Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 64: He’s the One

They walked along the gravel path skirting the vast training field. Distorted shadows stretched long at their front as the late afternoon’s sun rays shone bright in golden beams.

"I will leave you here," Mr. Lee said, then turned, leaving Leon at the center of the field and the path to the dormitories.

Back into the proctors’ building, images of Leon reeled on the cracked screens.

The day Mr. Lee dropped him. The afternoon he rushed out of school like a thief.

The day he shoved Tiger’s thugs out.

The morning he reached the assembly ground on his first day for the Shattered Land trial.

And the evening Lieutenant Hayes dropped him off.

At the front of the console, the pale-haired lady sat calmly in an ergonomic executive chair. She grabbed an AN/PRC-148D IMBITR from a drawer in front of her and cleared her throat.

A sinister smile tore on her lips after she pressed on a number that had a label, L.H., written boldly on it.

She placed the device on her left ear and spun the chair. Her curled pale hair loosened and sliced into the air like a sharpened knife.

"He’s the one."

Outside, when Leon reached the center of the courtyard, he sensed a shift in the air before he could even turn.

"Look who’s here."

Vera’s voice echoed like a dart as she clapped in a mockery gesture. "Are you here to finally pack your bags, Dusthollow Rat? Or did you forget to say your goodbyes to your mother?"

Leon didn’t speak. He lowered his gaze to the gravel at his feet and shook his head slowly.

Footsteps crunched, encircling him.

When he looked up, Jade stood with his usual detached boredom. Tiger was there, his predatory grin playing on his lips.

Near them were the broad-shouldered boy who had become a member of Leon’s list, two other muscular lackeys, Vera, and a cluster of her friends.

"Hah. Hah. Hah."

Their laughter echoed like a unified weapon.

An unexpected giggle escaped Leon’s throat as he tilted his gaze from them, one after another.

"You think I’m off the list," his voice cut through their laughter in a calm tone. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Check the active participant roster."

As if on cue, a synchronized chorus of chimes and vibrations erupted from every smart device.

Ding. Ding. Ting.

Wrists lit up, datapads got pulled from pockets. Eyes dropped to screens as if pulled by an invisible string.

Leon didn’t wait to see their expressions change. He turned and walked toward the direction of the cream-colored dormitory door.

Just before he pushed it open, he tilted his head back, just slightly, and allowed himself one final, bare-edged smile.

The familiar hum of the building settled around him as he stepped into the lobby. With two steps inside, his body thrummed with a deep ache of exhaustion.

His breath caught the moment his eyes fell on the wall beside the main entrance.

The crater was still there. The web of cracks still radiated outward. But now, someone had drawn a neat, official-looking circle around the damage in bright yellow paint.

And within the circle, just beneath the crater, was a single word written bold in black letters: CONTAINED.

Leon stood before it, the echo of Vera’s scorn replaced by a more profound silence.

The joy of being on the list curdled into something colder. They weren’t just watching him; they were cataloging the cracks he left in the world.

The feeling of being watched was like a cold stone in Leon’s gut, but he brushed it off. He turned from the lobby wall and headed for the stairs.

His footsteps remained the only sound in the concrete stairwell. On the first-floor landing, a pair of students descending froze mid-step; their conversation died as he passed.

He didn’t look back. He pushed through and stopped at the second-floor hallway.

There, his eyes caught sight of three figures that were clustered near the damaged elevator door. Long white robes that clothed them to their boots, and their obscured masks, made him know they weren’t part of the students or even the participants.

But just an inch past them, he remembered the same outfit to be the one he saw from the Shattered Land’s extraction - the clean-up crew.

As if sensing his presence, all three turned their heads in unison and stared at him.

Leon’s breath hitched. He couldn’t see their eyes, but he felt the weight of their attention like a physical pressure probing against his skin.

’Why do I feel watched?’ he said low in his head and exhaled.

He swallowed hard as he forced himself to move past them. He kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, but his vision tracked them.

They didn’t move, didn’t speak, just empty masks following his progress until he turned the corner toward his room.

The tension didn’t leave until he stood before the seventh door. A shaky sound echoed in the room as he exhaled.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He knocked thrice, then pushed the door open.

Inside, Zoe was sitting on the left side of the bed, her back facing where he stood. Her shoulders seemed tensed while her head remained bowed to the open book held in her palms.

"Uh, ahem..." Leon offered a tentative smile as he cleared his throat and moved two steps forward.

Zoe’s head snapped up, eyes wide with alarm of pure panic as she jolted as if struck by lightning.

In a frantic motion, she snapped the book shut and clutched it to her chest with both hands.

Leon’s smile faded. "Why are you behaving strangely?" His voice echoed in a low tone.

Zoe didn’t answer. She just stared at him with an unreadable expression. Her gaze alone made Leon feel as if he were a threat that had materialized in her sanctuary. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’Take the book!’ a strange voice boomed in Leon’s mind with a commanding tone that coiled through his subconscious.

His gaze dropped from her pale face to the diary pressed tightly against her.

"Stay back!" Zoe thrust her left arm out, palm facing him like a warding gesture.