I turned toward the crowd of people, where Mom and Windy stood in the very front row. Their cold faces followed my departure. Was there really no sadness in their hearts over my sacrifice? Or at least they could pretend, like the others.
I knew the ones crying weren't only mourning the participants who were still alive—for now. But deep inside their hearts, there was a hidden sense of gratitude that they weren't the ones chosen. They still had years ahead of them, living in peaceful, untouched districts.
My shoe stepped onto the metal platform before entering the heli. I took a breath as I waited for my turn, until someone tapped my shoulder from behind.
I turned and found the official looking at me with an expression I couldn't interpret.
"You know, you can get anything as long as you become a participant of the Legendary Trinity."
I didn't answer immediately, then one word slipped out of me. "Life?"
"Yes, if you become the winner."
How funny. It sounded like an empty hope.
"Sometimes, it is better to live a short life full of meaning than to live a long one without any hope," he said.
I stared at him intently. His words were not wrong because the essence of life was survival. In this world, what was left of survival? Other than facing death itself, because there was no hope or a better future.
"Do you want to say goodbye to your family?" he asked.
Out of all the participants, I was the only one allowed to do so. I didn't think twice—I nodded quickly. I ran toward Mom and Windy, who were stunned to see me approaching them.
"What are you doing?" Mom hissed.
"You're going to turn me in? Tell them we switched numbers?" Windy's eyes widened with anger. "You really don't know your place!"
I only looked at the two of them back and forth. I swallowed. "I only want to say goodbye."
"Then… bye," Mom said coldly. Her voice hit like a whip.
"I thought you would be sad that I'm leaving, but this is for the best," I nodded. "Thank you for taking care of me all this time, Mom. And Windy, take care of her."
They only stared at me warily, then half pushed me back, as if telling me to return to the heli immediately. Before the official changed his mind and added more participants.
I turned and walked toward the heli. The blades roared, and the heli began to take off.
After this, I had no idea where my fate would lead. Or when it would stop.
I left the district, looking at the tip of the dome, covered in sand. Now I was heading toward a place I had never imagined before.
I never thought I would miss my home, even if it had only been underground.
…
Capitolis.
The central city where the government resided, only Naturals lived here. An enormous city, with multiple layers of walls before you could reach the inner city.
Everything that mattered in this world was in Capitolis.
Don't even ask how big it was, because it took me days to arrive in this city, along with other participants from my district.
The heli descended onto a wide landing field, where hundreds of other helis were lined up as well. People stepped out from the helis, their expressions almost identical: hopeless.
I followed the line toward a huge building up ahead. There were six giant entrances, and we had to enter the ones labeled for us: Naturals and Strains.
I gathered my courage and glanced at the Strains—who looked no different from us, the Naturals—humans. The difference was that they seemed ready to face death. Their gazes were cold, sharp, and hollow. It sent chills down my spine.
My turn came to pass the first checkpoint, which looked like an aluminum frame shaped like a doorway. I waited until the result appeared, and the officer immediately frowned.
"Step aside. You're not a Natural. How dare you enter the wrong checkpoint?" he snapped.
I froze in shock. Me, a Strain? Impossible. I had lived my whole life in the Naturals district!
"There must be a mistake. I grew up in the Naturals district!" I protested.
"Listen, your data shows you were born half-human, half genetic modification. Anyone who isn't pure human goes to the Strains line."
"That's impossible!" I screamed.
"Take her," he ordered the guards.
Still unable to believe any of this, I was dragged roughly by two guards and practically thrown into the Strains line.
"No! You're wrong!! I'm human! You're mistaken!" I wailed through tears.
All my life, I believed I was human—so why? Why was I now faced with a truth this bitter? I didn't even have time to question who my parents really were, because I was now being confronted with death itself.
Get up."
A deep, growling voice startled me.
A pair of worn-out boots stood in front of me. I looked up to see a man wearing a hoodie, his face half-covered by a mask. His scent hit me; it made me alert, yet strangely curious.
Our eyes met. His gaze intrigued me, cold, magnetic. I'd never seen eyes like that. For a moment, time felt frozen. Only when I blinked did reality return.
"What for?" I asked hoarsely.
"You need to move."
Move… to what? To my death? To the survival game waiting ahead? Even if I somehow survived, I could never return to my district. I didn't belong there anymore.
Mom and Windy would never acknowledge me. For a long time, I knew Mom had raised me out of obligation. So what was the point of living longer?
I shook my head, lowering it in despair. "It's better if they kill me here."
"Okay."
Suddenly, a hand clamped around my throat and lifted me off the floor. Heat and pain exploded across my body. My breath was cut short. I couldn't breathe!!
His eyes—cold, sharp as blades—glowed a pale silver-gray. "You want to die, right?" he said flatly.
I struggled, trying to break free. My hands pounded on his shoulders and head with all my strength. But it was useless—every blow left him unshaken.
I was going to die. I was definitely going to die!
"You want to die?" he repeated.
I forced my head to shake. "No—" I croaked.
Then he released his grip. I collapsed onto the floor as gasps erupted from the people around us. He crouched, bringing his masked face closer.
"Then live, because there will be no next time. Or second chance."
I heard murmurs among the crowd, shocked by what Kael had done. But none dared confront him. Not even the officer or the soldiers.
His footsteps drew away from me, leaving behind a scent that was both alluring and threatening. From the corner of my eye, I saw him step into the exam scanner. He passed through. Then he turned, meeting my gaze again.
Something about the way he looked at me felt like he was wrapping around me. Watching me. Marking me. Or claiming me.
What kind of thought was that? Why did it feel like that? It made my chest tighten in ways I couldn't explain. He was like a magnet—pulling me in, yet making me feel dangerously exposed.
A robotic voice echoed: "Kael Mason. Shifter. Werewolf."
Shifter? Did I hear that right? Wasn't there only Strains?
Werewolf… The word echoed in my mind.
Kael Mason… was a werewolf?