A team sat crouched behind a large tree out of breath, seeking refuge after several back-to-back fights.
Austin: "Just— Huff— How many teams are we gonna run into…"
Remi: "Well—Huff— There are over 2,000 students in this forest…"
There is one hour left until sunrise, and they have 5 coins. So they're running all around trying to escape the other team's sights. The last 60 minutes is the most chaotic. Students are scrambling desperate to find the last coins they need while others are exhausted from all the fighting they've done running all over avoiding a battle.
Austin: "Just one more hour," he said forcing a smirk. "We hide here, we win. Easy."
Remi: "Austin…"
Austin: "Yeah?"
Remi: "Your smirk's crooked."
He laughed quietly under his breath: "Guess I'm out of practice."
Kane: "How do you two still have energy to talk…"
Remi's expression softened, if only for a second. Then she looked back toward the trees.
The forest stretched endlessly before them, hauntingly so. The tension in the air was thick enough to taste. It had been that way all night.
Every sound, every shifting branch, every echo felt like a potential ambush.
Remi's voice was quiet: "I hate hiding."
Austin: "I'm not a fan either. But do we have enough energy for another fight?"
She didn't respond. The memory of their previous battles lingered in both their minds, each one harder than the last.
They sat in silence. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Before they knew it, a faint orange glow began to bloom on the horizon. The black of the forest began to fade into muted blue.
Remi: "Almost time."
Austin nodded.
But fate wasn't so kind.
A faint crunch of twigs broke the silence.
Remi's eyes darted to Austin's, wide and alert. He shook his head slowly, mouthing: Don't move.
But the sound grew closer.
Then, a sudden rustle to their left.
Austin cursed under his breath and grabbed his sword just as the first strike came crashing down. The hiding place erupted into chaos.
They were surrounded. Austin, Remi, Kane, and Rika jumped away and assumed their poses. Remi spun, parrying a strike that nearly grazed her shoulder. The force of it sent her sliding back.
Austin: "Remi!" He called out, barely blocking another attack himself. His arms trembled from the shock.
It was all sudden. They'd all engaged in combat, the enemy hadn't spoken a single word. They were strong, much stronger than Austin and his team. The only reason they're still looking for coins this late in the game is because they had the unfortunate luck of running into Drake early on, being knocked unconscious for most of the exam. Within a minute, Kane and Rika had been disarmed.
Remi: "They're too strong," she said through gritted teeth, sweat flying as she countered another swing.
Austin gritted his teeth: "We've fought worse!" His confidence at the moment was just a facade.
He lunged forward, catching one opponent off-guard and sweeping his leg. The enemy fell, but another immediately replaced him, forcing Austin back on the defensive. Remi's movements were refined despite her stamina being spent. Each move cost her more, each breath heavier than the last. Austin ducked under a slash and countered low, but his blade was caught mid-swing. His opponent twisted, disarmed him with a quick flick, and kicked him backward. Austin hit the ground hard, coughing, the taste of dirt filling his mouth.
Remi: "Austin!" She rushed forward, blocking a strike meant for him. The impact sent her stumbling, pain flashing across her body.
They were losing ground.
The enemies pressed in, they were coordinated and unforgiving. They didn't hold back, as there was no time to. One faint gap in Remi's defense, and her sword went flying. It clattered into the dirt, spinning out of reach. Austin tried to get up, but a shoe pressed down on his chest, pinning him in place.
One of them spoke: "Hand over your coins."
Remi struggled, her voice trembling: "Don't—!"
The student bent down, checking Austin for the 5 coins and plucking them from his back pocket. The metallic jingle felt louder than anything else in the forest. It was the sound of everything they'd fought for slipping away. Then, just as suddenly as they'd appeared, the enemy team vanished into the woods, leaving only silence and the dull ache of defeat.
For why felt like a long while, they didn't move. Remi sat in the dirt, staring at her trembling hands. Her sword lay a few feet away, streaked with mud. Kane and Rika sat with their back against trees still trying to gather their breath. Austin lay back against another tree, staring up at the sky, pale and slowly lightening.
No words passed between them.
He could see her shoulders shaking. The girl who'd never shown weakness now sat trembling, eyes glistening under the faint morning light.
He bit his lips, a wry smile formed.
Remi clenched his fists: "Damn it..." Her voice cracked slightly at the edges.
