The bizarre exchange hung heavy in the air. Golden coins were the currency of survival, the very measure of success in this brutal stage of the assessment, offering numerous benefits to those who possessed them.
Yet, here was Sarah, standing amidst the shadowy ruins of a recent battle, declaring she had "enough."
Not far behind, Fai and Johnson finally stirred. They blinked into the dim, flickering light, their bodies heavy as they slowly adjusted from the deep, unwelcoming embrace of unconsciousness. Confusion clouded their minds as they stared at the glowing fire before them and the shadowy figure now settled nearby.
"What… happened?" Fai mumbled, rubbing his eyes, trying to clear the heavy haze. His body felt lethargic, but a strange spark of energy pulsed within him—a foreign sensation, yet also one of uncanny familiarity.
"You should be asking what we missed," Johnson interjected, shaking his head. He was trying desperately to piece together the fragmented, brutal events that led to their current state.
The immediate area, though familiar, had undergone a drastic transformation, almost as if another fierce battle had recently erupted.
However, they couldn't see clearly; the only reliable source of light was the large, dwindling circle of flames up ahead. They continued to survey their surroundings, their caution mounting, until they finally spotted the shadowy figure steadily approaching them.
Like a switch had been flipped, Johnson's protective instincts were fully engaged. After all, the assessment was ongoing, and for him, anyone could potentially be an enemy. Following the brutal fight he and Fai had just endured, he didn't need any more reason to be alert and on guard.
Fai, however, recognized the figure instantly. "Sarah?" he blurted out, a mix of relief and surprise coloring his voice. He'd known Sarah since high school; she had often helped him fend off bullies, so their relationship was far from new. This sudden, powerful display and her timely appearance, while astonishing, made a strange sort of sense to him.
Johnson, however, remained wary, his eyes narrowed as he looked from Fai to the approaching figure. He instinctively lowered his voice, "You know her, Fai? Are you sure she's not... dangerous?"
After everything that had happened, Johnson saw everyone as bad news. If friends from high school could act with such deceit and violence, then he could only imagine what Fai's actual enemies would be capable of.
Fai turned to Johnson, before glancing back at the figure. "Trust me, Johnson. I know Sarah. We go way back."
Johnson scoffed, the sound sharp in the quiet maze. "Oh yeah? What about the group from before? Didn't they come from the same school as you? Heck, same class even! You saw what happened, right? She could be from the same mama for all I know; she could just as well be an enemy."
He was right. In the end, this stage literally pitted students against each other. It didn't matter who was a friend or enemy; at this moment, only passing this stage was important. To trust anyone simply because they used to be nice was a stupid risk to even consider.
"Trust me, she's not the enemy," Fai insisted, his voice calm and certain.
Johnson still looked skeptical, but he nodded slowly, reluctantly accepting Fai's assurance, even if he didn't fully grasp the depth of Fai's conviction.
Sarah offered Fai a brief, knowing smile, acknowledging his trust.
"Those three… they were consumed by greed and utterly headstrong," Sarah stated, her voice holding a firm edge. "They foolishly believed they could simply take what others had fought so hard for. I had to show them that ambition without purpose often leads to downfall."
A slight pause followed before she moved forward, heading directly toward Johnson's side. She then proceeded to extend her hand, offering him the four golden coins she had just retrieved.
"I believe these belong to you," she stated simply.
Upon seeing the coins, Johnson instinctively began frantically searching his own body, checking if he still possessed his meager fortune.
"My coins!" he exclaimed when he couldn't find them on himself. He looked at Sarah, then at her outstretched hand, and carefully proceeded to take the coins.
"Thank you so much," he said, his voice laced with genuine gratitude. Then, his curiosity piqued, he had to ask the most pressing question. "But how did they end up with you?"
Of course, there was another question Johnson desperately wanted to ask: Why even bother to give the coins back when she could use them herself?
Answers like 'maybe she had enough' surfaced in his mind, but still, it wasn't as if there was a limit to the number of coins a participant could have.
Other participants would desire to keep and accumulate more coins, for not only would it prove their strength, but also they could use the coins to exchange information within the maze, like a sort of temporary currency. The more he thought about her actions, the more he began to understand Fai's unwavering trust.
"This isn't a good spot to linger around," Sarah said, placing a hand gently on the ground. She then began to breathe slowly, in a controlled, rhythmic manner.
