Kael was frozen at the center. The gun was heavy in his weak trembling hands. The metal was feeling cold against his palms and was unfamiliar and unforgiving. His breath became shallow and uneven as the two Hollow Hounds stepped fully out of the portal.
CLACK.
CLACK.
The sound echoed from inside their rib cages, it was hollow and
rhythmic.
They were large and brutal by looks.
Each one stood as tall as Kael's waist, but their bodies were long and lean, built for endurance rather than brute strength. Their skull-like heads tilted slightly, as if they were only listening. They had no eyes and nose.
And yet Kael was feeling that they were aware of him.
The portal was closed instantly by the examiner upon another misscall.
The sound of his own heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The Hound's head snapped toward him.
"Shit…" Kael whispered.
From above, behind the reinforced glass, Jake leaned forward slightly.
But then first Hollow Hound began to move.
It was not charging or rushing.
It was only walking slow with deliberate steps. Each step of their echoed louder than it should have, amplified by the hollow space inside its chest.
The second one circled to the side, spreading out and cutting off angles that Kael hadn't even realized existed.
They were herding him.
Kael raised the gun. His arms were shaking.
"I—I can survive five minutes," he muttered to himself. "I really don't have to kill them. Yeah, just five minutes."
The first Hound suddenly lunged.
Kael screamed and pulled the trigger.
BANG.
The shot echoed violently all over the arena.
The bullet tore through the creature's shoulder, spinning it sideways. It let out a sound, it wasn't a roar or a scream—but it was a distorted echo.
But that Hollow Hound didn't fall.
It corrected itself in mid-motion and slammed into Kael.
Kael hit on the ground hard, his breath exploding out of his lungs. Pain flared through his ribs as the gun skidded across the floor, out of reach.
"NO—!" Kael gasped.
The second Hound moved instantly.
Fast.
Too fast.
Its speed doubled the moment Kael panicked.
Its claws scraped against the arena floor as it lunged but kael rolled desperately and scrambled to his feet, his chest was burning.
He ran.
The Hounds pursued, they didn't sprint or rush, but they kept a pace effortlessly. Every breath, Kael took only made them faster.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The echoes inside their rib cages grew louder.
"They track breathing," Kael realized desperately. "Heartbeat… breathing…"
His vision blurred.
Think.
He ducked behind a thick metal pillar just as the first Hound leaped and crashed into that pillar with a metallic screech.
Kael slid down to his knees and pressed his back against the metal pillar.
"I'm dead," he whispered.
From the observation deck, that examiner murmured, "He's panicking."
Jake didn't respond.
Kael squeezed his eyes shut.
Mother.
The word surfaced without effort.
He remembered the grave beneath the birch tree.
He remembered His father, Mikhail.
His breathing slowed, not because he tried to force it, but it was because he remembered why he had to live.
Kael then slowly inhaled and exhaled.
The echoes inside the Hollow Hounds' bodies softened.
The one circling him slowed , scraping claws less aggressively against the floor. Its movements became cautious and uncertain.
Kael opened his eyes.
It worked.
He moved carefully and was reaching around the pillar silently, until his fingers brushed against the gun.
His heart jumped, but he forced it down.
He control it.
He lifted the gun slowly and steadily.
The injured Hound stepped into view, its shoulder twisted unnaturally, black fluid dripping onto the floor. It tilted its skull-head and then began to listen.
Kael aimed carefully and took a breath.
BANG.
The bullet went straight through that monster's skull.
The monster froze mid-step.
For a second, nothing happened.
But then its body collapsed in on itself, the hollow rib cage caving with a sound like a coffin being shut.
Kael stared, panting.
Only one was left.
The remaining Hollow Hound let out a distorted howl with more vibration and than sound, charged.
It became faster and smarter.
Kael fired again.
But the gun was jammed.
"No no no—!" Kael cursed, fumbling desperately.
The Hound leaped.
Time slowed.
Kael threw himself sideways. The creature's claws sliced through the air where Kael's chest had been. He hit the ground, rolling hard, pain exploding through his shoulder.
But he didn't stop, he kept rolling.
He forced himself to breathe slowly, even as fear screamed inside him.
The Hound overshot him, skidding and turning too wide.
But it slowed, just for a second.
Kael grabbed a loose metal rod which was torn free from the damaged pillar.
The Hound lunged again.
Kael screamed, not in fear but in effort and drove the rod upward as hard as he could.
It pierced straight through the hollow rib cage.
The echo stopped abruptly.
The creature convulsed, its claws scraping weakly, and then went still.
Silence fell over the arena.
Kael collapsed onto his back, his chest was feeling heaving.
Kael was staring at the ceiling.
Five minutes hadn't passed, but he survived.
Jake stood up.
"Test over," he said calmly.
The arena doors slid open.
Kael barely heard them.
Jake approached, boots echoing against the floor, and crouched beside him.
Kael turned his head weakly. "I… I did it…"
Jake studied him for a long moment.
Then he nodded once.
"You survived," he said. "And that's enough."
He extended a hand.
Kael hesitated but took it.
Jake pulled him to his feet with surprising ease.
"Don't get too comfortable," Jake added. "That was only the first test."
Kael swallowed hard. "What's next?"
Jake turned toward the exit.
"The one that decides," he said, "whether you deserve Rin—or not."
The arena lights dimmed behind them.
And Kael followed.