Sera stood at the center of the clearing, her voice steady despite the exhaustion that clung to her.
"I know no one wants to hear some motivational speech right now. And I get it, no one wants to take the lead after what happened to Jason."
Her tone carried no fear or hesitation, only cold reason. "But we can't keep going like this, and—"
Before she could finish, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"What's your point, Sera?!" a girl snapped. "If you don't have any ideas to get us out of this, then go back to your man's lap and keep being the whore you are."
The clearing fell silent.
Kass raised an eyebrow. Damn, she's still alive? Why the hell was she quiet till now?
The one who spoke was Sophie — straight black hair, dark circles under her eyes, and an attitude that screamed she hadn't slept in days.
She was the female class representative, a popular face, always competing with Sera back in college.
The two of them had always been like cats and dogs.
Kass's eyes narrowed slightly. Hmm... something feels fishy. Why is the girl who always competed with everyone suddenly quiet after entering the crack?
Sera met Sophie's glare without blinking.
"Can you shut up for a while, bitch? You're not helping anyone. And if you're just jealous I've got someone who actually wants me, maybe try your luck with those ugly green bastards. If even they reject you... well, then I can only offer my condolences."
"That's my girl!" Kass grinned, clapping like a proud father.
Half the survivors shot him with strange looks.
Sophie's face turned crimson, her jaw tightening like she was about to explode.
Before things could get bloody, Professor Sheila stepped in between them, arms out.
"Enough! Both of you, calm down and show some respect! If you keep acting like children, Professor Marcus will give you failing grades when we get back!"
Everyone stared at her in disbelief — including Marcus.
Failing grades? Kass almost laughed.
Sheila sighed, trying to restore order. "Now then, Sera… you were trying to say something, right? Do you have any ideas to get us out?"
Sera finally tore her gaze away from Sophie and nodded. "It's not an idea. I just want everyone to be honest. It's either we die slowly through voting… or get torn apart by those green bastards."
She took a deep breath, scanning the clearing before continuing. "The role I got is Kosho – the prince's attendant. And Kass's role is Hatamoto – the princess's bodyguard."
The clearing fell into dead silence.
Then Kass's furious voice sliced through the silence. "What the fuck, Sera?! Did you just betray me right after we had a moment?" He shot to his feet, his lazy demeanor gone in an instant.
He hadn't expected this. Not from her. He thought she'd try to talk them into cooperation, not throw both their necks under the blade like this.
He'd known her for nearly two years — she was smart, too damn smart. For someone like her to spill a secret that could get them both killed if the Shinobi caught on… it didn't make sense.
Maybe she was cooking something up… but she should've used only her own ingredients, not tossed his into the pot too.
Kass unsheathed his sword and strode toward her.
"You said you trusted me, Kass?!" Sera's voice trembled, but her gaze stayed steady.
"I did," he hissed. "And this is how you repay that trust?! This is your great idea?!"
He was about to reach her when Damian stepped between them, hands up.
"Calm down, Kass. Let her finish."
"Get the fuck out of my way," Kass growled, eyes burning holes through him.
"She already said it," Damian shot back. "No point trying to stop her now."
The others nodded nervously. Even Professor Sheila stepped in, gently grabbing Kass's arm. "Just… calm down for now, Kass."
He exhaled sharply and sheathed his sword, though his eyes never left Sera. She looked ready to cry, but that same maddening resolve still burned in her eyes.
"Heh… now you see that bitch's true colors," Sophie sneered, laughing quietly. But her eyes gleamed like she'd just uncovered gold.
Sera turned away from Kass and addressed the group. "I want everyone to share their roles. You can lie if you want, but don't claim the same ones as us. Our roles are unique. If someone tries to copy them, we'll vote them out next."
Her tone was steady, firm. It was risky, but everyone could see her point.
Exposing the Shogun, the prince, and the princess could be dangerous, but it might also reveal the Shinobi. If they lied, they'd have to improvise new roles.
Kass stayed quiet, arms crossed, watching her. He'd calmed down now. And deep down, he was glad he hadn't revealed his real role.
