Zain stood over the torn body of Ren, his own body a complete mess. His arms were so destroyed that his bones were visible. His trapezius muscles were torn off. Blood covered him from head to toe.
He began to stumble. Rela dashed forward and caught him before he collapsed. Dominio and I ran toward him.
So this is the capability of a berserker. I knew Zain was strong, but never this strong. Even without his claymore, he was still dangerous.
Every rookie walked away slowly, but they kept looking at us. At Ren. And especially at Zain.
We rushed to the medic room and kicked the door open. "This is an emergency!"
The old man—the head of the medical team—rushed to us. "What's going on?"
"Zain fought someone. A berserker named Ren. Zain killed him, but look at him."
Other healers ran to us and placed Zain on a bed, pushing the wheeled cart toward the locked metal door.
The old man rushed inside.
"Hey, old man. How long will Zain's recovery take? Will he even live?" Dominio followed him.
"He'll live. I can still sense his Lumin. Somehow, it's still strong." The old man didn't look back. "Now please be patient and let us do our job."
He entered the room. Green Lumin surrounded the door and lock, slamming it shut. The lock intertwined with the door handle.
I should have called the team to attack Ren with me. Or something. This shouldn't have happened. Now look at us. One of our strongest is fighting for his life as we speak.
Miscalculation after miscalculation. It's like my own mind keeps resetting. Going back to square one. First, I let Dominio attack Rowan and his men alone. Now, I let Zain fight Ren alone.
And now that this damn peace treaty is over, we're finished.
I clenched my fists. Tightened my jaw.
Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back. Dominio. For once, his face wasn't confident or teasing. It was soft. His lips were thin.
"Listen, I know you're beating yourself up about all this, but—"
"But what, Dominio? I've failed again and again. I'm supposed to be the strategist, yet I keep failing all of you. I'm an architect who doesn't even know what to do after laying the foundation."
"You are, Aurelia. But it's better to learn than to sit down and cry."
His face hardened. His grip tightened.
"We lost our weapons. We declared war on the biggest faction. Yet we had the balls to challenge the psychopaths. We could have panicked. Given up. But look at us now. We're in this mess, and we can't quit when we've come this far."
He stepped back.
"There are only ten thousand adventurers in the world. And somehow, we're closer to being among them than you think. So don't just stand there and give up. Zain is out, but you still have me. Rela. Yourself."
He turned and walked toward the exit. The wind breezed through the window. Seagulls called. Waves lapped against the hull. The world was still peaceful, even after all this. After everything we'd been through.
Dominio stopped and turned to me, putting on his hat.
"You're our only hope now, Aurelia. So don't just stand there and think. I believe in you."
He left. The door slammed shut.
My heartbeat slowed. My breathing steadied.
"I believe in you." Even after I'd almost gotten him killed by sending him to Rowan alone, he still believed in me. After everything...
Dominio, you dumbass.
Rela crouched down and smiled. "So, boss. What now?"
What now? She really trusts me, huh? Everyone still trusts me, even after everything.
Fine. If they trust me, I'll lead them. I'll use all my strength to survive this exam.
"Rela, you can rest. Just visit the room sometime to check on the surgery. Is that clear?"
Rela smiled and cracked her knuckles. "No problem. What about you?"
I looked up at her. "I'll find the other psychopaths. Ren was one of four. Rowan is clearly a suspect. That leaves two more."
I would call Dominio to help me investigate. We needed to work together if we wanted even a chance of victory.
I walked through the room, past the empty white beds and the white curtains between them. I looked back at Rela, who was standing in front of the metal safe.
"Rela."
She turned and raised an eyebrow.
"Thanks."
She smiled widely and raised a fist. "No problem!"
I turned back to the door and left the room.
I walked through the hallways to my room. Something was on my bed.
A black box.
What is this? A trap? Or one of the moderators' antics?
I walked cautiously, clenching my fists as Lumin flowed through my hands.
I touched the box. It was made of black fur. Its surface was soft, comforting, but there was a coldness to it. Something distinctly mine.
I slowly opened it.
My wand. The dark wooden wand. Its colorful gems spiraling down the shaft.
It was back.
I reached out. The familiar Lumin. The coldness. The frost. Everything.
The moment I held it, Lumin flowed through it. The gems glowed a distinct blue. Streaks of aqua light came from its tip.
Why have the moderators given us our weapons back already? I thought the confiscation would last longer. Why now?
At this point, I didn't even care. If this was our chance at victory—some kind of reward, or something else these people had given us—
Thank you.