Max froze as the tide of spiders reached them.
At first, it was only sensation light, skittering pressure against his skin. Then it spread.
Every inch of him tingled with phantom legs crawling beneath his clothes, over his neck, his eyelids, inside his hair.
His breath caught. His vision blurred. Panic rose like a tide swallowing reason.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
If he couldn't see them, maybe they couldn't touch him.
But the crawling continued. To his right, Alex let out a raw, terrified scream. The vines binding his legs snapped under his strength as he thrashed wildly, staggering backward. So the strong guy had a weakness after all.
Even now, Max couldn't help noticing how ridiculous it was the tall, muscular boy with neatly cut brown hair and annoyingly flawless features was now flailing like the world's most panicked toddler.
"Spiders get them OFF!"
Alex swatted at things Max couldn't see while Max remained rigid, a statue carved from fear.
Then—motion.
Alex's hand struck wildly, knocking away something near Max's head.
Another swing another invisible enemy.
Slowly too slowly for comfort the crawling sensation faded.
A breath shuddered out of Max as he forced his eyes open.
The spiders were gone.
But not everyone had been as lucky or fast.
Two other students sprinted toward them only to be caught by the vines.
They collapsed the moment the phantom spiders touched them, unconscious and unmoving. A figure appeared beside them silent, cloaked in black, face hidden beneath a hood. The stranger lifted the students effortlessly, glanced toward Max and Alex, and shook his head once disappointed before dissolving into the air like smoke.
Then the spiders vanished entirely.
A horrifying clarity snapped into place.
"Alex," Max whispered, voice trembling, "it's not real. None of it. Stop fighting it."
He closed his eyes again and focused not on fear, but on breath, on thought, on the strange new power humming beneath his skin.
The phantom sensation dissolved completely.
Beside him, Alex stood rigid swinging at spiders only he could still see.
"I don't care if they're fake," Alex hissed, kicking at the ground and flinging fist-sized rocks.
"They're spiders."
It took another moment but finally, the illusions lifted for him as well. The crows overhead faded next, dot by dot, until the skies were empty and quiet.
Max let out a shaky breath.
"We keep moving."
They stepped deeper into the forest.
But the forest was not done.
Branches shifted at first subtly, then violently. Trees groaned as they twisted, bending like predators preparing to strike.
Another illusion? Max wondered, steeling himself.
Alex didn't question. He simply walked forward.
The trees answered.
A massive branch whipped across Alex's chest, sending him airborne. He crashed into another tree, splintering bark and cracking branches as he fell in a brutal heap.
"That," Alex gasped, staggering upright, "is NOT an illusion."
Blood dripped from his cheek. Then the forest attacked in earnest. Roots shot from the ground, attempting to bind him again. Alex roared in defiance, ripping free and launching himself into the chaos. His fists shattered branches, tore through vines, and splintered trunks. Wood and blood flew everywhere.
Max stayed back, heart almost stopping. Keeping just far enough to avoid the vines. He watched Alex fight not with finesse but with stubborn violence and wondered how much Health the guy had to survive hits like that.
Roots finally slammed Alex into the ground, carving a crater where he fell. He coughed once, blood splattering against the dirt. But he forced himself to stand.
Bruised. Torn. Bleeding. Furious.
And finally, the trees stilled. The forest parted.
Max swallowed hard and stepped forward, offering a weak glare.
"You really tried to beat up the entire forest."
Alex rolled his shoulders, wiping blood from his lip.
"Well I didn't see you burning it down, genius."
"Neither of us brought anything," Max muttered, picking up his pace. "So I improvised by… not dying."
Alex snorted and jogged past him, somehow still faster despite his newly acquired collection of wounds.
They broke through the last line of trees and the world opened.
A massive lake stretched forward, calm and silver under the strange sky. A stone bridge rose above it, leading toward a towering academy in the distance dark spires, arching windows, and banners bearing symbols Max didn't recognize.
Alex slowed, chest heaving. His cuts dripped but no longer gushed.
Max wasn't sure whether that was healing or the stubborn will to go on.
Around them, other students emerged some laughing, some sobbing, some limping, some looking untouched as though the forest hadn't noticed them at all.
A man stood at the far side of the bridge.
Tall. Gray-haired. Eyes like storms waiting to break.
When he spoke, the world listened.
"I am the Headmaster. You have survived your entry trial. Some of you through wit. Some through strength. Some through cooperation."
"Others have failed… more permanently."
Silence fell across the crowd.
"This final task is simple. Cross the bridge. Whoever reaches my side first receives the highest honors for their entrance exam. The rest will still be accepted you sought change, and this place allows it. But nothing here will be given freely."
His arm swept outward and behind the students, white doors materialized once more. The last exit. The last chance to turn back.
Not one person moved.
A slow smile crept across the Headmaster's face.
"Very well."
The air shifted.
"Begin."
The crowd exploded. Students lunged at each other fists, and bodies flying. Some were thrown back into the forest, some disappeared beneath the water, and some charged forward with ruthless determination.
The Headmaster watched with a faint, satisfied smile.
"A lively bunch this year."