I took the eastern route.

  The moment Varek gave the order, I started running.

  Roots tore past under my feet. Branches whipped against my shoulders as I moved through the jungle, the ground uneven and slick with damp soil.

  For brief moments at a time, I activated Silent Eclipse.

  Just a few seconds.

  Enough to sharpen my senses.

  Then I shut it off again.

  Using it constantly here would be suicidal.

  But even as I ran, something felt wrong.

  Not the jungle.

  Not the mission.

  Something deeper.

  I didn’t know why I was running this fast.

  Or why my chest felt so tight.

  But every instinct inside me screamed the same thing.

  Something is wrong.

  You have to stop it.

  I didn’t know what that something was.

  But the feeling wouldn’t leave.

  So I kept running.

  I activated Silent Eclipse again.

  The world sharpened instantly.

  Mana flows revealed themselves in faint currents through the trees.

  And in the distance—

  Movement.

  A cluster of mana circulation.

  Cadets.

  I ran toward it.

  Seconds later I broke through a patch of undergrowth and found them.

  Aric Vayne.

  Good.

  And more importantly—

  No stranger with them.

  Relief hit me harder than expected.

  “Aric,” I said immediately. “Send everyone to the entrance of the jungle and come with me. It’s an emergency. I’ll explain on the way.”

  Aric didn’t hesitate.

  Not even a second.

  He turned to his team.

  “You heard him. Head for the entrance and regroup there.”

  His teammates looked confused but obeyed immediately.

  Then Aric turned back to me and started running.

  Just like that.

  No questions.

  No suspicion.

  He simply believed me.

  That surprised me more than I expected.

  We ran side by side through the forest.

  “Hollowed came to us disguised as a man,” I said between breaths. “You run that direction. If you find any group, send them toward the entrance.”

  I pointed deeper into the jungle.

  “And if there’s an outsider with them—stall them until the instructors arrive.”

  Aric nodded once.

  “Understood.”

  Then he slowed slightly.

  “You?”

  “I’ll keep searching this area.”

  He gave a short nod.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Be safe.”

  “You too.”

  And just like that, we split apart.

  I didn’t stop running.

  I activated Silent Eclipse again.

  Mana currents appeared around me.

  And then—

  There.

  Another cluster.

  Further inside the jungle.

  Too deep.

  I pushed harder, weaving between massive roots and hanging vines.

  Seconds later I saw them.

  Selene’s group.

  And standing among them—

  The Hollowed.

  My stomach tightened.

  Of course.

  Bad luck always finds me.

  I slowed my pace before approaching, forcing my breathing to steady.

  The Hollowed stood slightly behind the group, arms folded like a casual observer.

  I didn’t look directly at him.

  I kept my attention on Selene while letting my peripheral vision track his movements.

  Selene stood at the front of her group, her chain blade loosely wrapped around her arm.

  Her eyes immediately locked onto me.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m looking for help,” I said quickly. “We encountered a Gravefang Stalker. Our group can’t defeat it alone.”

  Her gaze sharpened slightly.

  “Which direction?”

  “That way.”

  I pointed toward the outer jungle.

  Selene didn’t even glance that direction.

  “You’re lying.”

  My heartbeat skipped.

  “Gravefang Stalkers don’t appear in this area,” she continued calmly. “And we came from that direction. We didn’t encounter anything.”

  Of course she didn’t.

  She was too smart for simple lies.

  Behind her, the Hollowed shifted slightly.

  Watching.

  Listening.

  I kept my eyes on Selene.

  “I don’t know what it’s doing there,” I said. “Or how it got there. But the reason you didn’t find any Thornhide Boars is because of it.”

  Selene’s eyes narrowed.

  “I still don’t believe you.”

  Her gaze hardened slightly.

  “You’re in Varek’s group. And Varek would never ask for hel—”

  She didn’t finish the sentence.

  The Hollowed moved.

  Too fast.

  A distorted wave of mana exploded outward from him.

  I had already moved.

  I dove sideways and rolled into the hollow beneath a massive tree root where the soil had collapsed inward.

  The shockwave passed above me.

  From my hiding spot I saw the effect.

  Selene’s teammates dropped first.

  Bodies collapsing instantly.

  Selene turned—

  But the wave hit her before she could react.

  Her eyes widened for a split second.

  Then she fell.

  Unconscious.

  Silence returned to the jungle.

  The Hollowed looked around slowly.

  His gaze scanned the clearing.

  Searching.

  For me.

  But the hollow beneath the tree roots hid my mana flow and body completely.

  After a few seconds, he stopped searching.

  His attention shifted to Selene.

  He walked over.

  Lifted her effortlessly over his shoulder.

  Then he turned and began running deeper into the jungle.

