Dawn had barely begun to show when Aurora's gates opened before us.
They creaked, releasing a pale light onto the road that descended toward the world.
There were around thirty of us, maybe more after the previous tests, divided into small groups formed partly by affinities, each with a very specific destination.
I cast one last glance at Aurora's towers, at the statues that looked down on us from above. They already seemed far away, as if the Academy was rejecting us more than sending us on a mission.
We walked for two days.
The first was almost pleasant. The paved road wound between hills and green plains. The sun warmed our shoulders, and for a moment, it was almost possible to forget where we were going.
Dorian wouldn't stop talking, his daggers strapped across his back.
— Seriously, what do you think this abomination is?
— Why? I replied. Aren't you supposed to be the bravest among us?
Lyra laughed softly, but her eyes betrayed her concern.
— Whatever its form. The reports say it devours everything. Other monsters, travelers, sometimes even entire dwellings.
Elias remained focused, the folded map in his calloused hands.
— We'll find out soon enough anyway. But it's not just the creature that worries me. It's the area itself. The ground is spongy, the mud, the humidity. We won't be able to move without thinking, and as for our powers, we'll have to act with caution.
Asha, further back, walked without a word, her halberd resting on her shoulder. Her eyes were already fixed on the horizon, as if she could see farther than us.
I listened to them.
I thought about the Black Dragon of the South. About its flames that had nearly reduced me to ashes.
Compared to it, what could an abomination straight out of a children's tale represent?
But deep down, I knew every trial had its own way of killing and testing us, and the fact that an instructor was watching us wouldn't change what could happen to us.
On the second day, the landscape changed.
The hills faded away. The greenery gave way to heavy, spongy ground. The air became humid, thick. Each step clung to our boots as if the ground was trying to swallow us.
The smell came before the sight. A sharp stench, a mix of sludge, rotting flesh, and stagnant water.
Then our destination appeared.
As far as the eye could see, an expanse of dark water, pierced with massive dead trunks and twisted trees. The mist rose in pale swirls, hiding the sky. It looked like an ocean of mud trapped in an eternal twilight.
A crow cawed somewhere before disappearing into the mist.
Elias tightened his grip on his sword.
— No doubt about it, we're here.
— No kidding, I said sarcastically.
— Hahaha, are you scared, Vongold? Dorian added.
— If I were you, I'd focus on keeping your stupid bet, I shot back with an amused tone.
Asha chuckled despite herself, which surprised us even more.
Lyra shivered, unconsciously moving closer to the group.
— It feels like the whole world has been abandoned here.
— Maybe it has, Asha replied, returning to her serious tone. It looks like a terrible battle took place here.
Dorian forced a smile.
— Hey, Iron?
— I'm listening…
— How many people can you carry while flying?
— I don't know, I've never tried yet. Why?
— Try to think of me if we need an emergency retreat, okay? Hahaha, I wouldn't want to die accidentally and have you pay in my place.
— What do you mean, in your place?
— Well, you know the bet I made with some heirs… I forgot to mention that if I die, you'll be responsible for fulfilling my part of the contract hahaha…
A chorus of sighs answered him. I began to wonder how this guy had survived the first tests.
We moved forward on shaky wooden walkways, remnants of devastated villages. With each step, the wood groaned as if it would give way. Sometimes, bubbles rose to the surface of the black water, bursting with a viscous sound that occasionally made me want to throw up.
I felt my Thorn vibrating softly in my chest. As if this place, saturated with rot and death, resonated with it.
The inhabitants of the area had fled long ago. We passed abandoned houses, their walls eaten away by humidity and mold, overturned cars, children's toys rotting in the mud. Everything breathed flight and fear.
Elias stopped for a moment, his gaze fixed on a nearly ruined house. Giant claw marks were deeply embedded in it.
— That's no small creature that passed through here…
A freezing silence followed his words.
Asha gripped her halberd, her eyes piercing the mist.
— Then it's waiting for us.
