"There are no predetermined futures or fates, only various paths leading to different outcomes,"– Senseless

“Congratulations, Team Sen, you have passed the first challenge in 56 minutes and 45 seconds,” the Techo watch informed Sen as the sun's light momentarily blinded him. He began to adjust to his surroundings, shielding his eyes from the glaring light with one hand.

Hmm… well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this scenery. Large medieval castles surrounded a picturesque, colorful garden that stretched around the team, with precisely cut and maintained hedges and trees symmetrically placed for onlookers' admiration. Fountains in the middle of small ponds, swimming with koi fish, caught his eye with their beautiful, dazzling water. Archways cut from thick foliage invited you to the garden's center, which contained a massive stage encircled by hundreds of people.

I see. So those are all the contestants who passed the challenge? He tilted his head, looking at the massive crowd below the tall stage.

By a quick estimate, he reckoned almost half the people had been eliminated. Many appeared ragged and tired, as if they had run a marathon, which wasn’t quite surprising to him. The challenge was quite brutal.

Of course, he couldn't really know if they had had it harder or easier than Sen’s team. As Gyro stated, each tunnel contained different obstacles.

That guy still rubs me the wrong way… As shocked as I was by Baru’s combat abilities, it's clear Gyro gave up the key on purpose. And he seemed to be going quite hard on us, which I don’t believe would have happened if we were another team. Something's fishy. Perhaps Asashi figured me out and tried to indirectly eliminate me from the exam? That would definitely make sense if he wasn’t allowed to outright expel me. Or it could very well be Gyro’s own volition. So many possibilities, but so little information. Instantly, Sen found himself entangled in questions that he had no answers to.

“I can't believe it…” gasped Hana, “We actually did it,” collapsing to the floor, she let out a great sigh of relief.

“You mean, I did it,” Baru puffed his chest out arrogantly, attempting to spark some drama with her. But surprisingly, Hana didn’t seem bothered by that statement at all. In fact, she was quite happy.

“It’s true, without you we wouldn’t have passed,” she agreed as Baru gaped at her. “I know we might not get along too well, but you really saved us, so thank you.” Realizing what she had just said, Hana reddened with embarrassment and tried to avoid his gaze.

“Uhhhh…” Baru seemed unable to process her words for a moment. “Appreciation doesn’t look good on your face; I prefer it when you’re angry.”

“Take the f*cking compliment!” Hana punched Baru in the gut with her Sense, catching him off guard. Coughing up a mix of mucus and blood, Baru gasped for mercy.

“Chill, it was just a joke, just a joke. You look hot either way.”

That statement certainly didn’t help his case.

“Shut the hell up!” She threw more flustered punches at him, which did nothing because he opened his Sense this time, not taking any chances of getting hit unprepared.

I see, Sen observed how differently Baru’s body responded to Hana’s punch. Although a person with Touch can strengthen their body without needing to unlock their Sense, it's significantly weaker. When Hana punched him in the stomach while he was off guard, it dealt some damage, but now, with his Sense open… He watched Hana's futile attempts to harm Baru. It was barely a tickle fight for him, highlighting their stark strength difference. They were on completely different levels. Just how strong is he?

“Good job, everyone! I knew we could do it!” Hono clapped her hands with delight. Sen watched her closely, recalling his strange conversation with her during the final obstacle. Sen couldn’t really test his concerns; all he could do was wait and observe her more.

“Stop hitting me! I just came back from a big fight, I’m tired!” Baru complained from the ground, his Sense giving in to exhaustion.

Hana kept kicking at him, “No, I’m going to make you go through hell and back!”

“I never saw Hana so angry before,” Kaiyo murmured fearfully beside him.

“She’s scary,” Hyo shivered.

Although she was weaker than Baru, her attitude alone ranked her at a Diamond-Level of destruction. While the two hot-blooded teens fought and yelled, a cold voice suddenly called out to him.

“Hey, snowhead!” someone said insolently.

