"You’re all pathetic."

Many cadets frowned. They narrowed their eyes at Zephyrion, only to freeze the moment they met his cold purple gaze. It seemed to glint in the flickering darkness.

"You were being beaten and tortured. What do you think would’ve happened if I’d gone back to the academy without coming here? It would’ve kept happening. Every cadet here is going through the same thing you did... and you’d rather leave them behind?"

The cadets clenched their fists and lowered their heads, unable to meet his eyes. Good. He’d left out the part where this was actually a test. The more they believed it was real, the better.

"We’re Ferrans. We do not leave our own behind. No matter what." He turned and took a step toward the hallway. "But I cannot force you. If you wish to leave, then leave. I’ll help them myself."

"W-wait!"

Zephyrion halted. As expected. He turned toward Horus, who now met his gaze with quiet resolve.

"I-I want to come too. Please... let me help."

Zephyrion narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"I am. I... I don’t want to abandon our people."

He held Horus’s resolute gaze for a moment before giving a firm nod.

"M-me too."

"I don’t want to leave them either."

"Those few hours were hell... We can’t just leave everyone else here."

"Please... let us come with you."

A chorus of determined voices rose from the cadets. Zephyrion met each of their eyes. Riled up. Determined. Primed to follow.

He gave a single nod.

"Alright."

"B-but... I can barely walk. I’m sorry... I don’t think I can fight."

"M-me too... I think they broke a few ribs. I can barely move."

Several cadets, however, wore regretful expressions, their injuries simply too severe. Zephyrion acknowledged each one with a respectful nod.

"It’s fine. None of this is your fault. There’s nothing you could’ve done. Instead, head outside. There’s a small clearing a short distance east of the cliff. Make camp there. There may be more injured cadets on the way. We’ll send them to you."

The injured cadets bowed their thanks before returning resolute nods. There was a brief fuss over who would escort them back, none willing to leave after his rousing speech, but Zephyrion simply selected the weakest among them, though he didn’t let anyone realize that.

Moments later, the remaining cadets stood before him, waiting for his next move. Most now gripped daggers taken from the dead sanguine.

"Let’s go."

They entered the dimly lit passage and moved deeper into the cave. Horus walked directly behind him, the rest of the cadets trailing after.

They made far more noise than Zephyrion would’ve liked. At this point, they might as well have been blaring a horn. He would have been far more efficient alone, freeing every cadet without alerting anyone, yet this was the price of making his plan work.

They reached the end of one passage, and Zephyrion raised a hand. The cadets immediately halted.

"Something wrong?"

Zephyrion resisted the urge to glare at Horus. He truly hated working with others. He’d never had this problem with Lumi, but that was because, well...

He pushed the thought aside, then pressed a finger to his lips, silently telling Horus to shut the hell up. Horus winced and quickly mouthed an apology. Zephyrion ignored him. He pointed toward the passage to their right. It was the only way forward.

Horus caught on and cautiously peered down it, several others doing the same. Two sanguine stood chatting before an open cave. The screams of cadets echoed from within. Every cadet, Horus included, reacted the same way; their faces paled. They were still afraid of the sanguine, he realized.

Unable to speak, he began explaining their next course of action as best he could. The cadets’ eyes widened the more he explained.

Moments later, Zephyrion melted into the darkness. Horus and several other cadets nearly gasped. They stared at the patch of darkness where he had vanished. Several seconds passed, yet they still couldn’t make him out.

Swallowing, they exchanged determined nods before moving to carry out the plan.

What none of them knew was that Zephyrion had long since left that patch of darkness. He now clung to the ceiling, close enough to the sanguines that they couldn’t sense his blood, no different from the darkness surrounding him.

A moment later, Horus and a couple of cadets entered the passage and approached the sanguines. Their voices died the instant they squinted at the approaching figures. The darkness made it impossible to tell who they were.

"Wh-"

Zephyrion dropped between the sanguines, utterly silent. The cadets merely saw a streak of silver carve through the darkness before one sanguine’s head rolled.

Zephyrion clamped a hand over the other’s mouth, driving a dagger into his heart before twisting. His outstretched leg caught the falling head of the first sanguine before it could strike the ground.

