woke up to someone banging on the poles of my tent like they were trying to summon the dead.
Not that it mattered — the rock-hard mattress already stole half my sleep anyway.
I pushed myself up, hair sticking out in fourteen different directions.
"Great… now I look like a depressed zombie."
My voice cracked. Perfect.
I stumbled out of the tent, my body running purely on yesterday's caffeine fumes.
"Everyone, line up!" Irida barked.
Instant chaos. Mercenaries scrambled into formation like terrified ducks. Irida scanned us with her usual "if-you-breathe-wrong-I'll-throw-you-into-an-active-volcano" energy.
"Today's the final day," she began. "We're investigating a village southeast—north—whatever. Point is: no scout made it out alive. Higher-ups want strong, fast, and expend—" She paused, cleared her throat. "—experienced fighters."
"Oh great," I muttered. "Exactly what I wanted to hear on my last day."
I looked up at the sky, wondering which god or deity I offended to deserve this life.
Irida continued, "But before we head out, we train. Basic endurance and combat sparring. Experience is the best teacher."
That was the most generic quote said this millennium.
Still true though.
Her eyes snapped to me. "Moon, why do you look like you slept on a rock?"
"Because I di—"
"No excuses."
…Okay.
"Right," she picked back up, "choose your sparring partners."
Everyone immediately avoided my gaze like I was the plague incarnate. Being the "weakest" in camp has its perks, I guess. As I scanned the crowd, I noticed a pair of eyes staring—then darting away quickly.
Weird.
I'm choosing her.
Not the smartest thought process, but here we are.
She stepped out, and my stomach dropped.
"Thunder Queen?"
That's what everyone called her. Fast as lightning, hits like thunder. Basically a human natural disaster with nice hair.
There is definitely a god playing a cruel joke on me.
Irida raised her hand to signal the start. Thunder Queen glanced at me—then quickly looked away, a tiny pink tint blooming on her cheeks.
Weird…
Then it clicked.
I grinned.
Not a normal grin.
A grin that probably made me look like a villain enjoying his own origin story.
"Hopefully she's a monster in fighting," I whispered to myself. "That'd be a great approach."
"BEGIN!"
She moved first. At me. Fast.
A silver blur slashing down with zero hesitation.
"Fast…" I parried, stepping back as the shock traveled up my arm. I countered, but she blocked, forcing me to jump away to create distance.
"One-arm sword style—Flow Technique: Air Cut."
My eyes burned purple as I swung. A crescent of energy tore through the air and slammed into her shoulder.
She hissed, but didn't fall. Instead she leapt high—higher than I expected—and struck down, catching my leg.
Pain sliced through me.
I groaned, teeth clenched, but stayed on my feet.
"Abyssal Vail."
Shadows wrapped around me like mist. I vanished—reappearing behind her with my blade resting cold against her neck.
"You lose, cutie."
That "cutie" was fully intentional.
I bit my lip to stop the evil grin creeping back in.
"Ah—! Y-Yeah… you got me…" she stammered, face going red.
Then I realized I was basically pressed against her back, sword on her neck, breath on her ear.
"Oh—uh—right. Yeah. I'm just gonna… uhhh… go."
I activated Abyssal Vail again and disappeared before she or anyone else could roast me for that entire interaction.
Time to go contemplate my whole existence until the mission starts.
Tomorrow's the actual last day.
Though honestly, with our luck, I might not even survive that long.
I need to get stronger. Fast.
And there's a reason I didn't use Shadow Step on Thunder Queen—
Lunar, that was her real name, I think.
If I did, I'd look way too strong, and then some other camp would drag me off for "special assignments."
"…Yeah. No thanks."