The freezing winds howled across the expansive Svetlan tundra, carrying with them tiny crystals of snow that stung Aiko's bits of exposed skin. She huddled closer to her companions, grateful for the shared body heat as they trudged through the endless white expanse.

It had been barely six hours since they'd been dropped off, and already the harsh reality of their situation was setting in. The group now marched much slower than when they first began traveling together once finding one another.

Lina's cheerfulness had dimmed, her pristine face etched with worry. Zara took the lead, her muscular frame cutting a path through the snow. Mei brought up the rear, her quiet demeanor even more pronounced in the face of their daunting task.

The boys - Finn, Sven, Ravi, and Nikolai - had joined their group, operating under the assumption that strength in numbers would increase their chances of survival.

As they crested yet another snow-covered hill, Finn let out a frustrated groan. "We've been walking for hours, and everything still looks the same! How are we supposed to find our way back if we can't even tell where we are?" A recent snowstorm had blanketed any signs or trails that would have normally been used for safe passage; Aiko was sure that this was by design and not bad fortune on their part as she agreed with Finn's sentiments.

Nikolai frowned, pulling out a crude map they'd sketched based on their limited supplies from his pack. "If my calculations are correct, we should be heading in the general direction of the academy. But without proper navigational tools, it's impossible to be certain." He glared at the irate boy who had called him a friend so shortly before.

"Your calculations?" Sven scoffed, his burly frame shaking with a humorless laugh. "We're relying on guesswork and hoping we don't freeze to death. Some plan this is...You guys would be dead already if there were any Frostbear active."

Tension, which had been simmering beneath the surface since they set out, began to boil over. Aiko could sense the fragile bonds of their alliance starting to fray as they continued to dwindle on stamina from the harsh elements.

"At least Nikolai is trying to help," Zara snapped, coming to the blue-eyed boy's defense. "What have you contributed besides complaints, Sven? You backwoods farmhand..."

The Svetlan boy's face darkened with anger as he raised his voice louder than Aiko thought possible. "I'm the only FUCKING one here who's actually lived in this kind of shit. If you'd all just listen to me--"

"Oi, here we go again," Finn rolled his eyes. "Just because you're from here doesn't make you the survival expert! If we hadn't taken that ridge back there I wouldn't have lost my pack!"

As the argument escalated, Aiko exchanged worried glances with Mei. The quiet girl's eyes reflected the same concern Aiko felt; this infighting would only weaken them, making their already slim chances of survival even slimmer. A gift from the Headmaster to work together...Or perhaps a curse.

"Please," Mei's soft voice somehow cut through the heated debate. "We shouldn't fight. We need to work together." Her pleading eyes shined like stars among the blinding white of the snow.

For a moment, it seemed her words had an effect. The group fell silent, the only sound the whistling of the wind. When Ravi spoke up, his easy-going demeanor was replaced by a hard edge. "Work together? Wake up, Mei. There's not enough resources for all of us to make it. Sooner or later, we're going to have to look out for ourselves."

His words hung in the air, giving voice to the unspoken fear they'd all been harboring. Aiko felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cold. She thought of her father's lessons on strategy and survival; "A chain is only as strong as its weakest links". Had they been naive to think they could all make it through this together?

As night began to fall, the group found shelter in the lee of a large ice formation. They huddled together, sharing what meager rations they had. The earlier argument had left a palpable strain in the air, with small factions forming within the larger group.

Aiko found herself unable to sleep, her mind filled with the last days of summer before coming to this place. She was startled from her thoughts by a light touch on her arm. It was Lina, her green eyes wide in the darkness of the night.

"Aiko," she whispered, her voice fluttering slightly. "I'm worried. What if... what if we don't all make it?" She took a moment to search Aiko's face, anxiety almost dripping from her existence.

Aiko wanted to offer reassurance, to tell her companion that everything would be alright. Yet, the words stuck in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to lie so openly to someone she had begun to care for, it seemed pointless.

"We'll do our best," she said instead while squeezing Lina's hand. "That's all we can do--That and pray the Gods favor our plight in such times of need." Aiko's words struck deeply in Lina, she was able to fall fast asleep soon after unlike Aiko.

As dawn broke, painting the snow-covered landscape in hues of pink and gold, the group set out once more. The brief respite had done little to ease the apprehensions, and it wasn't long before another argument broke out.

This time, it was over the dwindling food supplies. Sven accused Finn of taking more than his fair share, and soon others joined in, hurling accusations and counter-accusations. Aiko watched in dismay as the fragile alliance they'd formed finally crumbled before her eyes.

"Enough!" she finally shouted, her voice carrying over the din. "This is exactly what they want. We're doing their job for them, tearing ourselves apart." The others fell silent, looking at her with a mixture of surprise and shame. But then Nikolai spoke, his voice cold and calculating.

