Chapter Six
Tori's POV
I was standing on the training ground with the other ladies gathered in rows, my wrists still aching from how tightly they had been tied earlier. The number had reduced. My eyes moved quickly, counting faces over and over again like it would change the outcome.
Forty.
We were forty now.
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. I really hoped no one else had been killed ever since I was gone, and I really hoped he got to keep his promise about not killing anyone.
The silence around us was heavy, thick with fear and uncertainty. No one spoke loudly. No one dared to ask questions. We all just stood there like prisoners waiting for judgment.
A loud horn blasted across the field and my shoulders jerked violently. Guards walked forward, their expressions cold as ever, and began dividing us into groups. My heartbeat sped up when one of them grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side.
"Group Two," he announced flatly.
I stumbled slightly but forced myself to stay balanced. My eyes scanned the faces around me and landed on someone familiar. The calm woman from before. The one who had spoken to me in that dark room when I first woke up.
She looked back at me, recognition flickering in her eyes for a brief moment before her face returned to that same unreadable calm face again.
"Elora," she said quietly when our gazes met, like she already knew I would ask someday.
So that was her name.
"I thought you were dead." She muttered since we were standing next to each other already.
"Dead? No! I am living way worse than that." I wasn't sure if I should let her know about the deal I had pulled with this demon in disguise. "I hope no one was killed?"
"No! Some fainted but I have no idea about where they were taken to."
Ten of us stood together now, forming Group Two. Some looked terrified, some looked determined, and some looked like they had already given up. My chest tightened at the thought. We were chained by fate already.
I bet they all think they are going to die if they got to lose. I had no right to let them know right now. Everyone is competing for survival.
The guards returned carrying long metal chains. My stomach dropped instantly.
No… they couldn't be serious.
"Each group will be chained together at the wrist," one of the guards announced loudly. "You will cross the obstacle course ahead. Those obstacles include mud fields, smoke tunnels, climbing walls, and balance beams. You move together and you fall together."
Cold metal snapped around my wrist before I could even react. I flinched at the sharp sound, my fingers curling instinctively. The chain connected me to Elora on my left and another trembling girl on my right.
"If one of you collapses," the guard continued, his tone bored, "she will be cut off and eliminated immediately. The group with the highest number of members still chained at the end wins. The group with the least loses."
A chill ran down my spine.
This wasn't just a test of strength. It was a test of endurance and loyalty. And to also see much pain we could tolerate before breaking.
I glanced at Elora. She looked calm, but I could see the slight tension in her jaw, the way her fingers flexed subtly against the chain. She was scared too. She was just better at hiding it. How could I also explain that she looked really confident at the same time.
"Stay close," she murmured under her breath. "Do not fight the chain. Move with it."
I nodded quickly, even though my palms were already sweating. My heart pounded so loudly I was scared the guards would hear it. We were led from where we stood to a huge field and I could barely see what was in front of us.
"The ground you are seeing right in front of you isn't normal. It's mud, and other obstacles await you right at your front." He announced.
Another horn blasted.
"Begin!"
We were shoved forward roughly and the chains jerked all of us at once. My body lurched, nearly losing balance, but I forced my legs to move with the others. The mud field was the first obstacle. Thick, wet mud swallowed our feet immediately, making every step ten times heavier.
My legs strained as I tried to keep up with the pace of the group. Someone behind me slipped and the chain yanked hard, almost pulling me down with her. A gasp escaped my lips as I struggled to stay upright.
"Move!" a guard shouted from behind.
My lungs burned as we pushed forward, dragging our feet through the mud. The chain kept clinking loudly, a constant reminder that I wasn't moving alone anymore. Every mistake and every stumble affected everyone.
Halfway through the mud field, the girl on my right fell to her knees with a cry. The chain snapped tight, pulling all of us back painfully.
"Get up!" one of the girls screamed at her, panic evident in her voice.
"I can't… I can't…" she sobbed, trying to push herself up but failing.
Before I could even process what was happening, a guard rushed forward, unlocked her chain, and dragged her away like she was nothing. Her screams echoed behind us until they suddenly stopped.
