"It is the third," the Headmaster said.
"Alright, alright," Xavier replied.
Day three of the mid-term examinations had begun.
Xavier was finally allowed to enter the training grounds. Since he had entered the examinations quite late, he was already far behind the majority of the other participants and their teams.
Still, that didn't discourage him.
He tightened his grip on his katana and looked toward the vast battlefield ahead.
"I have a lot of catching up to do."
With that thought in mind, Xavier stepped forward and entered the examination grounds.
In the meantime...
Pant.
Pant.
Pant.
"I would have been eliminated if I didn't see that attack coming," Vanessa said, struggling to catch her breath.
She leaned against a tree, trying to regain her strength.
"And now I'm alone... my teammates have been eliminated..." she said before coughing several times.
She looked around cautiously.
"I need to find a place to rest."
Vanessa took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Clover Eyes."
Her eyes activated.
~The Clover Eyes
The Clover Eyes are a rare, inherited ability passed down through the Clover Clan bloodline. Its true origin is unknown, and its full power remains a mystery.
Very few people have ever manifested the Clover Eyes, and none have survived long enough to reveal their complete capabilities.
What is known is that the eyes grant the user greatly enhanced perception.
Only one person can possess the Clover Eyes at any given time. When the current wielder dies, the ability is normally passed on to a member of a later generation of the Clover bloodline.
However, if the wielder dies before the next generation is born, the Clover Eyes will not appear in the immediately following generation. Instead, the ability may remain dormant and manifest randomly in a future generation.
Because of this, no one knows exactly when or where the Clover Eyes will appear next. ~
Vanessa's vision expanded.
She could perceive the surrounding area far beyond what normal eyes could see. She searched through the trees, rocks, and distant terrain until she finally found a secluded location.
"There."
She slowly made her way toward it.
Once she reached the spot, Vanessa sat down and rested her back against a tree.
"Damn it..."
She lowered her head.
"I was so useless in that fight. I couldn't even defend the honour of my clan."
Her eyes began to water.
Sniffle... sniffle...
"I must become stronger."
She wiped her tears away and clenched her fists.
"I won't let this happen again."
Exhaustion finally began to take over.
Vanessa closed her eyes and slowly drifted into sleep, allowing her body to restore some of its strength.
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"What is with all this commotion just three days into the mid-terms?" Sean said as he moved through the battlefield.
"It's as if this is some all-out war or something."
He looked around.
Teams were constantly clashing. Shadow manifestations were appearing and disappearing. The sounds of battles could be heard throughout the forest.
"Anyway..."
Sean slowed down.
"It seems everyone is too focused on battling that they forgot one key thing about the exam."
He paused.
"Survive."
Sean remembered the words that had been spoken before the examination began.
"People could say it was encouragement, but that makes no sense..."
He frowned.
"I feel like it was some sort of hint."
He continued walking while thinking.
"What could she have meant by 'survive'?"
Sean began running through possibilities in his head.
"Maybe the battleground contains several hidden safe zones that weren't mentioned."
He shook his head.
"But if the exam was set up like this, finding them would be extremely difficult. It could take hours, and if I'm wrong, I'd just be wasting time."
He stopped.
"But it wouldn't matter because just surviving means I..."
A memory suddenly flashed through his mind.
Zachy.
The battle.
The feeling of being completely outclassed.
Sean's expression changed.
"No."
He clenched his fist.
"That is not enough."
He remembered the feeling of losing.
"I must be the best."
Sean continued thinking.
"Mhmhm... Maybe it could be the bracelets."
He looked down at the bracelet around his wrist.
"They did say they monitor our vitals. If our health drops too low, we're teleported out."
He stared at it carefully.
"So there should be a possibility of using them to escape the battlefield somehow."
He paused.
"But that doesn't guarantee a pass."
Sean's eyes widened slightly.
"This is interesting..."
He began putting the pieces together.
"Or could it be..."
He whispered the word.
"Survive."
Sean remembered the exact wording.
"She said survive... and not 'remain in the battle grounds.'"
His eyes widened.
"What if reaching a certain point allows us to qualify for an extraction?"
