It had been several minutes since Kuzen left, yet Grimbell remained rooted in the exact same spot, motionless as a statue. His back was still curved forward, shoulders sagging, arms hanging limply at his sides, and his head still bowed. His lips moved silently, a faint rhythm of chanting barely audible, as if his voice was carried on the breath of the wind itself.
From where I sat, I faced him and he stood facing me, but the whole time his eyes were just fixed on the ground.
"Hey, are you awake? You should sit down; you might fall," I called out softly, my voice breaking the silence like a small stone tossed into a still pond.
Slowly, Grimbell lifted his head – and our eyes met. He studied me for a while, like I was some kind of a puzzle, a riddle he wanted to solve but couldn't find the first piece to fit. His brows furrowed, shadows deepening above his eyes as if he was trying to figure out if I had been there the whole time, quietly waiting.
He made a hesitant step forward to approach me, but the Zei Shadows Kuzen left behind to guard him clung to him fast like thick ropes, holding him as though the very darkness around him refused to let him move freely.
He lowered his gaze toward the Zei Shadows beneath him. "I just want to move closer," he murmured, gesturing uncertainly toward me. "I'm sure Kuzen won't mind."
The tension in the air stretched taut for a moment before the shadows slowly loosened their grip. They slid off him like snakes climbing down a tree, then back into the earth beneath his feet.
Grimbell took another step and finally lowered himself to sit facing me. His gaze lingered longer than before, scanning my face. Then, in a quiet, almost tentative voice, he asked, "What's your name?" He tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes as if testing the weight of the name he might expect. "Are you strong?"
His wide eyes locked on my lips, waiting patiently, like a predator waiting for its prey to move, or perhaps like a child waiting for a story to begin.
Humph. Is he being serious right now?
"I'm Fiel, and I'm not…" I started, but before I could finish, he interrupted.
"I'm Grimbell," he said smoothly, "and that tall guy who just left is Zei-Kuzen. You can call him Kuzen though."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, eyes flicking down to the dirt at our feet. "I want to ask you something," he said, moving just a little closer.
"Go on." I permitted him.
"Since I first saw you on the academy grounds, I've been meaning to ask – how old are you?" His fingers began to count nervously, mumbling numbers repeatedly under his breath so fast it was barely audible, as if the answer carried some heavy secret.
Where did that even come from?
Normally, when people meet in a moment like this – just some time after barely escaping death. You'd expect them to jump into planning, scrambling for a strategy, anything to help them survive the situation. But this guy is just sitting there, legs folded, hands resting between them, watching me like I'm some puzzle he's determined to solve. Not even a flicker of urgency in his eyes, just calm and steady… asking me how old I am.
The girl curled in my arms resting against my chest, stirred, pressing herself deeper into me. Her lips moved softly, words slipping out like a fragile melody.
"It's beating so loud," she whispered, eyes almost half-closed. "The vibrations are… rhythmic."
She was talking about my heart, though her words floated past me, strange and mysterious.
Between the trees nearby, slightly to my left. A shadow shifted, barely noticeable, watching Grimbell and me silently.
"Do you go around asking people their age?" I asked, raising an eyebrow with a smirk playing on my lips, unable to hide the surprise in my voice.
"No, I don't." Grimbell said, shaking his head. "It's just… I've been curious. You look too perfect and mature for your size."
My brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"
"Okay, don't quotation me wrong, but you're the type any girl would fall for at first sight." He lowered his head, clenching his fist, embarrassment flickering across his face. "I mean, your looks; you have the height any guy would wish for. Your face is attractive, and you seem gentle too. On top of that, your hair color is rare."
This guy doesn't seem to know me or what I really am, yet he's already convinced any girl would fall for me just. Hmph...
I couldn't quite place where he was coming from. But I was certain no guy compliments another guy like that. Or maybe it wasn't a compliment at all, just a list of things he admired and wished for himself.
"Would you like to guess my age?" I asked, curious of what he had in mind.
He sized me up carefully. "I'd say twenty-six or older."
"Ouch… dude." I let out a dry chuckle. That was his opinion, but it was wrong. "No. Actually, I'm sixteen."
Grimbell's brows tightened, eyes narrowing, but he didn't say a word, just stared at me with uncertainty, though I could tell he wanted to argue. "You're two years younger than me and three years younger than Kuzen."
I looked at him, unsure if I could trust him, but something about his nervousness made me think he wouldn't hurt a fly. "Can I ask you something, too?"
He nodded eagerly.
"Can you tell me something about you and that tall, broad-shouldered guy?"
"You mean Kuzen? I can tell you anything you want to know. You're my friend now, and Kuzen's friend too."
The word hit me like a sudden breeze. 'Friend.' I'd never heard it from anyone except Clara.
"I noticed he was holding you like some kind of criminal." I said, unsure if that was the right way to phrase it.
"Well, not exactly a criminal, but close." Grimbell searched for the right words, fingers never leaving his chin, one hand supporting his elbow.
