Chapter 43
I wasn't crying.
Every breath simply scraped against my ribs, as though his words were still lodged inside my chest.
I tried to ignore it.
I kept my head high as I walked, avoiding every gaze fixed on me.
The Chosen recruits stood together with the rest of the candidates in the designated area, while Louis silently guided me toward them. Morz and Aars walked beside us, and Aars kept talking.
"The important thing is to pull yourself together and show that gorgeous idiot exactly what he's lost!" he declared, shaking his tiny fist.
It didn't help.
There was a hole inside me, growing wider with every step I took.
I couldn't believe that bastard had been pretending all this time.
I couldn't believe I'd believed him.
And I couldn't believe...
that I'd actually fallen in love with him.
"We've counted one hundred and thirty new recruits. In a few moments, all of you will be transported into the labyrinth separately," Morz said, calm and composed.
I wished I could be just as composed.
So far, only my body seemed willing to cooperate.
"This year, we've introduced several changes designed to make the Selection more effective."
Now Eugene's voice echoed across the entire courtyard.
His was the gaze I tried hardest to avoid.
He had been right.
And I hadn't even tried to consider the possibility.
The moment I noticed a green dress approaching, I stepped beside Stasia, feeling her fingers gently brush against mine.
"Let's survive this Selection," she whispered, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze, "and then beat the hell out of him."
"Let's survive the Selection first," I managed, forcing something that almost resembled a smile as I met her green eyes. "Right now, that's the only goal that matters."
"Each of you will receive a map that activates upon arrival, showing your current location," Eugene continued. "How you choose to navigate it is entirely up to you."
I frowned.
At that exact moment, a scroll sealed with a twelve-sided crest appeared in my hands.
Just like everyone else's.
"The scroll will open once you're inside the labyrinth. Every participant has a Point A and a Point Z. Your starting points and destinations will all be different. If you wish to complete the labyrinth successfully..."
He paused.
"...you'll have to work together."
"That's your tribute to the Realm of Dreams and Illusions," Aars whispered. "The realm governed by Gemini."
"Your first destination will be marked as Section B. What awaits you there..."
A faint smile touched Eugene's lips.
"...you'll discover soon enough."
"How many trials are there altogether?" I asked quietly, glancing at the others who had instinctively gathered around me.
"Twelve?" Pria suggested uncertainly.
She stopped abruptly when something clinked beside us.
"Sorry," Gianna said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she bent to pick up two scrolls that had slipped onto the marble floor—hers and Rosalie's.
"Did yours feel... slippery?"
"Actually, that would make sense," Taylor said, completely ignoring her question as he returned to Pria's theory. "I heard the map was designed by the beings from the Realm of Light. Logic is one of their greatest strengths."
"The Realm of Light is ruled by Virgo," Aars reminded me.
"You're doomed."
I let out a quiet sigh, silently thanking—and cursing—Aars for his version of encouragement.
"Your trial begins..."
Eugene's voice echoed one last time across the courtyard.
"...now."
Everyone standing on the marble platform crossed their forearms over their chests and lowered their heads.
The gesture looked strangely ceremonial.
Noticing that everyone from our group had placed their right hand over their heart, I quickly mirrored them.
I was terrified of what was about to happen.
So I let myself feel that fear...
hoping it would drown out the pain burning in my throat—
and behind my eyes—
as I slowly closed them.
******
When I opened my eyes, towering trees surrounded me, their branches blocking out the sunlight.
I spun around, slowly turning in place, stunned by how quickly—and effortlessly—I had been transported here.
I still wasn't used to... teleportation.
Realizing how much easier it was to move than before, I looked down at my outfit.
My black gown had vanished, leaving behind an elegant combat uniform inspired by the dress itself—a fitted bodice with a daring neckline and a short, flowing skirt resting low on my hips.
Madame Zhivorzhinette, apparently, had no intention of sacrificing style.
My arms and legs were covered in a tougher, more flexible fabric.
Then my gaze dropped to the map that had unfurled at my feet.
There were only six markers.
Point A—my current location.
Point B—the next destination.
Then G.
I.
Q.
V.
And finally Point Z, marked with the symbol of Pisces.
It was one of the few zodiac signs I could actually recognize, along with Leo, Scorpio, and Cancer.