"I don't want to die." She kept on pleading while she was dragged away. They'd have really killed her if I hadn't agreed to Kael. Despicable.
My stomach twisted violently, but Elora's voice cut through my shock.
"Keep moving," she said firmly, her grip tightening slightly against the chain. "If you stop, more of us will fall."
I bit my lip hard and forced my legs to move again.
We stumbled out of the mud field and straight into the smoke tunnel. Thick smoke filled the narrow space, burning my eyes and throat instantly. I coughed violently, my vision blurring as I tried to breathe.
The chain pulled forward and I crawled, my knees scraping painfully against the rough ground. Someone ahead of me wheezed loudly. Another girl started crying softly, panic rising in her breaths.
"I can't breathe whenever I'm in the smoke." She screamed. She might be asmathic, but she needed to survive. I wasn't sure if our team was going to win or not, but let's wait and see.
I wanted to cry too. I couldn't lose too, I will be breaking the deal which I had made with him, and I definitely didn't want that to happen. They will start killing them if I were to lose especially this early.
So I kept crawling.
When we finally burst out of the tunnel, fresh air hit my lungs and I gasped loudly, my chest rising and falling rapidly. But there was no time to recover.
We needed to endure, since that was another aspect of the test that was really needed. We had to climb it while still chained.
My hands trembled as I grabbed the rough surface, my muscles screaming in protest. The chain tugged with every movement, forcing us to climb in awkward sync. My foot slipped once and my heart jumped into my throat, but Elora steadied the chain, giving me just enough balance to regain my footing.
"Do not look down," she muttered.
I didn't. I couldn't.
By the time we reached the top, my arms felt like they would fall off. My wrists burned from the constant friction of the metal. I could feel blisters forming already, but the moment my feet touched the ground again, another horn blasted.
The balance beams.
Thin wooden planks stretched over shallow pits filled with dull spikes. Not deep enough to kill instantly, but enough to injure badly. My breath caught as I stepped onto the beam, my entire body trembling.
The chain swayed slightly with every movement. My toes curled inside my shoes as I focused hard on not falling. One wrong step and I would drag others down with me.
Step by step, we moved forward together. One girl slipped but caught herself just in time. Another cried quietly but kept walking. My legs shook so badly I thought they would give out, but I forced them to keep moving.
When we finally crossed the last beam, another horn echoed loudly.
It was over.
I collapsed to my knees instantly, gasping for air, my whole body shaking violently from exhaustion. The chains were unlocked one by one, the weight around my wrist finally disappearing.
I looked around frantically and I realized we were seven just left. Only seven of us got to survive. Three had been eliminated along the way.
My chest tightened painfully, but relief still flooded through me. We had survived for now. Slowly, I lifted my gaze toward the elevated platform.
And that was when I saw him
Kael was standing at the viewing platform, arms folded, eyes locked directly on me. The scorn on his face was obvious, sharp and cold, like he was waiting for the exact moment I would finally break.
My chest tightened, and my fingers curled into fists even as my wrists remained chained.
He wanted me to lose, and it was so obvious. Fuck him!
*********
I was in a room filled with the two brothers. Nicole and kael, and it was quite terrifying especially with the silence in the air.
"You didn't tell me that you were this strong." Kael walked closer. How the fuck was I supposed to tell hkm that? I had gone through intense military training where I had come from.
Nicole chuckled. He seemed like he was enjoying what was going on right now. Kael stepped towards me, but I refused to budge. His thumb touched my lips, while I felt the electric sensation flow through my body.
I knew what all of these were all about. His index finger raised my jaw slowly,
"That fast?" I heard Nicole's voice. My fist tightened while he brought his lips closer to mine. He slowly bit my lower lips, but I didn't budge.
I didn't move an inch. My fist loosened immediately he stepped back. He looked pretty much angry, was he mad that I didn't kiss him back? I couldn't do it. I couldn't kiss someone who was like him.
"You just broke his little ego." Nicole mentioned. He seemed like he was enjoying the scene instead.
"This is getting more fun. I will make sure I break you. Let's see how long you will be able to keep on with this stubborn ass of yours." Kael stormed out of his room, stomping his foot on the ground.
I keep on getting him annoyed. Am I really going to survive here?