Chapter 39: "I Don't Feel So Good"

I slowly made my way towards Raven. While I didn’t think she had the gall to offer any more resistance, I could never be too careful. As such, I didn’t let my guard down for a second. She had her sash tied around her thigh. Her eyes were still shut, courtesy of yours truly.

I bent down and began trying to unwrap the knot which secured her sash together. It was securely fastened, so I didn’t have the easiest of times removing it. As my fingers scrabbled away at the knot, I noticed the muscles in her leg tense up. I looked up to see her biting her lower lip. It probably wasn’t the most comfortable of positions to be in.

I didn’t want to make the situation any more awkward than it needed to be for both of us, so I quickly unwrapped the rest of her sash and stepped back. My friends had successfully claimed the sashes from the rest of her team as well. As per the rules—collecting all the sashes meant that the losing team was not allowed to retaliate against the winning team for the rest of the camp—they were now officially unable to challenge us again. This also meant that our group had a total of 9 sashes.

I finally released the grip on their team, exhaling as I did so. The constant use of my Ability had taken a toll on me.

Raven opened her eyes and silently glared at me, proceeding to scratch her leg with one hand and flip me the bird with the other. Try as I might, I couldn’t resist the urge to tease her. She had been a tough opponent, which made the victory all the more satisfying.

“Sorry, I didn’t know that was a sensitive spot for you,” I sarcastically remarked.

“And I didn’t know you were such a scumbag.” She hastily turned around and stepped into a portal she had just summoned. Kazen and the rest followed her in without uttering a word or even looking at us.

Just then, I noticed a sudden movement off to the side. What was looking at us though, was the same crow I had seen on the way back from the hill. Once again, it promptly took off the moment I laid my eyes on it.

As I watched it fly off, my friends rushed over to me.

“Woo! You rock Cadel!” Jonah smacked me hard on the back.

“What took you so long?” Scarlette heaved, still winded from Daxston’s attack.

“Firstly, let’s go somewhere else. Our fight has probably attracted a lot of attention from others. People could clean us up while we’re tired,” I calmly explained.

“You’re right, let’s find a place to regroup. Speaking of which, remember that hill we climbed yesterday? That was our agreed ‘regrouping spot’, right?” Scarlette offered.

I vaguely recalled saying something about that, but it was a good suggestion regardless. The hill was a good vantage point where no one could sneak up on us, while also allowing us to survey our surroundings for any potential targets. My only concern was that other groups might have the same idea.

“You guys remember where it was?” Kaede asked.

“Yeah, it’s that way. I saw it while I was flying here,” I said, pointing into the forest. “For simplicity’s sake, let’s call it ‘Egg Hill’.”

“Er, why?” Scarlette tilted her head in curiosity.

“Because it’s where I first hid the egg in my bag.”

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We cautiously trekked our way towards Egg Hill. In the distance, I could hear the clatter of combat. It seemed like the other groups were also going at it. My immersion was interrupted when I heard a gasp from Jonah. I turned to look at him, where he was excitedly pointing at a tree. Attached to it was a green flag, emblazoned with the school logo in the corner. I guessed this was one of the flags we were supposed to collect for credits.

“Umm, do you think it could be a trap?”

I blinked in surprise. The question came from Scarlette, of all people. Perhaps she was learning not to blindly rush into things?

“Screw it, I’ll be the guinea pig,” Jonah waved his hand, stepping past us. “Save me if anything happens, yeah?”

He carefully made his way over to the flag, and ever so slowly, detached it from the tree. Nothing happened.

“Huh, guess it wasn’t trapped,” he flashed us a thumbs up as he trudged back to us before shoving the flag into his bag. “I wonder how many credits this flag is worth.”

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Not long after, we finally reached our destination.

“See anyone?” Kaede whispered.

“Looks like the coast is clear,” I replied, peering around the foliage. “I can’t see any—wait.”

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I was levitating slightly to better scout out the environment, and at the top of the hill, partially obscured by some trees, was another group. I signalled to my friends to wait as I cautiously wrapped around the perimeter of the hill.

It was a group of five girls from our class. However, something about their demeanour seemed off. They looked… uneasy, as if they were on the lookout for something.

I made my way back to my group and reported my findings.

“Hmm, so… you reckon it could be another… trap?” Scarlette asked shyly.

“You’re really cautious now, huh?” I asked her.

“Tsk. Now isn’t the time to tease me. Should we go for it?”

“We know those girls. They aren’t really powerful, nor are they the confrontational type. Honestly, I think they’re just hiding from other groups,” I mused.

“Umm… you can’t really get more conspicuous than hiding at the top of a hill…”

“It’s more difficult for them to get ambushed.”

“That’s true.”

