Raiden Alaric

Stepping through the rift felt like walking through a sheet of electricity. My skin buzzed for a second, then I was somewhere completely different.

It's a different sensation than using Chronos' portals.

I stood on a stone path cutting through dense forest. Huge trees twisted up around me, their bark dark and rough, with thick vines hanging down between the trunks. Blue and green light filtered through the canopy, and small glowing dots drifted through the air like oversized fireflies.

The air felt heavier here, charged with aura. I could sense it in the trees, the ground, even the floating lights. Everything had that same energy signature I'd felt from the rift itself.

Sol appeared next to me with a flash of purple light, stumbling as he materialized.

"That was intense," he said, catching his balance.

Other candidates were appearing around the entry area in flashes of purple light. A few looked sick from the transition. One girl was bent over dry heaving while her teammate rubbed her back, and another guy sat on the ground holding his head like he had a migraine. Most didn't waste time looking around, though. They immediately started jogging or running off in different directions like they were in a hurry. A few groups were already disappearing down various paths.

I glanced at my bracelet. It glowed blue and showed a basic map with our location marked as "Entry Point." The score display read: 0 Points. As well as a 24-hour countdown.

"Everyone's moving fast," Sol observed, watching the last few candidates sprint away from the entry point.

"Yeah, we should probably get going too," I said.

We started walking along the stone path deeper into the forest. The floating lights drifted around us, and I could hear water running somewhere ahead. Stone platforms floated at different heights throughout the trees, some small enough to step on, others big enough to hold entire tree trunks. Vine bridges connected some of them.

Guess physics work differently here.

The path split into three directions ahead of us. One went uphill toward some terraced slopes, another headed deeper into thick forest, and the third followed the sound of water.

"Which way?" I asked.

Sol closed his eyes for a moment, and I could sense his aura shifting as he enhanced his hearing. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and pointed toward the sound of water. "Water. Animals need to drink, and we can track them from there."

We took the path toward the water sounds. My bracelet tracked our movement, marking explored areas on its map.

After a few minutes of walking, I checked my bracelet again. Still 0 points. Well, I mean, it's not like I was expecting points to appear magically, but… something nagged at me.

"Hey," I said, slowing down. "You know, come to think of it... they never told us how much we were supposed to get in order to pass."

Sol stopped walking and looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's the passing score? Do we need a hundred points? Five hundred? A thousand?" I held up my bracelet. "Everyone just ran off like they knew something we didn't."

Sol's expression shifted as the implication hit him. We shared a look.

Oh shit.

"We need to move," Sol said.

We started running down the path toward the water sounds, our footsteps echoing off the stone. The floating lights scattered out of our way as we picked up speed.

They'd done this on purpose. Not telling us the passing score meant everyone would try to get as many points as possible. Zero chance of failing that way. Plus it created competition, with everyone wanting to be ranked higher than their peers instead of just trying to pass. From the way Sol's pace steadied into a more controlled rhythm, I could tell he'd figured it out too.

Neither of us slowed down.

After a few minutes of running, the trees opened up to reveal a wide river flowing over smooth rocks. The water had that same blue glow as everything else here, and I could see small fish darting around beneath the surface.

Sol immediately turned upstream without stopping. "Less disturbed habitat this way. Better wind advantage too."

I could sense his aura was already enhanced around his ears and eyes. The guy was in full hunting mode. I pushed my own aura to sharpen my hearing and sight, following his lead.

The forest sounds became clearer. Bird calls from the canopy, the rustle of leaves, insects buzzing. My enhanced vision picked up movement I would have missed before. A flash of blue between distant trees, the way branches swayed differently when something moved through them rather than just wind.

Sol stopped suddenly and crouched by the riverbank. "Tracks."

I moved closer to look. Clear prints in the soft mud. Some looked like they could be from the Aetheric Boars, based on the size and shape. Others were smaller, probably Hares.

"Fresh?" I asked quietly.

Sol nodded, studying the impressions. "Very recent. Maybe an hour old."

"How can you tell?"

Sol pointed to the edges of the prints. "See how the mud is still clean-cut? If these were older, the edges would start to crumble or get washed smooth by the river. Plus, there's still moisture beading at the bottom of the deeper impressions." He gestured to a particularly clear boar track. "And look at this one. The water seepage pattern shows it was made when the ground was at current moisture levels, not when it was drier or wetter."

He stood up and studied the area around the tracks. "Now, following them. You don't just look for the next print, you read the whole path. See how these prints are spaced? That's a walking pace, not running. The boar was relaxed, probably coming down to drink."

