Chapter 376: Footsteps In The Forest

Ethan frowned slightly at Genevieve’s last words.

"Mutated?" he repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

Genevieve tilted her head, gaze drifting back toward the forest where the students had disappeared. Snow continued to drift lazily from the branches, the world deceptively calm after the chaos of the Tidebreakers.

"I’m just... wondering," she said slowly. "It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now."

Ethan waited, arms folding loosely across his chest.

"I heard from the grapevine that Madam Tyler once mentioned how the magic in Nirvana is strange," Genevieve continued. "It’s like the land has a mind of its own, and perhaps that’s why it’s been uninhabited for a while... at least before we settled here. Rocks that retain heat, fruits and trees that don’t even exist normally— even the weather seems to have a mind of its own."

Ethan’s brows furrowed.

"Think about it," Genevieve pressed. "Take the Trihydra, for example. It has three fucking heads. Three, Ethan, not one. From what I heard from Grandma, snakes don’t have three heads; they only have one. But the Trihydra has three, and it’s huge too, and all three heads function independently."

She glanced at him. "But we’re so used to seeing things like that in Nirvana that we just call it normal."

Ethan exhaled slowly.

She wasn’t wrong, and she also wasn’t the first person to talk about how the magic of Nirvana may have actually caused the land to be different from what they were used to.

"And it’s not just the Trihydra," she added. "Tidebreakers that adapt mid-fight. Vireloops are supposed to be cute like bunnies—at least that’s what Granny said—but they are not. The Skylur looks like a combination of different beasts. These beasts are strange, extremely strange."

Ethan leaned back against the tree trunk, staring into the snowy distance.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Ethan said, "you’re probably right. The beasts in Nirvana are unusual. Extremely so. They look like normal animals at first glance, but once you observe them closely, you realize something’s off."

He shook his head faintly. "That’s another mystery of this place. One we’ll probably have to unravel someday."

A crooked smile touched his lips. "But for now, our job is to watch the trainees and determine who will pass and who won’t."

Genevieve gave him a smile. "I have a feeling you already know who’s going to pass and who isn’t."

Ethan shook his head. "Correction, I already know who isn’t going to pass. As far as I’m concerned, she didn’t pass my test, even if there are seven bodies of the Tidebreaker Korrath."

Genevieve chuckled softly and nodded. She didn’t even need to be told who it was. And honestly, the person deserved it.

Their attention shifted back toward the forest, listening to the distant silence and waiting for the next sign of movement.

---

Sophia moved quietly through the trees.

Snow crunched faintly beneath her boots, the sound muffled by the thick powder coating the forest floor. Her breathing was steady, controlled. Every step was measured, careful not to disturb branches or loose stones.

She hadn’t seen a single beast since leaving the group. No Vireloops. No smaller predators. Not even a rustle that suggested a beast was nearby.

Sophia had no idea if it was because this was a Tidebreaker nest that the other beasts were not present, but she wasn’t going to give up yet.

She slowed her pace slightly, letting her footsteps soften even more as she tuned in to the rhythm of the forest.

Crunch.

A delayed crunch echoed behind her. One thing she was certain of was that it wasn’t the sound of a beast, but that of a human.

Sophia didn’t turn her head. She simply adjusted her stride, pretending nothing had changed. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Another step echoed.

Someone was following her. The person was being careful and trying to hide too.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Orion had trained her better than that. The person had failed to take into account that since Sophia had a very obvious weakness—not having her wolf—she trained hard to make sure that it wouldn’t slow her down.

Sophia’s mind raced through possibilities. She wondered who it could be.

Miles? No. He wouldn’t stalk her like this.

Bianca? No, there was no way. She was more honest than that, and like Uther, her steps would have carried more weight.

Joren wouldn’t even do something like this. He’d just come straight to her and speak with her. And besides, they had gone separate ways, which left only one person... Holly.

Sophia’s jaw tightened slightly. She knew then—she was sure that it was Holly. It could not be anyone else. Holly had been hostile towards her from the beginning, and being on the same team had only forced them into closer interaction.

And Sophia was sure of something: this wasn’t accidental. She was very certain that Holly was planning something. And it was going to bite Holly back in her butt.

Sophia kept walking, pretending she hadn’t noticed anything, subtly altering her path. Instead of continuing deeper into the dense trees, she angled toward a wider clearing ahead—an open space ringed by scattered boulders and thin trees.

Perfect.

If someone was following her, they’d have fewer places to hide.

She slowed just enough to make herself easier to track.

Behind her, the footsteps followed.

Hook, line, and bad decision.

---

Holly stalked through the trees, heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and fury.

She kept her distance carefully, mimicking Sophia’s pace, stepping where Sophia had stepped, using the deeper snow to mask her own footprints.

She thought she was doing well.

She didn’t realize how obvious she actually was.

Her fingers twitched slightly at her sides, adrenaline buzzing through her veins.

Finally.

A moment alone. She was going to get rid of Sophia and save the pack. Everyone would focus on her then and not Sophia.

Her lips curled into a thin smile.

She’d been waiting for this opportunity since even before the test started.

Sophia had been praised like she was a goddess, while Holly had been looked down on like she didn’t belong. That was going to change now. She was going to save Orion from Sophia.

Sophia moved ahead into a more open stretch of forest.

Holly frowned briefly.

’Why was she changing direction?’ she asked herself.

But then she shrugged inwardly.

It didn’t matter.

Open space meant fewer obstacles.

Easier to corner her.

Easier to act.

Holly’s grip tightened around the sword she carried.

Sophia was going to die by her hands.