Austin reached into the dirt beside him, fingers brushing over a single coin they hadn't lost, a coin the opponents didn't need. He laughed in his head: 'Guess the bastards already had one.'
He picked it up, staring at the faint scratches on its surface. Then he tossed it lightly toward Remi. She caught it wondering why he threw it to her.
Austin: "Keep it, as a reminder we didn't go down easy."
The words hung there, fragile as glass.
Remi closed her hand around the coin. A faint smile showed itself, with the company of a tear. Her breathing steadied, though her eyes stayed distant, lost somewhere between anger and heartbreak.
Then, without a word, she stood. Slowly walking to Austin, shs offered him her hand.
Remi: "Let's face the sunrise standing."
Austin smiled faintly, taking her hand: "You're stubborn, you know that?"
Remi: "Guess I learned from you."
They walked over aching in pain to Kane and Rika, and gave them a hand up.
And then—
A flare shot into the sky.
It burst open above the treetops, a bright column of red against the soft dawn light. The sound echoed across the forest like a final breath.
The end of the exam.
***
It took about 70 minutes for the students to return to the gathering point, a lot came back reluctantly. The 4 Hunters spread out through the forest to bring back stragglers. Rosa stayed behind to happily congratulate those who passed. Sylvie and Shinatsu stayed with the injured Esmarie until sunrise. Among the gathered students, a gossip arose.
Erika: "There you guys are!" She'd been looking among the crowd ever since she got back.
Sylvie ran over to her: "Erika, you're safe!"
Shinatsu: "Guess we know what that means."
Erika: "Yep. Esmarie, are you okay?!"
Esmarie: "Hehe. Of course. You should've seen me. I was cool as hell."
Shinatsu slaps her on the back: "Nobody asked you to be cool. You should've told those pieces of shit where we were."
Esmarie: "Ow!"
Shinatsu: "My bad."
Esmarie: "For the record, I don't regret not telling them one bit. Besides, I know you gave them hell, right."
Erika: "Yeah. And I didn't need to see, Esmarie. I already know how cool you are."
The team all smiles lightly, giving off an air of victory.
Shinatsu: "Dakota!"
They all look back, seeing Dakota's team walk up even more exhausted than they are.
Marlon: "I get the feeling you guys passed. Well, so did we."
Sylvie: "Nice."
Esmarie: "Way to go!"
Erika: "We heard Drake's team beat you, are you guys okay?"
Yuji: "Yeah. It took us a while, but we got our coins back. The next time I see that bastard, I'm showing him hell."
Esmarie: "Hehe. Erika already beat you to that."
Yuji: "What?"
Sota: "You beat Drake?!"
Dakota hasn't said a word, he's disappointed in himself. Nonetheless, he gives Erika an approving nod.
Erika: "Yeah."
The gossip that was going on spread like wildfire. Students eventually approached the crew, their eyes set on the blonde-haired girl.
"You're Erika, right?"
Erika: "Huh? Yes."
"We heard you beat Drake, is it true?"
"I'm telling you, I saw her with my own eyes."
"So did I."
"They flew by our team clashing swords like I've never seen before. It was crazy."
"What?!"
"No way."
"She beat Drake?"
"That's amazing."
"Wouldn't that make her the strongest student in our year?!"
Before they knew it, they were surrounded by nearly a hundred students.
"Hey, is it true?"
"Did you actually beat Drake?"
Erika pauses before answering: "Yes, I beat Drake." She said confidently.
The students erupted in cheering. Everybody thought Drake was an untouchable prodigy, but he was beaten by a transfer student. Students loved things that kept them entertained, and this was the new thing. Hyping up Erika.
"She's the new star of the Hunter Academy!!" One student proclaimed. Somehow, out of all the noise, this was picked up by most of the people there.
"That has a nice ring to it."
"Agreed."
And just like that, word that Erika beat Drake with her new title would be spread around the Hunter Academy like a popular high school rumor.
Silencing the chaos was Rosa: "Alright, quiet down!"
It only took a second for the noise to cease.
Rosa: "To those of you who passed, by luck or through treacherous fights, congratulations. Don't lose your coins, we'll be verifying which teams passed once we get back to the Academy." A mass sigh occurs as the students are reminded that they are still 10 miles from the school. "Take your time on the way back, we'll be walking."