Night was approaching. We set up camp on a patch of solid ground, a tiny oasis in this ocean of sludge and ruins. A weak fire lit our faces, but the mist swallowed everything beyond the circle of light.
Lyra, terrified, prayed in silence, her fingers tight around her staff.
Elias sharpened his sword with his bare hand, covering it in stone thanks to his Thorn.
Asha remained standing, arms crossed, watching the mist, unyielding.
Dorian kept trying to fool around, but his voice sounded too high, too forced—he was just as terrified as Lyra.
As for me, I stared at the sky half-hidden by the fog. Strangely, I wasn't afraid. I was even impatient for it to end so I could return to my sumptuous quarters at the academy. Their habit of luxury had affected me more than I would have liked, but I wasn't going to complain.
The swamp did not sleep.
It felt like a silent presence was constantly watching us. It was an unpleasant feeling.
I could already sense the presence of what we had come to find.
The fire crackled faintly, casting weak glows on our faces. But beyond the circle of flames, there was nothing.
Nothing but the thick, shifting mist, swallowing every shape, every light, every hope.
Every sound became suspicious.
Every breath of wind put us on alert.
Elias ran a stone along his blade, slowly, methodically. The steady scraping sound was oddly soothing.
— Remember, he said without looking up. In a place like this, brute strength won't save us. Discipline will. We stay together, no matter what. If one falls during the fight, two others pull them back immediately. We leave no one behind.
His voice was firm. He had the makings of a great leader, but I could see his hands gripping his sword a little too tightly.
Lyra, sitting by the fire, held her staff against her like a child clutching a doll. Her lips moved softly, praying to a deity I didn't know.
— Everything will be fine, she murmured.
Asha finally sat down near the fire, staring into the mist. Her halberd glowed faintly, arcs of electricity occasionally running along the metal.
— Either way, I didn't come here to die now.
Her eyes shone like a predator's in the night.
Dorian tossed a pebble far away.
— Seriously, do you want to spend the night talking like a bunch of cowards? I say we make a bet. The first one who pisses themselves at the sight of a frog buys a villa for the others. What do you say?
His love of gambling would be his downfall.
He laughed. But no one answered. Even his laugh sounded hollow. Despite their status, they had never experienced such pressure.
Silence eventually fell again.
Only the fire, and the steady sound of Elias sharpening his blade.
I stayed apart, back against a blackened trunk, arms crossed. My eyes were fixed on the mist, but it was my Thorn I felt.
It vibrated. Not like in Aurora. Not like against the Dragon. Differently.
As if this place was calling to it, a strange, deformed forest marked by enormous craters we had seen along the way. I didn't know it yet, but this place had surely witnessed an incredible battle in the past.
I placed my hand against my chest. A freezing breath seemed to pass through my bones.
In the mist, I felt as though I saw a gigantic gaze resting on me.
— Iron?
I jolted. Lyra had approached, her worried eyes fixed on me.
— You're shaking. Are you okay?
I nodded.
— It's nothing, just the cold setting in.
She stared at me for another moment, then returned to the fire. But her concerned gaze lingered on mine.
Then came the sound.
A splash. Heavy. Too heavy. Like something massive falling into the water.
Everyone froze.
The silence that followed was even worse.
Then another sound. Closer. Movement in the sludge. Heavy. Slow. As if something was dragging a gigantic body just behind the mist.
Elias sprang to his feet, sword raised.
Asha pointed her halberd toward the mist, sparks already flying.
Lyra clutched her staff, trembling.
Dorian forced a nervous smile.
— So… it's the giant frog, right?
The sound came closer. The water bubbled. The mist trembled.
I stood up, my Thorn pounding in my chest like a drum. I saw nothing. But I knew.
Something had been watching us from the start.
Then suddenly, silence.
Total.
The mist closed in again. The swamp seemed to hold its breath.
We stayed like that for long minutes, motionless, weapons raised, hearts pounding.
Then Elias sighed, barely audible:
— False alarm…
We settled in to sleep.
And I, eyes still open, staring at the darkened sky, finally felt the emotion I had been trying to avoid:
Fear.