Scarlette puffed out her chest. “Alright, I think this opportunity is too good to pass up. I’ll go intimidate them. If anything goes wrong, you cover me.”

I sighed, agreeing. While it made the most sense, it looked like I was permanently stuck on ‘cover’ duty. “Try not to use your flames up there. It’ll attract other groups.”

“You kidding? Just the sight of me should make them submit!” Scarlette sneered. With that said, she broke into a run, streaking up the hill. The rest of us jogged after her.

Soon after, we heard a commotion at the top.

“Sashes! Give me your sashes if you don’t wanna get roasted to crisp!” Scarlette’s voice rang out in a taunting manner. So much for being discrete.

“It’s Scarlette!”

“Should we fight this?”

“Let’s just give our sashes to her, there’s no way we can win!”

As the rest of us caught up, I found Scarlette standing confidently at the top. She appeared to be staring at something, her expression a mix of confusion and triumph. “Well, that was easy. They just ditched their sashes and ran off the other side of the hill!” she grinned, quickly stuffing the sashes into her bag.

After scouting the area and confirming that there were no enemies nearby, we regrouped under the shade of a large tree. I began recounting my experience to the rest of the team, starting with the void realm and ending with the rescue. Scarlette and Jonah nodded in agreement, having also been transported through the portals.

“It was pretty scary. I didn’t know how long I’d have to spend in there,” admitted Scarlette.

Kaede, nursing a bruise on her arm, raised an eyebrow. "A void realm? So, she can create her own little pocket dimension?"

I nodded. "That’s the best way I can describe it. I was able to absorb the energy from the place to break out, but it was really inconvenient. By the time I found you all again, the fight looked like it was turning bad."

Kaede crossed her arms. "Raven’s dangerous. That ability isn't just about teleportation... it's more like trapping you in her own territory and releasing you wherever and whenever she likes.”

“They probably have their egg in there too. It’s probably the safest place possible for the challenge,” added Jonah.

“You reckon there’s a limit to how long she could keep a person in the void realm?” Scarlette asked, looking in my direction.

“I don’t know. Hopefully, none of us have to find out the hard way. Anyway, we shouldn’t stay here too long. Once we’re rested up, we should leave.”

After a few minutes break and with Mira healing everyone’s injuries, we prepared to set off. We now had a total of 14 sashes. Lunch was still about an hour away, and honestly, things were looking great for us right now. However, a nagging feeling of unease lingered. Was it the odd encounter with the girls on the hill? What about that crow that had been watching us? I shared these observations with my friends.

As we mulled things over, I factored all of these into my calculations. I thought about Raven and her Ability. Now that we had taken all of their sashes, would their team really leave us alone for good?

“So, who are we going for next?” asked Scarlette. She still looked a little weary—probably overexertion from her battle with Kazen.

However, I had other plans in mind. “Let’s head back to the camp. For some reason, I feel as if we’re being manipulated. The camp’s a safe zone, so we can’t be attacked… there…”

I froze. So that’s what it was.

“Uh, Cadel?” Kaede nudged me, looking concerned. “You good?”

I swallowed. “The girls on the hill. If they were so afraid of being attacked, why didn’t they just stay at the campsite? There wasn’t any rule that said we couldn’t leave the campsite, was there?”

My friends blinked in realisation, the same unsettling thought dawning on them.

“Quick! Take out the sashes! The flag too!” I urged. Scarlette was already ahead of me, almost ripping her bag open in her hurry to retrieve the sashes. Jonah joined her in extracting the flag from his bag. Had they been booby-trapped?

“Guys… I don’t feel too good…” As if on cue, Scarlette started swaying on the spot after tossing the sashes to the ground, reaching out to Kaede for support.

“Good job picking up on that!” Eric clapped in approval, his voice emerging from behind me. “And here we were hoping to get your whole team with it.”

As if on cue, Scarlette crumpled to the ground, her eyes fluttering shut.

“Scarlette!” Kaede bent down in horror, gently cradling Scarlette’s head in her hands. Panic flickered across her face as she tried to rouse her friend.

“So, how’d you like our present?” Eric gushed.

I whipped around, but there was nobody there.

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Administration Notes:

School: Waning Crescent

Name: Raven Sera

Gender: Female

Year: First-year

Rank: 4-Star

Division: Combat

Ability: Raven can create portals of varying sizes that lead to a separate dimension she calls "The Void." Anything that passes through these portals is transported to this realm, where she has the power to store both objects and living beings.

For living creatures, she can trap them in The Void for up to an hour.

For inanimate objects, they can be stored for up to a few hours, depending on their size. However, once taken out, they can simply be placed back in The Void to reset their cooldown.

We are currently monitoring her as her powers still show potential for improvement. Potential for a 5-Star Rank in the future.

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