He looked down at his bracelet.
His score was respectable.
It should have been enough to make him proud.
Yet all he could think about was how little it meant compared with the scores of those two monsters.
He had trained for years.
He had endured the same examinations, completed the same challenges, and risked his safety in the same trial.
What made them so different?
Why did they receive all the attention?
Why did the world seem to bend around people like them?
A breeze passed through the trees.
The cadet looked up.
For a moment, he thought he heard someone speaking.
"...Unfair."
He turned toward the forest.
"Who's there?"
No answer came.
He waited, listening to the distant rustle of leaves.
Then he shook his head.
Perhaps he was simply tired.
The trial had been exhausting, and he had spent too long wandering alone.
He stood up and began gathering his supplies.
As he reached for his pack, a thought entered his mind.
*You have done more than enough.*
He paused.