Sen debated whether to turn his head. Here I was, beginning to think we finally got rid of them. Sighing, he met the gaze of a beautiful, though unfriendly, blue-haired girl, accompanied by her brother.

“Ayame, Genkai… uh…” When Sen noticed them, he saw something clearly different.

“Why are you guys drenched in water?” Kaiyo asked before he could.

Gritting her teeth, Ayame grimaced, water droplets falling from her silky hair. “Long story…” she muttered while wringing out her clothes. Sen could almost see her bra through the wet fabric but decided not to focus on it. After all, he wasn't particularly interested in such things.

“Woah, if it isn’t the blue-haired chick and blue-haired guy!” Baru called out to them, finally free from Hana’s abuse. “And woaaaaaahh–” His eyes drifted downward at Ayame, which was the exact spot Sen refused to pay attention to.

Men are men, I guess, Sen realized. Before Ayame could say anything to the perverted red-haired emo, Sen cleared his throat.

“More importantly,” he eyed Baru, hinting at him to shut his mouth. “How did you pass the challenge? You guys were right behind us, so how are you even here?"

Ayame frowned, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Her brother rolled his eyes with a tired sigh. “After we finished fighting the Bearwolf, we followed the other tunnel, but lo and behold, there was a dead end.”

“Dead end?” Hyo echoed his words, confused. “How’s that possible when Hana smashed the wall? You two should have seen us.”

Genkai and Ayame exchanged glances before he replied, “We figured out the whole wall trick, but the dead end didn’t budge at all, so we searched for one that could break under our sense.”

Ayame chimed in with a rather bitter tone, “And when we did find one, we were thrown into a maze of booby traps and—”

“Let me guess, water,” Baru chuckled.

“...I’m really, really disappointed that you didn’t fail,” Ayame gave him a death stare.

Sen didn’t pay any more attention to the conversation but was more focused on how the tunnel seemed to have closed off when Ayame and her brother followed them. It's not like they used a different tunnel, so why does it seem like we weren’t even there to begin with? After contemplating for a moment, a light bulb went off inside his head.

“I see,” he murmured, catching the attention of the icy girl. “The walls are manually placed depending on the team's location and predicament. So, in this case, a Sense-proof wall was placed between us to prevent you from following us.”

“That means every wall could be either weak or resistant to Senses, depending on when the academy sees fit,” Hyo observed, tailing off of Sen’s well-grounded theory. He nodded.

“If that’s the case, why did we pass before you guys?” Ayame asked. “We were waiting here for a good ten minutes.”

Sen shrugged. “Long story.”

“Touché.”

Sen kept his thoughts to himself. That statement alone proves how oddly difficult the last obstacle was. All I can do now is be thankful that we passed, but next time, I doubt we’ll be as lucky. Sen was paranoid that Asashi might appear from the shadows and kidnap him or something. His lack of involvement almost seems too good to be true.

His thoughts were abruptly cut off when he felt his Techo watch buzz and announce—

“Your time is up. All remaining contestants, please gather below the stage located in the center of the garden and wait.”

Every watch from what seemed to be a couple of blocks radius announced at once, making the electronic voice resound throughout the garden. Upon hearing the direction, the two teams entered the garden's arched foliage and gaped at the amazing scenery.

“This garden is beautiful,” Kaiyo said, staring at the fountain to the right of the cement path.

Birds of all kinds chirped in serene melodies, landing on the fountain ring and calmly sipping water. Perfectly manicured vegetation was ubiquitous, creating different patterns, while trees lined the sides and arched high up, slightly blocking the sunlight. It surprised Sen how they managed to keep the garden so green and colorful in early November. Or maybe he shouldn’t be surprised at all; after all, technology was always improving rapidly.

“This could almost make a grown man cry,” Baru held back tears.

“You’re not a grown man yet,” Hana retorted.

“I’m seventeen!”

“Still not there yet, sucks to suck.” Hana still seemed scornful over his last comment.