He began walking faster.
"She did mention that we must learn how to survive in such situations... in a case where the odds are completely against us."
Sean smiled.
"Alright."
He pointed toward the battlefield.
"I'll assume there are hidden safe zones and an extraction point."
He looked down at his bracelet.
"But I'll keep one thing in mind."
"My bracelet is the key."
Sean took a deep breath.
"Phew..."
He looked toward the forest ahead.
"Onward."
And with that, Sean began searching for what he could only call a hunch.
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"Are you able to continue?" Mayari asked.
"Yes... cough... cough... I just need to rest a bit," Alice said.
Mayari looked at her with concern.
"What were you thinking, using such power? It is extremely dangerous."
"I wanted to show him that he isn't the only prodigy," Alice replied.
She coughed again.
"I wanted to prove that I could stand against him."
"Anyway, when did you enter the battlefield? Didn't you have unfinished business with ..." Alice paused to cough. "with him?"
"I was permitted to enter, so don't worry."
"Hehe," Alice chuckled weakly. "I thought you wouldn't make it. One minute you were up for selection, then you were called away. I thought you weren't going to be able to participate."
Mayari smiled.
"Well, it seems I wasn't the only one who was given the privilege of joining late."
Alice looked at her curiously.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I saw him. He was going into the meeting room with the leaders of the two clans."
Alice became slightly more serious.
"Maya, do you think he is something to worry about?"
Mayari shook her head.
"No. I don't think we have to worry about him for now."
She looked around the battlefield.
"But we shouldn't stay here either. Let's get some rest. We'll set out in the morning."
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"Dang it! Dang it! Dang it!"
Ryouma slammed his fist against a tree.
"I can't believe we're behind!"
He looked toward the rest of his team.
"We haven't killed a single shadow or even eliminated one team member!"
~ Ryouma was one of the Spirit Clan members who had previously attacked Zorren and the rest of the Big Four. ~
"We need to score some points!"
He clenched his teeth.
"Or we're not worthy of the title of Special Case!"
Suddenly,
Ryouma stopped.
Something was standing ahead of them.
A Spirit Clan member.
Someone they had no relation to.
The boy simply stared at them.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Ryouma narrowed his eyes.
"Well, well, well..."
He smiled.
"What do we have here?"
The boy continued staring at them.
Ryouma's teammates slowly moved into position.
The rules had no clear regulation stating that a team couldn't attack a fellow clan member.
Ryouma grinned.
"Looks like we've found our points."
The Spirit Clan boy remained completely still.
Then,
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!"
The battlefield went silent for a brief moment.
A bracelet activated.
Team 28 of the Spirit Clan has been eliminated.
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Mayari put Alice on her back and carried her deeper into the battlegrounds.
As she walked, however, one thought continued to bother her.
"Even though Ryouma and the rest aren't significantly strong, how could they have been defeated so easily?"
She glanced back toward the direction where Team 28 had been eliminated.
"Could it be the Big Four?"
She quickly dismissed the thought.
"No. Even though they are strong, they couldn't defeat them so easily."
Mayari's expression became more serious.
"So the only person that comes to mind is..."
She paused.
"Phew..."
Mayari shook her head.
"Kaizen... what did I tell you about going overboard?"
Elsewhere...
Far away from Mayari and Alice, Kaizen continued moving through the battlegrounds.
He suddenly heard Mayari's voice in his head.
"What did I tell you about going overboard?"
Kaizen sighed.
"Sorry about that, Mayari."
He glanced at the battlefield around him.
"It was all an act of self-defense."
He continued walking as though nothing had happened.
Neither Mayari nor Alice knew exactly where he was.
And neither of them realized just how close Kaizen was to becoming one of the biggest threats in the entire examination.
~ Who is this mysterious foe who defeated four Special Cases so easily?
And more importantly... does our protagonist stand a chance against any of these mighty opponents? ~
"I wonder where everyone is at," Xavier said.
He continued walking deeper into the battlefield, completely unaware of the events unfolding elsewhere.
The mid-term examination had only reached its third day.
Yet, the strongest students were beginning to reveal themselves.