Darius walked to the top of the hill and threw a circular gaze at his brethren. Their triumph over the chimeric wolves had bolstered their resolve, dissolving their panic like snow under a summer sky. For a few moments, their young mind had forgotten their situation.

“Everyone, please gather!” he yelled loud. “We need to talk about our next action.”

The mob of teenagers faced their appointed leader, listening closely to his next word.

“You fought well during the last battle, but now we must capitalise on this victory. I won’t lie to you. We have no idea what lurks in the woods. What we know is that we aren’t safe here. We must leave and find a defendable position to establish a camp.”

“What are you saying? Do you want to go to the forest? Blindly?” asked a tanned young man with arrogant eyes.

“Do you have any other option?”

“And where do you want us to go? What tells us we won’t run into some monster’s lair?” asked another.

Darius turned toward Eïrin and invited her to advance.

“Because she will be our guide.”

Eïrin had never liked talking in front of everyone. She hated when others leered her down like some animal in a zoo. She cursed Darius under her breath before walking to the centre stage.

“Okay… First, my name is Eïrin. I’m the girl who ran out of the woods earlier with the blond guy behind me. When we were there, we saw a stream of water. If this place works like home, it should guide us to a larger river and, at some point, outside this forest.”

Many teenagers hesitated to stroll in the monster-infested forest, but staying in the glade alone was even worse. Ultimately, most kept their mouth shut and decided to trust their leaders. Darius had already shown his ability to command during the previous battle, and many had seen Eïrin take down the pack leader in a single arrow.

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As no one complained, Darius spoke again:

“If everyone agrees, I will ask all of you to state your name if you have any useful knowledge or skill. We are all in this together. We need to trust each other if we want to survive and go home. Secondly, I’d also like it if you would name the crystal alongside which you woke up. I want people from the same crystal to group and watch each other back to ensure everyone remains safe.”

Darius followed by a short presentation, explaining that he had learned swordsmanship since his sixth birthday. Eïrin followed him, and then Hideaki and Nikolai spoke.

The blond-haired boy listened closely to the different presentations. A few stood out immediately.

Among them was a dark-skinned Hercules. His small black eyes, short hair and brawny physique set him apart from the scrawny teenagers. At first glance, he was the only one to equal Darius’ might.

“My name is Edward from the third crystal.” He spoke in a polite voice. “I practised boxing for four years. My weapon is this axe. If any monster shows up, you can count on me.”

Next to him was a blond girl with an angelic face and eyes like sapphire. She beamed as if the situation did not affect her, and just looking at her eased Nikolai’s worry.

“My name is Lauren from the second crystal. I’m 18, and I’m studying to become a doctor. I know first aid. So, if anyone gets hurt, they can come to me, and I’ll try my best to patch you up!”

She was helping a boy to stand. A few tattoos decorated his brown skin, and his curly dark hair was tied in a ponytail. The unlucky fool had been clawed during the short battle, trying to smash a wolf’s skull with a rock. Lauren had bandaged the wound, but the pain was visible all over his face.

“I’m Rangi from the third crystal. I will probably be a bit of a burden, but the second my leg is healed, I’ll show you what I’m made of.”

The quick presentation continued briefly until the last one came. It was the white-haired girl who had ended the battle. She was leaning against her glaive, a bit absent.

“My name is Faith, and I have this thing with me. I don’t have any special skills or anything… Also, I think I saw someone run away during the fight...”

Silence thundered louder than an explosion.

“What did you say?”