"You're right, Aiko. But that doesn't change the facts. There's not enough for all of us. Sooner or later, we'll have to make hard choices...And it seems like some of us are more prepared than others." With those words, the last vestiges of unity shattered.

Sven and Ravi, who had been increasingly at odds, decided to strike out on their own in separate directions. Finn, after a moment's hesitation, chose to go with his Svetlan counterpart. "I'm sorry," he said, not meeting Aiko's eyes. "But I have to do what I think is best for me. Sven wait up!"

Aiko watched them go, a knot forming in her stomach. She turned to the others, hoping to rally what remained of their group, but she could see the doubt and fear in their eyes.

Zara was the next to leave, soon disappearing into the swirling snow. "I can move faster on my own," she said by way of explanation, but Aiko could see the guilt in her eyes.

Now it was just Aiko, Lina, Mei, and Nikolai. They pressed on, the vastness of the tundra seeming even more oppressive now that their numbers had dwindled.

As they struggled through a particularly deep snowdrift, Aiko heard a cry behind her. She turned to see Lina sprawled in the snow, her face contorted in pain. "My ankle," Lina gasped. "I think I've twisted it."

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Aiko immediately moved to help her friend, but she felt a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. It was Nikolai, his blue eyes hard and unforgiving. "We can't afford to slow down," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "If she can't keep up, we have to leave her behind."

Aiko stared at him in disbelief. "We can't just abandon her! Do you have no respect for fallen soldiers where you are from?!" Mei, who had been quiet throughout most of their journey, spoke up.

"Nikolai is right," she said softly, not meeting Aiko's eyes like the others. "We won't survive if we have to carry her...This isn't war, it's our lives--We have to do what's best for the group and ourselves."

Aiko felt as though the ground had dropped out from beneath her feet. She looked from Nikolai to Mei, then back to Lina, who was struggling to stand, her face pale with distress and dread.

"Go," Lina said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You have to survive, Aiko. I'll be okay." She gave a whimpering smile that faded as she stopped struggling as much. "I'll be okay."

Torn between her instinct to help and the cold logic of survival, Aiko hesitated. In that moment of indecision, Nikolai chose for her, grabbing her arm and pulling her away."I'm sorry," he said, and for a brief moment, Aiko thought she saw a flicker of regret in his eyes.

But then it was gone, replaced by the same steely determination she'd seen in her father's gaze so many times. As they moved away, Aiko couldn't bear to look back at Lina's diminishing figure. The sound of her friend's muffled sobs echoed in her ears, mixing with the same howling wind.

They pressed on, the group now reduced to just three. Aiko felt numb, her body moving on autopilot as her mind grappled with what they'd done. She thought of Lina, alone and injured in this frozen wasteland, and felt a wave of shame over her.

As night fell once more, they found shelter in another small cave. The silence between them was heavy, each lost in their own thoughts. Aiko couldn't shake the feeling that they'd crossed a line, that in leaving Lina behind, they'd lost something fundamental within themselves that couldn't be salvaged as they pressed further in the trial.

She was startled from her brooding by a sudden movement. Nikolai was rummaging through their shared supplies, methodically dividing them into three piles evenly.

"What are you doing?" Mei asked, her voice tinged with suspicion. "We all got the same supplies..."

Nikolai didn't look up as he answered. "We're splitting up. It's the logical thing to do now that we are closing in on the complex. We'll cover more ground individually, and we won't have to worry about... making difficult decisions." He turned his face toward her for a flash moment. "I also lied earlier...Some of us got less or more than others, I couldn't let the others know that though."

Aiko felt a surge of anger. "So that's it? We just abandon each other and hope we make it?" Her hand balled into a tight fist.

Nikolai finally met her gaze, his eyes cold. "We abandoned Lina, didn't we? At least this way, we all have a fair chance...The others clearly have made it much farther since we haven't stumbled on their bodies yet. At least I dont think those bodies were theirs"

The truth of his words stung, but Aiko couldn't argue. They had already crossed that threshold. What was left of their unity had been irreparably shattered.

As dawn broke, Aiko found herself alone for the first time since the trial began. Nikolai and Mei had set off at different times after the sun had risen, leaving her to face the vast, unforgiving tundra on her own as she pondered heading back to save Lina.

For a moment, the enormity of her situation threatened to overwhelm her. She thought of her mother and sister. She felt their embrace many times while stumbling through icy peaks but now she felt nothing but bitter frostbite shredding her humanity.

She remembered her promise to herself. "I will survive. I will see tomorrow." With renewed determination, she set off, her footsteps leaving a solitary trail in the endless white.

The days that followed tested Aiko in ways she had never envisioned. The cold seeped into her bones, making every movement a struggle. She rationed her meager supplies carefully, knowing that each morsel of food, each drop of slushed water, could mean the difference between life and death.

