The mont we stepped out of the labyrinth, I thought my eyes were going to burn out of my skull. For days we had been trapped in darkness, running from death at every turn.
The sunlight hit like a hamr, blinding , forcing to lift a hand to shield my face. Around , others groaned and squinted, blinking furiously as we adjusted.
We were now back out in the open finally glad to be free from the humid stale air of the labyrinth. Tanaka led the way foward amd we all just followed.
As we continued to walk I started to notice that the place was familiar that I'd been here before and that's when I saw the clearing from the night we sneaked out to watch the pack shift.
"We're back at school" I said to Rina who looked at and said "You hadn't noticed?"
"It's not like I'm allowed to roam about these parts of the school grounds" I replied.
"Good point" she replied.
Then I heard it, clapping.
At first, I thought my ears were playing tricks on . After all the screaming, crashing stone, the roars of the Minotaur, the sound of applause felt out of place.
But as we moved foward the clapping grew louder, joined by cheering and shouts of excitent. I lowered my hand, my eyes slowly adjusting, and my stomach turned at the sight before .
Rows upon rows of students stood in front of us, their faces alight with excitent. Teachers lined the front, their expressions varying from stern pride to genuine relief. So students were jumping and whistling, others chanting the nas. They were clapping for us.
My heart pounded in my chest as I just stood there, frozen and unsure what to do.
Then the crowd parted to reveal the Headmistress as she walked forward.
Headmistress Katherine was always a striking figure. The crowd imdiately hushed when she raised her hand.She then swept her eyes over the crowd before her, looking at us with a satisfied look.
"You have done well," she said. "You have done better than I hoped"
"The first trial," she continued, "was not one of strength nor of power, nor of endurance but one of unity. You were forced into the dark not to prove how strong you are, but to prove how strong you can be together. Alone, you would have fallen but together, you survived"
She paused, letting the words hang in the air.
"Each faction has it's own strenghts but so do they have their own weakness. Relying on one another males uonfor these weak points. These can carry you beyond what you imagine. That is why our ancestors laid down their arms centuries ago, why they stopped fighting one another and chose instead to build together. That is why the labyrinth demanded your cooperation and that is why only when you started working together did you finally succeed"
Her gaze shifted, landing on , and I felt my stomach twist.
"Alex," she said, her tone carrying warmth. "Your courage and clarity were pivotal. You saw beyond fear and instinct and you understood what was required to overco the Minotaur"
Heat rose to my face, and I fought the urge to look away. My mind flashed back to the Minotaur's roar and how scared I was, how the ground shoke beneath its hooves, the way we had fought not as scattered individuals but as a united unit because Tanaka had held us together, because we trusted each other enough to risk everything.
"And Orin," she said, turning to the witch boy. His golden eyes flicked up at her "Your mastery of magic, your quick wit, and your steady leadership guided not just your group, but others as well. You proved yourself worthy of more than talent you proved yourself to be a capable leader."
Orin inclined his head respectfully, though his lips curled just slightly at the corners.
She turned next to the leaders. "Tanaka, Alpha of your pack,you embodied what it ans to lead. You placed your pack first, fought with courage, and showed the strength of unity. Nyssa, your cunning and adaptability guided your people through peril and reminded us of the ferocity of the werecats. Selene, your determination and control of magic held the balance when chaos threatened to tear you apart and Viera you saved the witches from drowning the mont the trial began, that my dear was a bold and good choice. Wetger or not you are competing against each other, helping one another when in danger or in need is a comndable action"
"But then again there are those who acted out irrationally. Damien" she said looking at him "Each ti you stirred trouble looking to fight with others, that my boy is not comndable"
Damien looked at the ground ashad for being called out in public
"But in the end you did work with others to bring down the minotaur so perhaps there's hope for you yet"
Damien just smirked at that.
Her eyes swept back across us all. "Go now, wash, rest. Tonight, we will feast in honor of your success"
The mont she finished addressing us the crowd exploded again. The clapping, the cheering the shouting, it all rushed back like a wave crashing over us. My chest felt heavy but this ti it was with pride.
We bowed our heads slightly in thanks and then began moving toward our towers.
On the way I heard my na.
"Alex!"
I turned to see William jogging and waving down with that familiar easy grin. He caught up and fell into step beside .
"Hey man" he said.
"Hey " I replied glad to see him.
"You did really good, you know. Had us all on the edge of our seats."
I blinked "You were all watching?"
William chuckled "Of course, you do realize this is a magical academy, right? How else do you think the staff wluld keep an eye on you guys? They weren't just going to lock you in a death trap and not keep an eye on what was happening."
That made sense.
"Are the trials always this dangerous?" I asked as we entered our tower.
He shrugged "Hard to say, this is my first year too. I know they're ant to test us, but honestly? Feels like they went a little overboard with this one. You guys could've died more tis than I could count."
"Glad to know I wasn't the only one who noticed," I muttered "You said earlier that they don't let students die in the trials. How true is that, really?"
William hesitated. "Mmm, I'd have to ask around to be sure. I do know the teachers monitor everything closely, but… saying there are no accidents would be pushing it."
I sighed "Figured "
By the ti we reached our room, I felt like I was carrying lead in my limbs. Every muscle ached, every thought was heavy. "Man, I'm beat, hungry and tired. I need a hot shower and at least three days of sleep."
"I hear you," William said with a grin. "Go rest, we'll catch up later."
He left, and I shut the door behind . I glanced around the room,it felt almost unreal to be back here, with the familiar walls, the neat little space that felt safe.
I stripped off my filthy, blood-streaked clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water scald against my skin. The steam filled the small space, and I closed my eyes, letting myself finally breathe.
Safe.
That's what I told myself. That's what this place was supposed to be.
But then I felt it. The sa tingling at the back of my neck I had felt a couple of weeks ago, like soone was watching .
My eyes snapped open, water dripping down my face. Slowly, I turned, my gaze darting to the corners of the room, to the fogged glass, to the shadowed spaces behind .
But no one was there and yet, the feeling didn't fade.
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