He jabbed a thumb at himself, a small smile lighting his expression. "Name's Grimbell. That guy who just left is Zei-Kuzen, but you can call him Kuzen. We're childhood friends. But don't get me wrong, I'm not a criminal… at least, not exactly."
Did he forget he already did the introduction.
Grimbell hesitated, then opened up, his face tightening with memory. "When Player 1 said we had to kill Player 2 to survive, I panicked and almost killed someone right then, but Kuzen stopped me."
His expression darkened. "Later… I tried to kill him instead. That's why he treats me like this – trying to keep me from killing anyone, especially not the students. But like I said, we've known each other since we were kids."
From Grimbell's words, Kuzen sounded like a nice guy if he could do that for he's sake.
Grimbell leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. "Can I tell you a secret?"
I tilted my head slightly in a simple nod.
"Kuzen's gone to see a girl he likes. She's hurt though. She got into a fight and ended up injured. So he went to take care of her. I doubt he's coming back anytime soon." He gave a small wave-off, his hand drifting down from near his ear across his chest. "So that blanket he promised you? Yeah, forget it."
Something about him told me he was the kind of person who'd spill secrets without being asked. But I wasn't sure if it was trust or just his nature.
Grimbell stood and shrugged off his jacket, draping it gently over the girl in my arms and me. "I admire your body, you don't seem to feel cold. But we should go to sleep now."
There had always been a reason behind my body temperature, it wasn't just something normal but my back had now stopped flicking colours, it was just black.
As he was still bent down fixing the jacket, a bullet shot through the trees, slicing the silence with a faintest whistle.
My left hand shot out instinctively, yanking Grimbell by the collar. The bullet slid past where his head had been microseconds ago, hitting a tree on my right. Grimbell stumbled, falling onto the girl in my arms, stirring her awake.
"Was that a gun shot?" Grimbell asked, panicking anxiously.
Just as I turned to my left toward the shot's origin, a second bullet was already screaming through the air, aiming straight for my head.
Another bullet! It's so fast.
I barely had time to react because of the girl resting against my chest and Grimbell who I had now pulled closer.
But in a flash, one of Grimbell's shadowy guards shoved itself between me and the bullet. The shot pierced only halfway before dropping to the ground. There was something off about these shadows but I didn't let it bother me.
From the darkness stepped a guy, messy black hair covering his eyes, only his mouth visible.
He ground his teeth, groaning. "Those morons just wasted my bullets. I can't stand those who act friendly, friends just slow you down. But these idiots don't get it yet."
He turned away, his throw blanket billowing behind him like a cape, walking like a superhero leaving the scene after saving the world. "Today's your lucky day, but I'll be back."
I glanced at Grimbell who had gone oddly silent. His face was barely inches from the girl's, his expression screaming awkward, his cheeks red like a tomato, while the girl sized him up, likely thinking about slapping him hard. I was frozen, caught in the strange quiet between them.
Grimbell scrambled back to his knees hands resting on them, his head bowing repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall on you. I swear. Really, I swear."
She gave him a cold glare as she slowly rose, leaning on one hand. Her fox-like eyes sharpened, fierce and unyielding.
Grimbell lowered his head, their sudden contact clearly angering her more than I expected.
Ignoring me, she forced herself upright. "If you'd stayed any longer, I would've sent you to your grave." she said, her voice cold as ice.
Grimbell let out a nervous chuckle, head still bowed.
I released my right hand's grip on her waist and watched her struggle to stand.
"If you force it, you'll only open your wounds," I said, eyes fixed on her limping frame as she struggled to stand.
She gave me a death stare. Her short black hair swept gently across her face, nearly hiding everything except those sharp, clear eyes.
For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was throwing daggers at me with that death stare.
What's with that look? Did I do anything wrong?
"Your heartbeats are so loud I could barely sleep." She said, then turned, limping slowly toward the trees ahead. All I did was stare at her silently then turned to Grimbell whose voice was hard to ignore.
"Ms. Othrena is scary," Grimbell muttered, biting his fingers anxiously.
"You know her?" I asked, but he didn't answer. He was lost in thought, muttering as he squeezed his head as if to hold it together.
"She's fierce. Really fierce. I don't want to annoy her, she'll kill me. I didn't realise it was her this whole time."
Grimbell's mumbling drifted into the background of my swirling thoughts as my eyes drifted ahead toward where she had limped to.
If she wanders too far, she might run into the shooter.
I slipped my shirt back on and turned to Grimbell. It was time for answers. Though panicked, I doubted he would remain silent. In Othrena's absence, I pressed him for every detail.
Lucky for me, in his frantic state he talked fast, revealing nearly everything about the students: their strengths, weaknesses, and the shooter's identity.
—
Deeper in the woods, three girls; Liana, Aria, and Mira, stood quietly in the center of a small clearing. Aria and Liana faced each other with tired eyes, their bodies heavy from hours of standing still. While Mira stood beside Liana on her right, her hands loosely holding her duo swords but her posture frozen as if she might collapse at any moment. Aria and Liana had already set their weapons down, letting them rest on the ground.
