Dawn broke cold and grey over Ardenfield Academy.
I stood at the main gate with my team, our equipment checked and double-checked. Garrick wore reinforced leather armor with metal plating at vital points. Kieran had his bandages wrapped tight, with spare strips in his pack. Morrigan clutched Lisette close, the doll's glassy eyes somehow more alert than usual.
And I... I wore simple traveling clothes with the protective charm from Seraphine around my neck and Vespera's dragon blood vial secured in my inner pocket.
[ FINAL EQUIPMENT CHECK COMPLETE. ]
[ TEAM STATUS: ALL MEMBERS PRESENT AND READY. ]
[ YOUR VITAL SIGNS ARE ELEVATED. ANXIETY RESPONSE. ]
'Can you blame me?'
[ NO. FEAR BEFORE DANGEROUS MISSIONS IS RATIONAL. ]
[ BUT DON'T LET IT PARALYZE YOU. ]
[ I NEED YOU FUNCTIONAL. ]
Vespera appeared in a flash of golden light, looking annoyingly cheerful for someone sending students into a death trap.
"Good morning, my dear suicide squad!" She smiled brightly. "Ready for your field trip?"
"Can you not call it that?" I muttered.
"Why not? It's accurate." She pulled out a map and spread it on a nearby bench. "Now, listen carefully. I'm only explaining this once."
We gathered around as she pointed to marked locations.
"You'll take the academy's transport carriage to the forest edge, about six hours by road. From there, you're on foot. The fog begins immediately, so stay together. I've marked safe campsites here, here, and here." She tapped three spots on the map.
"Zone One should take you two days to traverse if you maintain good pace. Zone Two, another three days, longer if you encounter heavy resistance. Zone Three..." she paused, "that depends entirely on the trials. Could be hours. Could be days."
[ TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME IN FOREST: 5-7 DAYS MINIMUM. ]
[ SUPPLIES PACKED FOR 10 DAYS. ]
[ ACCEPTABLE MARGIN. ]
"Questions?" Vespera asked.
"What happens if we don't return in ten days?" Kieran asked quietly.
"I seal the forest in ice and assume you're dead." She said it so casually that it took a moment to process. "Any other questions?"
Silence.
"Excellent. Then off you go. Try not to die too quickly, I have bets to settle with the other instructors about how long you'll last."
[ SHE'S JOKING. PROBABLY. ]
[ EITHER WAY, HER CONFIDENCE IN OUR SURVIVAL IS NOT REASSURING. ]
The carriage was waiting, a large enclosed wagon pulled by two massive horses that looked more like draft animals than riding mounts. The driver, a grizzled old man with an eyepatch, grunted as we climbed aboard.
"Grey Shadow Forest, eh?" He spat to the side. "You kids got a death wish or just stupid?"
"Both," Garrick answered cheerfully.
The old man laughed, a harsh, wheezing sound. "Well, at least you're honest about it. Hang on tight. Road gets rough past the halfway point."
The carriage lurched forward, and Ardenfield Academy began to shrink behind us.
[ DEPARTURE CONFIRMED. ]
[ POINT OF NO RETURN PASSED. ]
[ HOST, ARE YOU CERTAIN ABOUT THIS? ]
'Too late for second thoughts now.'
[ I SUPPOSE SO. ]
[ THEN I'LL MAKE SURE WE COME BACK ALIVE. ]
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The journey was long and uncomfortable.
The carriage had no cushions, so every bump and pothole sent us jolting in our seats. Morrigan fell asleep within the first hour, Lisette cradled in her arms. Garrick spent the time sharpening his weapons, a large axe and several smaller blades. Kieran meditated with his eyes wrapped, perfectly still despite the rough ride.
I tried to review Vespera's notes, but reading in a moving carriage made me nauseous.
[ MOTION SICKNESS DETECTED. ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: CLOSE YOUR EYES AND FOCUS ON BREATHING. ]
'I need to study, '
[ YOU'VE ALREADY MEMORIZED THE IMPORTANT PARTS. ]
[ REST WHILE YOU CAN. ]
[ ONCE WE ENTER THE FOREST, REST WILL BE SCARCE. ]
She had a point. I closed the folder and leaned back, watching the landscape change through the small window.
