The cold air bit at exposed skin, stinging noses and ears, and every breath left behind a puff of mist that quickly disappeared into the chilly wind. The group stood on a small ridge, boots crunching into the packed snow, surrounded by tall, bare trees with branches weighed down by frost. In the middle of all that whiteness was a patch of flowers, or at least, what Veda claimed were flowers.
"This is the flower that can hide a person's scent from those Silverback Dire Wolves," Veda explained, his voice calm but carrying enough authority to make everyone listen. He pointed at the small cluster of blooms at their feet. They were pure white — petals, stems, everything blending so well into the snow that if he hadn't pointed, you'd walk right past without noticing. Even now, half the people leaned forward, squinting, as if trying to make sure their eyes weren't playing tricks.
The crowd, mostly Vera's people, murmured in surprise. Some admitted they'd walked through this path earlier and never spotted the flowers. It was like they were nature's own camouflage.
"The way to use it is simple," Veda continued. "You crush the flower into powder, mix it with water until it turns milky white, then splash it on your body and the ground you've walked over. That way, your scent gets masked completely."
He signaled with a subtle tilt of his head. From his group, a boy stepped forward — green hair, green eyes, and brown skin that contrasted with the snow's pale glow. His fingers were red from the cold, but he held out a small glass bottle filled with a milky liquid, showing it to everyone like proof.
"So that's what Felix is using to cause trouble," Nina muttered under her breath.
"Yes," Veda confirmed simply.
Vera, standing with her arms folded, shifted her weight onto one leg. Her sharp eyes studied Veda with that usual mix of amusement and calculation. "But how are you guys able to make it if it's only Felix's group that has someone who can?" she asked, pressing her left hand to her chin like she was solving a math problem only she found interesting.
"Actually, it's thanks to Bobby," Veda said, gesturing to the boy with green hair. "He's the one holding the stuff that let us figure it out."
Everyone's gaze instantly turned toward Bobby. His posture stiffened. If nervousness had a face, it would have been his right then. Eyes wide, lips twitching like he wanted to speak but wasn't sure how.
"You guys should calm your gazes," Veda said lightly, tapping Bobby's back in reassurance. "You're making him nervous."
Bobby glanced at Veda like someone looking at a big brother he admired. "Okay…" he muttered, taking a breath that clouded the air in front of him. "My family — well, my mother's side, practices Herb Alchemy, so I have a lot of experience with flowers, trees, and plants' herbal effects."
Zack, standing a little off to the side with his usual unimpressed face, raised an eyebrow. "You have that much experience and you didn't even know until now that there was a flower that could mask scent since you got to the safe zone?"
The comment made Bobby flinch.
"Don't listen to that smartass. Just keep talking," a girl from Veda's group cut in before Bobby could shrink away completely. She had jet-black hair streaked with faint white strands, pale skin, and dark eyes that could cut glass when she was annoyed.
"What? I'm just stating the obvious, and I wasn't talking to you, Linda Ashenlocke," Zack shot back, glaring.
"Huh?" Linda's tone sharpened, and they locked eyes like two cats deciding who'd throw the first scratch.
Vera clapped her hands, loud enough to make both turn toward her. Her smile was polite in the same way a blade was shiny. You weren't sure if it was for decoration or about to cut you. "Calm down, both of you. We can always arrange a time and date for you to fight each other, but for now, let our little Bobo finish."
"It's Bobby, Lady Vera," he corrected, almost shyly.
"Oh, sorry." Her voice softened just enough to make it seem genuine… before she added, "You can continue, Bobo."
Veda sighed and covered part of his face with his palm. His other hand rested on Bobby's shoulder in quiet pity. "Don't mind her."
"The reason I didn't know about the flower earlier," Bobby continued, voice quieter now, "is because since this program started… I haven't really had time to think straight. I had to… kill someone I didn't even know. I… I didn't know what to think after that." His voice trembled, and his eyes dropped to the snow.
Veda's hand moved to Bobby's head, ruffling his hair in a comforting way. Linda stepped in, gently leading Bobby back toward their group.
Veda straightened, speaking for him. "As you can see, my boy here isn't one of those overly confident types who've already gotten over the fact that we had to kill someone in the beginning. His head wasn't in the right place until he joined us. But after hearing details about Felix's ambush, he remembered the No Scent Flower and taught us about it."
