Emma’s grip was iron on Hiruzen’s wrist as she dragged him through the stone corridors of Dawn Academy’s northern sector. Her braid swung like a whip with each sharp stride, and she didn’t even bother to glance back at him.

  “Emma—slow down, would you?” Hiruzen groaned, half stumbling as she yanked him along.

  “Nope. Not when you’re an hour late,” she shot back, tugging harder.

  When they finally burst into the simulator chamber, Reito was already leaning against the console with his arms crossed. His sharp eyes flicked from Emma to Hiruzen, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and annoyance.

  “Finally,” Reito said dryly. “You two were supposed to be here an hour ago.”

  Emma jabbed a thumb toward Hiruzen. “Blame him. He decided to have a spar with Kai, and I had to run across the whole east sector just to drag him here.”

  Hiruzen scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile creeping in. “What? I was just warming up. Gotta be ready for mid-terms somehow, right?”

  Reito sighed, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Nothing wrong with a warm-up… but let’s hope you’ve got enough gas in the tank. You’ll need it.”

  That drew Hiruzen’s curiosity. He straightened. “Emma said this new sim is supposed to be brutal. Just how bad are we talking?”

  “Oh, it’s a doozy all right.” Reito tapped a card against his palm, the faint metallic clink echoing in the empty chamber. “And you’re going to be in it until the week before mid-terms. Think of it as survival training… with a little creative flair from yours truly.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “That’s code for: ‘I went overboard again.’”

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Correct,” Reito replied without missing a beat. “Now, enough stalling. Head inside. Phase one starts now.”

  The moment Emma and Hiruzen stepped into the circular chamber, the door sealed behind them with a hiss. The room was vast, featureless—an endless void of blinding white.

  Hiruzen glanced around, unimpressed. “This is the training simulator? I thought it’d look… cooler.”

  “It’s always blank until an instructor loads a sim card,” Emma explained, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

  Reito’s voice boomed from hidden speakers. “Heads up, you two. I’m loading the scenario now.”

  With a deep rumble, the ground shook beneath their feet. An orb rose from the floor, pulsing with energy before exploding in a flood of white light. The sterile chamber melted away—

  —and in its place stretched a war zone.

  The air stank of smoke and iron. Shattered buildings jutted from the ground like broken teeth. Fires raged in the distance, black plumes clawing at the blood-red sky. The thunder of explosions rolled across the battlefield, shaking the very earth.

  Hiruzen spun in place, wide-eyed. “What the hell…? Where are we?”

  Emma crouched, pulling him down behind a crumbled wall as a shell detonated nearby. Shrapnel whistled overhead. “Doesn’t matter. Right now we need cover.”

  The ground trembled. Heavy footsteps cut through the ringing chaos.

  Out of the smoke lumbered a man—a giant with a body like chiseled stone, his bare arms drenched in blood that dripped steadily onto the dirt. His grin was carved wide across his face, grotesque in its eagerness.

  “HEY!” His voice cracked the air like thunder. “What faction are you two from?”

  Hiruzen blinked. “Faction? We’re not part of anything—we just got dropped here and—”

  “Don’t care.” The man cut him off, spreading his arms wide. “Name’s Derrick, leader of the Spartans. And you’re standing on my turf.”

  Emma raised her hands cautiously. “We didn’t know. Look—we don’t want trouble. Just let us pass and we’ll—”

  Derrick’s grin split wider, revealing teeth like a predator’s. He shook his head. “No, no, no, little lady. If you’re not with us, you’re with the Athens. And I don’t let Athens walk away breathing.”

  Hiruzen’s jaw tightened. “So you’re saying there’s no way out of this?”

  “Damn right,” Derrick barked, slamming his fists together with a sound like boulders colliding. “Been too long since I had a good fight. These weaklings don’t give me half a challenge. But you…” His eyes locked onto Hiruzen, burning with anticipation. “You might actually entertain me.”

  Emma leaned toward Hiruzen, whispering fiercely. “He’s massive. Don’t underestimate him.”

  Hiruzen smirked, rolling his shoulders as frost began to creep across the rubble at his feet. The temperature plummeted, their breaths turning to mist.

  “Good,” he said, eyes narrowing on Derrick. “I was getting bored anyway.”

  Derrick’s laughter boomed across the battlefield. “That’s the spirit! Show me what you’ve got, boy!”

  Hiruzen raised his hand. Ice surged outward, spreading like a tidal wave across the torn ground, freezing shattered steel and burning debris alike.

  “Emma,” he said calmly, his voice cutting through the storm of explosions around them, “keep those soldiers off me. I’ll handle this monster.”

  Emma cracked her knuckles, a determined fire in her eyes. “Yeah. You focus on him. I’ll cover your back.”

  The battlefield quaked as Derrick charged forward, a mountain of muscle and madness, while Hiruzen’s ice spread to meet him.

  The true test had begun.

  End Chapter