The fertile farmlands around the capital gradually gave way to wilder terrain, rolling hills covered in tall grass, then rocky outcrops, and finally dense woodland. The trees grew taller and closer together, their branches forming a canopy that blocked out the sun.
"We're getting close," the driver called back. "Feel that? Temperature's dropping. That's the forest's influence."
He was right. Despite it being midday, the air had grown noticeably colder.
[ AMBIENT TEMPERATURE: 12°C AND FALLING. ]
[ RECOMMEND PUTTING ON ADDITIONAL LAYERS. ]
I pulled out a cloak from my pack. The others did the same.
"Look," Kieran said, pointing ahead.
Through the trees, I could see it, a wall of grey mist so thick it looked almost solid. It stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions, marking the boundary of the Grey Shadow Forest.
The carriage slowed to a stop at the mist's edge.
"This is as far as I go," the driver said. "Can't pay me enough to go in there. You kids sure about this?"
"Positive," Garrick said, jumping down. "Thanks for the ride, old timer."
"Yeah, yeah." The driver watched as we all disembarked and gathered our gear. "Listen, if by some miracle you make it back, I'll be waiting at the Inn of the Crossroads, about five miles back. Got that?"
"Got it," I confirmed.
"Good luck. You'll need it." With that, he turned the carriage around and left, the horses moving faster than they had the entire journey.
We stood at the edge of the mist, staring into the grey void.
[ THIS IS IT, HOST. ]
[ ONCE YOU ENTER, THERE'S NO EASY WAY BACK. ]
[ FINAL CHECK: ARE YOU READY? ]
I looked at my team. Garrick cracked his knuckles, eager despite the danger. Kieran stood calm and composed. Morrigan whispered something to Lisette, who nodded her cloth head.
"Ready as we'll ever be," I said aloud.
Garrick stepped forward, raising his hand to touch the mist. "Standard formation. I take point, Edward and Kieran on my flanks, Morrigan in the center. Stay within arm's reach at all times. If anyone gets separated, stay put and call out, don't wander."
"Understood," we all confirmed.
"Then let's do this." Garrick stepped into the mist and disappeared.
I followed, Kieran beside me, Morrigan close behind.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the world changed.
The temperature dropped another ten degrees. Sound became muffled and distorted, I could hear my teammates breathing, but it seemed to come from the wrong directions. Visibility was exactly as advertised: I could barely see two meters ahead.
[ ENTERING ZONE ONE: THE WAILING WOODS. ]
[ ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS CONFIRMED: ]
[ - VISIBILITY: 2 METERS ]
[ - AMBIENT TEMPERATURE: 2°C ]
[ - SPATIAL ORIENTATION: COMPROMISED ]
[ - AUDITORY PERCEPTION: DISTORTED ]
[ RECOMMENDATION: TRUST YOUR TEAM POSITIONING SYSTEM. ]
Small blue dots appeared in my vision, Edith's tracking of my teammates' positions. Garrick was three meters ahead, Kieran two meters to my right, Morrigan one meter behind.
"Sound off," Garrick called out.
"Here," Kieran responded.
"Present," I added.
"We're okay!" Morrigan's voice came from somewhere that didn't match where Edith said she was.
[ AUDIO LOCATION DOES NOT MATCH ACTUAL POSITION. ]
[ THE FOG IS MANIPULATING SOUND PERCEPTION. ]
[ TRUST MY TRACKING, NOT YOUR EARS. ]
"Everyone stay close. We move slow and steady," Garrick ordered.
We began walking, each step careful and measured. The ground was soft with moss and fallen leaves, making our footsteps nearly silent. Tree trunks loomed out of the mist like dark pillars, their bark twisted and scarred.
After ten minutes of walking, I heard it.
A howl.
Distant, echoing, wrong-sounding. Like a wolf, but with an undertone that made my skin crawl.
[ CONTACT DETECTED. ]
[ GREY WOLF SIGNATURES: MULTIPLE. ]
[ DISTANCE: APPROXIMATELY 50 METERS AND CLOSING. ]
[ THEY'RE HUNTING. ]
"Garrick, "
"I heard it," he cut me off. "Everyone, weapons ready. They're pack hunters, so expect at least four."
I drew the short sword I'd been given, nothing fancy, just standard academy issue. My hands were shaking.