Zack crouched a little, picking one of the white petals between his fingers. "It's still amazing how this flower can mask a Scouter's ability to track. You know they can tell the difference between body scent and the residual smell left on someone's clothes."
"Haven't you noticed, Zack?" Vera said, tilting her head slightly. "Up till now, I haven't been able to tell if the flower smells pleasant or unpleasant. It's completely odorless."
"It's in its nature to be odorless," Veda added, kneeling beside her to touch the petals. "But once it's powdered and mixed with water, the scent becomes stronger — still, it only lasts about twenty hours."
Vera straightened. "Alright, that's enough learning for one day. Everyone can go back to work." She glanced at Veda. "Little brother, what's your next move? If you want to stay, you're welcome."
"We'll continue searching for Felix's group," he said without hesitation. "I can't let him keep up this tyrant behavior. By the way… where's Pamela? Haven't seen her since we got here."
"She's not here, but she should be soon," Vera replied.
Almost on cue, a girl came running toward them, shouting about Pamela's arrival.
"Well, well, well. What a coincidence," Vera said, a sly smile tugging at her lips as she began walking toward the commotion. Veda and his group followed behind.
***
When they spotted Pamela, she looked battered, clothes torn in places, hair messy, but most of her group was fine, with only minor injuries. Vera quickly guessed they'd run into wolves but kept their numbers small to minimize damage.
"Welcome back," Vera greeted, reaching out to ruffle Pamela's hair.
"Big sis Vera! Once I saw the signal, I ran back with all my energy to get here!" Pamela said, eyes bright with excitement despite the scratches on her face.
"Sheesh." Vera pressed a finger to Pamela's lips. "Calm down and let them treat your injuries first."
"Yes, big sister is right," Veda added as he stepped forward, voice warm. "You need to get checked before doing anything else. Hey Pamela, looking healthy, I see."
"Sir Veda!!" Pamela's cheeks flushed instantly. "Wh–what are you doing here? I mean—uh—it's nice seeing you again." She turned her head quickly, avoiding his gaze. Vera raised an eyebrow at the display, deadpan.
"But I need to know," Pamela said suddenly, her expression shifting dark. "Is he dead… or did you keep him alive for me to kill?"
"He escaped," Vera said plainly.
Pamela froze. "What? He escaped? How? With all of you there, that's not possible, right?"
Zack spoke up before Vera could add anything sharp. "Pamela, he was already running when we arrived. He had an injury from the scouts Lady Vera sent earlier, but he escaped into the forest. We left him for the wolves, but… turns out he knew how to make an herb that masked his scent helping him escape from the wolves."
Pamela's shoulders slumped in frustration, sighing heavily. Vera just stared, unbothered.
"So, the boy you're talking about is the one who killed your brother in the first trial," Veda asked.
"Yes," Pamela replied, voice tight.
"Wow, our very own little detective," Vera said dryly, clapping slowly.
Pamela ignored the jab, stepping away from the girls tending her wounds. "I'm going to find him."
Vera's hand shot out, grabbing her arm. "Where do you think you're going, young lady?"
"I'm going to finish this. Even with that herb, he can't have gone far."
"You want to go into the wild by yourself? With injuries?" Vera's tone was sharp, though not unkind.
"I'll take some people with me."
"You mean you want to risk my cousins' lives?"
"I'll take the herb with me so the wolves won't find us. Is that not fine?" Pamela struggled against Vera's hold.
"Pamela, I will get angry," Vera warned, her voice dropping. "You don't need to be so eager to kill one person when you can send others to do it. You have plenty of time to get revenge."
Pamela's voice cracked. "It's my brother's killer! How can I just wait? I can't live with myself knowing he's still alive! It's obvious you don't care about my brother, you never did!"
"Who gathered everyone to go find one boy when we should have been lying low to pass this trial?" Vera countered. "You're being too emotional. It's not healthy."
Pamela bit her lip, teeth grinding.
Veda stepped between them, laying a hand on each of their shoulders. "Can we relax? Pamela, you know Vera's saying this for your sake. And if he escaped an ambush already, he's not going to be easy to deal with."
"I don't think he's strong," Cale — the boy with black hair streaked red and a bandaged arm, spoke up. He was one of the people who attacked Ezra after the first trial had ended in the toilet "We met after the first trial. He wasn't strong then, so there's no way he's suddenly strong now."
"Well, unfortunately for you," Zack adjusted his glasses, "he's definitely stronger than before."