I studied the markings, hills, forks in the paths...
and realized I understood absolutely nothing.
What was I supposed to do if I got lost?
What if I couldn't even make it past the very first checkpoint?
I didn't even know how to navigate.
Despite spending four lessons this week learning survival skills, I still couldn't tell direction by the moss growing on trees.
I'd always been convinced I had an awful sense of direction.
This only proved it for the hundredth time.
For the first time in what felt like forever...
I was alone.
Truly alone.
No spirits.
No roommate.
No Airis.
The moment his name crossed my mind, something inside me scraped its nails across steel, sending an awful screech through my chest.
A reminder.
I needed to move on.
Forget him.
But how was I supposed to pull myself together when only minutes ago I'd been certain my heart wouldn't survive?
I sounded pathetic even inside my own head.
A lovesick...
na?ve fool.
A sudden flash pulled me back to the present.
The map was glowing.
As though it were trying to tell me something.
The marker labeled B had begun to pulse with soft light.
Were these maps...
alive?
Picking it up, I took a cautious step forward without taking my eyes off the glowing marker.
The pulsing continued.
Then I turned around and walked several steps in the opposite direction.
The light immediately weakened.
So...
I was probably supposed to walk toward whichever direction made the marker shine brighter.
But what if...
it was just another trap?
During our survival lessons, most of the instructors had told us to trust our instincts above all else.
But from everything I'd learned about Virgo, I knew the people of the Realm of Light relied on logic first.
And they were the ones who had created this map.
I studied it again.
The hills.
The paths.
The markers.
Were the letters a clue?
Did they actually mean something?
If the map really was alive...
could I—
"Could you please show me the right way?" I asked aloud, feeling ridiculous for talking to a piece of paper.
The moment the words left my mouth, the marker stopped pulsing.
Then an arrow appeared beside Point A, pointing toward a narrow passage between the bushes.
I lifted my head and looked around again.
Bushes lined both sides of the trail.
One was covered in violet blossoms.
The other bloomed with bright red flowers.
I stepped toward the violet bushes, expecting the map to react.
Nothing.
I tried the red ones instead.
Still nothing.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath. "Could you be a little more specific?"
A tiny violet dot appeared on the map in response.
I headed toward the violet bushes.
Not a single instructor had bothered to mention that the maps actually responded to us.
Some time later, my map was blinking over Point B, while I stood face-to-face with a transparent sphere suspended in midair.
It shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
And there wasn't a single damn clue telling me what I was supposed to do.
"Could you please tell me what I'm supposed to do?" I asked the map.
It didn't even flicker.
The marker at Point B remained exactly as it was.
Maybe...
it was only meant to guide me here.
With a quiet sigh, I lowered my hands and looked back at the sphere. I started to step toward it—
but the moment I moved, the sphere drifted backward.
I froze.
Trying to make sense of what had just happened.
It looked like we were supposed to keep our distance.
Several possibilities flashed through my mind, each one quickly drowned out by doubt.
But if I kept listening to that doubt...
I'd never move forward.
Setting the map on the ground, I raised my hand and summoned a tiny flame.
I intended to fire it straight at the sphere.
The only problem was...
I had no idea how much force to use.
Was I supposed to destroy it?
Set it on fire?
Push it farther away?
Why couldn't they have given us at least one hint?
In the end...
I simply fired.
The sphere burst apart the instant the flame struck it—
and every shattered fragment shot straight toward me.
Anastasia Lang's POV
"Is this some kind of joke?" I muttered as I pushed myself to my feet, spotting Taylor lying only a few yards away. I raised an eyebrow. "Or are you just a decoy?"
"I'm a little too real for whatever the hell this is," Taylor replied, grimacing as he climbed to his feet with one hand pressed against his back. "Dilraba could've been a bit gentler with the teleportation."
"I thought we were all supposed to be separated," I pointed out.
Unrolling my map, I found the blinking marker labeled A—apparently the exact spot where both of us had landed.
"How are we supposed to earn points for completing the Selection individually?"
"Looks like there wasn't enough room in this forest to scatter all one hundred and thirty students," Taylor said with a shrug.
"One hundred and thirty?" I echoed, turning toward him.
"Erza counted the exact number."
"Who?"
Taylor nodded toward the scorpion perched on his shoulder.
My stomach tightened.
I was terrified of scorpions.