“Actually, since you’re eighteen and are considered an adult, isn’t it considered child abuse if you hit me?”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Yes, it's child abuse because you act like a child.”

Hyo suppressed a laugh. “You walked right into that one.”

Baru gritted his teeth and scowled. While the team was lightheartedly bantering with each other, Sen noticed Kaiyo’s anxious face.

Her lips moved with unease, and her eyes were aloof in thought. Although she tried to hide it when noticing him stare, Sen could already tell what was wrong. It was most likely the same reason he was apprehensive.

Her father… Sen deduced. Although she promised me that she’d threaten to pull out of the challenge if he tried to throw me out, it finally dawned on her if she could actually do it or if it would even work in the first place.

Sen had thought if this simple tactic would work against her father since the beginning, and although there wasn’t a hundred percent definitive answer, Sen knew where Asashi stood. He wouldn’t abandon his daughter's dream just because he disliked someone. Even he wouldn’t stoop that low.

That’s why the plan is foolproof; Asashi might be tough on the outside, but he’s weak emotionally. I can tell when I look at him. Sen recalled his past interactions with Pantherman, and in each one of them, Sen could feel something hiding behind his gaze. I don’t even dislike him either, but if he gets in my way of finding information about my father, then well, he's an enemy, I suppose. Sen wasn't the type to label anyone as an enemy; that seemed quite childish, and he couldn’t frankly care what reason Asashi had for disliking him. Sen wasn’t inclined to change their relationship either.

“I’m sorry if you’re feeling nervous because I’m here,” Sen said beside her, walking down the cement path in the massive, beautiful garden. Kaiyo was startled by his sudden statement and quickly grew flustered.

Sen was genuinely apologetic for putting her in the position, which was odd, given that he felt next to nothing before starting the challenge. He wasn’t sure what it was, but his feelings felt jumbled lately, as if he could barely recognize them.

The realization brought him back to when he laughed in front of Gyro, something he rarely did, or what he said to Hono during the challenge. It didn’t make sense at all, it felt like something was meddling with him on the inside, and he couldn’t understand what…

“W-why are you apologizing? I’m completely fine,” she stammered.

“No, I can tell you’re worried, and I’m the reason for that, so I apologize for that. No use in trying to sugar-coat things.” Sen had to be careful with how he worded things just in case someone was using their Sense, or even the newer teammates at that.

“It’s fine… really,” Kaiyo reassured him, unable to look at him. “It was my decision, not yours. I just need to prepare for the consequences of my own choice.”

Sen couldn’t help but think that he might have influenced her decision more than she knew.

“Well… I feel like our worry is going to end if we manage to make it to the second challenge,” he mused, looking at how the garden opened up to a large circular clearing with a marble stage settled in the center. Hundreds of people had gathered underneath it, murmuring with each other as they waited for something to happen.

“I wonder what the next challenge will be,” a contestant whispered to his teammate in front of Sen.

The partner grimaced. “I have no idea, but the first challenge was brutal. There’s no way we're going to pass all three challenges. We’ll die before then.”

Sen somewhat agreed with their fear. He himself wasn’t sure if he would be able to complete two more challenges, especially if they were as difficult as the first. Only time will tell.

“Yeah, especially since we're in the same challenge as Nova. There's no way he passed that challenge so fast, right?”

“I mean, it's pretty much a fact that he was the first to pass, but the time he did it is still yet to be confirmed.” The stranger’s conversation piqued Sen’s interest.

By the way they're talking, it almost sounded like this Nova guy passed the challenge alone. It could be similar to Ayame, who separated from her registered team. So, in that case, this guy must be incredibly strong if he managed to pass the challenge alone and be the first. Sen was interested in meeting this person.

And it seemed he would be getting his wish sooner than expected.

“REEEEE!” a familiar old announcer stood on the stage, looking down at the contestants as the megaphone in his hand gave an awful screech as it turned on, making the contestants wince. “Ahem, can I have your attention, please!” the lanky man said through the device, twirling his salt-and-pepper mustache. The audience showed their discontent from the loud screech but instantly quieted down as he glared at them.