Esmarie: "Thank god."
Rosa: "The make up exam for those who didn't pass will be hellish training over winter break."
The students groan and complain hearing they won't get a break for Christmas or New Year's this time around. But for some, that's better than being close to expulsion.
However, Rosa warns them: "Don't think this is a lucky break. You'll wish you'd have passed this exam after one day of my training. Be prepared for 14 straight days of it. Now then, let's head back."
***
About an hour passed on the way back. The tunnel was still as cold and unpleasant as before, but no students were complaining anymore. Dakota has been silent. His wounds were wrapped in bloodied cloth. His uniform was torn, his hair was a mess, and his expression, though blank carried a heaviness that words couldn't reach.
He could still feel it, the echo of Drake's sword slamming into him, the dull ringing in his ears, the taste of blood in his mouth. But that wasn't what hurt the most. What hurt was the look on Yuji's face when he had to give up to look after his behind. The look of someone strong forced to accept defeat because protecting someone else mattered more.
He hated it.
He wasn't strong enough. Not yet.
Shinatsu: "…You're quiet."
The voice came from behind him.
Dakota didn't look back: "You always sneak up on people like that?"
Shinatsu stepped into view. Her uniform was still neat somehow, though her twin tails had loosened slightly, it was a small, almost imperceptible flaw that said she'd fought hard too.
Shinatsu: "What, were you beaten that bad?"
Dakota gave a humorless laugh, the corner of his mouth twitching: "Yeah. That bad."
Shinatsu took a moment, but she spoke casually, and with that dry edge only she had: "You look like you got run over by a carriage. Twice."
Dakota: "Guess that makes Drake the carriage."
Shinatsu: "…"
Dakota stared at the ground, his voice low: "I couldn't do anything. Not one hit. He was just… too far ahead."
Shinatsu: "That's how it goes. There's always someone stronger."
Dakota looked up at her, a faint smirk tugging at his lips: "That supposed to make me feel better?"
Shinatsu: "I'm not good at doing that."
Dakota: "Don't beat yourself up about it."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Dakota: "You gonna fix your hair? You look like a mess."
There it was. That same silly earnestness that had annoyed her the first time she'd met him, that soft-hearted determination that looked foolish, until you realized how real it was. She almost burst out laughing at the irony of why he just said. But she didn't, nor did she let it show.
Shinatsu exhaled slowly, brushing a stray strand of hair from her cheek: "You really are an idiot."
Dakota: "Yeah," he replied simply. "But a stubborn one."
Shinatsu: "Forgetting how it feels to lose is the fastest way to lose again."
Dakota looked at her, brow raised: "That your personal philosophy?"
Shinatsu: "That was good, I know. Feel free to praise me."
Dakota smiles: "I'll catch up."
She gave him one last look, the kind that lingered, quiet but sharp: "Then make sure when you do, you're not looking like a zombie."
Dakota: "I won't."There was a pause. "Shinatsu."
She glanced back.
Dakota wasn't smiling anymore. His face was calm, but his eyes burned. Not with frustration, but something deeper: "I'll never lose again."
The words weren't loud. They didn't need to be. They carried the weight of his bruises, failure, and humiliation.
Shinatsu gave a small nod: "Good."
Dakota only made that promise to Shinatsu. But it wasn't for her, nor was it for anyone to hear. She understood that. He just had to vocalize once. The promise was for himself: 'Never again.'
***
Several hours later, students finally returned to their dorms. Austin beat Dakota to it.
Dakota: "Yo, looks like we both got our asses whooped."
Austin: "Can I say I'm glad it wasn't just me?"
Dakota: "Depends, did your team pass?"
Austin: "Nope."
Dakota smirks: "Well, we did. Looks like you can't."
Austin: "Grrrr."
Dakota slowly lies down on his bed: "So… How does defeat feel?"
Austin: "It's the most shitty feeling in the world. It's never happening again."
Dakota: "Cheers to that."
Austin: "You got any plans for winter break?"
Dakota takes a moment to think to himself: 'Hang out with Remi, is what I would like to say. But one, she probably lives nowhere close to me if we were to go home. And two, she has to make up training.' "I'll head back home for the break," he finally answers.
Austin: "Sounds nice. You'll be having a good time while I'm suffering." He says pretending to sulk.
Dakota: "You asked…"