[ HEART RATE: 110 BPM AND RISING. ]
[ ADRENALINE RESPONSE NORMAL. ]
[ CONTROL YOUR BREATHING. PANIC WILL KILL YOU FASTER THAN WOLVES. ]
I forced myself to breathe slowly. In. Out. In. Out.
Another howl, closer this time.
"They're circling us," Kieran said, his bandaged face turning as if tracking something we couldn't see. "Six of them. Coming from multiple directions."
"Defensive circle!" Garrick commanded. "Backs together, eyes out!"
We quickly formed up, each of us facing outward. I could feel Garrick's solid presence behind me, Kieran's controlled breathing to my left, Morrigan's nervous energy to my right.
Lisette began to glow with that sickly green light.
"Lisette says they're close," Morrigan whispered. "She can feel their hunger."
The mist shifted. Shadows moved within it.
Then I saw them, yellow eyes, gleaming in the grey. Multiple pairs, all fixed on us.
[ TARGETS ACQUIRED. ]
[ SIX GREY WOLVES CONFIRMED. ]
[ THREAT LEVEL: C-RANK. MANAGEABLE IF YOU WORK TOGETHER. ]
[ HOST, STAY CALM. TRUST YOUR TRAINING. ]
The first wolf lunged from the mist.
Garrick met it with his axe, the blade catching it mid-leap and sending it crashing to the ground. It yelped once, then dissolved into grey smoke.
"They're not fully corporeal!" Kieran called out. "Physical attacks work, but they're part fog themselves!"
Another wolf attacked from my side. I barely got my sword up in time, the blade scraping against its snapping jaws. Up close, I could see it was wrong, its fur was the same grey as the mist, its eyes too large, its teeth too many.
I pushed it back and slashed, catching it across the shoulder. It howled and retreated into the fog.
[ GOOD. YOU'RE FIGHTING EFFECTIVELY. ]
[ BUT DON'T OVEREXTEND. STAY WITH YOUR TEAM. ]
Morrigan screamed.
I turned to see a wolf had gotten past Lisette's guard and was going for her throat. Without thinking, I lunged, driving my sword into its side.
The wolf dissipated, but two more took its place.
"There's too many!" Morrigan cried.
"No there isn't," Kieran said calmly. He unwrapped his bandages, his silver eyes blazing. "I can see them. All of them. Including the ones hiding."
His eyes flashed, and suddenly I could see what he saw, not just the six wolves we'd counted, but twelve more lurking in the mist, waiting to ambush us.
"Garrick, three o'clock, low!" Kieran called out.
Garrick's axe swung down, catching a wolf that had been creeping along the ground. It vanished with a whimper.
"Morrigan, behind you!"
Lisette spun, her cloth arms extending impossibly long to wrap around a wolf's neck, choking the fight out of it.
"Edward, incoming from above!"
I looked up just in time to see a wolf dropping from a tree branch. I raised my sword, and it impaled itself on the blade, dissolving before it could reach me.
[ EXCELLENT REACTION TIME. ]
[ KEEP IT UP. ]
With Kieran calling out positions and the team working together, the fight turned in our favor. One by one, the wolves fell or retreated until finally, the last one dissolved into mist.
Silence returned to the forest.
[ COMBAT COMPLETE. ]
[ CASUALTIES: NONE. ]
[ INJURIES: MINOR SCRATCHES ONLY. ]
[ OVERALL PERFORMANCE: ACCEPTABLE. ]
I was breathing hard, my sword still raised, adrenaline making my hands shake.
"Everyone okay?" Garrick asked.
"Fine," Kieran answered, rewrapping his eyes.
"We're good," Morrigan confirmed, though she was pale.
"Edward?" Garrick looked at me.
"I'm... I'm okay." I lowered my sword. "That was, "
"Your first real combat," Garrick finished. "You did well. Stayed calm, protected your teammate, followed instructions. That's all we need."
[ HE'S CORRECT. ]
[ YOUR PERFORMANCE EXCEEDED MY INITIAL PROJECTIONS. ]
[ WELL DONE, HOST. ]
"We should keep moving," Kieran suggested. "The blood will attract more creatures."
"Blood? We're all fine, " I stopped. Looking down, I saw my cloak had several tears, and there was indeed blood on my sword. My blood.