Sol moved away from the riverbank, eyes scanning the ground. "Look for disturbed vegetation, broken twigs, displaced stones. Animals leave a trail even when they're not stepping in mud." He pointed to a patch of grass that looked slightly flattened. "There, see how those stems are bent in the direction it was moving?"

He started following the trail away from the river, moving slowly and deliberately. "Can you move more quietly?" he asked softly.

I shifted my movement, placing my steps more carefully. At the same time, I pulled my aura in completely, concealing it rather than just passively suppressing it like I'd been doing.

Sol glanced back at me after a minute, surprised. "How are you so quiet? I can barely hear you moving. And your aura, it's so suppressed it's almost like you're not there."

I wasn't sure what he meant at first, then remembered the training from the node. "Uh, Chronos trained me," I said, not sounding entirely convincing.

Sol rolled his eyes and kept moving.

We continued following the trail through the underbrush, moving carefully between the trees. The tracks led us away from the river and up a gentle slope, where the forest grew thicker.

A low snorting sound came from somewhere ahead of us, followed by the sound of something rooting through the ground.

Sol and I shared a look. He slowly drew his sword while I gripped my spear, both of us freezing in place to listen.

We crept forward through the trees until Sol held up a hand, stopping us. He pointed ahead.

Through the undergrowth, I could see it. The Aetheric Boar looked like a regular wild boar at first glance, stocky body, coarse dark fur, curved tusks. But there were lines running across its body where the fur seemed thinner, and through those lines, I could see aura flowing like glowing veins. Its eyes glowed with the same blue light as everything else in this place.

The creature was busy digging at the base of a tree, completely unaware of our presence.

Sol leaned close and whispered, "Go around to the flank and wait for my signal."

I nodded and started moving through the trees. After a few steps, I stopped and came back.

"What's the signal?" I whispered.

Sol looked at me like I was an idiot. "When you see me attack it."

"Yeah, that would be a good signal," I said, nodding.

I crept away again, circling wide around the boar's position. The creature continued rooting through the dirt, oblivious to the fact that it was about to become surrounded.

I crouched down behind a thick tree trunk and waited. Up close, the boar was much larger than I'd expected. It was almost as tall as me when it lifted its head.

I'm in for something interesting.

The boar sniffed around the area, then started walking in Sol's direction. It moved off to the side slightly, still focused on whatever it was looking for in the dirt.

Sol burst out from behind a tree, swinging his sword down in a powerful arc. The blade caught the boar along its side, opening a deep gash that leaked blood. The creature squealed and lurched forward.

I launched myself from my hiding spot, leaping through the air as the wounded boar ran toward my position. I landed square on its back, driving my spear down between its shoulder blades.

The spear point barely penetrated. The hide was thick, and my strike only managed to pierce maybe a couple of inches deep.

What the hell? That should have gone much deeper.

The boar went absolutely wild. It started bucking and kicking like a demented horse, trying to throw me off while blood streamed from Sol's sword wound. I gripped the spear shaft with both hands, holding on for dear life as the thing thrashed beneath me, nearly throwing me off with every violent buck.

Sol rushed in and delivered a few more slashes along the boar's flanks, each one drawing more blood but not slowing it down much.

I reinforced my arms with aura and drove the spear deeper, managing to get another several inches of penetration. The boar bucked even harder, squealing in pain.

Desperate, I pulled the spear to one side like a steering wheel. The boar actually moved in that direction, stumbling slightly.

"Oh shit, that worked," I said with a grin.

Then the boar took off running through the forest with me still on its back.

Oh shit, that worked…

I could hear Sol running after us, crashing through the underbrush behind as the boar carried me deeper into the trees.

The boar started slamming its side into tree trunks, trying to scrape me off. The first impact came without warning. Bark exploded next to my face as the creature rammed into a thick oak. I threw myself to the opposite side, barely avoiding having my ribs crushed.

Another tree, this one closer. I had to flatten myself against the boar's side as branches whipped overhead, one catching my shoulder and nearly tearing me loose. The boar was getting smarter, aiming for clusters of trees where it could pin me between trunks and branches.

This thing is going to kill me.

A massive pine loomed ahead, and the boar angled directly toward it. At the last second, I leaned hard away from the impact, my legs swinging out as the boar's side scraped against the rough bark. Splinters and pine needles exploded around us.

An idea hit me.

"Sol! Run ahead!" I shouted over the thundering hooves and crashing branches.

Sol's voice came from somewhere behind us. "What?!"

