We looked outside, at the training area that was overseen by the exam supervisors. That was the place where our next test would be held. It was like a forest covered in snow, complete with frozen lakes and dead roots. The only windows on the entire area were the ones at the very top of the dome. The metal walls that reinforced the entire structure would keep us cut off from the outside. It was like a huge stadium, an open-air arena, and probably the place where the students’ training drills normally took place. I could see some of those students from far away, as well as some of the people who were in charge of overseeing the entrance exam.

Rudan whistled. — What a beauty, does this mean we’re gonna have to fight, then? ‘Cause if so, then I think I’m ’boutta make a name for myself here! — Rudan seemed confident — and rightly so. Indeed, his wings would provide a huge advantage when fighting in a large area like this, even with it being a closed environment.

Isane pulled back her hood. It looked like she was trying to hear something, seemingly analyzing the arena, somehow. — So, this is where the students come to train, yeah? I don’t think we’re going to engage in direct combat, there must be some other challenge to it… What do you think, Lucen?

— Well, I’m sure the school staff doesn’t want any dead students on their track record. — I jokingly answered. — Like you said, if we’re going to be facing-off against each other other, there’s probably some other kind of test involved. Capture the flag, who knows… or maybe we need to find something in the arena.

I noticed the number of entrants had been brought down to, at best, half the original count. While hundreds of people attended the first phase, many of them must already have had dropped out by the time of the second. Given the fact that each test is worth ten points, not doing well on the first one would probably be reason enough for most people to just give up.

I was kneeling down to properly tie my shoelaces when I heard the same old and raspy voice coming from the loudspeakers yet again. Except this time, the man’s tone seemed a little sharper than before, or maybe I was imagining things.

— All who wish to continue towards the second phase of the test; head down to Training Area B. Those who do not head towards the second phase area will be disqualified from the competition.

I nodded towards Isane and Rudan, and they nodded back almost immediately. We walked down the stairs on the eastern side of the arena, accompanied by a few other students. Upon arriving at the arena, the environment suddenly felt much colder than before, though at least it wasn’t as cold as the outside of the school was.

— For the second phase, we’ll be holding a Quartet Battle. That being the case, you all have ten minutes to find three other students to be your allies. The rules will not be disclosed yet.

— Quartet Battle… guess we’ll need one more person. — Rudan said as he crossed his arms, bringing one hand to his chin in thought.

— You really want to be part of our team? — Isane tried to hide her face with her hood.

— ‘Course I do! Who else would I pick? We’ll make a great team! — Rudan plainly stated, striking a proud pose with his eyes closed. He even made a point of resting his foot on a rock to look more heroic.

— Rudan… they’re all gonna be targetting me and Lucen. Are you sure about this? — Isane insisted on questioning him, understandably so, it only made sense, after all. No doubt people would focus on trying to get the biggest threats out of the way first, so teaming up with us would only make things harder for him. When I first saw her, I didn’t take her for the kind of person who worries about other people, even though she doesn’t openly show it.

— Ah, I didn’t even think about that… Even better! — He smiled. — That means I can serve as the element of surprise, and when we’re done, they’ll regret ever trying to face us.

— I like your attitude, Rudan. Don’t worry, you two can leave it to me, I’ll guide you to victory. — I smiled at them, I need to show them I’m capable enough to lead, show them they can rely on me. — Alright, let’s be a team. We still don’t know what to do about our fourth member, though…

— We could try and get someone smart.
— We could try and get someone strong.

They both spoke at the same time, and then looked at each other, as if both of them thought the other had said something nonsensical. I kept quiet for a few seconds, just staring at the two of them. — Okay, I’ll go look for a bodybuilder with a PhD on something…

— It’d be better to go look for a machine if that was the case… I have an idea. We should recruit the most unusual person around.

— What do you mean unusual? — As soon as Rudan spoke, his gaze trailed off somewhere else, locking onto a girl with long, dark hair, walking into the trees as if she was looking for something.

— Seems unusual enough. — Isane immediately decided to go after her, it was almost like it was fated to happen.

As soon as we began following her, I noticed she had gone into an almost closed area deep within the woods, the kind of place few people would even know exists in the first place. She was crouched next to something lying on the ground.

— Sorry for butting in, but since I am butting in, whatcha doing there? — Rudan broke the silence, but the girl herself didn’t seem to even pay attention to it.

— There, there… it’s okay now, little friend. — When we got closer, I saw that she was taking care of a little white bird that had fallen down on the snow, trying to fix it’s wing back in place. Isane approached, knelt down beside her, and hovered one hand over the tiny bird’s wounded wing.

— Chi-on no uta… — Once more, the same phenomenon as when she healed Rudan’s hand happened, the same song echoing through the woods — gentle waves of energy gathered around the bird, and in a few seconds, the little fledgling opened it’s eyes, and began to fly away.

The girl let out a long gasp of surprise, overcome with joy. — Oh my goodness! Thank you so, so, so much, my angel! — The girl abruptly and borderline instantaneously tackled Isane into a hug, the latter not knowing how to react.

— It was nothing… — Isane tried to slowly back away, but the girl kept clinging onto her.

— You all have my gratitude. I saw that helpless wounded creature flying here… thank goodness. — Her tone was so full of wonder it made it seem like she was ready to cry at any moment. Still, for her to have spotted a white bird with a broken wing in the middle of a snowy place like this, she must have had a lot of experience with stuff like this.

— Ah, you should thank Isane. — Rudan said, resting his hands on Isane’s shoulders. — Amazing, isn’t she?

— It was not that big of a deal… — Isane closed her eyes, it was impossible to tell if she was feeling embarrassed, tired, or a little irritated. Maybe a bit of each.