  I waited.

  One second.

  Two.

  Three.

  His presence faded into the distance.

  Only then did I crawl out from beneath the roots.

  My eyes scanned the clearing quickly.

  Everyone was down.

  Still breathing.

  Just unconscious.

  I started running.

  Branches tore past as I chased deeper into the jungle.

  But one thought kept repeating inside my head.

  What am I even doing?

  If I catch him—

  Then what?

  I can’t win.

  He’s a Hollowed.

  But my legs didn’t slow down.

  Because that same instinct still screamed inside my head.

  Something bad is about to happen.

  So I kept running.

  Even though I had no idea how I was supposed to win.

  Branches scraped my arms as I pushed deeper into the jungle, the ground sloping unevenly beneath my feet. Roots jutted out like traps waiting for a careless step, but I didn’t slow down.

  Not yet.

  I could feel the urge to activate Silent Eclipse again.

  It would make this easier—clearer.

  But I resisted.

  I needed to save it.

  If things went wrong later, I would need those seconds.

  So I ran with nothing but instinct guiding me.

  My lungs burned, and the heavy mana in the jungle air made every breath feel thicker than the last.

  Then—

  “Hey.”

  I stopped.

  The voice came from ahead.

  I lifted my head slowly.

  The Hollowed stood beside a thick tree trunk a short distance away.

  Selene lay on the ground beside him, unconscious, her body half-hidden by the shadow of the tree.

  “You shouldn’t have followed me,” he said casually.

  I didn’t answer.

  Instead, I activated Silent Eclipse.

  The world sharpened instantly.

  Without hesitation, I threw a hatchet.

  The blade spun through the air—

  The Hollowed stepped sideways.

  It missed completely.

  He glanced at the hatchet buried in the tree behind him and smirked.

  “Quite courageous, aren’t you?”

  I focused again.

  Another hatchet left my hand.

  Again—

  He dodged it effortlessly.

  “Do you know,” he said slowly, “there’s only a very small difference between courage and stupidity?”

  I threw the last hatchet.

  All three blades had already missed their mark.

  He moved just enough to avoid each one.

  The final hatchet struck the ground behind him.

  The Hollowed tilted his head slightly.

  “A fool,” he said calmly, “is simply someone who doesn’t know when to stop.”

  His eyes flicked briefly toward my empty hands.

  “What happened?” he added. “Out of weapons already?”

  Then he moved.

  Fast.

  Too fast.

  His body blurred forward.

  But Danger Instinct flared.

  My body reacted before my mind caught up.

  I twisted sideways.

  The Hollowed’s strike cut through the air where I had been standing a moment earlier.

  In the same motion, I activated the mark.

  The hatchets I had thrown vanished from where they had landed.

  Cold metal slammed back into my hand.

  Silent Eclipse still active, I stepped in.

  And drove the hatchet forward with everything I had.

  Ether surged through the blade.

  The hatchet struck the Hollowed in the back.

  The impact landed deep.

  The Hollowed screamed.

  A raw, furious sound tore from his throat as pain finally broke through his composure.

  That was the moment.

  While he staggered from the strike, I didn’t hesitate.

  I ran.

  I grabbed Selene’s unconscious body and lifted her onto my shoulder.

  Then I ran.

  Branches snapped beneath my feet as I pushed through the jungle.

  Behind me the Hollowed’s roar echoed through the trees.

  But he wasn’t chasing yet.

  The pain had bought me a few seconds.

  Silent Eclipse faded.

  The world returned to its normal pace.

  I kept running.

  But the jungle grew steeper.

  The trees thinned.

  And suddenly—

  The ground ended.

  I skidded to a stop.

  A cliff.

  I lowered Selene to the ground beside me and turned.

  My mind raced.

  Think.

  Think.

  He’ll be here any minute.

  The jungle behind me was silent.

  Too silent.

  Time stretched.

  Every second felt heavier than the last.

  Then—

  Movement.

  The Hollowed stepped out from the trees.

  His expression was twisted with rage.

  Blood still ran down his back from the hatchet wound.

  His black eyes locked onto me.

  “Give me the girl,” he said coldly, “and I’ll show you mercy.”

  He took another step forward.

  “I’ll kill you quickly. You won’t feel much pain.”

  I raised Selene slightly, positioning her near the edge of the cliff.

  “Stop there,” I said.

  “If you move even one inch, I’ll throw her off the cliff.”

  The Hollowed laughed.

  “You’re bluffing.”

  “Why don’t you try me?”

  He smirked.

  Then deliberately stepped forward.

  “See?” he said mockingly. “I moved.”

  He spread his hands slightly.

  “Now throw her.”

  I nodded.

  “Okay.”

  And I threw Selene off the cliff.