He shifted his gaze. "My name is Drosh Drak, I will be your instructor for every stage of the selection exams, from the first to the last."
"In the past two weeks, we ran an individual trial to measure your instincts. Some of you passed, some of you failed but that test wasn't meant for eliminations."
His gaze swept over the students, sharp unyielding. "In this test, you will be the reason you fall. Your own actions, your hesitation, your lack of resolve, no one else will eliminate you but yourself. Every step you take, every choice you make in those woods, will decide whether you walk out alive or vanish like the countless names we've already buried."
"Now, look around you. The person standing next to you could be the hero who saves your life in the next few hours."
The crowd shifted uneasily as everyone turned to size up the person beside them.
Drosh's gaze hardened. "The weapons you carry will determine your survival. But listen carefully, you will not bring your spirits into this first selection. They stay behind."
A wave of shock rippled through the courtyard. Gasps broke out.
"Is he serious?" someone muttered.
"That's insane. " Another voice snapped, trembling.
I glanced around. Students were clutching all sorts of weapons: Soulfang Blades, Eclipse Halberd, Grimveil Scythe, Phantom Rod, Crimson Fang Axe, Moonspike Spear, Ashveil Katana, each radiating a strange, ominous design. Some students had their weapons strapped across their backs, while others clutched them tightly in their hands, the steel glinting under the light.
Meanwhile, Elyen and I stood empty-handed, we looked like idiots who'd walked in without a clue. Which, for me, was exactly the case.
"The first test," Drosh continued, his voice steady, "will take place in the Demon Forest. Expect demons and ghosts. Ghosts of those who didn't survive their own trials. Some of them won't harm you, but don't underestimate them. The dead always have something to prove."
"But…" a student called out, voice shaking slightly, "how are we supposed to fight without our spirits? Shard abilities are ineffective against ghosts and demons!"
Drosh's gaze cut toward the speaker like a hawk. "This test isn't about who can slay the most demons or banish the most ghosts. It's about who can survive when all they have is themselves. If your spirit dies in battle or abandons you, then you'll need to know how to keep fighting."
The murmurs quieted, replaced by the heavy silence of realization. We all understood the weight of this now. Only a few ever passed these exams.
Off to the side, I overheard fragments of the hunters' briefing by another instructor. They were being sent to an island infested with Vyraks. They had four days to reach the far shore alive. Fail to cross in that time even if you survived, and you were out. Compared to that, we Exo-hunters weren't so lucky; we'd face multiple selections.
Drosh folded his arms. "If you're not ready, this is your last chance to leave. Once I speak again, the gates close, and there will be no turning back.
"I didn't sign up for this!"
"I'm too young to die in an exam!"
"This is insane…"
Some girl muttered, "He's bluffing… right?"
For a moment, no one moved. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
A boy with wide, terrified eyes started shaking his head. "I didn't sign up for this! I thought this was just training—I can't do this! I'm only here for my family! I'm not ready to die for some exam!" His voice cracked, and panic spread through the crowd like fire.
"He's joking… right?" I heard a group of girls whispering to one another, their faces pale.
The murmurs swelled, drowning out the wind. I glanced sideways at Elyen who was now sleeping on my shoulder was still snoring, lips moving as he muttered. "Don't worry, I will protect you." Completely unaware of the tension, the stares, or the chaos building around him.
A girl on the hunters' side kept sneaking glances at me, as though she wanted to say something. But didn't dare approach.
While others fidgeted and panicked, I stood still. This kind of pressure was nothing new. I was always ready for the worst. What surprised me was that, despite all the fear, no one left.
---
Above, on the second floor of the building, two figures stood by the railing, watching us like hawks. One was an older man, his posture relaxed yet sharp. The other was younger, maybe around my age, though his eyes carried the same weight as the instructor's.
The younger man, Haldris adjusted his glasses, his sharp eyes narrowing.
"So that's him… the boy they call 'the demon'?" His voice held both curiosity and unease. "I didn't think the rumors were true until now. He doesn't look like much, but the way everyone avoids him… it's unsettling."
