Zeke's roar echoed throughout the forest as he rushed toward Rian and Kaito with insane speed.
"AHHH, ATTACKKK!"
A choir of voices rippled through the treeline, wild and hungry.
Zeke blinked. "Who the hell-" Before he could finish, the sound of charging footsteps thundered behind him. He turned around just in time to see a wave of students burst through the treeline behind him, eyes fierce, weapons raised, adrenaline singing in their veins. It was a full-on charge.
Dozens of them.
"What the, when did my little babysitting on the side turn into a whole bloody daycare worth of people?" Zeke muttered, baffled. A few of the students laughed, some rolled their eyes. Most were used to Zeke's weird sense of humor by now.
They surged past him, their movements surprisingly fluid as they engaged with the beasts giving the nine members of Rian's group temporary relief.
The surviving group of nine, wounded and cornered, barely standing, were immediately pulled into the protective embrace of Zeke's forces.
The group of healers led by Mira sprinted forward, hands glowing a vivid green as light bloomed across the battlefield. The green radiance pulsed as wounds sealed, fractured limbs reset with painful snaps, causing people to shiver.
Zeke exhaled slowly, gaze narrowing as he turned toward the biggest hollowed nearby.
The same beast that took Kaito's hand.
It was massive, the biggest one he has seen in the past 3 days, the shape of its body was somewhat like a big dog, just a whole lot uglier.
And it was about to die.
Zeke walked forward. His new shirt clung to his body, half-torn from days of fighting and exposure. Where once his frame was lean and wiry, it had transformed. Now, dense with defined muscle, his body honed through the continous battles he fought.
The beast snarled in challenge.
Zeke didn't flinch. He raised his blade.
Swwiiinnnngggg!
The air howled as the arc of steel traced through the beast's limb. Blood burst into the air before turning into dark mist. Thud! The leg hit the ground with a heavy thud. The monster stumbled back looking at the crazed sword wielding youth infront of him.
Kaito, seated nearby and catching his breath, watched with a strange mix of awe and exhaustion, suprised that the random stranger he met a few days ago is now protecting him.
He was just relieved to finally be reunited with both his sister and Zeke.
Zeke's attacks pressed on, dancing around the beast's desperate movements. He ducked under a claw, rolled across the blood-stained earth, and rose in one seamless motion moving as if he knew what would happen next. With one final slash, his blade sank deep into the creature's neck.
One brutal twist and with the sound of something cracking the beast collapsed.
Zeke stood over the corpse, chest rising and falling. Around him, his crew had split into small squads of ten, each group tackling a Hollow of their own. The forest echoed with magic, steel, and shouting.
Then movement behind him.
Zeke spun, blade ready.
"Woah, woah, chill dude, it's me!" came Rian's voice, strained and breathless.
Zeke lowered his sword and turned to look at Rian who was covered in blood but still grinning. "You look way to happy for someone who was almost Hollow food."
A look of annoyance briefly flashed across Rian's face mockingly, but it faded slowly, turning the joyful reunion into something more solemn. "Hah, too soon. This stupid trial, we lost so many people, what the hell is the academy thinking."
Zeke's smirk faltered.
Only now did he notice it.
The corpses. Blood-soaked earth. The quiet, dull gazes of the few that remained from Rian and Kaito's group.
Many started the day with friends some brought family, yet only a few where still alive
Zeke clenched his jaw.
This damn school.
How could they do this.
Before he could speak, two hulking figures approached. Darius and Bronn were walking over looking menacing, Both were big, muscular men.
Rian glanced between them and Zeke.
"Dude... should we run, these guys look like troub-"
"Hey, boss," Darius called out casually, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "We cleaned up the rest of the beasts. Mira is helping the others so we might need a bit of time."
Rian was baffled, he blinked a few times to make sure he was awake. "What the f- ....did you just call him boss?"
Bronn just nodded respectfully at Zeke.
Rian's face twisted in disbelief. "Zeke. Did you break his arm too or something? Seems like Jake was only the first of many armbreaks-"
Thunk!
Zeke's fist connected with Rian's shoulder.
"Ow- damn it! I'm already hurting, man!" Rian groaned dramatically, stumbling back and laughing it off.
...
A few hours later, a camp was made. Fires were lit. Lookout shifts were organized. Some stood watch with weary vigilance while others laid back, eyes staring up at the stars peeking through the trees. But overall, it was very peacefull, a quiet calm settled over the group. You'd never guess they'd spent the past week locked in a brutal life-and-death struggle.
By a big campfire, Zeke sat with Rian and Kaito. A group of students sat nearby, trying to stay withing a 20 meter radius of Zeke, maybe incase something happened.
The boys shared a drink, stories too.
"You guys saw spirits?" Rian asked, eyes wide with jealousy. "No fair. All I had was a team who couldn't even laugh at my jokes."
A soft wave of chuckles rose from the fire circle. The few remaining from Rian's squad looked away awkwardly.
Kaito sat to the side, wrapping bandages over the stump of his right arm. He strapped a curved blade to the bandages.
"Right" Zeke glanced over. "Where's Tala? Is she resting?"
Silence.
Kaito's head snapped up. "What?"
"Is she resting? I didn't get a good look at everyone before." Zeke asked, confused.
Kaito stood abruptly, eyes wide and frantic. "No, I thought she was with your big group and was off helping someone"
Zeke's face darkened realising she wasn't here. He hesistated for a second before reaching down into his cloak, everyone watched as he pulled out something slowly, passing it to Kaito.
A leather cuff.
Tala's cuff.
"I found this," Zeke said quietly. "Caught in a tree. There was no blood, no body. That means she's alive, we will find her soon."
Everyone went silent, they heard it.
The strain in his voice.
The deep sorrow.
Kaito took the cuff with trembling fingers. His eyes reddened.
"Please," he whispered, holding the fabric close. "Just... please be safe."
Zeke stared into the fire, watching the flames dance, small pieces of cinder float of into the wind.