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It had been forever since I passed out.
Or maybe it was a few minutes.
Or years. Honestly, time had given up keeping track of me.
When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing that hit me was warmth.
Then light.
Then voices.
I was lying beside a campfire, the faint crackle and pop of burning wood echoing through the clearing. The smoke curled lazily into the twilight, carrying the faint scent of pine and… whatever passed for forest meat around here.
Blinking hard, I squinted.
There were people.
A bunch of them — teenagers, most around my age, scattered in uneven clusters. Some huddled together in tight duos, others lounged near the edges as if staking their claim on solitude.
If I had to guess, there were about a 30 or so of us. Maybe a few more. Maybe a few less. Counting wasn't exactly my top priority when every muscle in my body felt like it had been through a blender.
Still, one thing was clear — we were survivors.
At least for now.
"How long do you think it'll take till the evaluation comes to a close?"
The voice came from somewhere to my left — a boy with blond hair, fidgeting nervously, glancing at the trees like they might lunge at him.
The girl beside him frowned, arms crossed, voice sharp enough to cut bark.
"Who knows? Probably an hour or two. We've been here a while, after all."
She was plump — not in a bad way, though.
She had flesh all in the right places,
I licked my lips as my gaze swept across her chest, imagining something I'll rather not say.
Not that I should be thinking of that right now.
Still, I couldn't help a tiny grin slipping across my lips before I quickly schooled my expression. Priorities, Kael. Priorities.
I kept my eyes half-shut, pretending to still be unconscious, while my mind cataloged everyone I could see.
The blond kid — nervous type, eyes darting like a rabbit in a thunderstorm. Probably one of those who'd only ever fought wooden dummies before this. He kept shifting his weight, glancing toward the forest's dark edge as though expecting another beast to come tearing out at any second.
Can't blame him. After what I'd seen, I was paranoid too.
Most of the others were quiet — tired, wary, with that dull exhaustion that comes after a fight for your life. Bandaged limbs, torn sleeves, smudges of blood and dirt painted on every face.
The fire flickered across their eyes — equal parts fear and determination.
I lay there silently, absorbing every detail.
If we were all thrown here for this "entrance evaluation," then each of them was technically competition.
And competition meant potential danger.
Still, I had to admit — I admired the few who were laughing softly near the fire, probably trying to pretend this was a camping trip and not a death exam.
I remembered the last thing before everything went dark — that half-loaded system message.
I frowned slightly.
"Status," I whispered under my breath.
The blue screen blinked to life instantly, faint enough that no one else would notice.
> [+95£ Essence Recovered]
[Status: Stabilized]
[Truth Lost due to Absolute Essence Depletion.]
"What—?!" I hissed internally. That was a hard-earned truth, dammit!
I almost sat up, but managed to restrain myself. The others didn't need to know I was awake yet.
Still, I couldn't help the irritation bubbling up inside me.
"Lost due to… absolute depletion?" I grumbled in my mind. "You mean it just poofed because I overused it? Great. Fantastic system design. Ten out of ten, would die again."
My fingers twitched against the dirt as I forced myself to stay still.
So Rage Rush was gone.
I stared at the firelight flickering across the nearest faces, feeling the loss settle in like a slow burn.
That truth and it's lie, technically — had saved my life.
And now it was gone.
I sighed. "Figures."
Still, the message replayed in my head:
Truth lost due to absolute loss of essence.
Truth. Not skill.
That word stood out.
every ability here was tied to something deeper, a personal core. A Truth. And the flip side of every Truth… was a Lie.
For me? Rage Rush hadn't been mine.
I'd borrowed it.
Copied it.
Or maybe stolen it, depending on how the system chose to phrase it.
So when my essence ran out — when I no longer had enough to sustain it — the Truth itself rejected me.
I stared into the fire, the flames dancing in my reflection.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"Well," I muttered softly, "guess even lies have expiration dates."
If someone heard, they didn't show it.
The blond boy had started whispering again, something about how unfair the trials had been. The girl beside him rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath about weaklings.
Across the camp, a group of three were arguing over whether to move closer to the inner valley or stay put. One of them was sharpening a blade made of dark glass, its edge glinting like obsidian. Another sat cross-legged, hands glowing faintly — probably a healer type.
I tried to take it all in. The dynamic, the hierarchy, the unspoken alliances already forming.
This was no random gathering.
This was a competition disguised as cooperation.
And right now, I was the weakest one here — at least on paper.
I flexed my fingers, feeling the dull ache under my skin. My essence reserves ticked faintly in the corner of my vision. Ninety-five points. Barely enough to use anything worthwhile.
Still, it was something.
"Let's not do that again," I whispered.
The system pulsed briefly — like it was amused.
> [Acknowledged.]
"Did you just acknowledge my sarcasm?" I whispered under my breath, eyes widening slightly.
No response.
"Right," I muttered, "selective hearing. Perfect."
My thoughts drifted back to the fight — the blur of motion, the pain, the sheer impossibility of what I'd done. The way I'd copied the creature's ability, used it, survived because of it.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
None of this was.
Still, the system had responded. It had adapted. Which meant maybe—just maybe—I could push it again.
But for now…
I sighed and settled back into the dirt, feigning sleep again.
Let them talk. Let them relax. Let them think I was still down.
I needed the time to plan — to process what I'd learned.
Because if there was one thing this day had proven… it was that power came with a price.
And for someone like me, borrowing from others meant I was always one breath away from breaking.
Still—
Ha. I chuckled softly in my head. Who would've thought a lie would come in handy?
Without that it,there was absolutely no way I could endure soo much pain and strain with my human instincts
I closed my eyes again, listening to the crackle of the fire and the distant hum of the forest.
Sleep didn't come easy, not after everything. But exhaustion wasn't something you argued with — not when your body had already made the decision for you.
And as I drifted somewhere between consciousness and dreams, one final thought slipped through my mind:
Maybe… just maybe… this exam wasn't about awakening your Truth.
Maybe it was about surviving your own Lie.