"Trust me! Get ahead of us!"

I saw Sol nod through the trees, then his aura flared around him like golden fire. He shot forward with enhanced speed, weaving between trees faster than the boar's sprint, disappearing ahead of our chaotic path.

The boar crashed through a stand of smaller saplings, branches snapping like gunshots around us. I could feel its rhythm now. The way it planted its hooves, how its weight shifted when it prepared to turn or ram into something.

I leaned hard to the left, putting all my weight on that side. The boar's momentum carried it in that direction, just like before. Its head turned, following its body as it angled toward a cluster of trees on the left side of our path.

Then I pushed off the ground with my feet, using the boar's back like a springboard. For a split second, I was airborne above the charging creature. I swung my legs over to the right side and came down hard, yanking the spear like a rudder and throwing all my weight in the opposite direction.

The boar's head snapped right, its body following in a much sharper turn than it had been prepared for. Its hooves scrambled for purchase on the leaf-covered ground, but the momentum was too much. The creature's legs went out from under it, and it crashed onto its side with a thunderous impact that shook the ground.

I rolled away as we went down, barely avoiding being crushed underneath the massive body.

The boar slid across the forest floor in a shower of dirt and leaves, and Sol was right there waiting. His golden aura blazed around his sword as he delivered a devastating horizontal slash across the creature's exposed underbelly. The blade cut deep, and the boar's struggles immediately began to weaken.

Sol moved quickly to the boar's neck and made a clean cut across its throat. The creature's movements slowed, then stopped entirely as it bled out.

I pulled my spear free and walked around to where Sol was standing. We bumped fists, both breathing hard as we looked down at our first kill.

I watched the boar's body with interest as I rolled my shoulder. The aura that had been flowing through those lines in its fur was settling, almost stagnating now that the creature was dead. It was fascinating to see how the energy behaved differently in death.

"Who gets to cut into it and find the core?" I asked, wiping sweat from my forehead.

Sol gestured to the boar. "I dealt the killing blow, so I get to sit this one out. All you."

I pulled out the small dagger from my equipment and knelt by the boar. I could sense where the aetheric core was. Somewhere in the chest cavity, glowing faintly with residual aura. I started cutting through the tough hide, following the sensation until my blade hit something solid and crystalline.

"Got it," I said, carefully extracting a small, glowing crystal about the size of my thumb.

I stared at the core in my palm, surprised by how much aura was packed into something so small. The energy radiating from it felt dense, concentrated in a way that made my own aura respond just from holding it.

"Damn," Sol said, looking at the crystal with wide eyes. "I can feel that thing from here. How much aura is in that little rock?"

I tossed it to him. Sol caught it and examined the core closely, turning it over in his hands. "This is incredible. It's like holding a battery made of pure energy."

He looked at his bracelet, then held it up toward the core. The crystal suddenly vanished from his hand, absorbed into the device.

Both our bracelets pinged simultaneously. I looked down at mine - the display now showed: 50 Points.

"Fifty points for one boar," Sol said, checking his own bracelet. "Not bad."

I started tapping and swiping at the bracelet's surface, curious if it would show me anything else. After a moment, a holographic display projected above the device, showing a list:

AETHERIC QUARRY - POINT VALUES

Aetheric Hare: 20 points

Aetheric Boar: 50 points

Aetheric Wolf: 75 points

Aetheric Bear: 150 points

Aetheric Wisp: 200 points

"Well, that's useful," I said, showing Sol the display. "Now we know what we're looking for and what it's worth."

Sol nodded. "Yeah, we know the point values, but just not how many points we need to pass. So let's get a move on it and find some more."

I agreed, and we started moving deeper into the forest.

—

Four hours later, I checked my bracelet as we took a brief rest by another stream. The display showed our progress: 255 Points.

Two more boars, four hares, and one wolf. The wolf had been tricky. Faster and smarter than the boars, with pack instincts even when alone. But Sol's tracking skills and my combat adaptability were getting better with each hunt.

Is this good? Bad? Average?

I had no idea if 255 points in four hours was putting us ahead of the pack or behind it. For all I knew, other teams were sitting on 500 points already.

What surprised me more was how massive this rift was. We'd been moving for hours and hadn't seen a single other group or solo hunter. The place felt endless, like we could walk for days without covering all the terrain.

We were sitting on top of the latest boar's corpse, both of us catching our breath. I looked at the dead creature beneath us and had a thought.

"Should we hang any meat up or something?" I asked. "We're going to be here for twenty-four hours. We'll have to eat at some point."

