw me as someone who truly belonged here. The gates closed behind us. Four out of one hundred, It's us! We are officially accepted.
And as the sun fully disappeared below the horizon, one thought echoed clearly in my mind. We survived the selection.
''But at what cost?''