But one thing was clear — everyone now knew his role was tied to the princess.
Soon, everyone began sharing their roles… and the more they spoke, the darker Kass's expression grew. Sheila had to hold both his hands down to keep him still.
Only two new roles were revealed: Ashigaru– the foot soldier and Ashigaru-gashira–the squad leader.
It became clear that only the first two who revealed these new roles actually possessed them. The rest? Just parrots trying to stay alive.
At least Kass was now sure Sheila was a Gashira and Rai an Ashigaru, everyone else was bluffing.
Kass looked at Sera, who was biting her lip in frustration. "Now tell me, Sera… what's your big plan? Who are the Shinobi?"
Sera couldn't even meet his gaze. There really was no other way to identify them. If only they had an ability to detect lies… "I... I'm sorry," she finally murmured.
Kass's face showed no emotion. He turned and started walking away. "We're done. Don't come near me again. If I die, it'll be on you."
Sera's head snapped up. "Kass, wait… I—" She took a step after him, but Damian caught her wrist.
"Take your fucking hands off me!" she snapped, eyes burning.
Damian didn't flinch. He leaned close and whispered something only she could hear. Her eyes widened, a flicker of shock breaking through her anger before she forced herself to stay calm.
She glanced one last time at Kass's retreating back, then turned and followed Damian toward a quiet corner of the clearing.
The rest of the group simply watched, the tension thick enough to choke on.
Some went back to nibbling their snacks; others started whispering about the next vote.
Rai already had someone in mind — John, the coward who'd hidden during the fight. He stood up, ready to make his case.
Sophie, meanwhile, rose without a word. Her eyes glinted with something unreadable as she slipped away, quiet as a shadow, following after Kass.
* * *
Kass sat on a large flat rock at the edge of the village, checking his phone, which was nearly out of battery.
They all still had their phones, but with no signal or internet, it was as good as useless.
He scrolled through his photos with Sera.
Something about her behavior lately made him uneasy.
Ever since Chloe's death, she'd been acting strange, especially that sudden kiss. Sure, it felt good, but it was out of nowhere.
They'd never even confessed to each other, just close friends who understood one another. He'd only responded because, honestly, what straight guy could say no when a beautiful girl kissed him?
Lost in thought, he barely noticed the girl who came to sit beside him on the rock. She glanced at his phone, her tone dripping with disdain. "Tsk… What's so great about that bitch anyway? If it's looks, I'm pretty sure I'm leagues above her."
Kass sighed. "What do you want, Sophie?" He locked his phone and turned toward her.
She didn't answer. Her gaze lingered on him, as if measuring something. Finally, she pulled a dagger she'd taken from one of the corpses and made a small cut on her thumb before shoving it in front of Kass's face.
At first, Kass was confused. Then his eyes widened as realization hit. He grabbed the dagger from her hand and made a small cut on his own finger, letting a drop of blood fall.
Their bloodied fingers touched, and for a moment, both their hearts skipped a beat.
Aether stirred like a living thing within them, and a faint pulse connected them both — forming a blood-bond neither could deny.
Sophie grinned, her expression lighting up with satisfaction. "Hooo… finally found my bodyguard. You better make sure I don't even get a scratch from now on."
She leaned against his shoulder, stretching a little before settling in as if she owned the spot.
Kass's face twitched. "So you're the damn princess?!"
"Of course I am," Sophie said smugly, her lips curling into a teasing smile. "No one else deserves that role more than me. And I know you're my Kosho, not a Hatamoto. You really lied to your girl, huh? Cheeky bastard."
Kass glanced at her, speechless, while Sophie side-eyed him from where her head rested on his shoulder.
She had never thought much about him before — he was quiet, lazy, a backbencher who rarely joined school events. He was handsome for sure, but there were many like him in their college and plenty who followed her around like dogs.
The only difference was that he wasn't interested in her, and Sera, the girl she hated most, was always with him.
Her lips curled. I'll make you cry more, bitch. I'll take what's yours and make it mine.