The pain came first.
Then the cold of damp earth against his cheek.
Cael opened his eyes with difficulty. His vision split into swaying patches of green and brown above his head. It took him a few seconds to realize they were trees. Trees far too tall.
The forest.
He pushed himself up with a small groan, one hand going to his chest. Every breath scraped inside him, as if he were still falling.
Then he heard it.
A distant sound.
Low. Hoarse.
Cael froze.
Another sound answered from farther away, then another, like wild animals dragging themselves between the trunks.
"Corrupted…" he murmured.
His heart began to pound.
He looked around desperately.
A few meters away, among exposed roots and crushed ferns, there were other aspirants.
Four of them.
He staggered to his feet and ran toward them.
They began to stir.
First, a girl with messy white hair tangled with leaves sat up abruptly, eyes wide.
"Are we alive…?" she whispered.
Then a tall, broad-shouldered boy stood up as if nothing had happened, brushing dirt off himself in annoyance.
"Tch. What a pathetic entrance."
Another, thin as a shadow, remained seated, silently watching the forest as if counting the trees.
The last was a boy with a gentle smile, who rose slowly and raised both hands in a calming gesture.
"Easy… easy. Everyone breathe first."
His voice was warm.
Too warm.
Cael swallowed.
"I'm Cael."
The white-haired girl hesitated for a second.
"Ayra… Ayra."
The tall boy scoffed.
"Darius. And if this is a trial, you'd better stop shaking."
The thin boy said nothing at first. His gray eyes passed over each of them, lingering just a moment longer on Cael and Ayra.
"Valt. Just Valt," he said at last.
The last boy smiled again.
"Lior. I'm glad we're all alright."
Another distant scream cut through the air.
Closer this time.
Lior lowered his voice.
"Listen… we don't know where we are. There are things out there stronger than us. I think the best option is to move together, at least for now."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"Five people have better odds than one, don't they?"
Darius crossed his arms.
"As long as you don't get in the way."
Ayra nodded quickly, relieved.
"I can help… even if I'm not very strong…"
Valt looked down at the ground.
"A group makes more noise."
Lior tilted his head with a sympathetic smile.
"But also more eyes watching."
For a brief instant, his gaze drifted.
Darius and Valt understood without words.
A quick exchange.
Invisible to Cael.
Ayra took a step closer to Cael, seeking comfort.
"Thank you for waking us."
Lior looked at her with false tenderness.
"We'll look out for each other."
His smile never reached his eyes.
And in the forest around them, they heard screams again.
They no longer sounded far away.
Cracking noises echoed between the trees, like branches snapping… or bones.
Ayra shuddered.
"I-it's coming this way…"
Cael clenched his fists.
Then they saw it.
First, something white moving between the trunks.
Then a hunched figure emerged from the ferns.
It was human… or it had been.
Its skin was so pale it looked sick, covered in warped feathers sprouting from its back and arms.
Tattered remnants of clothing hung from its body, torn and dark with filth and dried blood.
Its eyes were completely white.
As if it were blind.
But its head moved from side to side.
And when it opened its mouth…
Long, yellowed fangs jutted from its jaw, thick saliva dripping between them.
Ayra let out a small scream.
"One of them!"
The corrupted turned its head toward her.
And screamed.
A shrill sound.
Then it ran.
Not clumsy.
Not slow.
It ran like a beast.
"Shit!" Darius shouted. "Move!"
Cael grabbed Ayra by the arm.
"Run!"
They sprinted between the trees as branches and leaves lashed their faces.
The monster chased them, smashing through everything in its path.
Valt looked back only once.
"It's fast…"
Lior pointed frantically.
"There! That tree!"
A massive tree rose several meters ahead, its thick branches starting low to the ground.
"Climb!" Darius ordered.
Darius was the first to scale it, hauling himself up with brutal strength.
Valt and Lior followed with agile, silent movements.
Cael helped Ayra up, pushing at her waist while she trembled.
"I can't… it's slipping…!"
"You can do it!" Cael growled. "Come on!"
Her fingers finally found a grip.
Ayra climbed just as the corrupted reached the trunk.
The creature slammed into the tree and began clawing at the bark with black, twisted nails.
The trunk shook.
"It's climbing!" Ayra screamed.
"It can't!" Darius shouted from above. "It's too heavy."
The beast let out another scream and began smashing its head against the tree, again and again.
Cael struggled to breathe.
His Familiar egg throbbed inside the pouch.
Then it happened.
One of the blows shook the trunk violently.
Ayra lost her balance.
"Ah!"
Cael grabbed her arm.
But her weight pulled them both.
Their feet slipped from the trunk.
For one second…
The three of them looked down from above.
Lior extended a hand.
His fingers brushed Ayra's.
But he didn't grip.
Valt looked away.
Darius frowned.
Cael and Ayra fell.
Ayra's scream blended with the roar of the corrupted as it leapt toward them.
The impact knocked the air from Cael's lungs.
They rolled through roots and damp earth until they were thrown apart.
Cael was the first to move.
Ignoring the sharp pain in his side, he crawled to Ayra.
She was conscious.
But she wasn't moving.
"Ayra!"
Her right leg was twisted at an unnatural angle.
"I… I can't…"
The corrupted's sound thundered again.
Much closer.
Cael clenched his teeth.
He crouched in front of her.
"Get on."
"W-what…?"
"On my back. Now!"
He didn't wait for an answer.
He lifted her as best he could, one arm locking around her legs as he forced himself upright in pain.
And then he ran.
Behind them, branches snapped.
The corrupted was chasing them.
Then he heard laughter.
Above, among the trees, on a thick branch, Darius watched with his arms crossed.
Valt stood beside him.
Lior, a little farther back.
"Look at that…" Darius mocked. "The hero carrying the cripple."
Lior pressed a hand to his chest, feigning concern.
"What a tragedy… I really thought they'd last more than five minutes."
Valt watched them with dull eyes.
Ayra buried her face against Cael's shoulder.
She was shaking.
"I'm sorry…"
"Shut up," he whispered. "It's not your fault."
Darius spat down from above.
"Run. At least you'll make a good distraction."
The corrupted's shriek exploded behind them.
Cael felt its rotten breath brush his back.
Then—
Something tightened in the air.
Dozens of cords snapped shut around the corrupted's body like a web.
The creature was yanked backward.
The cords bit into its pale flesh.
The monster thrashed, trapped.
Cael stopped short.
A figure dropped lightly from the trees.
A girl.
Red hair.
Worn clothes, smeared with mud.
In her hands, she held a crude mechanism of wood and metal, still vibrating from the tension in the cords.
She looked at the corrupted writhing.
Then at Cael.
Then at Ayra.
"Don't just stand there."
Her voice was young, but hard.
Trained.
"That trap won't hold it for long."
The corrupted began snapping one of the cords.
"Run east," she continued. "Follow the stream. Don't go into open areas."
Cael stared at her, confused.
Another cord snapped.
"Move!"
Cael tightened his grip on Ayra.
And ran.
Behind them, the corrupted roared.
And the cords began to give way.