What in the hell is this?
This forest... could it be called a forest? From the rise where we stood, the land below looked less like nature and more like the aftermath of a meteor strike.
The ground below was filled with jagged stone and fractured cliffs, parts that weren't covered in seemingly deep mud instead. The river we had followed, which was calm and steady at the edges, was raging before us, thrashing through the rocks and land like a snake.
The thickets couldn't even be considered plants anymore. They were more like walls of spikes and thorns, ready to dig into our skin or make us itch for days. And beyond all of them stood forests so tightly packed they seemed less like nature and more like walls closing in.
This place wasn't just dangerous, it was efficiently dangerous. This was a location of ultimate endurance and agility. Less of a forest, more of an obstacle course.
Comparing this to the scenery I breezed through as Carine, the western part of the forest was a cakewalk and a half.
I quietly glanced at the others. Their faces were saying what I'm thinking:
How are we supposed to get through this, let alone gather enough flags for all of us?
"This is ridiculous!" a voice beside me whined.
"How are we supposed to get through that?!" another joined.
One by one, the hopeful faces around me contorted into masks of despair. Even Attila, our rallying point at this point, stood frozen. Her usual confident posture was gone, replaced by a stunned silence as she stared forward.
"I... I can't handle this," one of them stammered, backing away.
"Me too," the other joined in, voice trembling. "I'm sorry, but I can't! I can't die here!"
Attila snapped out of her trance and turned to them. "Wait! You can't just give up before we've even started!"
"Started?!" the first boy shot back, his fear turning to anger. "Just look at that! Can you really get us through this without a scratch?"
"He's right. Don't you see? The academy never wanted us to pass in the first place!"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through our group, with some nodding their heads along.
"The lower entrance fee... could it just be bait for more participants?"
"I doubt they'd put those in the other track through something ."
With most of our group nodding along, the atmosphere turned dreadful.
Without another word, the two turned and fled, not into the forest, but back the way we came. Attila could only watch, her hand outstretched in a futile gesture to pull them back, as they disappeared into the safer thickets behind us. The defection was contagious. Another three shifted uncomfortably before mumbling their apologies.
"Sorry," one said, avoiding our eyes. "If they never intended for us to pass, then this is just a waste of time."
Another, a young woman, gave us a deep bow. "Good luck... I'm sorry."
In the blink of an eye, our dozen-strong group withered to just six. The morale didn't just dip; it was killed right before our eyes with a cold-hearted stab.
Anyone would have given up at the sight. Hell, I was right there with them. The urge to turn back was a real feeling tugging at my heels. But as I heard the others flee behind me, I still had a thought inside me.
I still have another chance.
If this hellscape made securing enough flags impossible, my original plan remained:
Meet Carine in the forest's center.
I didn't need the top scores. I just needed to pass. A handful of flags from me could easily cover that requirement, in exchange for a slightly worse chance at scoring top scores as Carine.
But realistically, it was my only choice at this point. Even then, that doesn't mean it would be an easy task. Getting to the center meant pushing deeper into this nightmare.
Whether or not I can meet myself is the only question I have.
I decided to stick with the group despite the downfall.
The hope we'd foolishly nurtured after the written exam—the hope that we actually had a chance—had been ripped away with a cold, final yank.
Even then, that doesn't mean it would be an easy task. Getting to the center meant pushing deeper into this nightmare.
Whether or not I can meet myself is the only question I have.
The hope we'd foolishly nurtured after the written exam—the hope that we actually had a chance—had been ripped away with a cold, final yank.
I decided to stick with the group despite the downfall. There was a strength in numbers, and I couldn't possibly make it through on my own. But that plan was nearly dashed when another voice spoke up.
"I'm sorry," said one of the remaining six. "But I—I can't! It's not worth it."
"Yeah, I think... I'll give up on this too."
Attila flinched as if struck. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. The words of encouragement, the leadership—it was all gone before the challenge before us, and the despair between us.
I, myself, was frozen. How could another one of us leave? If this continued, we wouldn't have enough manpower to push through to the center of the forest. I wouldn't even be able to reach Carine, let alone gather enough flags.