Suddenly, Mira's body slackened, as if something yanked her backward. Her eyes widened in shock, but she couldn't stop, she kept falling until she hit the cold, hard ground.
Liana's jaw dropped, frozen with fear, unable to move a muscle.
The three girls remained motionless, eyes darting nervously, waiting for any sign, a shuffle, a breath that might break the dreadful silence.
But after a long moment, nothing came.
"Have you guys noticed?" Aria broke the silence, her voice flat and mocking like a game. Her words startled Mira and Liana, who both glared at her with silent fury.
"What?" Liana snapped, teeth clenched.
"The temperature's dropped. I think it's already night." Liana said, her eyes darting to Liana then to Mira laying motionless on the ground.
Liana said nothing, her eyes drifting to Mira, who lay frozen, her lips barely moving, eyes wide and searching.
Then Liana turned to Aria. "That means the games are on hold until tomorrow."
Aria nodded slowly.
"Then let's move on the count of three," Liana whispered, but before she could say 'one,' a gigantic fist sliced through the silence, slicing just past Liana's left side as she caught a glimpse of it aiming straight for Aria. Aria barely had time to react before the fist slammed into her gut, sending her flying into the trees.
Liana's eyes widened in horror as she tried to look behind her, but her muscles betrayed her. The presence behind her was so thick she could almost choke on the air.
Mira wanted to scream, but her lips refused to move.
The creature howled, its roar tearing through the night like a primal storm.
—
Across the woods, heads turned. Most students had realized the games were paused and settled down, some gathering around small fires.
"What was that?" Grimbell asked, eyes scanning the direction of the sound. It was close, too close.
I didn't wait for an answer. Rising quickly, I said, "I leave Othrena to you." Then I ran to the right toward the noise, Grimbell stumbling anxiously behind me but I didn't stop.
I have lived in Adafio Woods for three years. If there is one thing I know for sure, that sound belongs to a Malged. But what is one doing here in the Demon Forest?
The woods were dark, but the creature's howl cut through the silence like a blade through silk, leading me forward as I followed its haunting voice deeper into the forest. Fortunately, the trees at this part of the forest stood slightly apart from each other.
—
Liana thought to grab her weapon, but fear held her frozen in place. She stood rooted, waiting for whatever was coming.
A fist slammed into her back, sending her crashing into a tree. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she hit the ground hard.
She lifted her head slowly, spotting a giant silhouette moving toward Mira.
"No… no… don't," she whispered, but her voice was lost to the wind.
The creature raised its fist, aiming at Mira's head. All Mira could do was watch, frozen.
Just as the fist neared, I grabbed one of Mira's swords from her right hand and swung it fiercely at the creature's hand as I flipped over Mira's frozen body. The swing sliced through the creature's forearm cutting it clean off. Blood splattering across Mira's face as its severed hand dropped to the ground close to Mira's face on the right side.
Mira's heart skipped several beats as her gaze slid to the right – and froze with silent screams bearly escaping her throat. The huge, severed fist lay inches from her face, its knuckles caked in blood, the jagged end still oozing.
The creature screamed, furious and loud.
That confirms it, the weapons every student is carrying in these woods are non-spirit-embuked, so they can affect Malgeds but can't harm a Netherkin. Except for one student.
"So you do feel pain… huh," I muttered, lunging in for another strike.
It stepped from the darkness, its left fist arcing toward me like a black comet, but I didn't hesitate. I ducked low, my body twisting with the motion, and brought the blade up in one fluid sweep. Steel kissed flesh at the knuckles, parting them clean, then carved its way along the length of the forearm, biting through muscle and bone until it burst out at the elbow. Hot blood splattered across my face, the iron tang filling my mouth.
The hand split open from the knuckles to the elbow, the two halves peeling apart to opposite sides; one sagging left, the other right, each hanging limp and twisted, the elbow muscles barely holding them together."
Liana's eyes widened, jaw dropping in slow motion while Mira, whose whole face was covered with blood, couldn't see what was happening above her head.
What on earth is this guy? Such brutal strength. Liana thought.
The Malged stumbled with a deafening scream, its purple-hued form flickering, nearly invisible in the dark.
Dropping the sword, I charged with my right fist clenched. Then took a clean hit to its jaw sending some of its teeth flying.
The creature crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, a dangerous grin spreading across my lips.
Yup… totally my super fist, it always works on Malgeds.
Liana's eyes closed in relief as she lost consciousness.
But as I stood there grinning, something cold and merciless stabbed through my spine. A gleam of steel burst from my chest, slick and red in the fading light. It was the very sword I had used against the Malged.
What… the… heck?
A hollow, shocked gasp caught in my throat, but no sound came out. My fingers clawed at the air, grasping for something, anything to stop the pain that bloomed like wildfire through my ribs.
Did I… just get stabbed?
The world tilting sideways, colors bleeding at the edges of my vision. The steady ground rushed up to meet me, cold dirt biting into my palms as I fell.
Who… did it?
Darkness crept in like ink, swallowing the edges of my sight, dragging me down into a void where time stretched and slowed.