Sol nodded. "We can definitely eat, but we'd need to carry it around with us if we want to keep hunting."

He gestured toward the stream nearby. "Next boar or hare we kill, I'll show you how to butcher it and clean it in the river. Then we can hang it in the cold water so it stays fresh. We can grab it later when we make camp."

I nodded, and we got up to start looking for our next target.

"Let's go for a bear," Sol said. "One fifty points would be a nice boost."

As we started walking, I thought about our hunts so far. "That wolf was actually really difficult. Good thing we managed to take it down without getting hit, you with your sword work and me having the range advantage with the spear."

"Yeah, but if we run into more than one wolf, we'd have a problem," Sol agreed. "Wolves are smart and are usually pack hunters, so we got lucky."

I grimaced, remembering our encounters. "The boars are still the real issue though. That hide is like armor. And the hares..." I touched my forehead where a bruise was forming. "Hares are just annoying.' They were small, fast, and apparently I'm not above getting clotheslined by a tree branch while chasing one.

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Sol chuckled. "That was a cinematic clothesline. You actually flipped from how fast you hit the tree."

"Thanks for the sympathy," I muttered.

Sol started leading us away from the stream, heading toward higher ground where the trees grew thicker and older.

"Bears like dense forest with good cover," he explained as we climbed a gradual slope. "They need territory that can support their size, so they'll claim areas with plenty of food sources and shelter. The bigger trees up here provide both."

He pointed to some scratch marks on a massive oak trunk as we passed. "See those? Too high and too deep for anything smaller. And bears like to be near water, but not right on top of it like the boars. They prefer to have multiple water sources within their territory rather than camping at one spot."

We continued uphill, and I noticed the forest was getting quieter. Fewer bird calls, less rustling in the underbrush.

"The other animals avoid bear territory," Sol said, noticing my observation. "So if we're not hearing much wildlife, we're probably in the right area."

Sol suddenly stopped and held up his hand. He was sniffing the air, his expression shifting to something more serious.

I raised an eyebrow but caught the scent too, musky, wild, with an undertone of something I couldn't quite identify.

Blood?

Then I heard it. Heavy footsteps. Deep, rumbling breathing that seemed to echo between the trees.

"This is different from what I'm used to," Sol whispered. "That sounds much larger than a regular bear."

He pointed up into the canopy. "Get into the trees. Now."

We both jumped, grabbing branches and pulling ourselves up into the thick foliage. Sol held a finger to his lips, his eyes serious as he mouthed the words: stay quiet.

I suppressed my aura completely and remained perfectly still, listening to the approaching sounds. Whatever was coming our way, it was big.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as the creature got closer. I could hear it sniffing the ground, following some trail through the underbrush.

Then I saw it.

Holy shit.

The Aetheric Bear was obscenely huge. We were at least twenty to thirty feet up in the trees, but the creature looked to be ten feet tall even on all fours. If it stood on its hind legs, it would tower above us.

But what made my blood run cold wasn't just its size. The bear was clearly wounded. Arrows jutted from its thick hide, broken spear shafts protruded from its shoulders and flanks, and daggers were embedded in various spots across its body. Deep cuts crisscrossed its dark fur, some still weeping blood. Red aura light flickered and pulsed through the wounds and around the embedded weapons, like the creature's life force was trying to heal around the foreign objects.

Other candidates did this. And it's still alive.

The bear continued sniffing the ground, its massive head swaying back and forth as it searched for something. Every movement made the broken weapons shift in its flesh, but the creature didn't seem to notice or care.

I glanced at Sol and saw he was wearing the same expression I probably had. A mixture of awe and terror. This thing had clearly tangled with other examinees and survived. They hadn't managed to take it down.

Looking closer at the bear's claws, I realized they were far bigger than the scratch marks we'd seen on that tree earlier. Those massive talons could probably tear through a person like paper.

We should stay up here. Wait for it to move on. This thing is way too dangerous.

But even as I thought that, my heart started thumping harder in my chest. I grabbed at my shirt, feeling my pulse accelerate. My breathing grew heavier, and despite every rational thought screaming at me to stay hidden, a grin began crawling across my face.

Look at that thing. It survived multiple teams and it's still going. What a fight that would be.

I looked at Sol. He saw the expression on my face and just gave me a look that said: Well, if you're in, I'm in.

Before either of us could move, the bear suddenly turned its massive head in our direction. It sniffed the air for a long moment, and I held my breath.