That was the moment that I decided to step in. If Attila wasn't going to lead, I could at least try.
I raised my voice, enough to cut through the grim air like a blade. All eyes, including Attila's, snapped to me.
"Are you just giving up, right at the edge of the starting line? Is that what you came here for?" I continued. I had expected to stammer under their watch, but to my surprise, the words came easily.
"What most of you said is probably right. This is all probably just a cash grab. They probably don't want us to even step foot in their academy. But, if we leave the forest now... we would've proven them right. We would prove to them that we are indeed lesser than them, that we are nothing compared to the other track."
I gripped my sword tightly, gazing towards the deeper parts of the forest. Beyond it, my other self awaited. I needed to get there. And for that, I needed this group.
I took a deep breath. Slowly, I changed the way I breathe and the way I word things out. My memories echoed the tone and pace of a certain someone, someone whose voice was filled with warmth, kindness, and optimism, and in an instant, I adapted their voice.
“People like us should stick together,” I continued, my voice warm. “The world is cruel to us; that’s all the more reason we should support each other where we can."
I turned to face them, my eyes narrowed into each of their expectant yet silent gazes.
I had stolen those words, and the way they are spoken, straight from my memory of the Saint. It was, in a way, a weaponized memory, but its effects were immediate. The two who were about to leave had stopped, contemplating their choices.
"Let's go," I said, my smile genuine as I extended a hand. "We promised, didn't we? We will pass this exam, together."
For a long moment, no one moved. They were all either staring at me silently or at the ground, contemplating.
My smile faltered for a slight moment, and I thought I might have pushed myself too far with the speech.
Leaving me hanging, are we?
But then, a hand landed on mine with a firm grip. It was Attila's.
Her confident gaze had returned as she smiled. "You're right. We shouldn't give up here." She then turned to the others, her voice regaining its commanding clarity. "His words are true. Are we really going to let our journey end before it's even begun? I, for one, am seeing this through."
Her endorsement was the spark. Emboldened by her renewed spirit, the others finally stirred. One by one, hands piled onto ours.
I was glad things didn't turn awkward. So, I smiled as I faced each of them, my hands at the bottom of the pile.
"Alright, let's do this," I said. "Together!"
With a collective breath, our group of six turned away from the path of retreat and faced the forest's brutal course. And with confident steps, we pushed forward.
As we descended to the bottom of a steep rise, Attila fell into a step beside me, letting the others move a few paces ahead of us.
I turned to face her. "What is it?"
She walked in silence for a moment, her smile held bright. "Back there, thank you for speaking up." Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Well..." I shrugged, trying not to feel awkward. "Someone had to say something."
"You're right, and that's the thing, I couldn't do that. When I saw what's ahead of us, all my plans just... disappeared." She let her words hang, and then turned to face me directly. "But you... you made it sound like a nice challenge instead... Well done!"
I was about to say that I stole some of the words from a certain someone. But before I could, she continued.
"I'm not saying this to be humble, but I do believe you should lead the group instead of me."
I froze in my steps. Attila continued for a few steps before stopping, staring at me.
I waved my hands in frantic protest. "Nah, no way! There's no way I can be a leader!"
"Hah!" she scoffed, placing a hand on her hip, her almost-cocky smile returning. "You say that, but you rallied them better than I ever could. You're a natural-born leader, you know?" She glanced ahead at the others, who were now looking back, waiting for us. "Besides, even if I hadn't said anything, I believe they'd already decided to follow you."
She turned to face me once again. "We need more people like you, and so far, you're the only one we've got."
Before I could form a reply, she picked up her pace, rejoining the group. "Come on! The flags aren't going to catch themselves!"
I stood in silence before snapping back to reality. "R-Right!"
I had a feeling I wasn't fit for that role. I only wanted to get to the center of the forest to meet myself. If they branded me as their leader, then I couldn't possibly just leave them behind in points.
A wrench had been thrown into my plan.
Maybe speaking up back there wasn't the right choice after all?