The air felt different that night.
Heavy… cold… and filled with danger.
All the students stood silently in the large field of Nightfall Kingdom. The sky was dark, and the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.
Daniel looked around.
There were fifty to sixty students.
But deep inside, he already knew…
Not all of them would survive.
Finn Foster stepped forward.
His voice was calm, but serious.
"This is your final training exam."
"No more practice. No more second chances."
"There are only two rules."
"Survive the night."
"And…"
He paused.
"Kill the ghosts."
A cold silence spread across the field.
"Because if you don't…"
"They will kill you."
David slowly stepped closer to Daniel.
"I suddenly feel like I made the worst decision of my life," he whispered.
Daniel didn't reply.
His eyes were focused.
The gates opened.
And the exam began.
The students entered the dark forest behind the kingdom.
The trees were tall and twisted like shadows watching them.
The moment Daniel stepped inside, he felt it.
Something was wrong.
A scream echoed from deep inside the forest.
Then another.
David froze.
"That… that didn't sound good."
Daniel clenched his fists.
Suddenly—
Something moved above them.
A shadow jumped from one tree to another.
Fast.
Too fast.
A ghost.
It kept jumping between branches, circling them.
Watching.
Waiting.
"We can't even hit it!" David shouted.
The ghost attacked.
Daniel blocked it—but not completely.
The sharp claws cut across his face.
A deep mark formed from the left side of his face to his nose.
Blood started flowing.
"Daniel!" David shouted.
"I'm fine," Daniel said, breathing heavily.
But the ghost didn't stop.
It attacked again and again.
Both of them got cuts on their arms, shoulders, and hands.
Their bodies were already hurting.
Finally—
The ghost jumped again.
This time, Daniel didn't miss.
With full strength—
He struck.
The ghost disappeared.
But there was no time to rest.