The morning two days after Michael's announcement was lively and tense. The Nightwalkers were up earlier than usual and already preparing for the destined trip in the wilderness.

Many did a few rounds of combat training to sharpen themselves, while others simply spent the time readying their equipment, polishing their weapons, and pumping their morale.

Samael did it like any other day. He has done this so many times that he has never really bothered again.

However, he was sure of it. The atmosphere was grim. Everyone was there when they saw the abomination. And they were there to realise their own weaknesses.

The entire room went on guard as the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hall of the stronghold, slowly approaching their room.

As the footsteps neared, the students couldn't help but feel anxiety plague their hearts. Their heartbeats were thumping wildly in their chests.

"Good morning, Nightwalkers," Michael greeted as he went in and stood up front. However, this time he was wearing a suit of light armour, and his playful attitude was nowhere to be seen.

"I hope you all had great rest these past few days," he said. "But your break is over now."

Slowly, he paced around. "We are going to spend a week out there in a place called the ruined city of Enklar.

"But sir, isn't that place off limits by the high table?" Raegan asked.

"I'm surprised you know about the high table," Michaele exclaimed. "But yes, it is a place normally restricted by the judges. However, that does not apply to us."

"The academy has given us the thumbs up to use that place as a training ground," Michael said.

"Now, are all your preparations ready?" he asked.

After doing one more round of checking, the squad finally set out towards the ruined city.

Much like the rest of the cities of Ergo, Enklar fell when the abominations overtook its gate. A once-mighty city now abandoned, waiting in time.

Unlike most cities, however, the city of Enklar is located beneath the earth. It was a place of the Mellaguns before they were evicted. Now what lurks in its depths are nothing but foul evils waiting for the right time to emerge again.

The journey towards the city will take about a day and a half. The trip will only take that long due to an outpost near the place where a rune gate was built. The place is there to guard the city in case something comes out.

Along the way, the students couldn't help but express curiosity about their surroundings. Most of their lives were spent within the safety of Tera's walls, away from the dangers of the world. But now they were finally here.

As the cold winds caressed the skins of everyone there, they huddled closer towards the bonfire in the middle. This would probably be the last fire they experience, considering they're still inside the outpost. But once they go, that luxury will be lost.

"So tell us, Samael. How is the world out there? I heard you've travelled far and wide, even reaching other sanctuaries in the process," Rhian asked.

"How is it compared here?" Alex chimed in.

Samael fell silent in contemplation. "The world out there... it's worse. Everywhere you look is nothing but ruins and desolate wastelands extending as far as the eye can see."

Thinking about it, Ergo was slowly becoming the same as the world in the trial he was sent into.

Everyone fell silent in his response. They expected that things were bad, but not that bad.

Now no one wanted to talk. It was all too depressing. They spent the rest of the night watching the fire flicker under the unbending darkness the night provided.

When the golden hue of the morning sun touched the horizon and the birds in the sky sang their songs, the group was out early as they traversed a wasteland littered with nothing but dead earth and stale air.

The occasional squawks of corpse-eating birds echoed in the air while the foul stench of decay persisted.

The trip was not pleasant by any means. However, it did open their eyes to how much damage these abominations have already caused. It was too much—far too much.

Crouching down, Sabbath clawed at the dirt as he picked up what appeared to be some form of pendant.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Clearing off the dirt and mud from its surface, he could faintly see the picture of a kid and a woman.

"That probably belonged to someone," Desmond said, the weight of his words bringing about a dark atmosphere.

"May the light guide you," Sabbath said as he buried it.

When noon came, they took a short break in a ruined house standing in the middle of the field. There, they ate their meal and took a short rest. But once they were done, they went on again.

When nightfall came and the land was bathed in darkness, the group had no choice but to camp in a small trench they dug out. There was no fire that night. Just the cold and the stench of rot accompanying them.

Many found it hard to even get an ounce of sleep. But no one blamed them for it.

As soon as dawn came, they were back on the road, tired and weary.

Finally, when noon came, they finally reached their destination.

"Is that...?" Lilith asked.

"Yes, that, my dear students, is the entrance to the ruined city," Michael's confirmed.

Ahead was a large opening towards the deep, accompanied by two large, shattered statues, each on its own.

"How beautiful," Elise said.

"I'd say it's depressing," Desmond added, earning the glare of the woman.

"If you guys are done admiring the view, we ought to get in there," Michael said as he led the squad.

