The sun rose high into the sky, the crowd cheering, murmuring among themselves as coins clicked in their hands. Men wearing flowy robes walked among them, each carrying a basket. “I shall put one Liu on group two winning.” One man in the crowd said, putting the coin in a basket. Another shook his head, pulling out a pouch. “Only one? I shall put five Liu on group two.” Soon, the remaining spectators rushed to bet, compelling the men with baskets to withdraw. Charles clapped his hands, silencing the crowd. “That is enough.” He turned around, giving the apprentices a nod. “You have until sundown. Let the hunt begin at noon.”

  Ray took a deep breath, glancing towards a chilling glare tracing his spine. Man, she’s annoying. He turned to her, tilting his head. “Charlotte, right? Will you stop?” She crossed her arms, her gaze never leaving his. “If we lose because you couldn’t control your temper again—”

  “Listen, I get it. I’ll stay calm, so stop glaring at me.”

  A laugh rang out loud, catching both Ray and Charlotte’s attention. “How unsightly, the mighty Charlotte arguing with a brat.” Charlotte’s frown deepened further. “Watch your mouth, Gabriella, before I break it.” A smirk formed on Gabriella’s lips. “I dare you to try.”

  Ray stared at them both with his eyes narrowed as he let out a sigh when a hand touched his shoulder. He flinched, turning around as he stepped farther, his eyes hovering over the figure. His white hair flowed in the wind, his red eyes staring into Ray’s with a smile on his face. “Nice to meet you, young ones. My name is Matthias and I shall be your group’s overseer.” Charlotte turned, her eyes wide as she rushed toward him and bowed. “Greetings, uncle—”

  “Charlotte, refer to me by my title.”

  She nodded, bowing further. “I greet the Eye.” He placed his hand behind his back, his gaze hovering over his group. “Why don’t you introduce yourselves?” His eyes turned to Ray, who bowed. “My name is Ray and I am from the Acacia Academy.” Matthias’ gaze remained steady for a moment before moving to the next apprentice, who didn’t bow. “Gabriella, from the Knight Academy.” The other four also bowed and introduced themselves one after another. Sylvina, from the Ignis Academy. Lucy from Avis Academy. Jacob from Hydra and Xylo from Aegis.

  Matthias gave them a smile and walked towards the edge, looking over the valley. “Wait for the horns. Until then, you may form strategies.”

  Meanwhile, Mei Zhi stood, her arms crossed and her eyes fixed on Matthias when a set of footsteps closing in grabbed her attention. She turned around to take a look, her eyes narrowing. Who is he? The man stepped forward, adjusting his armor, his golden gaze hovering over Mei Zhi and her group. He halted before them, clearing his throat. “I am Marcus, a knight of Solara, and I shall be your group’s overseer instead of our vice-headmaster.”

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  Augustus, who sat in the crowd’s front, took a shallow breath. His smile faded as the wind flowed by him. He leaned in his seat. Both he and Ruben, who stood behind him, turned their heads toward Marcus. “It’s faint, Your Imperial Highness, but it is present.”

  “Worry not, for a knight only does his duty, be it soaked in blood.”

  Ruben bowed, his left hand behind his back. “I understand, Your Imperial Highness.” Augustus’s lips curled into a smile as he crossed his legs, resting his cheek on his palm. “The sun seems to want the lion gone.”

  On the other side of the crowd, Ray stood watching Charlotte and Gabriella glare at each other while Jacob and Xylo followed their lead. Sylvina and Lucy glanced at each other, shaking their heads. Gabriella unsheathed her sword, and so did Charlotte, but this time Jacob and Xylo, instead of supporting them, tried to stop their actions.

  “Calm down, Charlotte, we might get disqualified.” Jacob said, holding her shoulder. Xylo also stepped in front of Gabriella. “Yeah, what he says.” Despite their best efforts, neither Charlotte nor Gabriella seemed to back down. Ray sighed and glanced at the sky. It will soon be noon… He took a deep breath, tilting his head, his gaze sharpening. “How unsightly of you two to act in such a manner before the Eye and even more so in front of his Imperial Highness.” He said, his voice low and sharp. Charlotte clenched her fists and turned to him with a glare, but remained silent. Gabriella scoffed, placing her hand on her waist, she said, “It doesn’t matter much to me.” Ray crossed his arms, his head remained tilted. “Then, I guess the Knight Academy isn’t much of a… knight academy.”

  “If I let myself get carried away by words coming out of a brat’s mouth, I would give up becoming a knight.” She said, scoffing once more.

  “Then do it after the hunt, unless you enjoy the taste of losing.”

  Gabriella’s smile faltered for a moment; her jaw clenched, but before she could say something, the horn blared across the area, silencing everyone. Charles' voice filled the silence. “You may begin,” he said, raising his hand, and all the groups jumped into the valley, sliding down the side of the cliff. They all rushed in different directions as the cheers of the crowd faded above them. All ten overseers stood at the cliff’s edge, watching over their respective groups. Under the bright sun, which cast its light throughout the valley, only obscured by the dense trees, the apprentices moved. Ray and his group halted near a river that flowed through the valley. He knelt, scooping up the water to drink while Charlotte and Jacob looked around. Gabriella stood with Xylo by her side; her gaze remained on Ray. Lucy tapped her chin, her hazel eyes moving through everyone for a moment before she said, “Ray, you look injured. Are you sure you can fight?”

  After drinking the water, Ray wiped his mouth and stood. “Yeah, I can,” he said, turning towards her. Lucy nodded, still tapping her chin. “Then let’s focus on finding the category ones first.” Everyone gave her a nod, and they crossed the river. The forest remained silent around them; only their footsteps and breaths filled the surroundings. Charlotte raised her hand, signalling everyone to stop. She looked around, her breath steady. “It’s too quiet.” Then a screech cut through the silence and a shadow passed over them. Their eyes widened as they glanced at the sky, unsheathing their weapons.

  Over on the cliff, Matthias’ eyes narrowed, his fist clenched around the red flag in his hands. Without letting another moment pass, he raised the red flag and said, “Group two has encountered a Hauwk.” The crowd fell silent, then erupted in cheers. At the same time, Marcus also raised his red flag, silencing the crowd again. “Group four has encountered an aligktor.”