Team Rina moved more slowly than the others.
Not because they were cautious, but because Mira kept stopping.
Every few minutes she paused to examine a plant that looked almost right. Rina let it happen, but she chose the path carefully—clean gaps in the brush, firmer ground, places where the soil looked less disturbed.
She didn't push through foliage unless she had to.
Behind her, Mira adjusted the strap of her satchel again and again. She glanced down at her card, then up at the trees, then back down. Her fingers were already stained with sap. Her glasses slipped lower each time she crouched.
Cael walked to Rina's left, quiet, eyes moving constantly. He listened more than he looked—the pitch of birdsong, the rustle of leaves that didn't match the wind.
They searched for nearly an hour.
They found plants that were close. Too close. Enough that Mira kept some of them anyway, slipping them into her satchel without comment. No one asked why.
Mira stopped near a cluster of ferns and crouched, pushing aside leaves as if she expected something fragile underneath. Her hands moved fast—too fast—clearing a small patch of dirt.
Then she froze.
Nothing.
She stared at the bare ground longer than necessary, then stood abruptly.
"Wrong spot," she said.
Rina nodded, already moving again.
The deeper they went, the quieter the forest became.
Sounds from other candidates drifted in only occasionally—distant laughter, a shout, something crashing through brush—then nothing. At one point, a sharp scream cut through the trees, high and sudden.
Mira flinched hard, her whole body tensing.
Rina didn't react outwardly, but she changed direction immediately, angling them away from the sound without explanation.
They crossed into softer ground. Cael tapped a root with his boot and stepped around it.
Rina followed without asking.
Mira barely noticed. Her eyes stayed on the card.
The drawing showed a thin stalk and a narrow, bell-shaped flower. Pale leaves, almost gray, with a dark line down the center vein.
She knew the plant.
She had memorized it.
She repeated its name silently, over and over, as if that alone might summon it.
They reached a fallen tree. Its bark was stripped in places, moss thick along the underside. Mira crouched and leaned close, peering beneath the log.
Rina stayed near her, eyes outward, scanning the trees.
Cael leaned just enough to see what Mira was doing.
Mira reached under the log carefully. Her fingers brushed something.
She pulled back a leaf.
Pale. Almost gray.
Her breath caught.
For a second, relief washed across her face.
Then she looked closer.
The vein was wrong. Too light. Too thick. The texture didn't match.
The relief vanished.
She crushed the leaf without realizing it. Her breathing sped up as she stared at her hands.
Rina stepped closer, just present.
"This isn't it," Mira said.
Cael didn't react.
Rina took the ruined leaf from Mira's fingers and let it fall.
"We keep moving," she said.
They walked longer without stopping.
Mira stopped checking the card. She stared straight ahead instead.
That worried Rina more than the fidgeting.
Rina slowed slightly and glanced back. Mira noticed and forced her gaze down to the path, like she needed to prove she was fine.
They passed through an area where the air smelled sharp, almost chemical. The leaves were coated in a thin film. Rina guided them around it.
Mira didn't argue.
Cael watched the ground.
"Don't step on the lighter soil," he said once.
Rina adjusted immediately.
Mira hesitated. "Why?"
Cael looked at the soil. "Instinct."
That was all.
They reached a small clearing where a single beam of light cut through the canopy.
Mira stopped.
Rina stopped with her.
Mira looked around slowly, then down at her card. Her hands began to shake.
"No," she whispered.
Rina said nothing.
"It should be here," Mira said, louder now. "It needs shade, but one open beam. Damp roots. It's—"
Her words broke off. She pressed both hands to her forehead, then snapped her head up, eyes bright with frustration.
"This is stupid," she said. "I know this plant. I know what I'm doing."
Her voice cracked.
Cael glanced at her.
Rina waited.
"What if it's not here?" Mira continued. "What if it's already taken? What if I waste the day and we end up with nothing?"
Her voice rose. "What if we fail because of me?"
Rina didn't tell her to calm down.
She stepped forward, took Mira's card, glanced at it once, and handed it back.
"We're changing areas," Rina said.
Mira blinked. "What?"
Rina pointed toward denser trees. "Different ground. Different light."
Mira stared at her.
"You're not failing," Rina added, voice low and steady. "Not yet."
Mira swallowed and nodded.
The new area felt different immediately. Tighter cluster of trees. Firmer ground. Stones beneath the leaves. The air smelled drier, heavier.
Mira's shoulders stayed tense, but her eyes sharpened. She scanned with a quiet desperation.
They moved quietly.
Then Mira stopped so abruptly Rina nearly walked into her.
Mira raised a hand.
Rina froze.
Cael froze.
"There," Mira said.
Near a thick cluster of roots was the plant.
Thin stalk. Pale leaves with a dark center vein. A narrow, bell-shaped flower, not fully open. Fragile-looking, but rooted deep.
"That's it," Mira said, barely breathing.
Rina's eyes narrowed.
They weren't alone.
Three others were already there. Two crouched near the plant. One stood guard, weapon in hand.
The closer crouching one held a capsule open. The other cut carefully around the roots.
They knew what they were doing.
Mira stepped forward instinctively.
Rina yanked her back.
"That's my plant," Mira said, louder than she meant to.
All three froze.
The standing one shifted, blade lifting.
The crouched pair didn't panic. They worked faster.
"That's on my card," Mira said.
Rina watched the capsule. The knife. The guard's stance.
She stepped forward.
Cael moved with her.
Mira ducked behind a tree, heart pounding, peeking out despite herself
Rina raised her hands, metal-lined gloves visible, and kept walking.
Cael flicked his wrist.
Three needles flew.
One snapped a branch overhead. One struck dirt near the capsule. One pinned fabric to bark.
Enough.
The guard pulled free—
Cael vanished into the brush.
Rina closed the distance.
The blade swung.
Rina shifted.
Her fist came up—
And the man struck back just as fast.
The impact landed.