Chapter 44
Anastasia Lang's POV
My legs barely obeyed me, struggling to keep up with the frantic rhythm of my heart.
I listened only to my mind.
Its single command echoed over and over:
Don't look back.
Taylor and I had failed the next trial completely.
The sphere we'd been trying to propel with our magic had slammed into the fork where two pipes split apart and burst.
Moments later, the pipes absorbed my poisonous cloud, coating a nearby mirror with it.
That was when the mirror shattered.
Our maps ignited.
From the scattered shards of broken glass, a monster took shape.
Now it was charging through the forest behind us, its long claws tearing through everything in its path.
I had no idea how to fight it.
I didn't even know what kind of creature it was.
Neither did Taylor, judging by the way he kept running beside me.
"Do you think we can outrun it?" I asked, ignoring the slow burn spreading through my lungs with every labored breath.
"I have no idea." His voice remained frustratingly calm. "I've never heard of monsters that crawl out of mirrors."
He didn't seem winded in the slightest despite the uneven terrain, and the scorpion perched on his shoulder looked as though it had become part of him.
"But I'd very much like to survive."
I silently agreed.
It took every ounce of willpower not to look back. One glance at the monster would be enough to throw off my pace.
Still...
we couldn't keep running forever.
"We can't do this indefinitely," I managed between breaths, my chest growing heavier with every step.
"You can't," Taylor corrected.
"Fine. I can't." I shot him a pointed look. "But I'm sure a true gentleman wouldn't leave a girl to die."
Not snapping at him took considerably more effort than I cared to admit.
Still...
I believed in diplomacy.
"And since I still have no idea what your magic actually does..." I swallowed, trying to catch another breath. "Could your scorpion trap that thing in some kind of web?"
Taylor answered only with a skeptical glance.
"I don't use my magic like that."
His eyes swept across the forest around us, searching for something.
I, on the other hand, failed to notice the cursed branch lying across the ground.
My foot caught on it.
I flew right over it and landed flat on my backside in something cold and sticky.
Damn it.
Scarab Tree resin.
Once it caught you, it was almost impossible to get free.
"Damn," Taylor muttered, stopping abruptly as he stepped in front of me.
The blue, crystal-like creature kept advancing while he calmly surveyed the area.
He raised one hand.
The scorpion crawled across his shoulder and along his outstretched arm, as though analyzing something.
Then—
an invisible wall appeared in front of the monster.
It slammed into it with tremendous force.
"I can hold it for a little while," Taylor said. "But I can't stop it. Get yourself out of that resin. We don't have much time."
"Easy for you to say."
I grimaced, feeling my backside hopelessly glued to the ground.
At this point, the only way out seemed to be leaving my pants behind.
And there was no way in hell I was about to run around in my underwear in front of all twelve worlds.
"Could you... lend me your jacket?" I asked as I started unbuttoning my pants.
"I would," he said, "but I can't while Erza's still on it."
I let out a heavy sigh.
"Then I'll have to drop the barrier."
As I struggled free of my pants, I tried to shove aside every terrifying possibility waiting for me after the Selection.
Suddenly, Taylor doubled over.
The invisible wall shuddered.
Then began to recede.
The monster drew closer.
Now I was truly afraid.
Adrenaline flooded my body as my mind frantically searched for a way out.
A way to survive.
"Taylor—"
"Cover your ears. Now."
The familiar voice made me spin around.
Azalia was sprinting toward us with Rosalie and Aaron close behind.
"Should I let it through?" Taylor asked through gritted teeth.
"Do it."
Azalia took her place beside him and motioned again for us to cover our ears.
This time, everyone obeyed.
Taylor released the barrier.
The monster lunged toward us—
only to freeze mid-stride.
Its enormous blue eyes turned milky white.
Its oversized ears curled inward like twisted tubes.
Its mouth fell open, and sharp teeth began raining onto the ground.
Its long legs buckled beneath it.
When its blue skin faded to a lifeless white, the creature shattered...
like glass.
Azalia waved both hands, signaling that it was safe.
We uncovered our ears.
"Are you okay?" I asked as Taylor pushed himself back to his feet.
He nodded.
"My magic... has certain limitations."
His voice was unusually quiet.