After what felt like an eternity, the creature turned away and continued walking through the area. We remained perfectly still as the massive bear slowly moved past our position, its heavy footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

Thank you aura suppression…

Only when the forest fell silent again did we jump down from the trees.

"That's not the bear that made those claw marks," Sol said quietly, staring in the direction the creature had gone.

I looked back along the path the wounded bear had taken. "Want to follow where it came from? Maybe we can find where that fight happened."

Sol nodded. "Could be camps or gear left behind."

We started backtracking the bear's trail, following the disturbed undergrowth and occasional blood drops.

Maybe someone's bracelet got taken off. If we find it, we might be able to get their cores.

After following the trail for ten minutes, we found it.

The area looked like a war zone. Trees were knocked down everywhere, some snapped in half like toothpicks, others completely uprooted with their massive root systems torn from the earth. The ground was churned up and scarred with deep gouges that could only have come from the bear's claws.

Blood was splattered across multiple spots. Dark stains soaked into the dirt, streaks painted across tree bark, and drops that had somehow reached branches fifteen feet off the ground. The metallic smell hung heavy in the air.

Torn pieces of clothing hung from broken branches like grim flags. I spotted what looked like part of a jacket sleeve, a strip of pants leg, and something that might have been a boot lace caught on a thorn bush.

Weapons were scattered everywhere throughout the clearing. Broken sword blades glinted in the filtered sunlight, splintered spear shafts jutted from the ground at odd angles, and bent daggers lay half-buried in the churned earth. Some weapons looked like they'd been snapped in half by sheer force.

The destruction spread across at least fifty feet in every direction. Whatever had happened here, it had been chaos.

Sol walked around the area slowly, studying the damage patterns like he was reading a story written in violence. "Two or three teams tried to take that bear down."

"How can you tell?" I asked.

He pointed to the scattered weapons first. "Look at all this gear. Way too many weapons for one team of three. Count them… I see at least eight different blades, and that's just what's visible."

Sol moved to a relatively clear patch of ground and crouched down. "And see these footprints? Different boot sizes, different tread patterns. Look here, this print is from a size ten boot with a deep lug sole. Over here, size seven with a smoother pattern. At least nine people, maybe more."

I looked where he was pointing but couldn't make out anything specific. Just disturbed dirt and leaves to me.

Damn, he's good at this.

I enhanced my sight with aura, scanning the area for any lingering energy signatures. Faint traces of different aura types flickered here and there. Someone had definitely used a lot of energy in this fight.

"Most of these footprint trails just stop," Sol called out from across the clearing, following invisible tracks. "They don't lead anywhere. Means they got teleported out when their bracelets detected too much damage."

"How many were sent out do you think?" I asked.

Sol studied the tracks more carefully. "Nine if I'm not mistaken. Two others are running off in different directions."

While he continued his analysis, I spotted something that caught my attention. An untouched sword in its scabbard, just laying against a tree. I walked over, wondering why it was sitting there unused.

Then I saw the makeshift camp nearby. Someone had been in the process of setting it up - a half-erected shelter, scattered supplies, a cold fire pit with kindling arranged but never lit. Clearly there had been an interruption.

Sol walked over holding several bracelets. Most of them were empty, but two had blood on them and looked like they'd been ripped off. Well, a few of them did. The rest were in fine condition. This probably means that if they get eliminated, the bracelet gets left behind after they are teleported out. I guess it's a method to let their team grab their cores if they get eliminated. Or a way for other teams to steal.

He tossed one of the bloodied ones to me. "Check the score."

I looked at the display: 120 Points.

"What's yours?" I asked.

"One ten," Sol replied, holding up the other bloody bracelet.

We held our bracelets up to the captured ones. The points transferred automatically, and our scores jumped. My bracelet now read: 375 Points.

"We should hold onto these," Sol said, pocketing his empty bracelet and several of the other empty ones we'd found. "They'd make good bait for any poachers."

I agreed and pocketed mine as well, along with a few more empty bracelets. As we prepared to leave, I picked up the abandoned sword.

"No one's gonna use it," I said with a shrug.

Sol got a dangerous glint in his eyes, looking between me and the sword. I saw that look and felt the same idea forming. A little sparring session to test out the new weapon would be fun.

We both sighed at the same time.

"Time crunch," Sol said.

"Yeah, points to hunt," I agreed.

"Let's follow one of the escapee trails," Sol said, studying the ground. "This one heads southeast."

As we started following the path, Sol pointed out blood drops on leaves and rocks every few yards. "Whoever this was got hurt in the fight. They're wounded."

