Chapter 33: Calm Before the Storm

The crisp forest breeze greeted us as we filed back onto the trail, everyone maintaining a steady pace in one large pack. As we rounded a corner, I noticed the frontrunners pulling ahead, their strides confident and strong. That was the first tactical misstep people were making.

For this exercise, that might seem fine—some people could effortlessly finish without breaking a sweat. But as I watched them push forward, I couldn't help but think they were making a mistake. This exercise wasn’t a race, literally or figuratively. The camp would last five days. It’s a marathon, not a race—conserving energy now would be the smarter move.

A light jog should suffice. Our group settled into a comfortable rhythm, with Jonah and I leading the way. The girls followed closely behind, their breaths coming in steady puffs.

As we slowly passed some of the other teams, I caught glimpses of their expressions—some were focused, others chatted casually, and a few looked as though they were already feeling the strain.

The path twisted and turned, gradually rising into a gentle incline. The effort was visibly starting to wear on the participants around us. I estimated we were nearing the middle of the pack. I turned around, checking for the girls. They were about 50 meters behind, with a bunch of students separating us. Fortunately, they seemed to be doing fine.

The lack of mental simulation within this exercise, however, led to my mind wandering. I started reconsidering Eric’s offer. What was his motive? He seemed to be interested in Scarlette. Would he be willing to sabotage our group to find out more about her?

I was jolted from my thoughts when I noticed a familiar, stockier student struggling along the edge of the trail, his breath laboured. He adjusted his glasses, which kept slipping down his sweat-slicked nose.

Before I could speak, Jonah pulled up beside him.

"Yo, Spencer! How's it going? Where's your team?" Jonah asked, his tone light.

"They're... up... ahead," Spencer panted, barely managing between heavy breaths.

I couldn’t say I was surprised that he was left behind by Kazen and co. It was unfortunate, but I couldn’t picture them encouraging him along. Also, while he was part of our class, he wasn’t in the same group as us, so we weren’t obligated to support him either.

“If you aren’t feeling well, don’t hesitate to stop over by the side. The teachers should be catching up to any, uh, people who may need help.” I caught myself before I said "stragglers."

“Yeah, thanks… You should… go on ahead too…” Spencer managed.

“You sure you’re okay? There’s no competition for this exercise, so don’t push yourself too hard,” Jonah spoke.

“It’s fine… I can handle it…”

“Oookay… all the best then!” Jonah cheered.

Thankfully, Spencer didn’t inconvenience us too much. We were just about to pull away from him when we heard a gasp from behind.

I turned to see what had happened. Because we had slowed down next to Spencer, the girls had managed to close some of the distance between us. What we didn’t expect was to see Kaede tumbling to the ground. A group of girls peeled away from her, laughing as they jogged off. Scarlette, standing nearby, stared in shock before her expression twisted into anger. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she yelled, her voice carrying across the crowd.

The commotion caused a bunch of people in a wider vicinity to look at her. The girls, who looked like they were from another class, simply ignored her and continued running.

I quickly scanned my surroundings, intending to look for a teacher, but most of them were still near the back of the pack, ensuring no one was left behind. Was this a planned malicious attack on our group? If so, what was their motive? Why had they targeted Kaede? Maybe it was just a coincidence?

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As my mind raced through these questions, Jonah was quicker, already rushing back to Kaede, her face tight with pain. She was clutching her knee. It was scraped and bleeding slightly from the gravel.

Mira looked frantic. I caught what looked like a glimpse of rage in her eyes. She hesitated for a moment, looking a little conflicted, but she eventually hovered her hands above Kaede’s knee. A familiar warm, green flow radiated from her palms.

“Ouch…” Kaede rubbed her knee. “I appreciate the healing, but are you sure you should be using your Ability? Ms Reina did say that we can’t use Abi—”

“To heck with that!” Scarlette fumed. “I saw what happened! That blonde girl just now, she tripped you on purpose!”

We were gathered in a circle around her. The other students briefly cast glances at us, but they continued running ahead. We were probably near the back of the pack now. It was then that the second surprise of the day unfolded.