— Sorry to interrupt, but we still don’t know your name. — I walked closer to them, approaching the dark-haired girl. — I’m Lucen Osfner.

— Oh, sorry, sorry! — She stood up, straightened her clothes, and smiled. — My name is Kasia, of the Fu’aal! It’s a pleasure to meet you all…! — The girl replied somewhat shyly. When she mentioned her last name, I understood why. I remained silent for a few moments.

— As for me, the name’s Rudan Moriel, and our little diva here is Isane. We’re pleased to meet ya! — He said, extending his hand towards Kasia.

— Diva…? — Isane expressionlessly stared at Rudan’s face, lightly pushing her fist against him in a punching motion.

— Oh… wait, the two of you are on the podium, right? — Kasia said, pointing towards me and Isane. — Thank you so much for your help, truly… it means a lot to me.

— Yeah… Everyone’s gonna have their eyes on me and Lucen… — Isane fixed her bangs with one hand.

— That’s great. It feels sweeter to win when everyone’s watching. — She sounded confident, to say the least.

— I got ignored… — Rudan said. I went over to him and shook his hand.

— The Fu’aal have a strong connection with nature, right? I’m sorry, Kasia. — As if there was no context, I brought up the topic of her surname.

— Y-Yes… you know about our tribe? — Kasia asked, her mood already turning a little more downcast. She might have already guessed what I was trying to say.

I paused for a beat, those images still flashing through my head. — I… watched the games last year.

The boy who died during the broadcast last year wore clothes very similar to Kasia’s.

— I thought so… No, it’s alright. His soul ascended to the heavens. That’s what we believe… And that brings me comfort. — She looked up at the sky with a long sigh, clasping her hands together close to her chest.

Isane quickly dug me in the ribs.

— Bro, way to bring the mood down… — Rudan slapped me on the shoulder.

— Hey, it’s okay… Actually, thank you very much… I should not forget about him. I must keep on living on, for his sake. — Despite their sadness, those words echoed out inside my head.

Instinctively, before I could even properly think of what to say, the words began to flow out of my mouth. — You’re alive. As long as you remember him, he will live on through you. I’m fond of people with that kind of spirit. — I held out my hand towards her. — You should join our team!

Kasia squeezed my hand tightly, smiling. — I promise I will not let you down!

Rudan punched the palm of his own hand. — Deal, then! Full team formed!

— I’ll say, I didn’t think I would be in a team with a loony woodpecker, a ninja and a druid… Guess we’ve at least got roleplaying class diversity covered. — I laughed a little.

— I’m not a ninja. — Said Isane — impassive as always.

— Oh… I liked the druid name. — Kasia smiled.

— And I’m not a woodpecker! — Rudan flapped his wings, pretending to be affronted.

— Funny how your problem was with the woodpecker part, and not the “loony” one. — Kasia said, giggling.

— Oh, right. I’m not loony! — He flapped his wings even faster.

Before any more jokes could be made, the arena’s lights briefly flickered, followed by a familiar echo coming from the loudspeakers.

— The test is about to start. Please form teams of four, and once you’re done, recite your names.

— Lucen Morvaen Osfner. — I was the first to reply, raising my arm up.

— Kasia Fu’aal. — She gently raised her hand.

— Isane Tsuka. — With her hands still in her pockets, she simply looked up and said her own name.

— Rudan Moriel! — Leaping high into the air and raising his arm with all his might, Rudan introduced himself.

Four yellow bands and four vests with targets painted on them appeared before us, emerging from small, blue portals that had opened in the air and then just as quickly closed.

— Look over there. — Kasia pointed towards a huge screen, held high up on the walls of the training arena’s dome. The yellow team had already appeared on it, alongside pictures of us. The red team was also displayed on the screen, much to our chagrin, given who was part of it.

— That guy… — Said Isane.

— Miken Loseriel. — Muttered Rudan.

— No matter who we go against… we will win. — I pulled my scarf up a little, at the same time the other quartets appeared on the screen, all of them given a different color — just over twenty teams… We’re already down to less than a hundred people participating.

After every team was formed, another teacher took a few steps forward onto the mezzanine just above the arena. He was tall, with impeccable posture, wearing a brown blazer over a black shirt, and a pair of straight-frame glasses. His voice sounded more dignified and resonated firmly across the area, unlike the rough and tired tone of the other referee. — Entrants. The next test is called Mark-the-Target. Pay attention.

He waited a few seconds, checking to see if everyone was paying attention. The air around us felt thicker all of a sudden.

— Each team is represented by a color, as seen on the arena screen. You must protect your allies while also scoring points against the other teams. All members wear the headband of their respective team and a vest with a sensor on it’s back — this is where the targest must be hit.

I looked towards the yellow bands and vests on the ground once again, tying one of the bands around my forehead.

— The way it works is simple: each sensor is equipped with an LED that lights up in random cycles. When it’s lit, you can score points by hitting the sensors on your opponent’s back. The LED will stay on for ten seconds, then turn off for a random interval of up to ten seconds, and so on.

— But that’s not all there is to it, so listen closely. Before the test begins, each team must choose a member to take on the role of King. The King cannot be eliminated, nor can they be ‘injured’ — but they can only score two points. The three Pawns, on the other hand, have three lives and can score up to six points each. When a Pawn loses all of their lives, they are eliminated — but their accumulated points remain with the team.

— The role of each member will remain a secret to the other teams. So make your moves wisely.

— The test will last thirty minutes. Once the time is up, each team’s total score will be divided by two, and the result will then be the number of points the team’s members will receive.

He paused briefly, then concluded. — Scattered throughout this forest are various wooden weapons, crafted in order to give those who find them an advantage during combat. Be ready. Good luck.

The four of us looked at each other. Nothing else needed to be said. The second phase had just begun.