Chapter 12 — Consequences and Tears
The mana circuits under the training floor began to glow. Each of us already wore a faintly luminous ring on our fingers. Serin's voice echoed through the hall, calm and cold.
> "These rings will crack if you're severely injured. They'll pull you to safety and heal it— but they can't stop death. Don't play hero."
Then she folded her arms.
> "And since you all need motivation… let's make it interesting."
I raised my hand first. "Losers throw a party!"
Azeir and the Masked Guy sided with me immediately. The others yelled back, "Truth and Dare!"
Serin smirked.
> "Majority wins. Four truths, four dares. Losers better stay honest."
Then she gave me that teasing grin.
As Pakistan's elite commander, she split the teams:
Team One — Serin, Masked Guy, Ravia, Lucean.
Team Two — Silent Tempest (me), Azeir, Mira, Arina.
---
The countdown finished.
The hall flashed with mana and wind — Ravia appeared before me first, sword raised. Her movement was too fast; my blade barely met hers in time. Sparks erupted, and she twisted her body to strike again.
"Fast… but predictable." I ducked and countered, launching a water bullet from my palm. It grazed her arm but didn't slow her down.
Behind me, Lucean's lightning blade cut across the floor, forcing Arina and Mira to leap back. She immediately began channeling mana enhancement, her hands glowing.
> "Done!" she shouted, pushing the energy into me and Azeir.
I felt my senses sharpen instantly.
Serin nodded at Lucean.
> "Now. Flash them."
A white burst swallowed the hall. I covered my eyes. When my vision returned, Ravia was behind Arina — sword aimed at her back.
> "Gotcha," Arina whispered, activating a sigil beneath Ravia's feet.as planned
A golden barrier flared, trapping her. I fired six condensed bullets, each finding its mark. Her ring cracked and vanished from sight.
> "Ravia, out," Serin announced.
---
Azeir was next. The Masked Guy cornered him, blades ringing faster than I could count. Azeir conjured a spike field from the floor, barely missing his opponent, then was slammed by a heavy air burst. He fell, coughing.
> "Sorry, Silent Temp…" were his last words before fading into unconsciousness.
My chest went cold — Azeir's ring cracked… gone.
Mira gritted her teeth and summoned an ice wall to guard Arina, who was struggling to chant through the smoke. Lucean turned his sword, channeling lightning into it.
> "Break!" he shouted, and the wall shattered into snow.
Arina tried to enhance herself again, but Serin's voice cut through everything.
> "Shadow Smoke."
Darkness poured from beneath her like liquid ink, covering the entire hall. Mana signals flickered out. Every enhancement, every buff — gone.
---
Only faint sounds remained — metal on stone, shallow breathing, faint pulses of magic.
The Masked Guy came for me from the shadows. I shouted,
> "Mira, freeze his legs!"
She did — thin frost spread fast, locking him mid-step. I moved in for a strike, but he shattered the ice, changing air density around me so my bullets looped back.
> "Tch… manipulating wind pressure again."
Suddenly, spikes erupted beneath him, forcing him off balance. I fired three more bullets in that single heartbeat — they pierced clean through. His ring cracked.
> "Azeir…?!" I muttered, realizing the spike formation was his.
Azeir's broken voice echoed faintly through the comm-link before fading again, "Told you… not out yet."
Serin's calm voice sliced through the smoke.
> "Let the shadow smoke clear, let moonlight reign… ignite the fire of the final fight."
The haze thinned. She stood alone now — every other ring flickered dull. Lucean lay fainted beside a spike, Arina collapsed near the wall, Mira barely conscious but smiling.
---
I stepped forward, sword trembling.
Serin smirked faintly.
> "You still standing? Impressive."
We clashed — steel to steel. My blade cracked at the third hit, broke at the fifth. I swung barehanded; she evaded, tapped two vital points with frightening precision.
My vision blurred.
> "Match over," she said softly. "Team One wins."
---
That night, everyone gathered at the official headquarters (I:e where I was taken for healing )for the post-battle session. Even Azeir, revived after healing, joined late with a tired grin.
Serin sat cross-legged, eight folded chits resting in her lap and said if I don't mention this ring will have soul oath meaning if the whole team agree and uses reference of soul you will have to complete it or you will die just kidding but it will cause you danage
> "Truths first," she said, her voice returning to its steady calm.
Each chit went to its rightful owner — the reader had to answer and complete it personally.
She looked up at us all.
> "You fought well today… now, let's see how honest you are."
That night, we gathered at the official headquarters. I slept nearby while Serin sat with the others, setting eight folded chits in her lap.
> "Truths first," she said, handing one to Azeir's empty seat, then pausing. "He fought well… Let's continue."
She turned to the azeir and said him to read it aloud if you think it's appropriate
> "Do you have a girlfriend or wife?"
Everyone burst into laughter. "No, I don't!" he snapped, half-smiling.
Serin smirked, then passed another. "Mira—your turn."
> Would you adopt Silent Tempest as your little brother?
Her eyes softened. "I would."
The laughter faded into quiet warmth. Serin handed her another chit, her tone lighter.
> "How many siblings do you have?"
Mira hesitated. "None."
The room went silent. Serin lowered her gaze.
> "Then one dare changes," she said softly.
Serin looked through the notes, then smiled faintly.
> "Alright, first dare—Arina, project Silent Tempest's dream."
Arina nodded reluctantly, forming a shimmering barrier around my sleeping body. The dream appeared on the wall—me, sitting across from a faceless girl, drinking tea under starlight.
But my body trembled. Mana surged, my ring glowed bright crimson, and the barrier cracked, then shattered.
Serin's voice lowered.
> "Maybe we saw something we weren't supposed to… his consciousness rejected it."
The vision vanished. Silence followed—then Serin pulled another chit.
> "Mira, your dare: treat everyone here as your family."
Mira smiled and hugged everyone tightly. "Fine. Family it is."
The others laughed—but then Arina froze.
> "Wait… do you hear that?"
Everyone turned. Soft, muffled sobs. Ryn—Silent Tempest—was crying, still asleep, tears rolling silently beneath his mask.
Serin whispered, "Why are you still crying… even now?"
Mira's eyes softened; she knelt beside him, fulfilling the dare without hesitation. She took his hand, brushed his hair gently, and murmured,
> "It's okay now, little brother… you're safe."
The others stayed quiet, unsure whether to smile or cry.
Minutes later, I stirred awake, blinking slowly.
"Why are you all so serious?" I said with a lazy grin.
They exhaled in relief. Laughter filled the hall again.
Serin watched, a faint smile on her face but a shadow behind her eyes.
"Get ready, Ryn," she thought silently. "You'll be the next one to become serious."
The lights above shimmered faintly—like stars after rain—reflecting in the tears still drying beneath my mask.
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