As she did, the flames all around them reacted obediently, each dwindling down, slowly receding as if in response to her command—a subtle, yet undeniable display of her strange power.
She then created a small, vibrant ball of fire and held it gently in her hand; this fire served as their sole source of light in the dim, winding maze. The fiery orb then effortlessly left her hand and began to float slowly in the air, illuminating their immediate surroundings. Only then did she start to talk again.
"I took care of the situation, and that's the most important thing. For now, you're safe," she reassured them, looking at Fai with a slight, comforting smile that only served to make Johnson even more confused by her sudden appearance and inexplicable actions.
"I can see that you took in my advice," she said, looking at Fai, then at Johnson, then back to Fai. "I'm glad to see that you're now able to extend your trust to others. In the end, no one can make it alone, so the support of others—people we can trust—really counts."
She spoke with a sense of understanding, knowing how hard it could be to trust; she herself had difficulty with that, so she could only imagine Fai's struggle, who had been betrayed almost his whole life.
Fai listened intently, taking her words to heart.
But that was when Johnson interfered.
"Trust... actually, we're still working on that," Johnson corrected her, a wry smile touching his lips. He then started to move his way toward Fai. When he was close enough, he extended his hand, offering the four golden coins toward Fai.
"With this, I can say we are halfway there," Johnson said, the smile now genuine. He was still going to go through with his words; it was a promise he made, and for him, promises were meant to be kept.
Fai took the coins, and as he did, he received the notifications from the system, but he had to ignore them—now wasn't the time for such distractions.
Although Johnson didn't know it, Fai's respect for him had just increased exponentially. Not only did Johnson fight by his side against his enemies, but he was still planning on going through with his promises, the one he made to Fai. Fai still couldn't quite believe the integrity Johnson displayed. 'This guy is really something,' Fai thought.
Sarah, seeing what had just happened, didn't quite understand the situation. However, to her, it didn't really matter, as long as Fai wasn't alone in his journey.
After Fai had taken the coins and swept the buzzing notifications away, he fixed his gaze on Sarah. "More importantly, we need to figure out our escape plan. This maze is filled with fierce competition, and if we want to pass this stage, we have to stay at least one step ahead of the rest."
"What do we do next?" he asked her.
"I've traveled through so many parts of this maze," Sarah replied, casting a wary glance toward the deep shadows that stretched in the flickering light. "I can share what I know, but ultimately, you'll need to decide how to proceed."
"Let's hear it," Johnson urged, eager for any information.
Sarah then meticulously explained the paths she had taken, describing hidden routes and identifying large obstacles based on her own harrowing experience.
"There's a direct way to navigate toward the center of the maze. Once there, the route that leads out won't be hard to find. The thing is, there are a lot of students around that area, hiding and waiting to strike weaklings to get their coins. So, it's a risk, but it's undoubtedly the fastest route out."
"I'm all for getting out fast," Johnson replied, but the thought of another fight made him shudder. "How do we ensure we avoid further confrontations?" Flashes of his fight still lingered in his head, particularly how he was unable to use his mutation ability—it was an experience he didn't want to go through again.
"You know it's impossible to avoid fighting completely, right? Sooner or later, we would have to fight to either protect or acquire more coins," Sarah said simply, laying out the unavoidable truth of the assessment.
"Eyes wide," Sarah suggested. "We need to be exceptionally vigilant. We can't take any unnecessary chances. There are many groups that remain unseen, lurking in the shadows."
She continued, taking control of the immediate situation. "Plus, you guys are weak right now. We have to rest the night and begin the journey tomorrow. That way, we would have more energy to fight back and resist in any confrontation."
"This flame would be our source of light the entire night," she said, looking pointedly at them. "And we would all take turns in watching over the group."
Sarah was clearly giving orders and taking command of the group's immediate safety. She didn't even allow for any further discussion, cutting off any potential counter-ideas or thoughts they might have had. Survival superseded democracy.
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I made this chapter longer hope its fine by you guys
Sorry
This month is a busy one for me , updates would not be frequent and massive like usal , got alot going theses days But i promise to still try my best .
Hope you guys can understand .
Thanks a lot for the support: sheikh, Anna Grace.
And thanks for reading so far! I appreciate all the support you guys have been giving the novel. Trust me, it's all the motivation I need.