He slowly lowered the second to the floor, then turned to Horus and the others. They stared at him with wide eyes. He gave a small nod, reminding them of the plan, before melting back into the darkness.

He watched the cadets steady themselves, signal the others, ready their weapons, then surge into the cave. Within it, five other sanguine sneered at the nearly naked, battered cadets.

They instantly caught the movement and turned with wide eyes.

"What the...?"

"How the hell did they get out!?"

"Who cares!? Grab them!"

"You... you monsters..." Horus’s dagger trembled as he pointed it at the sanguines. "L-Let our people go... now!"

"Huh?" A sanguine smirked. "Or what? You gonna make us—"

"Gurgggh!"

The sanguines whirled toward the sound. Blood sprayed from the severed neck of one sanguine.

"What—"

They barely caught a blur before another head flew.

"There’s someone else in here!"

"Find him!"

"There!"

Several blood projectiles shot toward Zephyrion like bullets. Yet he moved like a blitzing shadow, weaving through them. They slipped between his arms and legs, whizzed past his hair. He vanished into the darkness the next instant.

"Where the fuck did he go!?"

"Arrkkkkk...."

They spun toward the opposite side of the room just in time to see a head and body drop separately.

How did he get there!?

"Attack!"

Snapping out of their daze, the rest of the cadets rushed into the cave, converging on a single sanguine.

The two remaining sanguines stared into the darkness where Zephyrion had last vanished with sweat drenched faces. Yet Zephyrion was long gone. He emerged from the darkness behind them, driving his blade into one sanguine’s heart.

Squelch!

The other whirled toward him, eyes widening.

"You fucking bastard!" the sanguine snarled, thrusting out a palm. A barrage of blood bullets shot toward Zephyrion.

He lifted the man in his grip and rushed the sanguine, using the body as a shield.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"Die! Die! Just fucking die!"

The sanguine’s face twisted the closer Zephyrion got. A few steps away, Zephyrion feinted left, then vanished right. The sanguine fired to the left. By the time he realized it was a feint, Zephyrion was already upon him.

"Wait! Wait! It’s a test! A tes—"

His dagger plunged into the sanguine’s eye. The second eye widened. His body convulsed once before going limp and collapsing.

Zephyrion turned toward the others. During his battle, they’d managed to dispatch their own sanguine. Several bloody holes littered its body. Still, every single one of the cadets’ eyes was on him, even those bound in chains. Disbelief. Fear.

He’d done all of this even without being able to use his elements...?

"Free the others."

They snapped out of their reverie and nodded shakily. Horus led the others, found the keys, and began freeing the prisoners. Zephyrion moved to the entrance, peering into the passage as he left the cadets to their work, already knowing what would happen next.

Occasionally, he glanced back into the cave. Several of the cadets who had followed him had already begun telling the others what had happened. About him, he realized.

Good.

This way he wouldn’t have to give another speech. They would hear it from fellow cadets instead. Those words would carry far more weight than anything he could say.

As if proving him right, several stunned glances were thrown his way.

Soon, Horus approached him.

"Prime... the others want to come with us too. They want to help rescue the rest. But... we’ve got more injured here. What do we do with them?"

Prime. The academy hadn’t even made the announcement yet.

"Send them to the others."

Horus fisted his chest before moving to carry out the order.

Soon, the cadets gathered before him once more, now twice as many, staring at him silently, expectantly. Zephyrion inwardly sighed. Stealth was probably impossible now.

"Let’s go."

They continued through the caves. They encountered several roaming sanguines along the way, but each was dispatched with ease by Zephyrion. With every encounter, the intensity of the cadets’ gazes grew.

They also came upon more caves filled with bound cadets, sanguines busy torturing them. Using the same plan, they killed the sanguines and freed the captives.

Each time, Horus and the others recounted everything that had happened, giving the rescued cadets hope. Most ended up following him, while those too badly injured were sent back outside.

Not long after, they came upon a different scene.

Cadets sat within a cave, shivering as they spoke with the sanguines before them. The cadets who had broken, Zephyrion realized.

It was hard to tell what their fate would be after this test was over.