I tried to scan the area to find her: first with my eyes, then with my Gift. But there were too many minds to look through and too much chaos to be able to see Vera. Next to me, I heard a short girl sigh. She looked to be around fourteen years old even though I knew logically that every initiate was between sixteen and eighteen. Her long ebony dress and black gloves matched her dark hair and coal-dark irises, and she held a condescending demeanour that screamed hate to the world. How edgy.

She took a step and as her shoe landed on the earth, chains of blood burst from the ground. The chains moved on their own like snakes, attacking and binding the initiates. Before I could even react, I was bound by the chains, and looking around, I realised I wasn’t the only one. Around me, at least nine others were captured by the girl’s Gift. I looked through her mind. Her name’s Annabelle. I’ve seen that name somewhere before. I racked my brains until I finally remembered and froze. She was third on the Combat Power rankings. I won’t be getting out of this situation easily. By the time I had finished looking through her head, there were only a few left who weren’t captured by blood chains.

Annabelle frowned at them distastefully. As if they had insulted her greatly for not going down without a fight. She dragged her feet along the ground and summoned a giant wave of blood towards them.

“Stop,” I heard a familiar voice say. Seraphina. The twenty-meter tide of blood stopped in the air meters from Seraphina. She yawned and her eyes scanned over all the initiates that Annabelle had neutralised. “I didn’t think all of you would be taken down so easily.”

Her eyes wandered to the tide of blood in the air. “Back,” she said.

The wave moved again, taking the form of a dragon and surging back at Annabelle. Annabelle didn’t even blink though. She kicked the air in front of her and split the creature in half.

Even amongst the other initiates, they fight like gods. Is this how the Regulars see me? As an all-powerful being? As something incomprehensible?

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A horde of blood daggers materialised themselves in the air as Annabelle finished her kick and landed her foot on the ground. They fanned out in all directions and then flew towards Seraphina. “Away,” Seraphina said with the full force of her Gift. The daggers blasted back faster than my eyes could follow and the ground in front of her ripped itself apart from her words.

Annabelle paused and looked at the church. Then, turning to Seraphina, she said, “I think it’s time I stop wasting time here.”

Gaint wings of blood burst out of her back and lifted her up into the air. She raised her hand and a looming hand of blood manifested itself in the air. She’s going to kill us all, I thought. Instead of crashing down on us though, the hand of blood flew down and scooped up one of the initiates.

That’s her partner, I realised. She’s trying to finish the second phase of the trial early.

Annabelle turned her head away from the ground and along with the hand of blood holding the initiate, flew towards the church.

She’s not going to be able to break the barrier. She shouldn’t be able to, I half prayed. But I was quickly proved wrong. Various weapons of blood manifested around her and began to attack the barrier as soon as she arrived. After a few seconds of Annabelle grinding down the barrier with weapons of blood, it faltered.

Not too long after she entered, the barrier returned and the Guide made an announcement. “The first pair has entered the church. There are now four spots left.”

I felt the chains of blood holding me loosen and sink into the ground and I made a mad dash to where I saw Vera. Around me, people began to enter a frenzy as their chains also disappeared. Just when I thought I lost sight of Vera through the crowd, she pulled me to her with a strong blast of air and softened our crash with a light pillow of air.

She stared into my eyes. “We’re not going to pass this part are we.”

As if to prove her right, the Guide made another announcement. “The second pair has entered the church. There are now three spots left.”

I looked around and realised that Lucas and Seraphina were long gone. I grimaced and took in the truth of her words. “I think you might be right.”