“First off, I would like to congratulate you on passing the first challenge. You all should be very proud!” His statement made cheers erupt from the crowd, which Sen noted to be much lower than at the start, due to the reduced number of people. The announcer raised his white-gloved hand to silence the ruckus.

“But…” his voice grew ominous, “the next challenge will not only test your raw strength but your mental fortitude as well. The first challenge was by far the easiest. It was just meant to shave off the weaklings, the overoptimistic, untalented, and worthless people…”

What a way to put it, Sen mused at the old man's words. He wasn’t sure if the statement was meant to demotivate the remaining contestants or boost their egos. Maybe both, depending on who they were.

“But now that those weaklings are gone, the real challenge shall begin… Before that, however, I would like to invite the first three teams who managed to pass the challenge onto the stage.”

You ask, and you shall receive, Sen thought, surprised he would be seeing the Nova person so quickly. Upon the invitation, the first team scaled the marble stairs and bowed their heads to the large crowd.

Sen noted six individuals: four men and two women. Being at the rear of the crowd, he couldn’t quite see their features from afar, but one blonde-haired individual stood out. He could practically see his rich, arrogant smile as he waved at the competitors like a celebrity. If Sen had to guess, the blondie was likely the team representative.

“Please give a round of applause for third place, Team Yior!” The announcer raised his hands to signal applause, and the audience responded with enthusiastic clapping. However, this only seemed to inflate the blondie's ego;

"Oh please, I don't deserve you're clapping..." Yior covered his face modestly but quickly reconciled, "Hahaha, on second thought, please do continue!"

He really seemed to enjoy all the attention. Sen, quite frankly, disliked those kinds of people.

“God damn, I hate that guy,” Genkai muttered beside him, to which Sen raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

Genkai glanced at his sister as if communicating through thoughts. “Before our father went to jail, he used to invite his influential friends over to our mansion. That blondie, Yior, is the child of a political family who often visited us. I don’t even know how he managed to place so high, but it's probably because of his team.”

“And he happens to be a spoiled, rotten, arrogant bastard,” Ayame added bitterly.

“Ah, I see. It looks like that's the norm for rich people,” Sen said with a deadpan expression, which made it even funnier. Behind his sarcastic remark, he noted what Genkai had said about their father.

Hmm, I don’t recall an aristocrat by their last name going to jail; I’ll have to do some digging when I get back home.

“I... You...” Ayame couldn’t form a coherent sentence while her brother tried suppressing his amusement. Before she could come up with a retort, the announcer continued—

“Next up, give a round of applause for the second-place team… Team Ze!” Four people made their way up the stage this time, three males and one female, although one towered over his teammates like some sort of gorilla.

Again, Sen couldn’t quite see his face from where he stood, but the sheer muscle mass of the contestant was a defining feature on its own. And for some reason, Sen felt an odd sensation when looking at the large contestant...

Thump…

Thump…

Thump…

His heart began pounding viciously in his chest, so aggressively it took his breath away. It felt like something was trying to eat his heart out and rip open his chest. With a cough, Sen leaned over and spat out a glob of mucus before attempting to catch his ragged breaths.

“Sen?” Kaiyo rushed over in alarm. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” She stroked his back to reassure him, but Sen was certain that wouldn’t help. It doesn’t feel like a stomach problem. It feels like—

Thump...

Sen didn’t respond; rather, he felt that he couldn’t. The cheering sounds of the contestants as they congratulated the second-place team seemed so blurry and distant, and his mind became mushy and feeble.

Thump...

Am I having a heart attack? His thoughts echoed in his own mind. I need to calm my heart down. Worrying will only worsen things. Breathe... breathe... I need to think to keep my brain from losing oxygen.

Thump...

“Last but not least, give a round of applause for the first-place team…” Sen couldn’t even fully recover his breath before the announcer called out.