The older man, Headmaster Claucus folded his arms, his gaze unwavering.
"Rumors don't concern me," he said calmly. "What concerns me is why Elyen is standing next to him."
The younger man frowned, leaning slightly closer to the glass.
"Elyen doesn't mix with anyone, yet there he is, beside that boy. Should we separate them? If this kid truly is what the whispers claim, Elyen might be walking into trouble."
Claucus gave a quiet chuckle. "You forget, Elyen isn't just anyone's child. His father and that boy's father are sworn brothers. If Elyen chooses to stand with him, there's a reason."
Haldris tilted his head, his gaze lingering on the courtyard below.
"Reason or not, Elyen's always had… unusual instincts. If he's drawn to something, he won't back down. But are we really just going to let this play out? He applied to enroll as a hunter, yet there he is standing on the Exo-hunter side."
Claucus's eyes narrowed, a glint of curiosity in their depths.
"Do you think that just because he's asleep, he's unaware of his surroundings? Look closer at his neck. Elyen is the only person in all of Aderfel whose shard glows even when his essence isn't active. Do you know why?"
Claucus's voice lowered, as if speaking the truth would wake something dangerous.
"Because his instincts are always alive. Even as he snores, he's aware of everything around him… he might even know what's going to happen."
Haldris's brow furrowed slightly, but Claucus turned from the window, his tone calm yet commanding.
"Let him be. If there's danger there, Elyen will sense it long before we do. For now, I want to see how both of them perform."
Haldris gave a faint, knowing smirk. "You sound like you want to see what this boy is capable of."
Claucus's lips curled into the faintest of smiles.
"Perhaps I do. We've waited years for someone who could shake the foundations of this academy. Maybe it's time to see whether he's as dangerous or as valuable as they say."
Haldris hesitated, his eyes drifting back to me.
"And if he really is that dangerous?"
"Then we'll see if he survives this trial. The woods will judge him before we ever need to."
---
The silence stretched as Drosh scanned the courtyard once again. Then he spoke, his tone colder, sharper.
"I take it you've all made your choices?"
No one moved. All ears were on him now.
He continued. "You will enter the woods whether in groups or alone… that's up to you. Your survival is your own decision. This exam will last three days and three nights, but don't expect the luxury of sunlight to guide you. Inside the woods, there is no day only darkness. Time will blur. Fear will blur it further."
Murmurs broke out again, but he ignored them.
"The forest is sealed. Its borders, its ends, every path locked. No demon or ghost can escape… and neither can you, until the trial is over."
I felt the weight of his words, like chains settling around the group. The crowd shifted nervously.
"By the third day before dawn you must be out of the woods," he continued. "If the sun rises and you're still inside, you are disqualified. There will be no second chances. No one will come to rescue you."
The silence that followed was crushing.
"You are not just here to survive, you must keep moving forward. Only those who make it out alive will advance to the next selection. Whatever happens inside the woods… will remain in the woods."
His words echoed like the final toll of a bell. No one spoke. Some students clenched their weapons tighter, ready for what's coming, while others swallowed hard, their faces pale.
A hand shot up from somewhere in the crowd. "But… how will we tell the time if there's no sunlight?"
The instructor's eyes flicked toward the voice, calm and unbothered.
"You will be given watches, these watches are nothing special but they don't tell time, only the date."
Confusion rippled through the group. Some students exchanged uneasy glances.
"That's insane," someone whispered under their breath.
I felt it too, how this rule twisted everything. If we couldn't tell time, we wouldn't know when dawn would arrive, when the end of the trial crept closer. It was like walking through a trap with no sense of direction.
But maybe… that was the point.
To survive in the dark against demons and ghosts, beings that think and trick like hunters themselves, you had to be sharper. Smarter. You had to outwit the shadows.
This wasn't just a test. It was a game of minds. A war of patience, instincts, and fear.
A next-level training ground.