{Emma's- POV}

The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of the Assembly Hall, casting long rectangles of light across the stone floor.

Emma stood near the back of the gathered students, her hands clasped in front of her, fingers twisting together nervously.

Today's the day. The practical exam.

All around her, students talked in low, anxious voices. Some looked confident, others looked terrified.

She scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face.

Where is he?

She'd looked for Jin yesterday in the library. Their usual table had been empty. She'd waited for an hour, working on her notes, glancing up every time someone walked by.

But he never came.

Maybe he was just busy. Preparing for today.

That made sense. Everyone was preparing.

But still, a small knot of worry had settled in her stomach.

Professor Aldwin stood at the front of the hall, a stack of papers in his hands, his expression as unreadable as ever.

"Attention!" he called out, his voice cutting through the chatter.

The room fell silent immediately.

Aldwin scanned the crowd, his gaze sharp. "The practical exam begins in one hour. You will be assigned to teams of five. These assignments are final and non-negotiable."

A ripple of murmurs went through the crowd.

"Your objective will be provided once you reach your designated zone in the Eastern Forest. Complete the objective within the time limit, and you pass. Fail, and you fail the semester."

Emma's heart pounded.

One hour.

"Team assignments are as follows," Aldwin continued, pulling out a list. "Listen carefully. I will not repeat names."

Emma held her breath.

"Team One: Marcus Valen, Seraphine Ashcroft, Adrian Westmore, Cassian Vael, Lysandra Quellin."

The nobles near the front exchanged glances, some smirking, others nodding in approval.

Aldwin continued reading names, grouping students one by one.

Emma waited, her stomach twisting tighter with each passing second.

"Team Seven: Emma Vale, Kyle Stoneheart, Tobias Grenmar, Sira Halford, Jin Raith."

Her head snapped up.

Jin.

We're on the same team.

Relief flooded through her.

She looked around, trying to spot Kyle or Jin in the crowd.

Kyle was easy to find, standing near the middle, his face pale, his hands clenched into fists. He looked... wrong. Like he hadn't slept. Like something had happened.

But—

She scanned the hall again.

Where are you Jin?

Aldwin finished reading the last team assignment and set the papers down. "You have thirty minutes to gather your gear and meet your teams at the staging area. Do not be late."

The crowd began to disperse, students breaking off to find their teammates.

Emma pushed through the crowd, heading toward Kyle.

He stood frozen in place, staring at the floor.

"Kyle?" she said quietly, stopping in front of him.

He looked up, and she saw it, the exhaustion in his eyes, the bandage wrapped around his forehead, the way his hands were shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?"

He didn't answer immediately. Just stared at her like he was trying to figure out what to say.

"Where's Jin?" she asked, glancing around again. "Is he here?"

Kyle's jaw tightened. "No."

"What do you mean, no? We're on the same team. He has to—"

"He's not coming."

Emma froze. "What?"

Kyle looked away, his expression dark. "He... he got hurt. Yesterday. During a mission."

"Hurt?"

"Yeah. Hurt, badly."

The word hung in the air, heavy and final.

Emma's stomach dropped. "Is he—?"

"He's alive," Kyle said quickly. "But he's in the infirmary. He's not... he can't..."

He trailed off, his voice cracking.

Emma stared at him, her mind racing.

He's not coming?

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

Kyle shook his head. "It's just..."

"Kyle."

He looked at her, and she saw the guilt written all over his face.

"It was a mission," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "A goblin nest. We thought it was just a standard clearance, but—"

He stopped, swallowing hard.

"But it wasn't," Emma finished.

"No. It wasn't."

She wanted to ask more. Wanted to know what happened, how bad Jin's injuries were, if he was going to be okay.

But the look on Kyle's face told her she wouldn't get answers. Not now.

A voice called out from across the hall. "Team Seven! Over here!"

Emma turned.

A girl with short black hair and a stocky build stood near the entrance, waving them over. Sira, if Emma remembered correctly.

Beside her stood a tall, thin boy with glasses... Tobias.

Both of them looked exhausted.

Kyle took a shaky breath and started walking toward them.

Emma followed, her chest tight and stood with them near the staging area, her eyes still scanning the entrance.

Students milled around them, checking gear, adjusting straps, talking in nervous clusters.

Kyle stood beside her, silent, his jaw clenched tight. Sira leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her expression hard and unreadable. Tobias kept adjusting his glasses.

