## CHAPTER 49: Something Is Not Right
Caspian, Lyra, Casel, and Elisa were the first team to emerge from the dense, suffocating canopy of the Forbidden Sector. As they stepped into the clearing of the finish line, the transition was jarring; the oppressive mana of the woods was replaced by the crisp, open air of the academy's outskirts. They ascended the wooden podium, standing tall beside the stern Miss Grey and the formidable Headmistress Elena.
Below them, the gathered students formed a sea of resentful faces. The atmosphere wasn't one of celebration; it felt like a funeral. Sour looks and hushed, venomous whispers rippled through the crowd. Many were in a state of utter disbelief—how could an a commoner like Caspian be part of the winning team? To the high-born students, it was a slap in the face, a stain on the prestige of the exam. They looked at Caspian with eyes full of elitist fire, as if his presence on that podium was a personal insult to their lineages.
In the middle of that cold crowd, Lily stood like a solitary spark. Unlike the others, she had a radiant, cheerful smile plastered across her face. She raised her hands high and began to clap with frantic energy.
"Cheers! Way to go!" she yelled, her voice echoing in the uncomfortable silence.
She stopped abruptly when she realized that hundreds of eyes had turned to pierce her. The collective glare was heavy enough to crush a weaker spirit.
"Tough crowd," Lily muttered under her breath, sheepishly pulling her hoodie up to cover her face, tucking herself away much like Silas tended to do.
A short distance away, buffered from the main throng of students, Zerav, Edna, and Louisa finally converged.
"So, how was the 'walk in the park'?" Zerav asked, his tone casual as he adjusted the massive scythe strapped to his back.
"A really fun and thrilling experience," Louisa replied, a gentle, genuine smile gracing her lips. She looked slightly disheveled but unharmed.
"Let me help you with that," Zerav said, stepping closer. He reached out, his fingers trailing lightly along her shoulders as he slid the heavy backpack off her. Louisa didn't resist; she let him take the weight, her gaze meeting his.
"Thank you," she said softly. Unlike the flustered, blushing reactions Lyra or Elisa usually gave Caspian, Louisa remained composed, though her lips curved into a warm smile as she stared into Zerav's shimmering purple eyes. Zerav was the tallest of their circle, a looming, graceful presence that forced the girls to tilt their heads back just to meet his gaze.
Zerav took a deep breath, catching the subtle, mesmerizing scent of sunflowers that always seemed to cling to her. But then, his smile vanished. His expression turned dull and cold as he backed away, still clutching her bag.
"What is it?" Louisa asked, her brow furrowing at the sudden shift in his aura.
"His scent is all over you," Zerav said flatly. He turned his head, his sharp eyes locking onto Kelvin, who was standing several yards away chatting with Kerra. Zerav's jaw tightened as his imagination conjured unthinkable scenarios of how close they must have been during the trek.
"What's with that girl I saw holding your hands earlier?" Louisa countered, her tone sharpening with a unmistakable hint of jealousy.
The two locked eyes, a heavy, silent tension sparking between them. Neither moved, neither blinked.
Edna stood by, initially enjoying the drama like it was a live-action romance novel, but when the silence became too thick, she decided to deploy her best defense mechanism: sheer randomness.
"I like cheese," Edna declared, shattering the tension. "Too bad I couldn't bring any along. The rations were so disgusting."
She made a face like she was about to burst into tears at the memory of the dehydrated academy food. Edna had a refined palate that didn't cater well to portable snacks. Her outburst broke the standoff. Zerav blinked, turning to her with a look of utter confusion while Louisa let out a soft giggle.
"Wait, what does cheese have to do with anything we're talking about?" Zerav asked.
"A—" Edna started, but Zerav cut her off with a sigh.
"You know what? Just forget it." He shook his head before looking back at Edna. "And another thing—must you always put on a massive light show every time you fight? I saw the sky glowing from miles away."
Edna's face brightened, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "No," she said with mock seriousness. "I just like to cause a tantrum whenever I'm bothered." She flashed him a wide, toothy smile.
"All the other teams are back... except for Silas's," Louisa noted, her voice tinged with concern as she scanned the tree line.
"Maybe because..." Zerav paused, his ears twitching. "Oh, speak of the devil. Here he comes."
He pointed toward the path. For a few seconds, the woods remained still. Then, Silas emerged. He looked like a shadow detached from the trees, the massive, severed tail of a Black Scorpion draped over his shoulder like a trophy. The sight of the giant, chitinous limb caused a stir; even Miss Grey and Headmistress Elena leaned forward, their eyes widening in surprise.
Silas reached the edge of the clearing, heaved the heavy tail off his shoulder, and let it thud into the dirt with a wet sound. He didn't look back at his teammates, Alex and the others, who were panting behind him.
"Huh... thank you! See you around, Silas!" Alex yelled, but Silas didn't even wave. He walked straight toward his fellow 'Commoners' as they saw them.
"A giant scorpion tail? You seem like you had a lot of fun," Zerav teased as Silas approached.
"Something didn't feel right," Silas said, his voice low and grim.
"What is it?" Zerav asked, his playfulness evaporating.
"Nothing ever feels right to you, Mr. Know-It-All," Edna blurted out, rolling her eyes.
"Shhh," Louisa shushed her. "So, what's up, Silas?"
Silas took a deep breath, his eyes dark under his hood. "The ecology is wrong. Some of these monsters had no business being in this sector. A Giant Black Scorpion is a deep-desert or cavern dweller. It shouldn't be in a humid forest."
"Now that you mention it," Zerav said, rubbing his chin. "A Black Shadow Rabbit... those usually stay in the high mountains. I found one near the stream."
"And a Saprophyte dark-type plant," Louisa added. "Those can't handle direct sunlight, yet I found one blocking the main sunny path. It's like they were forced there."
"Hmm," Edna hummed, pretending to look deep in thought while her mind was actually wondering if there was any Brie in the dining hall. "Maybe it was just part of the test? To make it harder?"
"I would have believed that," Silas said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small, transparent vial, "if it weren't for this."
The three leaned in. Inside the vial was a shimmering, viscous purple liquid.
"What is that?" Louisa asked.
"Venom from the scorpion's stinger," Silas explained. "But it's not a lethal toxin. It's been altered."
Zerav reached out, took the vial, popped the cork, and took a cautious whiff. His eyes widened. "You're right. This isn't natural poison. I've handled enough toxins to know the difference." He sniffed again. "It smells like concentrated Ilana Dust, but at a dangerously high grade. This isn't meant to kill. It's designed for instant, total paralysis or knocking someone unconscious."
"So that means..." Louisa started, her face paling.
"It means the monsters were grown under specific conditions, thier biology altered with high-level sorcery, and then they were placed there as traps," Silas cut in. "Someone wasn't just testing us. They were trying to harvest students."
A cold silence fell over the group. The realization that they were being hunted within their own school grounds was a bitter pill to swallow.
"That's... terrible," Louisa whispered.
"I'll try to gather more information," Silas said, his gaze shifting back toward the teachers on the podium. "But for now, everyone stay on high alert. They failed to capture anyone this time, but there's no telling what thier next move will be."
"Alright," Louisa agreed.
"Its gonna be fun," Edna said, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes this time.
"What about Caspian?" Zerav asked, looking toward the podium where the boy was still laughing and chatting with Lyra and the others.
Silas watched Caspian for a moment—the genuine, carefree smile on the "Ordinary" boy's face was a stark contrast to the darkness they were discussing.
"We'll brief him later," Silas decided. "No need to ruin his mood just yet. Let him enjoy the win."