The trail led us through dense undergrowth for another ten minutes before we came across a cave entrance carved into a rocky hillside. The blood drops led right up to the opening.

We nodded to each other. I aimed my spear forward and Sol drew his sword as we moved toward the cave with caution.

The cave was dark and went deeper than I'd expected. Our footsteps echoed off the stone walls as we moved forward carefully. The air inside was cooler and had a damp, earthy smell.

About twenty feet in, I could hear labored breathing echoing from somewhere ahead. It was ragged, pained, definitely someone who was hurt badly.

"Anyone there?" Sol called out, his voice bouncing off the cave walls.

The breathing suddenly stopped, like whoever it was had been holding their breath.

We paused, listening to the silence. I could feel tension radiating from deeper in the cave.

Sol took another step forward, keeping his voice calm and non-threatening. "We aren't here for your points. We saw the site where you fought the bear. We're just looking to see if you're alright."

Oh, so that's why you wanted to follow the trail. You little good Samaritan.

Still nothing. Not even the sound of breathing.

"We followed your blood trail," Sol continued, trying a different approach. "You made it pretty far from that fight. That took guts."

Silence stretched between us. I could sense fear and desperation coming from whoever was hiding.

I sent out a subtle aura pulse, barely more than a whisper of energy. The signature that came back was weak, flickering, someone whose aura was stable but clearly rattled. They were pressed against the cave wall maybe ten feet ahead of us, trying to stay as still as possible.

I stopped Sol from moving forward and took over, lowering my voice. "We know you're hurt and we aren't looking to make it worse for you. We're going to toss down our weapons so you know we aren't here to fight."

I wish I didn't mean it, but they're hurt, so it wouldn't be a satisfying fight, anyway.

I tossed my spear forward. It clattered against the stone floor. Sol dropped his sword next to it, the sound echoing through the cave.

"There," Sol said. "No weapons. We're not a threat."

We stood there empty-handed in the darkness, waiting.

"If you're hurt, we can help," Sol offered. "Just say something. If you don't want the help, we'll pick up our weapons and leave. Your choice."

More silence. I was starting to wonder if she didn't want us to approach when a weak, shaky voice finally spoke from the shadows.

"You're... not here to take my bracelet?"

"No," Sol said firmly. "We have no interest in it. Can I approach?"

The voice hesitated for a long moment. "...Okay."

"We'll come one at a time," Sol said. "Me first, then my partner."

Sol moved forward slowly, hands visible and empty. I stayed back, listening to his careful footsteps on the stone.

In the dim light, I could barely make out a figure pressed against the cave wall, a beastkin girl holding her side. She had wolf or fox's features, though the low light made it difficult to see her clearly.

"Rai, can you check the area?" Sol asked quietly. "Make sure this cave isn't another animal's territory."

"It's not," the girl said before I could move. Her voice was strained but certain. "I didn't smell any other scents here. And the entrance is too small for that bear."

"You've got a good nose," Sol said.

She laughed dryly, then winced in pain. "Good nose but I focused too much on the pain to hear you approaching."

I moved forward and squatted down next to Sol. In the darkness, I couldn't see her wounds clearly.

"Do you have a light or something?" I asked.

She nodded toward our bracelets weakly. "The cores glow if you imbue your aura into them."

Sol pulled out one of the cores we'd collected and pushed his aura into it. The crystal flared with bright light, making all of us avert our eyes.

"Too much," Sol muttered, lessening his aura flow to dim the light.

When our eyes adjusted, I could finally see her clearly. She was a wolf beastkin with ash brown hair streaked with silver and bright blue eyes, wearing what looked like academy training gear. But it was her condition that made me grimace. Deep claw marks ran across her side, her clothes were torn and bloodstained, and she looked pale from blood loss.

"Why wasn't she teleported out?" I asked.

Sol gently hovered his hand over her side, his golden aura flowing out to examine her wounds. "The cuts aren't deep enough to be considered life-threatening by the bracelet's standards. But four slashes like this would cause significant blood loss. The shock of the pain would also be a factor in making her pale."

I watched intently as his aura caressed her side, drinking in the technique. I could see how he was using his energy to probe and assess without causing additional pain.

"Few broken ribs too," Sol said quietly, "and bruising in her hip."

He looked up at me. "Do you have any spare cloth or something to wrap her wounds?"

I shook my head. "I can go check the bear site again, see if I can find anything."

"Be quick."

I sprinted out of the cave at full speed, my aura-enhanced legs carrying me back through the forest. As I ran, I found myself wondering why we were bothering to help. If Sol wanted to help though, I guess I'd help too.