None of them spoke.

The minutes ticked by.

Then twenty. Thirty.

Eventually Professor Aldwin stepped forward, clipboard in hand.

"Final call for roll," he announced, his voice cutting through the noise. "All students must be present and accounted for before departure."

Emma held her breath.

Aldwin began reading names, checking them off one by one.

"Team Seven: Emma Vale."

"Here," she said quickly.

"Kyle Stoneheart."

"Here," Kyle said, his voice flat.

"Tobias Grenmar."

"Here."

"Sira Halford."

"Here."

A pause.

"Jin Raith."

Silence.

Aldwin looked up from his clipboard, his gaze sweeping across the gathered students. "Jin Raith?"

No response.

Kyle's hands clenched into fists.

Aldwin made a mark on his paper, his expression unchanged. "Jin Raith is marked absent. As per Academy regulations, failure to attend the practical examination results in automatic failure for the semester."

Emma's breath caught.

Failure? Fust like that.

Kyle's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

Aldwin continued, his tone clinical. "Team Seven is now incomplete. A replacement will be assigned."

He glanced at his list, then called out, "Zael Dorian. You're reassigned to Team Seven."

A boy stepped forward from the crow, brown hair, a longsword strapped to his back. He looked nervous but nodded.

"Yes, sir."

Aldwin made another note. "Team Seven is now complete. Proceed to the staging area with the others."

Zael walked over, stopping a few feet away from them. He offered an awkward wave. "Uh... hey. Guess I'm with you guys."

Sira glanced at him, then looked away without responding.

Kyle didn't even acknowledge him.

Tobias just nodded weakly.

Emma forced herself to speak. "Welcome to the team."

Kael smiled nervously. "Thanks. I'll do my best."

Professor Aldwin raised his voice again. "All teams, gather your gear and proceed to the transport carts. You have five minutes."

The crowd began moving, students filing toward the large carts lined up outside the hall.

Emma's team moved with them, silent and tense.

As they walked, Emma glanced at Kyle. "Do you think he—?"

"I don't know," Kyle cut her off, his voice low. "I don't know if he's okay. I don't know if he'll recover. I don't know anything."

His voice cracked slightly on the last word.

Emma wanted to say something comforting, something reassuring.

But she didn't have the words.

So she just walked beside him, silent, as they climbed into the cart.

---

The ride to the Eastern Forest was long and uncomfortable.

The cart bounced over uneven roads, jostling everyone inside. Students sat packed together, weapons clanking, armor scraping against the wooden benches.

Emma sat between Kyle and Zael, her hands gripping the edge of the bench to keep from being thrown around.

Zael tried to make conversation once. "So, uh... anyone know what the objective might be? Retrieval? Defense?"

No one answered.

He cleared his throat and went quiet.

Sira sat across from them, her axes resting on her lap, her gaze fixed on nothing.

Tobias stared at his hands.

Kyle stared out the back of the cart, watching the Academy disappear behind them.

Emma closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing.

Jin's not here.

We're going into this without him.

We have to pass anyway.

We have to.

---

After few minutes, cart finally stopped.

The forest loomed ahead, tall, dense trees stretching endlessly in every direction. The air was cooler here, thick with the smell of earth and moss.

Professor Aldwin and several other instructors stood waiting at the forest entrance, clipboards in hand.

"Disembark!" Aldwin called out. "Teams will receive their objectives shortly!"

The students climbed out, forming rough clusters.

Emma's team gathered near the edge of the clearing. Zael stood slightly apart, still looking nervous. Sira checked her axes. Tobias adjusted his glasses for the tenth time.

Kyle just stood there, staring at the forest.

An instructor approached their group, holding a sealed envelope. "Team Seven?"

"That's us," Sira said.

The instructor handed her the envelope. "Your objective is inside. You have three hours. Good luck."

He walked away without another word.

Sira tore open the envelope and pulled out a folded paper. She read it aloud, her voice flat.

"Objective: Retrieval. Locate and retrieve the stolen supply cache hidden within the forest. Cache is marked with a red flag. Return it to the extraction point within the time limit. Warning: Hostile creatures present. Engagement is permitted but not required."

She looked up.

Zael nodded.

Kyle said nothing.

Emma looked at the forest.

Sira folded the paper and tucked it into her belt. "Let's move. We're wasting time."

Then they stepped into the forest.

And the practical exam began.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.