Professor Damian's voice rings once more:
"Quiet down children, The third and final round will be held tomorrow at the Great Forest, so now rest and we'll explain the rest tomorrow"
"Wow the day ended so fast"Says Tristan as he looks at the setting sun. "But do really have to go rest now" Says Tena with an upset and disappointed look on her face
"Yes Tena we have to be well prepared tomorrow for the exams" Responds Felthart while stretching his arms
"Yes...Yes, I understand" Says Tena with an even more disappointed look. "And actually Felthart where are you sleeping tonight anyway?"Asks a curious Tena
"Oh yes I wanted to ask too" Says Tristan
"The rooms that the academy provides for us ofcourse" Responds Felthart with confidence
"Rooms that the academy provides!!??" Says the shocked Tena and Tristan at the same time
"Yea ,am sure I didn't stutter" Says Felthart
"But there are none such rooms Felt" Says Tena as she laughs
"What do you mean there are no such rooms?"Asks Felthart
"Well the academy does not provide the potential students with rooms so most just set camp nearby or book a inn, am surprised you didn't know that!" Explains Tristan
"Ofcourse I don't know of this i showed up slept at the hospital bed for my whole stay, and I didn't even buy some camping gear" Says a worried Felthart
*Damn that old man(the headmaster who recommended him to join) sure is cheap, he can't even provide some rooms for his potential students* Says Felthart in his mind
"You can sleep at my camp Felt" Says a cheerful Tena
"Nah i can't ask you for that am sure I'll do just fine in that forest" Answers Felthart
"No, its too cold out and that forest is dangerous who know what will happen" Says a worried Tena
*Damn it, i know am gonna be just fine because I have lived in a forest for 2 years now, but I can't tell them that since they'll get to suspicious* Says Felthart in his mind
"Sure why not Tena, let's go" Says a reluctant Felthart
" I guess I'll see you two tomorrow" Says Tristan as he goes off
Tomorrow morning
"Felt...Felt...Felt, Wake up its time to go" Says Tena as she stands besides the camping bag Felthart is sleeping in
"I hear you Tena am up, okay!" Says Felthart with a annoyed sleepy voice
1 hr later
"Felthart...Tenalia" Calls out Tristan as Felthart and Tena walk in the Hall
Then Felthart and Tena head towards Tristan
"You guys finally made it, how was your sleep" Asks Tristan
"Great "
"Horrible"
Answers Tena and Felthart at the same time
"Horrible?" Tena crossed her arms, pouting as she looked at Felthart. "I literally offered you my best sleeping bag, Felt! How could it be horrible?"
"Because you kept kicking in your sleep," Felthart muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he let out a long sigh. "And you talk in your sleep. Something about... giant meat buns?"
Tristan burst out laughing, clapping a hand over his mouth as Tena's face flushed bright red. "Hey! That was a private dream!" she hissed, trying to swat Tristan's arm.
Before their bickering could escalate, the heavy wooden doors at the front of the hall slammed open. The echoing thud immediately cut off all chatter. Hundreds of remaining applicants turned as Professor Damian stepped forward onto the central platform, flanked by Professor Aled and a dozen other instructors.
"Attention," Damian's voice echoed throughout the room, infused with enough Force to silence the room instantly. His silver eyes swept over the crowd, landing briefly on Felthart before moving on.
"The final test will take place in the Whispering Woods—a wild, unmanaged zone just beyond the academy's northern barrier," Damian announced calmly. "Your objective is simple: survival and acquisition."
Aled stepped forward, holding up a small, shimmering silver token stamped with the Emberhaven crest.
"Each of you will be handed one of these Crest Tokens before entering," Aled explained. "To pass the final round and officially secure your place as a student of Emberhaven, you must exit the forest in precisely twenty-four hours with at least three tokens in your possession."
A collective murmur ripple through the crowd.
"Wait..." Tristan murmured, his cheerful demeanor fading into a sharp, analytical focus. "There are roughly three hundred of us left. If everyone starts with one token, and we need three to pass..."
"Only one hundred people can pass at most," Felthart finished quietly. "And that's assuming every single passing student collects exactly three. In reality, the number will be much lower."
"Precisely," Damian's voice cut through the whispers. "You are free to acquire tokens by any means necessary—duels, stealth, or trickery. However, lethal force is strictly prohibited. The protective barriers on your wrists will transport you out of the forest if you sustain critical injuries, but doing so means immediate failure."
Damian raised his hand, pointing toward the massive iron gates leading into the dark canopy of the Whispering Woods.
"You have ten minutes to scatter into the forest before the hunt officially begins," Damian declared. "Move."
Without waiting for a second command, dozens of students rushed through the iron gates, disappearing into the dense foliage to find hiding spots or set up ambushes.
"So, what's the plan?" Tena asked, her playful tone gone, replaced by a sudden, intense focus. "Do we stick together?"
"Forming a group early makes us a bigger target," Tristan reasoned, checking the straps on his light armor. "Besides, if we travel as a group, we'll have to find nine tokens total between the three of us."
"Tristan's right," Felthart said, adjusting the daggers hidden inside his coat. "We split up for now. Gather your tokens quickly, keep your head down, and don't trust anyone who approaches you with a friendly smile."
"Does that include me?" Tena grinned teasingly.
"Especially you," Felthart replied with a tiny, subtle smirk. "I'll see you both on the other side."
With a quick nod, Tristan dashed off into the trees to the left, his movements swift and fluid. Tena gave Felthart a brief wave before springing into the thick undergrowth on the right, vanishing into the shadows.
Left alone, Felthart walked calmly past the iron gates and stepped onto the damp, mossy ground of the Whispering Woods. The thick canopy above swallowed the sunlight, plunging the forest floor into a cool, dim twilight. The scent of pine, wet soil, and distant mana filled the air.
It feels just like the wilderness I spent the last two years in, Felthart thought, taking a deep breath as a familiar sense of calm washed over him. No rules, just survival.
He didn't run. Instead, he leapt lightly into the lower branches of a massive ancient oak, moving from tree to tree with practiced, effortless grace. Within minutes, the sound of the main entrance faded, replaced by distant shouts, echoing spell crashes, and the rustle of leaves as panic broke out across the forest.
The eager ones will tire themselves out fighting right at the start, he reasoned, crouching silently on a sturdy high branch, completely concealed by the shadows. All I need to do is wait for an opportunity.
"Found you!"
A sharp wind blade sliced through the air, shearing through the thick branch right beneath Felthart's feet.
Felthart flipped backward in mid-air, landing lightly on a mossy boulder ten feet away. He looked up, his expression completely flat, as three figures stepped out from behind the tree trunks.
At the center stood a boy with a smug grin, holding a curved wind-blade saber. To his left and right were two imposing brawny students wielding heavy wooden warhammers.
"Well, well, look what we have here," the wind user sneered, spinning his saber. "If it isn't the lucky guy who got first place on the written exam. You might be smart, kid, but books won't help you in a real fight."
Felthart didn't draw his weapons. He just reached into his pocket, pulled out his single silver crest token, and tossed it idly in the palm of his hand.
"You want this?" Felthart asked softly, his blue lenses gleaming beneath his golden fringe.
"Hand it over, and maybe we won't bruise you up too bad," one of the hammer-wielders growled, taking a heavy step forward.
Felthart caught the token, slipping it back into his pocket. The air around him suddenly dropped a few degrees as a faint, icy mist began to curl around his boots.
"Come get it," Felthart said calmly.