Back at the site, I searched through the scattered gear until I spotted some hanging clothes at the makeshift camp. I grabbed them and was about to run back when I paused.

I might regret this.

I brought the fabric up to my nose and immediately gagged. Now I knew why they were hung up - whoever had been wearing them sweated a lot.

I did them all a service and ran to the river, soaking the clothes and cleaning them as best I could. After wringing them out, I sprinted back to the cave.

"Here," I said, handing the damp cloth to Sol.

He pulled out his dagger and started cutting the fabric into strips.

"Sorry about this," Sol said to the girl, then carefully tore her shirt, turning it into a makeshift crop top to expose the wounds properly.

He began wrapping the cloth strips around her waist, applying gentle but firm pressure to stop the bleeding. She winced and groaned, then growled at him when he tightened the bandage.

I flicked her nose. "Calm down."

Her wolf ears twitched in annoyance and she huffed at me, but she stopped growling.

Her tail kept trembling throughout the whole process, but eventually she calmed down after Sol finished wrapping her wounds.

We let her rest for a moment. Sol and I looked at each other, both wondering what our next move should be. We still had to collect points, but I could tell Sol didn't want to leave her behind.

"What's your name?" Sol asked gently.

"Luna," she replied.

Sol hesitated. "How many points do you have?"

Luna immediately got defensive, her ears flattening against her head.

"I'm not planning on taking any," Sol said quickly. "Sorry, you don't need to tell me that." He paused. "But are you going to be able to finish this exam?"

"I would have if those fools didn't try to hunt that damn bear," Luna said bitterly.

"What happened?" Sol asked.

Luna sighed, her tail curling around herself. "It started when we ran into another team..."

She shifted against the cave wall, wincing slightly. "I was with another group of beastkin. We were in a loose alliance, not really together, just working toward the same goal. We were hunting a boar when a group of humans appeared nearby."

Her ears flattened as she remembered. "They approached us and arrogantly asked for a temporary alliance. Said they wanted to hunt down bears for larger point gains. We refused, of course, but the humans insisted. They claimed they had enough talent and just needed extra hands."

Luna's voice took on a bitter edge. "They insulted us, calling us primitives but saying that's exactly why we'd be perfect for tracking. 'Your kind has natural instincts for this,' they said. Which... they weren't entirely wrong about. But we weren't planning on hunting bears so soon. Only two of us had ever seen or hunted a bear before, so we knew enough to be cautious."

She growled softly. "Unfortunately, they convinced the others with promises of easy points. I was adamant we shouldn't. But the humans..." Her fists clenched. "They kept challenging my pride as a hunter. Said I was being cowardly, that a 'true hunter' wouldn't back down from a challenge. I eventually gave in against every instinct screaming at me to walk away."

"What changed your mind?" Sol asked quietly.

Luna's ears drooped. "My pride. They knew exactly what to say to get under my skin."

She continued, her tail twitching with agitation. "While we were tracking, I became even more resistant to the idea. The tracks were massive, easily twice the size of what I'd seen before. The claw marks on trees didn't match anything in my experience. I tried to warn them, but those damn humans kept pushing us forward. They said I was making excuses."

Her blue eyes grew distant. "Eventually, we found it in an open clearing, eating a hare that had been caught in a trap outside some poor fool's makeshift camp. A free meal. I was about to suggest we back away quietly when those idiots started launching arrows without any plan or coordination."

Luna's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Then all hell broke loose."

She took a shaky breath. "It became clear immediately that those humans weren't hunters at all. Probably some snobby wannabe sect members who thought academy training was enough. They could fight well enough, sure, but they had no idea how to handle a real predator."

Her hands clenched into fists. "The bear went into a rage. It was like nothing I'd ever seen. Each swipe could send someone flying. The humans' formation fell apart instantly. One by one, the bear forced people to teleport out when their bracelets detected too much damage."

"How many were there total?" I asked.

"Seven of us, plus four humans. Eleven people." Luna's voice was grim. "I tried to help my teammates run, tried to coordinate some kind of retreat. But the bear was too fast, too smart. It cut off escape routes, herded us like prey."

She touched her bandaged side gingerly. "That's when it got me. I was helping Kael, his arm was already bleeding badly. When the bear's claws caught my side and sent me flying into a tree. The impact knocked the wind out of me. By the time I could think straight, Kael had been teleported out and most of the others were gone too."

"But you and one human were left?" Sol prompted.