The aura in the air changed, Sen was sure of it. The cheering felt eerie and slow to him as his eyes widened at the first-place contestant. Sen's hearing became impaired, and his heart ceased to beat.

Sleek, long, scarlet blood hair, coupled with black obsidian eyes. His familiar dark aura alone made Sen shudder, making him incapable of even breathing.

He was looking at him...

Thump...

Thump...

Thump...

Sen felt those familiar black obsidian eyes look at him. Even behind the hundreds of people, he could feel his scorching gaze.

“Finishing the challenge in a world record time of three minutes and thirty-two seconds! Nova!”

***********

Sen gagged with a cough, finally able to breathe out for what seemed like minutes. His eyes were wet from the tension, and his heart sore from the constant shuddering. He flopped on the pavement and covered his eyes from the sun, trying to process what had just occurred.

“S-Sen?! Do you need me to take you to the hospital?!” Hana exclaimed, his team surrounding him and panicking.

Sen didn’t respond between his ragged pants, this time not because he couldn’t, but because he had no idea how to.

What a dumb question. He chuckled to himself, still having trouble recovering. That must have been a heart attack… No other explanation. He told himself that, but a lingering doubt still stuck. But if that’s the case, why did it only start when Team Ze went on stage, and I’m not going to even think about when Nova appeared.

“DON’T DIE ON ME, MAN!” Baru cried, shaking his body back and forth. “I know CPR, don’t you worry.”

Sen opened his eyes immediately, leaning away from Baru’s puckered lips. “No, really, I’m fine, I’m fine.” It didn’t matter how bad in shape he was, as long as he was conscious, he wouldn’t find that necessary.

Groggily attempting to get up by himself, he stumbled before Hyo and Baru helped him stabilize. Sen could almost feel his forehead vein start pulsating while trying to massage his eyes.

“What the hell happened, are you okay?” Ayame ambled to him, appearing more concerned than he would have guessed.

Sen sighed. It was getting really hard to find excuses for all these weird things that happened to him.

“I think I was really fatigued from the challenge, sorry for making you worry,” Sen tried to shrug it off.

He definitely knew that wasn’t the case. It could have been a massive coincidence that his instant shuddering started when looking at the top two teams, or…

Sen took a chance and cocked his head to the stage, the hundreds of contestants still hollering and congratulating the teams. He took another look at Team Ze and then moved to Nova.

Nothing...

His heart didn't pound out of control, and no abnormalities were present. He sighed in relief. It was just a fluke then, maybe my body was under more stress than my mind could even process. Nonetheless… it happened to me before when I bumped into Nova when the first challenge began. What the hell is going on?

“Thank God,” Baru put his arm around him, “I thought you were going to die, man…”

Kaiyo nodded, her hand on her chest rather cutely. “M-me too, don’t scare us like that.”

Sen wasn’t fond of Baru invading his personal space. “More importantly,” he pointed at the long red-haired man on the stage, trying to move on from his episode, “you all heard that correctly, right?”

“Yeah,” Hyo grimaced, adjusting his glasses. “Three and a half minutes, that’s unbelievable.”

Ayame and her brother weren’t too convinced either. “There has to be some sort of error.”

“Having a team is one thing, but passing all alone?” Hana gawked in awe.

Sen agreed with all of them; it felt too good to be true. The only possible conclusion he could muster up was, perhaps, Nova had insider information on how the challenge would go.

Breaking off from his thoughts, he noticed the crowd being silenced by the announcer as he continued his speech.

“There’s a reason I called upon the first three teams to come up on stage. And no, it wasn’t for a confidence boost, it's actually quite the opposite.” The salt-and-pepper-haired man grinned.

“The real reason is… to be explained by a very, very special Knight."

Sen had a bad feeling.

“Give it up for one of the most respected Knight in the Academy,” the old man paused and turned to his right, where he met the sounds of dress shoes marching up the marble stairs and the audience's voices hanging silently in the air. “Asashi Yahish!”