As Kyren and Hiro continued their journey through the unfamiliar forest, the dense canopy overhead cast deep shadows, and the air grew cooler, heightening the eerie stillness around them. The forest seemed devoid of life or any sign of other students.

"Kyren, we’ve been walking for hours, and we haven’t seen a single soul. Not even a clue that anyone else is out here," Hiro remarked, his concern evident.

"Yeah, it’s strange. I’ve been keeping track of the landscape, but it never repeats. This forest… it just feels endless," Kyren replied, his brow furrowed, scanning their surroundings.

Suddenly, Hiro’s stomach growled loudly, breaking the tense silence. He groaned. "Kyren, I’m starving. We should take a break and try to find some food."

Kyren considered it, weighing their options. "We can’t waste time. The others might be closer to finding their way out. But at the same time, we can’t push ourselves until we collapse, either."

"Maybe we should just search for something quick—fruits, berries, anything," Hiro suggested.

After a brief search, frustration began to set in. The towering trees, though abundant, seemed to choke out anything else, their massive roots consuming all the nutrients. There was no trace of edible plants or fruits.

"This forest sucks," Hiro grumbled, kicking a fallen branch in frustration. "So many trees, but nothing we can eat."

Kyren remained silent, his instincts gnawing at him. Something felt off, not just the lack of food, but the entire atmosphere of the forest. It wasn’t just vast; it felt… designed.

"And to top it off, night’s falling," Hiro added, glancing at the darkening sky. "Perfect timing."

"Hiro," Kyren began, his voice low, "I need to tell you something."

Hiro turned to him, sensing the gravity in his tone. "What is it?"

"I think this forest is meant to trap us. The longer we stay, the harder it’ll be to get out. If we don’t find a way soon, we might be forced to press the button and give up… or worse."

Hiro's face flashed with a mix of panic and realization. "Then we really don’t have time to mess around."

"Exactly," Kyren said, his resolve hardening. "We need to move quickly, but carefully."

"But how do we even know if we’re going in the right direction?" Hiro asked, voicing a valid concern.

Kyren hesitated, glancing at the unfamiliar trees around them. "I don’t know yet. But we’ll have to trust our instincts and hope for a little luck."

They pressed on, navigating through the thick forest, when suddenly, the sharp sound of a cry for help echoed through the trees. Hiro stopped in his tracks, his ears perking up. Without thinking, he dashed toward the sound, but Kyren grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Hiro, wait! Don’t rush in. It could be a trap," Kyren cautioned, his voice firm.

"But someone needs help!" Hiro protested, his body tensed, ready to spring into action.

"I know, but we have to be smart about this. Let's observe the situation first," Kyren said, his eyes already scanning the trees around them.

Reluctantly, Hiro followed Kyren’s lead, and the two climbed into the nearest tree, seeking higher ground for a better view. From their hidden vantage point, they spotted a group of three students tied to a tree, their faces twisted in fear and helplessness.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"It’s hard to watch," Hiro muttered, his heart aching for the captives.

"I know," Kyren agreed, his voice steady but his eyes sharp, "but we can’t rush in blindly. We need to be sure."

As they watched, another group of students, armed with crude weapons, approached the tied-up captives. Their demeanor was menacing, their intentions clear.

"What do you want from us? We don’t want to continue anymore," one of the tied-up students pleaded.

One of the armed students sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "Don’t worry, we’ll help you quit… permanently."

"Then tell us what you need. We can help you!" another captive offered desperately.

"What we want isn’t from you," the leader of the armed group replied coldly before delivering a brutal punch to the girl tied to the tree. She slumped unconscious, her head lolling forward.

Horrified by the violence unfolding before them, Hiro’s blood boiled. Without waiting for Kyren’s signal, he leaped from the tree and charged towards the attackers, catching them off guard. In a swift, precise movement, he disarmed two of the students, knocking their weapons to the ground.

Kyren, still in the trees, silently cursed under his breath. Hiro… always rushing in. But instead of following immediately, he stayed hidden, quickly formulating a plan.

As Hiro worked to untie the captives, one of them, a bruised boy, gasped a warning. "Be careful! They’re trying to steal your buttons. They don’t want us to give up. They want us to die in here."

Kyren, hearing this from his perch, processed the chilling implication. If they steal our buttons, we’ll be trapped here forever. His eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation.

Meanwhile, Hiro faced off against the remaining captors. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?" he demanded, his voice sharp with anger.

The leader of the armed group laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. "What we want? It’s simple. Hand over your button, and maybe we’ll let you live."

Hiro’s grip tightened on his weapon. "And then what? Leave us tied to a tree like them?"

"Maybe," the leader sneered, "but at least you won’t die by our hands. It’s a generous offer, don’t you think?"

Kyren saw his opening. While the captors were focused on Hiro, he dropped silently from the trees, landing behind the group. With a swift, lethal strike, he incapacitated one of the armed students, who collapsed in a heap, blood staining the forest floor.

The remaining captors, startled by the sudden attack, faltered. Seizing the moment, Kyren snatched up the fallen weapon and tossed it to one of the captives. "Take this. Fight with us."

The tide of the battle was shifting, but Kyren knew they had to be swift. More dangers could be lurking in the forest, and they couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

For Kyren and Hiro, this was their first real encounter with bloodshed. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on them—the sight of the wounded captors, the metallic tang of blood in the air—but they couldn’t afford to falter. Despite the fear gnawing at the edges of their minds, they knew they had to fight back if they wanted to protect themselves and the other students.

"Hiro," Kyren said, his voice steady despite the chaos around them, "cover me while I handle the others. You too," he turned to the student they had just rescued, "help us. I noticed the two students with you are elves—get one of them to heal this man. We can't let him die here."

The rescued student nodded, though his hands trembled as he began tending to the wounded captive.

Without hesitation, Hiro and the student charged alongside Kyren, weapons ready. The fight quickly escalated, a flurry of strikes and defenses between them and the remaining captors. Despite being outnumbered, Kyren’s quick thinking and their unexpected teamwork gave them a slight edge. Within moments, they managed to take down two of the captors, leaving the last two scrambling in retreat, vanishing into the shadowy forest.

Kyren, breathing heavily but composed, stood over one of the fallen captors, his Gladius pointed at the man’s chest. His voice was cold, but his eyes reflected the intensity of the moment. "Tell me why you’re really stealing the buttons. Don’t lie. If you want any chance of walking out of here alive, you’ll start talking now."

Hiro, catching his breath, glanced over at Kyren, startled by his friend's serious demeanor. This was a side of Kyren he hadn’t seen before, but even Hiro knew they needed to show strength.

The wounded captor groaned, tied to the tree. His voice was weak, barely above a whisper. "We… we’re stealing the buttons because we don’t have any."

Kyren’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean you don’t have any?"

"We… we’re not students," the captor gasped, his breath shallow. "We’re prisoners… sentenced here for life."

Kyren blinked in surprise, his mind working rapidly to make sense of the confession. "Prisoners? What are you talking about?"

The captor swallowed, his gaze distant, as if reliving something painful. "We’re here… for a second chance. The academy doesn’t just take warriors and sorcerers. Some of us… we were sent here as punishment. If we pass the trial, we live. If we fail… we die. It’s our only shot."