Luna nodded, her ears drooping further. "Just me and one of their team. We looked at each other and had the same thought: run. I pumped aura through my legs and bolted, but the bear had lost interest in me by then. It chased the human first since they were closer."

She was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know whether or not they made it out."

The cave fell silent except for the sound of her labored breathing.

"So what should we do next?" I asked, looking between Sol and Luna.

Luna's ears flattened. "Just leave me. I can handle myself."

"We can't just leave you," Sol said firmly. "You'll fail the test if you stay here with those injuries."

"I don't need your help," Luna said stubbornly, her voice sharp with irritation.

"Look, we're trying to help you here," I said, keeping my voice reasonable.

"I never asked you to help me," she shot back.

Sol tried a gentler approach. "Luna, you're hurt. We can work together, watch each other's backs—"

"I work alone," she interrupted.

"You were just working with a team that got torn apart," I pointed out.

Her eyes flashed. "That wasn't my choice."

"And look how well that went," I said, my patience starting to wear thin.

"That's not my fault!" Luna snapped. "Those idiots wouldn't lis—"

"But you're doing the exact same thing right now," I cut her off. "Refusing help when you clearly need it."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Because I don't trust you!"

Sol held up his hands. "Look, nobody has to trust anybody. We just need to get through this exam—"

"Speak for yourself," Luna growled. "I'm not about to team up with some humans who think they know better."

I felt my irritation building. "We literally just helped patch you up."

"I didn't ask for your help," she repeated stubbornly.

I groaned and held out my hand. "Okay, you know what just give it back."

She raised an eyebrow, "Give what back?"

"The cloth that Sol used to wrap around you. You didn't ask for our help, so I don't want to intrude on your pride."

Luna gave me a look like I was insane. "W-what? Just be—."

I mocked her tone perfectly. "I didn't ask for your help."

She opened her mouth to retort, but I sat down next to her, clutching my side in exaggerated pain. "You're... not here to take my bracelet?" I said in a weak, pathetic voice.

Luna's eyes flashed with anger. "Hey, I wasn't—"

"Welp, since you don't need any help, that's that then," I interrupted, standing up and brushing off my hands. "Come on Sol, let's get a move on it. It's clear she doesn't trust us because we're humans."

Sol looked confused by my theatrics but got up, anyway. He didn't move right away, clearly still wanting to help her.

Luna just humphed and turned her head away from us, then immediately winced in pain from the movement.

When she looked back, I was stifling a laugh. "You can't even hmph without hurting yourself."

"Shut up!" Luna snapped, grabbing a small rock from the cave floor and throwing it at me.

I caught it easily. "Hey now, there's no need to get violent."

She growled, then winced again from the movement.

I squatted down and got in her face with a smirk. "Listen, we were nice enough to help you without you needing to ask. The least you can do is either thank us or keep accepting my friend's gracious help. Honestly, I don't mind leaving you here, but don't think for a second that it helps your pride. So what's it gonna be? Lick your wounds and whimper here? Or accept help when it's offered?"

Her nose and ears would be useful for tracking. But only if she's got the will to push through this.

She hesitated but didn't answer.

I stood up. "Stand up."

Sol stepped forward. "Rai, maybe—"

I waved him off. "Stand up," I repeated to Luna.

If she can't even get up, she's no use to anyone. But if she's got real determination under all that pride...

She tried to push herself up from the cave wall, but winced with the effort and couldn't manage it.

"You can't even stand," I said bluntly. "So you have no room to talk. Either own up to your decisions or—" I pulled out my dagger. "I can send you back so you can get proper help."

Sol immediately grabbed my wrist. "Rai, what are you thinking?"

I spoke nonchalantly. "What? She clearly doesn't like the fact that a human is telling her what to do, and it's challenging her pride. So she's either gotta sink or swim."

Come on. Show me you're stronger than this. We could use someone with your senses.

Luna groaned and finally pushed herself up from the cave wall, standing while holding her side. She gave me a determined stare despite the obvious pain.

I smiled. "That's more like it." I put the dagger away and started walking toward the cave entrance.

There it is. That's the real her.

Luna looked down with an angry expression, her fists clenched, her breathing still ragged from the effort of standing.

I stopped before leaving the cave and picked up the spear I'd tossed to the ground earlier. "So, you coming? Or you planning to continue with the lone wolf thing?"

Her ears perked up sharply, as if catching a distant sound. She humphed, but her gaze flicked toward the cave entrance with unease. "Fine. But only until I can ditch you both." She hobbled forward, her nose twitching as she sniffed the air.

Sol fell into step beside her, casting worried glances back. "What just happened?"

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