The third day arrived, carrying a sinister premonition.
.
The moment I awoke, a strange weakness seeped into my body.
It felt as though my very strength was leaking out through my pores.
This was no fleeting fatigue. It was a genuine loss of weight—one that left me feeling unnaturally light.
Though the change was not yet obvious to the eye, my instincts knew the truth.
My body was deteriorating.
***
I reached the classroom and took my seat in complete silence.
Even the desire to exchange a few words with Miranda had vanished.
A slow, creeping frustration had poisoned my mood.
I was not alone.
Miranda, once endlessly talkative, had withered into herself. Her laughter had been erased.
It seemed the hellish training had begun to drain the vitality from everyone. Without exception.
***
Instructor Pam entered and began his usual routine of terrorising the students.
But the responses he received were dull. Lifeless.
Irritation twisted his expression as he eventually left the room.
When the hour-long break ended, the classroom emptied entirely.
We split apart—girls to their training hall, and we men to ours.
***
Beneath the cold ceiling of the training chamber, we stripped down.
As though fate itself were repeating an old pattern, the instructor called my name first.
Alongside Wolfgang's.
I stepped into the arena, weapons in hand.
I saw the fear trembling in Wolfgang's eyes.
A cold smile spread across my face.
***
Without hesitation, I launched myself at him.
In the midst of our clash, I felt it—a clear surge in speed.
I was lighter. Faster. More agile.
The realisation confirmed my fears about my weight loss, but I cast the thought aside.
I focused solely on my prey.
***
Wolfgang dodged my spear.
As he moved in, anticipating my habitual kick, he walked straight into the trap.
With a brutal swing, I brought the thick edge of my shield down onto his hand.
The sound of bones shattering was music to my ears.
His scream tore through the hall.
***
I did not stop.
I drove my spear into the shoulder that held the dagger. Blood burst forth immediately.
I allowed him a few seconds to gasp for air.
Not out of mercy, but to savour the moment he realised his body was no longer his to command.
His balance was gone. His explosive power had vanished.
All that remained was a feeble sword swung by a weakened hand.
***
That was when the real game began.
I carved his body with deliberate precision.
Severing his fingers. Then his ears. Then his nose.
Before the instructor could fully react, I fulfilled a promise I had long since made.
I seized Wolfgang's own knife and plunged it into his kidney.
I tore the wound open horizontally with savage force.
He lost consciousness instantly.
***
The instructor intervened, pouring that strange substance over what remained of Wolfgang.
Meanwhile, I prepared myself for the next opponent.
I defeated the second and third without difficulty.
Then I faced the man known as the Large-Headed One.
Ten minutes of relentless combat ended in my defeat—but I did not care.
I returned home steeped in the intoxicating sweetness of revenge.
***
The fourth day passed in dull repetition.
Waking. Eating. Lessons.
Yet the atmosphere had begun to change.
Instructor Pam was growing frustrated; our screams no longer provided him with pleasure.
At the same time, Professor Michael began passing by the door with increasing frequency.
Watching Pam with eyes full of suspicion.
***
Five more days slipped by.
The truth became impossible to ignore.
Everyone was losing weight at an alarming rate.
We looked as though we were suffering from severe malnutrition.
Tension saturated the air. The slightest spark could ignite an explosion.
Pam's threats were now met with nothing but contemptuous stares.
We were sick of the instructor. Sick of this life.
***
My intent to kill that wretched man solidified into a consuming obsession.
And then, on the tenth day...
Something completely unexpected happened.
One single event. One moment.
It turned all my thoughts and convictions upside down.