Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The clock mocked them from the wall. Two minutes. Two minutes to choose who among them would be cast out. No excuses, no second chances.
Noah broke the silence first. His voice was sharp, clipped, like a blade swung without hesitation.
"The choice is obvious. We get rid of Adrian. He's an unknown. No records, no clear background, no display of talent. He's the most dangerous piece here."
The words landed like stones. Clara's brows furrowed. Darius shifted his weight, arms folded.
And Adrian? He sat motionless.
For a heartbeat, it seemed the accusation had pinned him down. He buried his face into his palms, shoulders shaking faintly. Was he nervous? Breaking?
Then came the sound.
A low chuckle. Quiet at first. Then louder.
Heh…heh heh heh…
His hands dragged down his face slowly, revealing a grin too sharp, too wide, his crimson eyes glinting like fresh blood under the dim lights.
"Oh… Noah." Adrian's tone was velvet and venom all at once. "You really do amuse me."
Noah stiffened. "What the hell is so funny?"
Adrian tilted his head, smile widening, voice soft yet cutting. "You didn't even hesitate before turning on me. No discussion, no weighing options—just accusation. That isn't the mark of a genius. It's the mark of a man desperate to shift the knife away from his own back."
Clara and Darius glanced at one another, the faintest flicker of doubt crawling into their eyes.
Noah scoffed, but his jaw was tight. "You're twisting things. I'm protecting us."
Adrian's grin deepened. "Protecting?" He let the word roll off his tongue like a mockery. "You call it protection when you point fingers the instant pressure appears? What happens in the next test? The one after that? When resources run low, when survival is at stake? Who's next? Clara? Darius? You'd sell anyone off if it bought you one more breath."
Clara flinched at her name. Darius's frown deepened.
Adrian's voice softened, but there was a cruel rhythm to it, like a hypnotist's whisper. "Think about it carefully. If I'm truly useless, then isn't that better for you? I'm easier to control. Easier to sacrifice later when the stakes are higher. Throwing me away now is shortsighted. Wasteful."
Darius rubbed his chin slowly. "…He's not wrong."
Clara bit her lip. Her uncertainty was showing.
Adrian's smile sharpened as he pressed harder, feeding the fire. "But Noah? Noah is clever, yes, but cleverness is dangerous when it's unanchored. Look how quickly he singled someone out. If it wasn't me today, who do you think it would be tomorrow? He's already rehearsed the role of executioner. And one day, it'll be your necks under his blade."
Noah's fist slammed the desk. "That's a lie! I'm the one keeping you all alive!"
But even as he spoke, his voice cracked under the strain. It was too forceful, too desperate.
Adrian tilted his head, perfectly imitating Noah's tone in a whisper, almost a mockery. "I'm the one keeping you alive…" He let the echo hang, twisted and hollow. "See? Even his words sound like excuses when repeated."
Clara's eyes hardened. Darius muttered something under his breath, a curse aimed not at Adrian—but at Noah.
The room was tipping. The balance had shifted.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, smile softening into something deceptively calm. "I'll say it once more: if you vote me out, you'll lose an expendable piece. But if you keep Noah, you're keeping a ticking time bomb. And when he goes off, don't expect him to take the fall alone."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Tick. Tock.
One minute.
Noah looked between Clara and Darius, panic flashing in his eyes. He opened his mouth to argue, but their expressions were already cold, decided.
The vote was cast.
Noah.
His eyes widened in disbelief. Then his voice broke into a roar. "You fools! He's manipulating you! Can't you see it?! You're all falling for his lies!"
The system chimed coldly, confirming the decision. Noah's fate was sealed.
He thrashed, shouted, cursed, but it was useless. The exam had spoken. His words carried no more weight than the cries of a drowning man.
Adrian stood, walking slowly toward him. To Clara and Darius, it looked like he was offering a hand of comfort, a final gesture of mercy. His palm rested lightly on Noah's shoulder. His voice was low, almost tender.
But his words were knives dipped in poison.
"C'mon, don't cry." His grin widened. "The problem with you, Noah, is that I don't like cocky geniuses. You act with uncertainty and call it brilliance. You think cleverness makes you untouchable. But it only makes you fragile."
Noah froze, every muscle locked in terror.
Adrian leaned closer, his whisper crawling into Noah's ear.
"I deal in lies. I deal in fear. I bend truth until people forget what's real. And you? You never even realized it was happening until it was too late."
Noah's breath hitched, a mix of anger and despair choking him.
Adrian's crimson eyes gleamed with cruel amusement as he gave the final twist of the knife.
"Since you're leaving, I'll tell you something real. My parents are Selene Veyra and Cassian Veyra."
The name detonated in Noah's mind. His eyes widened in horror. The blood drained from his face. That name—Veyra—the family spoken of in hushed whispers, the family that even powerful clans pretended not to see.
Adrian's smile stretched maniacally, a predator's grin. "So now you understand. This wasn't comfort. This was a warning. Never play with a Veyra."
To Clara and Darius, it looked like Adrian had whispered encouragement to a grieving comrade. To Noah, it was a death sentence dressed as mercy.
He was escorted out, his screams echoing down the hall until they faded into silence.
Adrian straightened, dusted off his hands, and walked back to his seat, his smile calm now, almost angelic. Clara and Darius watched him, uneasy, yet unable to place why.
But Noah knew.
And Noah would never forget.
---
That night, when the academy was quiet and the halls had emptied, Adrian walked alone through the dimly lit corridors.
He thought the exam was finished. He thought his mask could rest for the night.
But then—footsteps.
A shadow peeled itself from the wall ahead. A figure stood there, waiting.
Adrian froze, his smile fading for the first time.
Because standing before him was someone he had hoped never to encounter, not this soon, not while he was keeping his head low.
The figure stepped into the light.
It was none other than—