As she trudged through the snow, Aiko's mind wandered to her companions. Had they fared better on their own? Had any of them made it back to the academy? The thought of Lina, injured and alone, haunted her waking moments and invaded her fitful dreams.

On the 5th night, a fierce storm hit. Aiko huddled in the shelter of a rock formation, her body shaking uncontrollably as the wind howled around her. In those dark hours, as the cold threatened to claim her, she thought of giving up. It would be so easy to just close her eyes and let the storm take her.

Her father's words began to wail in her ears louder than the winds of the tempest, spoken during one of their grueling training sessions: "The mind gives up before the body, Aiko. Your greatest weapon is your will to survive..."

With trembling hands, she reached into her pack and pulled out the small knife she'd been given. Using techniques she'd learned in her survival training, she began to carve out a small snow shelter. It was painstaking work, her fingers numb and clumsy, but she persevered.

As she worked, memories of home flooded her mind. She thought of Huck's mischievous grin, of Kash's quiet strength. She remembered the warmth of her mother's embrace, a distant memory that still had the power to comfort her. These thoughts became her anchor, keeping her tethered to life as the storm raged on harder than the last few nights.

When dawn finally broke, Aiko emerged from her shelter, battered but alive. The landscape had been transformed by the storm, familiar landmarks obliterated under fresh snow. For a moment, despair threatened to overwhelm her. How could she find her way back now?

But as she stood there, squinting against the bright sunlight reflecting off the snow, she noticed something. A faint smudge on the horizon, barely visible against the white sky. Could it be...?

Hope surged through her, giving her renewed strength. She set off towards the distant shape, her steps more purposeful now. With each passing hour, the smudge grew more distinct, eventually resolving into the unmistakable silhouette of Frostpeak Academy.

As she approached the imposing structure, Aiko's emotions warred within her. Relief at having survived, guilt over those she'd left behind, uncertainty about what awaited her inside those frost-covered walls.

The massive doors creaked open as she approached, and Aiko stepped inside, leaving the white wasteland behind. The entrance hall was empty, her footsteps echoing in the cavernous space.

"Congratulations, candidate," a familiar voice cut through the silence. Headmistress Saxun emerged from the shadows, her cold eyes appraising Aiko. "You have prevailed the trial. A true dessert wolf, the general would be proud...I wonder if he still remembers our own time here fondly--My heart still yearns to finish our last sparring session."

Aiko straightened her posture, meeting the woman's gaze. "What about the others?" she asked, her voice hoarse from disuse. Aiko cared little of the revelation of her father's time here, she could only think of the others she had parted ways with.

A delicate smile played at the corners of Saxun's mouth. "Some have returned--You need to dash this sense of camaraderie, I will warn you only once more." Aiko felt a discomfort in her chest. How many had they lost? How many lives were cut short in this cruel test?

As if reading her thoughts, Saxun continued. "This was but the first trial, prospect. Those who survived have proven their physical resilience. But true strength lies in more than just the ability to endure cold and purposeful hunger."

She gestured for Aiko to follow her. As they walked through the winding passages, Aiko caught glimpses of other students-- some she recognized, others unfamiliar. All bore the same haunted look in their eyes, the mark of what they'd persisted out on the tundra.

They arrived at a large hall, where the surviving candidates were gathered. Aiko scanned the crowd, her heart sinking as she realized how few had made it back to the school. She spotted Nikolai and Mei, standing apart from each other, their faces unreadable as Buritian tea-reading leaves. Sven was there too, but there was no sign of Finn or Ravi.

Aiko's breath caught in her throat as she saw a flash of red hair. Lina was alive, leaning heavily on a crutch but very much present. Their eyes met across the room, and Aiko felt a surge of emotions--relief, guilt, joy.

Before she could move towards her friend, Saxuns voice rang out, silencing the murmurs in the hall. "Prospects," she began, her tone commanding attention. "You have survived the first trial. But your journey is far from over. The challenges that await you will test not just your body, but your mind, your ethics, and your very soul."

Aiko listened intently. What more could they possibly face after what they'd been through? She looked around at her fellow survivors, Aiko realized that the true test had only just begun.

The bonds they'd formed and broken out on the tundra, the choices they'd made in the face of death--These would shape whatever came next. Aiko thought of Lina, of the moment she'd left her behind. Of Nikolai's cold logic and Mei's quiet acquiescence. Of her own struggle to survive against all odds.

As Saxun continued to speak, outlining the next phase of their training, Aiko made a silent vow to herself. She would survive, yes, but not at the cost of her humanity. Whatever trials lay ahead, she would face them with courage, compassion, and integrity.

For in the end, she realized, that actual strength lay not in mere survival, but in how one chose to live.