After everyone finally shook off the shock of Zeke's overwhelming display of power, the group slowly returned to motion. A few students stumbled about, dazed, whispering to one another, talking about the fight.
Mira, calm as always, moved with purpose through the stunned crowd, motioning to a few healers to follow. They reached the unconscious Kaito, whose body now lay near the edge of the trampled ground.
Mira knelt first, checking his pulse with delicate fingers just to make sure Zeke wasn't lying when he said he was still alive, then she gestured for the others to bring salves and clean bandages. His missing hand had already been treated once, but now, with gentler precision, they cleaned the blood, replaced the wrappings, and laid a fresh mana-soaked cloth over the stump to soothe any pain. Mira sighed, brushing sweat from her brow.
"Stubborn idiot," she muttered under her breath. " Exhausted both mentally and physically, but at least he's alive."
When Kaito was stable enough to be carried, two students gently lifted him onto a makeshift stretcher, preparing to follow the path the others would soon take.
Once all of this was done, everyone came together to move out.
As they began to walk, Zeke remained still for a moment, his back turned to the group. His eyes swept the camp of fallen students one final time. The torn earth. The shattered trees. The blood.
And the bodies.
So many. Faces once filled with hope, now pale and lifeless. All of them shared the same tragic ending, not slain by beasts, but by blades held in human hands.
Zeke clenched his fists.
He raised his voice, his tone low but unwavering. "We will find out who did this to you."
The wind stirred around him.
His next words rang out with a weight that made the nearby students freeze. "Unless they can explain what happened..."
"They will fall to my blade."
A collective shudder passed through the crowd of students watching on.
No one questioned it. No one doubted it. Whoever had caused this, the killers hiding among the students, they wouldn't be forgiven.
...
Up above, high in the air where clouds loomed thick and grey, a familiar professor chuckled quietly.
"Heh... he'll be quite surprised when he learns the whole story, his other friend is one step ahead aha, she's too soft for her own good."
...
The chuckle echoed unnaturally on the wind, rolling through the trees like a warning. Down below, Zeke suddenly stiffened, a chill crawling up his spine.
"Someone's scheming," he muttered. "Probably that stupid old man who set up the barrier."
...
Above the clouds, hidden from the students eyes, the Headmasters face darkened as he turned slowly, his sharp gaze locking onto the professor who had dared to laugh.
Thwack.
"Aelius, you brat," the headmaster said coolly. "You're banned from making sound. Starting now."
If Zeke had been there, he might've dropped his jaw. Professor Aelius, the ancient man who had offered to make him a disciple, was apparently young enough to be called a brat?
That would make the headmaster...
Zeke didn't know it yet, but the game unfolding around him was far larger than anything he could imagine.
...
Back on the ground, time passed slowly. They kept moving in the same direction they had intended before the chaos. The sun began its descent. Shadows lengthened. The group scoured the woods again and again, but the trail had gone cold. No new clues. No bodies. No footprints.
Just silence.
By the time night fell, morale had dropped so they decided to settle in an opening.
Campfires were lit one by one. Orange glows bloomed like stars among the trees, warmth and light in a dark, uncertain world. Students clustered around the fires, some whispering, some simply sitting in silence. Zeke, Rian, and a few others were gathered near one of the larger flames.
Rian leaned back on a log, sighing deeply. "Can't believe it's only day five. How much longer do we have to do this?"
His voice was weary, edged with disbelief.
A few students nodded in agreement. No one really answered.
The soft crunch of leaves broke the silence.
They turned.
Kaito, face flushed with embarrassment, limped into view. His shoulders were squared, his steps stiff. Zeke raised an eyebrow.
"Ahh, sleeping beauty is awake" Rian broke the silence first. "Never expected to see that expression on you, Kaito."
Kaito's face darkened. Without warning, he lifted his leg to kick Rian.
"AHH! Zeke! Kaito's going crazy again! Quick punch him one more time" Rian flailed dramatically, earning chuckles from nearby students. A few flinched instinctively, but laughter began to spread.
Zeke shook his head, smiling. "Come sit."
Kaito grumbled, but complied. He sat heavily beside the fire, avoiding eye contact.
"You good now?" Zeke asked casually.
"Yeah," Kaito said, then hesitated. "Sorry about that."
Realizing how timid he sounded, he straightened his back. "But don't think you're stronger than me just 'cause you won this time. I wasn't thinking straight."
"Yeah, yeah, sure pal," Zeke said with a lazy grin. "How about round two then?"
Kaito nearly fell off the log. "WAIT. I'm injured. Let's do this maybe... next year. Yeah. That sounds good."
Laughter erupted around the fire.
As they began talking and filling in Kaito about the parts he missed, time unkowingly slipped by.
One by one, the others began to stand and leave, still chuckling. The fire dimmed slightly.
Eventually, even Rian stood. "Alright. I'm off. You two don't try kill each other. Again."
He walked into the trees, waving lazily.
Zeke and Kaito sat in silence for a moment watching rians back fade into the treeline.
The fire crackled softly.
Zeke's voice came low, shaking slightly. "I'm not sure."
Kaito blinked. "Huh?"
Zeke looked into the fire. "I'm not sure if Tala is alive."
Kaito froze, he didn't speak. He just sat there.
Zeke continued, his voice firmer now. "But... I can tell you this. If she is, we'll find her. I'll make sure of it."
Kaito finally nodded. A quiet, almost imperceptible nod. But it was enough.
He exhaled slowly, trying to shift the mood, he added, "Still, did you really have to punch me? and that look in your eyes... Felt like I was getting told off by my dad or something."
Both boys fell quiet, Kaito becuase his dad had passed away, and Zeke becuase of his complicated relationship with his own.
Zeke's smile faded. Kaito's eyes lowered.
Zeke finally spoke again. "Like a dad, huh?"
There was disgust in his voice. Genuine, bitter disgust.
He stared at the flames.
A thousand memories surged.
A father with a clenched jaw. A slammed door. Bruised arms. Words that dug deeper than any blade ever could. The weight of silence in the house. The weight of expectations. Of being ignored. Of being hated.
Kaito looked down. His own memories stirred.
A city. Fire. Screams. His father holding the line with a smile, telling him to run with Tala. And then...
Silence.
Zeke swallowed hard.
Kaito was quiet, watching him.
Zeke's fists trembled slightly. "If I sounded like a father... then maybe I'm more like him than I thought."
"You... you dont have a good relationship with him, huh." Kaito said softly.
Zeke shook his head. "I don't want to be like him. Not ever. Not even when I'm angry."
He blinked hard.
"Then you're nothing like him," Kaito said.
Zeke looked up.
Kaito smiled faintly. "You're not perfect. But you give a damn. That's more than most."
"Shit how did this get cringey, stop talking kaito you idiot." Zeke didn't say that, though he really wanted too he still held back, the books he had been reading about making friends talked about the importance of emotional connection"...Thanks."
They sat there for a while. Just two boys with pain too heavy for their age.
One of them filled with longing, hope, that one day he will find a place to belong, be at peace.
The other, filled with determination as he let out a whisper carried by the wind to the heavens.
"Stay safe Tala, I'll find you soon."