Page 71 of Of Blackened Blood (The Blackened Blade #3)

MICAI

T he sun begins to rise as I, along with the Defence classes for the third, fourth, and fifth years, begin to make my way through the forest and toward the mountain behind the academy.

The Defence exam, the Omerta Challenge, begins today.

It’s a survival test that is held once every three years for the older Defence students and is named after the first dean of the academy.

He apparently braved the mountain, defeating wild, magical beasts while rescuing a group of lost students during his tenure.

And the academy seems to think this is some kind of “homage” to the man.

Unfortunately, participation is mandatory and necessary in order to pass the Defence class for the year.

The exam, or “challenge,” spans across two days and is a test of our skills and ability to survive on the mountain, battling against each other while collecting specific limited objects hidden by the faculty. They’ve named them “stracts.”

The people with the stracts left standing at the end of the two days will receive the top passing grade as well as a small prize from the dean. And of course, bragging rights.

Only the third, fourth, and fifth years are able to participate due to the level of experience and skills needed. Sixth years are excluded due to having their own personal exams at the same time.

This also means that no one has ever taken the exam more than once, and everyone has the same experience when participating.

I make my way over to Mr. Maddox, who sits at a table alongside Mr. Aldeir near the entrance to the challenge area.

I head over and sign in and get my tag, wrapping it on my wrist as Mr. Aldeir gives me a small nod, wishing me luck.

Each student is given a magical tag to help locate them in case they get lost or go over the two days allotted for the exam.

It’s a band that wraps around your arm and is in the colour of your corresponding year, making it easier to be identified by the faculty.

Once on, they can only be removed by a faculty member. Mine is crimson red.

I glance around, noticing a few familiar gross faces wearing the same coloured tag. But I don’t see Kane, Xander, or Anders.

Hopefully they’re still licking their wounds somewhere hidden among the crowd.

The first day of the challenge is mainly to survive the wild forests of the mountain while finding the stracts the faculty have hidden. They’re small, spelled pieces of metal that glow on contact. But what form they’ve taken, only the faculty knows.

There’s a limited number of them and they won’t be easy to find ... or claim.

The second day is a battle for those who didn’t get a stract—they get the chance to fight for one against someone who has found one.

It’s an all-out battle on the mountain. And when the time is up, only those with an object can receive the highest pass and get the bragging rights and title of Challenger.

In my previous life, there were stories of students having not returned from this exam. They were said to have gone missing or been attacked by the wild beasts that roam the mountain.

But when talking with Gadriel a few days ago about this, he said that it was impossible. He said that the faculty only set a certain amount of low-level magical beasts loose in the mountain for the exam, and that a heavy barrier would be erected to keep everything else out.

So why did it happen in my last life?

I glance back toward the large forest trail and the groups of students scattered around chatting, all quickly forming their parties for the challenge.

Small teams of four are allowed to move together during the exam, but any bigger and you risk disqualification. The bands would keep track of our movements and alert the faculty to any foul play as well.

I notice Creed and Ezra a few feet away surrounded by fourth and fifth years pleading with them to join their teams, but neither Ezra nor Creed look interested.

A small grin lifts my lips as Ezra’s eyes meet mine and he gives me a playful wink before grabbing Creed and heading my way. We would be forming our own team for the challenge since the exam allows for the years to mix.

I peer around the area, remembering Gadriel’s words when we spoke about the exam a few days ago.

After we had told him about the attacks and that we thought the ones behind them could be this Domynion Clan, he fell completely silent and pale for a few moments, looking lost in thought before his eyes widened and turned to meet mine again.

It seems I didn’t need to try to convince him any further as he had already come to some sort of realisation himself. He agreed to help us in whatever we needed, and that included the Omerta Challenge, since the academy had already been attacked once before.

He had filled us in on what to expect, telling us where the faculty’s neutral zones were placed for rest and safety, and how more precautions had been taken to observe students due to the recent attacks at the academy.

He said the dean didn’t want any more incidents, and that the students’ safety had to be the priority.