Our homeroom teachers—one for each of the five classes present—appeared, jogging briskly with clipboards in hand. Strangely, I could still spot a few students lagging behind them. Were they just leaving those students behind?

I turned my attention back to Ms Reina, who, upon seeing us, broke off from the group of teachers and hurried over.

“What happened?” she asked, her expression serious.

“Some girls from the other classes tripped her,” Scarlette said bluntly.

Ms Reina frowned. “That’s not good. I’ll speak with your team after this event. For now, are you feeling better?” she asked, looking at Kaede.

Mira had been healing Kaede as she was talking. Ms Reina appeared to ignore the fact that Mira was using her Ability, which was supposedly forbidden during the run. Well, it wasn’t like Mira was abusing it.

“Yeah, I’ll manage,” Kaede said as she slowly got up.

Scarlette reached out to support her. “Don’t overdo it.”

“It’s okay, Mira did a great job there. I feel all better now,” she smiled.

“I assume you can make it back?” Ms Reina asked.

Kaede nodded. “Yup.”

“I’ll see you guys after the run then. Off you go now,” Ms Reina replied.

We set off again, with our wonderful teacher quickly jotting something down on her clipboard before hurrying off to catch up with the other teachers.

I glanced back and noticed only a handful of students trailing behind us. Some of them were casually chatting while walking, seemingly not interested in the exercise. Then I saw them—two teachers I didn’t recognize, bringing up the rear. They were a distance away from the last student in line. They didn’t look like they were up to anything suspicious though. If anything, they just seemed to be doing our teachers’ job of making sure no one was left behind.

I couldn't shake the feeling that our teachers were up to something. What were they up to? What were the clipboards for? I assumed it was just for attendance purposes, but something told me that wasn’t the full story.

Whatever the case, our only directive was to finish the run. It was the least we could do. This time, we stuck together as a group. I intended to find out more information about the other teams from this run, but I had ended up with more questions than answers.

I also paid close attention to Kaede. She had suffered a mere scrape, but you could never be too careful.

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Eventually, we arrived at a clearing that was unlike the others we’d seen. In fact, it was more of a large pit in the ground than a traditional clearing. Huge, carved steps lined the sides, and students were taking full advantage of them to rest. The central area was a flat space, roughly half the size of a soccer field. It looked like an arena. This place also seemed to mark the end of the run.

We had overtaken a bunch of students, finally finishing near the middle of the pack. All five of our teachers were already here. They were huddled in a corner, still scribbling on their clipboards.

Though my group was reasonably fit, the run was no walk in the park. We found an empty corner and collapsed there.

“Phew, I’m wiped!” gasped Scarlette. She turned to Kaede. “You good?”

Kaede flashed her a thumbs up, grinning wearily. “Never been better. Thanks for healing me again, Mira,” she said, hugging her.

Mira smiled back in return. “No worries, I mean, it’s why you guys asked me to join your team in the first place, right?”

Kaede’s expression changed to one of concern. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”

Mira, upon realising how her words must have sounded, covered her mouth. “No, I’m sorry! It was meant as a joke, aha…” she giggled awkwardly.

Scarlette must have sensed the slight shift in atmosphere, for she butted in. “Don’t worry, those girls will get what’s coming to them!”

I stood up and stretched, intending to locate the girls in question. The sky was getting a bit overcast, blocking out the sun. Students were still trickling into the area. Somehow, I had a bad feeling about what was to come.

As the last of the students arrived, a familiar face appeared beside the teachers. Dr Connor, the man in charge of our Combat Fundamentals module, started conversing with the teachers. Well, Ms Reina did mention he would be making an appearance during our camp.

None of the adults looked particularly pleased. The weather seemed to mirror their mood, as a distant rumble of thunder echoed in the background.

Eventually, Dr Connor marched to one side of the arena.

“I want everyone to assemble in your classes in front of me, NOW!”

It didn’t take a genius to know that the man was about to blow his top.