"I didn't expect them to use a Turiada during this year's Selection," Azalia said.
"A what?" I asked, accepting Taylor's jacket as he handed it to me. I wrapped it tightly around my waist.
"Turiada," Azalia explained. "They're creatures from the Water Realm. Underwater, they look like seahorses. On land, they transform into bloodthirsty monsters."
"We ran into one a few minutes ago too," Aaron added. "Luckily, Azalia's songs can neutralize them."
"A few minutes ago?" Taylor asked skeptically.
"Yeah. During the trial with the little sphere," Rosalie replied.
"So... there are multiple identical locations?" I asked, adjusting the jacket to make sure it stayed securely tied around my hips.
"Looks that way," Azalia said. "Fortunately, there are more of us now."
She pulled a half-burned map from her pocket.
"We don't have ours," I admitted. "We left them behind while running from the Turiada."
"That's okay." Azalia smiled. "Using them turned out to be much easier than we thought."
She looked down at the map.
"Could you show us where we need to go next?"
I frowned.
For a split second, I was ready to add Azalia to my list of slightly insane people.
Then the map lit up.
A glowing trail appeared across its surface, leading toward Point K.
"What?" Taylor stared. "It's... interactive?"
"We were just as shocked," Aaron said with a shrug.
"This way."
Azalia pointed toward a stretch of scorched grass before setting off without hesitation.
Illariana Arden's POV
The next checkpoint—Point K—felt farther away than any of the others.
The forest slowly gave way to cobblestone streets lined with abandoned houses topped with faded blue roofs.
They reminded me of the district of Ruel Airis had once shown me.
My fingers tightened around the map before I could stop them.
Had he already decided to break me back then?
The thought refused to leave me.
His words replayed over and over inside my head.
Every promise.
Every touch.
Every look that had convinced me I was safe.
That I could trust him.
How unbelievably cruel...
to use my greatest weakness against me.
I came to a crossroads.
The map fell silent.
Only the glowing marker showing my current position remained.
"So... which way?" I muttered.
The map immediately illuminated both paths.
One route stretched much farther, eventually leading toward Point O.
Only then did I realize I was already standing at Point K.
So this...
was the trial.
The second route was noticeably shorter.
But judging from the markings, it was also far more dangerous.
A choice.
That was all this challenge really was.
And I couldn't move.
It felt strangely familiar.
As though the trial had been built from the decisions I'd made my entire life.
Because I had always chosen the harder road.
The more painful one.
I'd convinced myself that hardship made me stronger.
That every obstacle was a lesson I couldn't afford to miss.
That choosing the difficult path somehow made me...
worthy.
But Gwen had never lived that way.
She always chose the easier option whenever she could.
And she wasn't weak.
She wasn't spoiled.
If anything, she'd often achieved more than I had—
with far less suffering.
Every single time I'd dragged myself through another impossible challenge—
exhausted...
frustrated...
nearly broken—
I'd promised myself the same thing.
Next time I'll choose the easy road.
Next time.
I swallowed and looked back down at the map.
If I chose the easier path...
would I think of myself as a coward?
But if I chose the harder one...
would I be betraying what I actually wanted?
Silence settled inside me.
Then a realization hit me so hard it stole the air from my lungs.
All my life...
I'd been trying to earn the right to be happy...
through suffering.
"Damn it..."
The curse slipped from my lips before I even realized I'd spoken.
Maybe...
that was why I'd fallen for Airis.
Maybe it hadn't been his rare moments of softness.
Or the way he looked after me.
Or even the strength that made me feel safe.
Maybe...
I'd fallen for him because loving him was difficult.
Because building something real with him had always seemed almost impossible.
And I had never known how to walk away from a battle...
even when I already knew I wasn't the one who was going to win.
Damn it.
I shoved the thoughts away.
Enough thinking about Airis.
Enough pretending his betrayal didn't hurt.
Enough putting whatever had existed between us above my own survival here...
above the Selection itself.
There would be time to fall apart later.
Now...
my only priority was making it through the Selection.
I lowered my gaze to the map once more.
Then, before I could overthink it again...
I started walking.
Toward the longer route.
The safer one.
To hell with it.
For once...
I wanted the easy path.
There had already been enough battles in my life.