He couldn’t help with finding the stracts or knowing their placement, but he gave us as much information about the area that he could recall from previously scouting it. He also told us that, although he wasn’t a part of the organising team, he would be around if we needed him.

That in itself was a relief.

I look to the sky as a blue, honeycomb-shaped barrier begins to form around the mountain as the last student enters the area. It shimmers a bright blue before fading to transparent, the barrier now invisible to the naked eye and signalling the beginning of the challenge.

I follow the rest of the students toward our first meeting spot where we receive our maps, Ezra and Creed soon joining me.

The map will be our guide to the area and to what’s closed off with the barrier. There are also small clues laid out on it as to where the general area of the stracts could be.

Gadriel said that there would be twelve stracts in total, and that a select few of the faculty had been chosen to hide them, only disclosing the locations to the dean. That way it would be as fair as possible.

Mr. Maddox and Gadriel were not selected to participate in the placement either.

Mr. Aldeir begins to read out some basic rules, pulling my attention toward him before we enter. He briefly mentions “no foul play” and “upholding the academy’s values” before a large horn is blown and every student in the area begins to quickly disperse into the mountain’s forest.

“We better head in too.” Ezra takes his place by my right side as Creed stands to my left. “Let’s head further into the forest than the others so we can go undisturbed while they all fight for the nearest stracts.

“They’d be stupid to take us on.” Creed grins, a menacing look in his eyes.

“Annex and Mal were kicking themselves for not joining the Defence class,” adds Ezra with a small smirk.

“They’re sticking close in the forest outside the barrier, just in case we need them but hate being on the outside.

” He shrugs as we continue walking. “They should’ve listened when I told them to join it at the start of the year. ”

“Gadriel said they might have a chance to transfer at the start of next year.” I glance at the map as we head further inside. “At least then we can all be together.”

We head into the forest, making our way past other groups and going deeper than anyone else with Ezra leading the way toward one of the furthest stract areas we can find.

We move up and down the heavy forested mountain area until we reach a thick cluster of dark trees.

They flow up toward the sky, each one taller than the next and at least seventy, if not eighty feet in height.

Ezra looks at the map, his eyes narrowing. “It’s definitely somewhere around here.” He puts the map away, glancing around the area. “Keep watch and I’ll send my magic out and see if I can find it quickly. No point in wasting time.”

Creed’s eyes turn toward the forest around us, watching intently as I heighten my senses, listening for footsteps or voices around the area. Nothing on the forest floor moves, other than a few small critters, but I won’t let my guard down. Peering toward Creed, I can see he’s the same.

I turn back toward Ezra, watching as his magic forms into a misty, light lilac shape, twisting around him before moving in wisps throughout the forest nearest us.

It glides softly like the wind, up and down the trees, over and under the forest floor and through every nook and cranny it can seep into, searching for any sign of the stracts.

Another few minutes later, and a wide grin spreads on Ezra’s lips. “Found it.”

We walk for a few minutes through the dense trees until we reach the bottom of one of the largest and thickest trees I have ever seen.

Its trunk must be at least five times the size of any other tree in the forest; its branches are as thick as my legs, and it shoots so high into the sky that we can barely see the top of it through the clouds.

“Don’t tell me ...” I point to the giant tree in question. “It’s up there .”

“I didn’t decide its location, I only found it.

” Ezra shrugs and begins to pull off the navy sweatshirt he’s wearing, his white top beneath it hugging his abs as he rubs his hands together and narrows his gaze toward the tree.

“I’ll find it quickly and throw it down to you.

And then we can move on to finding the next one. ”

Creed quirks a brow. “I don’t remember ‘climbing trees’ being your strong point.”

A small blush coats Ezra’s cheeks as he turns back toward Creed, a glare pulling at his brow. “I can do it if I have the right motivation.” He throws a soft smile my way before taking another step toward the tree.

Creed scoffs. “The last time you tried, you got seven feet up before falling on your ass.” He takes a step closer to Ezra. “And the time before that I had to?—”