[ MINOR LACERATIONS DETECTED ON YOUR LEFT ARM. ]
[ NOTHING CRITICAL, BUT SHOULD BE TREATED TO PREVENT INFECTION. ]
Garrick pulled out a medical kit. "Here, let me see that."
He cleaned and bandaged the cuts efficiently, clearly he'd done this many times before. The wounds stung, but they weren't deep.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it. We look out for each other." He packed away the kit. "Now let's find that first campsite before dark. I'd rather not be wandering this fog at night."
[ AGREED. NIGHTTIME IN ZONE ONE INCREASES DANGER SIGNIFICANTLY. ]
[ CURRENT TIME: 14:37. SUNSET IN APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS. ]
[ RECOMMEND MAINTAINING STEADY PACE. ]
We continued through the mist, more cautious now. Every shadow could be another wolf. Every sound could be a threat.
But we moved together, a unit, and that made all the difference.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We reached the first campsite just as the light began to fade.
It was marked exactly where Vespera's map said it would be, a small clearing with a circle of stones for a fire and relatively flat ground for sleeping.
"Not bad," Garrick said, dropping his pack. "Kieran, you and Edward gather firewood. Morrigan, check the perimeter with Lisette. I'll set up camp."
[ EFFICIENT TASK DELEGATION. ]
[ HIS LEADERSHIP SKILLS ARE COMPETENT. ]
Kieran and I ventured to the edge of the clearing, gathering fallen branches that were still dry enough to burn.
"That was intense," I said quietly.
"Your first monster fight?" Kieran asked.
"Yeah. In training, it's all practice dummies and simulations. But that... that was real."
"You'll get used to it. Or you won't, and you'll die." He said it matter-of-factly, no malice. "But based on today, I think you'll adapt."
[ HARSH ASSESSMENT, BUT ACCURATE. ]
[ COMBAT BECOMES EASIER WITH EXPERIENCE. ]
[ THOUGH 'EASIER' IS RELATIVE. ]
We returned with armfuls of wood. Garrick had already set up a basic camp, bedrolls arranged in a circle around where the fire would be, supplies organized and accessible.
Morrigan and Lisette came back from their patrol. "Perimeter is clear. No threats detected."
"Good." Garrick started building the fire. "We'll do two-hour watch rotations tonight. Kieran first, then me, then Edward, then Morrigan. Sound good?"
Everyone nodded.
Soon, we had a fire going, and the warmth was incredibly welcome after the day's cold. We ate our rations, dried meat, hard bread, and some cheese that Lefay had packed for me.
[ CALORIC INTAKE: ADEQUATE. ]
[ ENSURE YOU STAY HYDRATED. ]
[ DEHYDRATION WILL IMPAIR YOUR COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS. ]
I drank from my water flask, then refilled it from a nearby stream that Kieran had verified was safe.
As night fell completely, the forest changed again. The mist seemed to glow faintly, lit by some source I couldn't identify. Strange sounds echoed in the distance, calls and cries that definitely weren't from any animal I knew.
"First day down," Garrick said, poking the fire. "Four to six more to go. How's everyone feeling?"
"Tired," Morrigan admitted. "But okay."
"Acceptable," Kieran said.
"Alive," I added. "Which is better than I expected."
Garrick chuckled. "Low bar, but I'll take it. Get some sleep, you three. I'll wake Kieran when it's his turn."
I rolled out my bedroll near the fire and lay down, every muscle aching.
[ PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION: SIGNIFICANT. ]
[ MENTAL FATIGUE: MODERATE. ]
[ BUT YOU SURVIVED DAY ONE. ]
[ THAT'S WORTH ACKNOWLEDGING. ]
'Thanks, Edith.'
[ REST NOW. ]
[ TOMORROW WILL LIKELY BE HARDER. ]
[ I'LL MONITOR YOUR CONDITION THROUGH THE NIGHT. ]
'You always do.'
[ IT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR. ]
[ NOW SLEEP, HOST. ]
[ I'LL WAKE YOU IF DANGER APPROACHES. ]
I closed my eyes, the crackling of the fire and the quiet breathing of my teammates oddly comforting despite the hostile environment around us.
Day One complete.
Only the impossible remained ahead.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is my draft before the last exam, and now that I already done all my thing s and pack up from school, I'm now unemployed
:)