After the commander's speech, the instructors handed out supplies.
Each student got a small backpack. Inside was a few cans of preserved meat, two bottles of water, a flint for making fire, and a single, red firework.
The firework was for emergencies. If you were about to die, you could shoot it into the sky. The giant eagle, or one of the instructors, would come to save you. But using it meant you failed the test.
The students started to form groups. The strong ones found other strong ones. The smart ones found other smart ones. Soon, dozens of small teams were walking into the dark forest.
But some students waited.
Ivan and Orion stood by themselves. No one came to invite them to a team.
Orion looked at the other students. He looked a little sad. "Seems nobody wants us," he said.
"I wasn't waiting for an invitation, Orion," Ivan said.
"Then why are we waiting?" Orion asked, confused.
Ivan looked at the students who were still waiting. There were about twenty of them. Most of them were big. Most of them were arrogant. They were all watching the other students go into the forest like wolves watching sheep.
"Look at them," Ivan said quietly. "The eighty percent of students still here. What do they all have in common?"
Orion looked. He squinted his eyes. He was trying hard to think. It looked like it hurt.
"Uh... no idea," he finally said.
Ivan sighed. 'Why did I even ask? I knew this dumbass wouldn't get it.'
"They're bullies, Orion," Ivan explained. "They are letting the weaker students go in first. They will let them find a place to camp. Then, tonight, they will hunt them down and steal all their supplies."
Orion looked even more confused. "But we all got food. Why would they steal now?"
Ivan tightened the straps on his own backpack. "It's not just about the food, Orion. It's about control."
He started walking, and Orion followed.
"If you steal someone's food on the first day," Ivan continued, "they become your slave. 'Go chop wood for me, and I'll give you a piece of bread.' That's how it works. Plus, this food won't last for the whole test. We will have to hunt later. They steal the canned food now so no one else gets to eat it."
Orion nodded slowly. He had a look on his face that told Ivan he did not understand at all. But he was trying.
Ivan didn't say anything else. He was lost in his own thoughts. He was remembering his first life.
He remembered this test. He and Orion had gone into the forest. They were attacked on the first night. All their food was stolen. They argued. It was a stupid argument about who was to blame. They got separated.
Then Ivan fell into a ravine. He broke his leg. He was alone, scared, and hurt. He found a small cave and hid there for days, slowly starving, until the instructors found him.
It was the most humiliating moment of his life.
'But I found a cave,' he thought. The memory was suddenly clear. 'A good cave. Hidden. Near a stream.'
That was it. That was the plan.
He turned to Orion. "Can you run? And for how long?"
Orion looked surprised. "I can run. But probably not for very long. Why?"
"It's enough," Ivan said. "Tighten your backpack. And tighten your shoelaces. We're going in."
Orion did what he was told, no questions asked. He trusted Ivan.
One moment, they were standing at the edge of the forest. The next, they were running.
They ran at full speed, sprinting past the other students who were still forming groups. Everyone else was walking slowly, trying to save their energy. Ivan and Orion were the only ones running like their lives depended on it.
'Because they do,' Ivan thought. 'They just don't know it yet.'
"Follow me!" Ivan yelled over his shoulder.
He didn't wait to see if Orion was behind him. He just trusted he was. He immediately turned off the main, wide path. He plunged into the thick trees, ducking under low branches and jumping over fallen logs.
The path was hard to remember. It was a faint memory from three years in the future, from a life of failure. But it was there. A small animal trail here. A strange-looking rock there. He pushed his weak body, his lungs burning, his legs aching. He just kept running.
After what felt like an hour, they had to stop. Orion was bent over, gasping for air. Even Ivan felt like his heart was going to explode.
"Ivan... what... what are we doing?" Orion panted.
"Almost there," Ivan said, breathing hard. "Trust me."
They walked for another ten minutes, moving more slowly now. Then, Ivan saw it. A small cliff face, covered in vines. It looked just like he remembered.
"This is it," he whispered.
They moved closer, trying to be quiet. But as they got near the cliff, they smelled something.
Smoke.
Ivan's heart sank. He held up a hand, telling Orion to stop. He slowly peeked around a large rock.
He saw the entrance to the cave. It was small and well-hidden behind a curtain of ivy.
And sitting right in front of it was a person.
It was a young man he didn't recognize. He had dark hair and was wearing simple, practical clothes, not an academy uniform. He had a small fire going. A fish was cooking over the fire, stuck on a sharp stick. It smelled delicious.
The plan was simple. Run to the cave. Hide. Survive.
But the plan was already ruined.
'Someone else found it,' Ivan thought, a cold feeling washing over him. 'Of course. My one good idea.'
He started to back away slowly, trying not to make a sound. He motioned for Orion to do the same. They had to leave. They had to find another place before it got dark.
But it was too late.
The young man by the fire didn't even turn around. He just spoke, his voice calm and clear, but it carried a strange weight.
"Hey, you," he said. "Come here."