"I'll now explain the rules," Alaric continued.
"This year, we have decided that you will play capture the flag."
Capture the flag? Aziel had never heard of it.
"However, you won't be playing in teams, but everyone for themselves."
At this point, Aziel noticed many strange looks. Everyone, but him, seemed to know that this was out of the ordinary.
"You will all start with a flag," Alaric continued, pulling out a small red flag in his hand. "Your objective is to capture as many of these flags as possible from other candidates. You may use any method except magic."
Thank God, Aziel exhaled, his muscles relaxing.
He was proud of his physical capabilities, but he still couldn't overcome a big obstacle called magic. He had realized how powerful it truly was in the second part of the magic exam, where he was utterly helpless against the judges. Now that his biggest obstacle was no more, he would not let this fortuitous opportunity out of his grasp.
"Each flag has a value of ten points, and when you lose them all, you are eliminated, gaining zero points."
The pressure had suddenly risen. Aziel had previously evaluated that he needed to gain at least four hundred points, which meant that he would have to gather forty flags. He would also have to be way more careful; one mistake and it's all over.
"Don't try to cheat because we have safety measures in place. When you enter the forest, you will also enter a magic barrier. Once you lose your flags, you will be automatically transported outside."
Aziel listened intently. He was amazed by the countless possibilities that magic provided.
"Your flags must be on you and visible at all times."
Next, Alaric again used his spell to distribute the flags. Aziel tucked his flag behind his pants, near the belly button, where he could easily reach for it if need be.
When everyone had their flag, Alaric led them deep into the forest. Aziel noticed that this forest was nothing like the one he had grown up in. Reminded, he imagined himself back in the forest that surrounded Grimm's forge — verdant trees, their dense canopy obscuring the sunlight with birds chirping and playing in the branches. It was a scene full of green, bristling with life.
Then, he was pulled back into reality. Surrounding him were very tall, gnarled trees with few branches at the top. These branches were thin, like life had been sucked out of them. There were barely any leaves left, which, together with fog, made for an eerie atmosphere.
Alaric led the group to a large clearing.
"We will start now. After five hours, all the remaining candidates will have their flags counted and points assigned."
Aziel barely had a look around when Alaric started counting: "Three, two…"
What?! Already? I know he said now, but he could at least give us a minute.
Aziel noticed that many were, like him, rapidly turning their heads, scanning all directions.
"One, go!" Alaric shouted.
In an instant, chaos took over. Hundreds of people sprinted into the forest, wanting to put some distance between themselves and the others. Many, on the other hand, started fighting right away, which resulted in candidates being eliminated right at the start. Some were unlucky, stumbling and falling, only to be trampled by the crowd.
Aziel also wanted to first make some distance between himself and others. He broke into a sprint, aiming for the area he estimated was the furthest away from the majority. He was very fast, taking a lead with around a hundred or so behind him.
When he reached the outer reaches of the clearing, he didn't stop, but ventured forward.
Huff, huff, after ten minutes of sprinting, Aziel broke out of the pack and was now completely alone. Scouting the surroundings, Aziel snapped a branch. Afterwards, he found a sharp rock which he used to sharpen the tip of his branch, creating an improvised spear. It would help him greatly in combat. Aziel wasn't an expert in combat, but even he knew that extending his reach would give him a great advantage.
Since Aziel knew he had lots of flags to get, he went hunting right away.
He moved stealthily until he found his first target. A young boy was sitting on the grass, his back resting on a tree trunk, his face twisted in pain. His arms were wrapped around his right leg as he frantically searched around for any threats.
Upon seeing this, Aziel didn't hesitate. He knew that his enemy couldn't run, so he charged straight, arriving before the man before the other could even get up.
"Give me your flag," Aziel demanded.
The boy studied Aziel for a moment before turning around and running away.
He wasn't fast with his injured leg, so Aziel caught up to him with ease and tripped him.
Arghh, the man grunted in pain as he fell to the ground.
"I don't want to injure you any further, so please hand over your flag."
The boy started crying.
"Please don't take it. I… I need this to get into the academy."
Aziel sighed.
He didn't care if this was real or just made up. He had to take care of himself first. It might seem ruthless, but that's how the world was. Either you were strong enough on your own, or you had others to lean on.
Since the boy didn't want to give up his flag, Aziel had no choice. He bent down, forcefully restrained him, and took his flag.
The next second, the boy vanished on the spot, and Aziel now had two flags.
Just as Aziel was pondering over where to go next, the small shrub not far away from him rustled, and a figure flew out, attacking Aziel head-on.
Aziel swung his spear and forced the figure to stop halfway. When he finally stopped, Aziel's eyes locked on a familiar face: a boy with unruly orange curls, one of those who had always openly mocked him during exams.
"Look around you, commoner," the boy said, a mocking smile appeared on his face.
Aziel furrowed his brows and turned around slowly, just to see five figures walking from the shadows, completely surrounding him.
His heart dropped.