The way down took roughly 10 minutes of descending stairs, and nothing but dust and occasional stones got in your shoes.

However, the moment they left the horrendous stairways, they were greeted by a breathtaking view of the city.

The city was made of black stone, a somewhat rare material, and the pathways were finely detailed. Towering pillars were scattered around the city, along with towers. However, what truly made its beauty shine was the sky. The place had an artificial night sky littered with stars. Samael was guessing they must be precious gems.

But the silence the city provided was also noticeable. There was nothing but the wind passing through its dead streets.

"It's larger than I expected," Sergio commented.

The city reached as far as they could see. The structure is built in such a way that it is slowly ascending towards the centre of the place where it is the tallest.

"Well, get comfortable. We'll be here for a while," Michael said as he went on ahead.

The squad took a short break under a bridge-like structure, where they ate and rested. But when they finished, Michael finally gave out the first order.

"Reconnaissance squad, gather up," he said.

"I want you all to spread out and gather information about our surroundings. Give us intel about the layout of the area and how many monsters there are," he ordered.

The recon team nodded as they went on ahead. Samael could hear the nervous beat of their hearts.

Michael, on the other hand, silently trailed them, carefully making sure to stay at a distance in case something went wrong.

The squad swiftly went to work as they utilised their elements to scan the place. After some exploration, they eventually returned unscathed.

"What's our status?" Michael asked.

"We're currently surrounded by nothing but broken houses and occasional watch towers. Ahead lie three paths," Alex said.

"Which do we take?" Michael asked.

"Based on our intel, the best path to take is the third. It is located east, about 800 metres from us. There aren't many presences in that place, but it is a longer route," Desmond said.

"What's your guys opinion?" Michael asked the rest.

"I trust their judgement," Edgar said.

"I second him," Elise added.

With that, they prepared to set out towards the third route. But to ensure order, Michael made sure to give out a few instructions.

"The first to engage will be the quick reaction forces. They're the most versed in combat. We'll send them ahead and they'll clear the path for us. But do not think that just because they're fighting, we won't. We don't know what might join the battle while they're busy, so keep sharp," Michael said.

Going forward, the recon team was often ahead as they checked the passages. But then the first hurdle came.

"Sir!" Rhian said as she huffed.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked.

"There's three abominations ahead. By the looks of it, they're skin clawers," she said.

"Three skin clawers?" Michael asked as he carefully thought out the situation.

"Quick reaction force squad, I want you guys to terminate the abominations ahead. Avoid casualties as much as possible. Good luck," Michael said after some time.

Lilith and the rest nodded as they swiftly went ahead, determination burning in their pupils.

Pushing through the long stone pathways, they finally felt the presence of the three abominations.

The beasts stood at around 6 feet tall with skinny body frames and elastic-like skin. Their claws were long, and so were their limbs, nearly reaching the floor. Their backs were hunched, and their faces were grotesque with their large jaws. They had no eyes or noses, but they had these odd protrusions in their faces.

Samael remained watching as Lilith silently beckoned for the team to take position. Slowly, they circled the abominations as they waited for Lilith's order.

Watching the creatures intently, Lilith put down her hand as she muttered.

"Chaos arrow."

Conjuring the chaos matter in her hands, it formed an arrow the size of her arm as she shot it forward.

The arrow whistled in the air as it left orange trails in the wind. Within seconds, the projectile finally reached its target.

The arrow swiftly penetrated the flesh of the creature, blowing a hole through its arm and upper abdomen before knocking it away. However, the chaos matter slowly ate through the flesh of the creature, turning its skin to dust.

Seeing this, the other two jolted as they released distressed wails.

Without warning, the other members jumped in as Claire shot multiple wind blades forward, wounding one of the skin clawers. Edgar followed soon, as he lunged and sent three thrusts, each tearing a hole in the body of the monster.

Meanwhile, Raegan appeared from above as he delivered a crushing blow at the head of the skin crawler, slamming it down the ground while Lilith swept in and bisected it in half with her scythe.

The group huffed as they hungered for air, cold sweat trickling down their foreheads and soaking their backs.

Seeing the enemy dead, the adrenaline finally wore off.

"We really did it," Raegan said as he looked at his bloodied gauntlet.

"I can't believe it," Edgar added.

"Stay sharp; we don't know what else is out there," Lilith said.

Soon, multiple footsteps neared them as Michael and the rest finally saw the aftermath of the battle.

"Good job, let's go; we don't have time to waste here," he said.

With that, their first battle came to an end.