Rise Of Royal Phantoms And Qixi Festival

Episode 29

A wave of unease washed over me as the last trainee faced their opponent. Steward Kael's presence, usually a source of comfort, was absent today. Captain Amelia, too, was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the stern faces of our superiors. A flicker of suspicion sparked within me, but before I could voice it, the second task ended.

The third challenge was unveiled - speed and disappearance. The task itself seemed straightforward - gather scattered sticks and deposit them in designated vases. A breeze ruffled my hair as I surveyed the layout. But a nagging feeling persisted. Where were Captain Amelia and Steward Kael?

The answer came in the form of Kaito, one of the superiors, his face twisted in a malevolent grin. He outlined the task, his voice dripping with a sadistic glee. This wasn't just about speed; it was a sadistic game of evasion. Picking up the sticks wouldn't be enough. We'd also have to avoid getting pelted by strange, weighted balls launched by the superiors. If caught in the open, these 'balls' wouldn't just sting - they could knock you out.

Fury bubbled within me as Kaito's cruel laughter echoed across the training ground.

This wasn't a test of skill; it was a deliberate attempt to break us, to sow discord amongst our newly formed camaraderie. The first ball struck, sending one of the trainees crashing to the ground. Panic flared, followed by a helpless scramble for cover.
But we wouldn't be cowed.

In that moment, the camaraderie we had forged solidified. As another ball sailed through the air, Renji, Wan, the others, and I sprang into action. Ignoring the pain from the what was to come, we moved with practiced agility, shielding our fellow trainees from the barrage.

Together, we hustled them behind a large wooden structure, offering temporary protection.

Huddled in the cramped space, groans of pain mingled with the chilling laughter of the superiors. Broken hands, bruised ribs - the cost of Kaito's twisted game. Renji, blood trickling down his temple, voiced the question burning in all our minds. "𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓," he rasped. "𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌."

And fight back we would. The anger Kaito ignited became our fuel. We were spies, not helpless prey.

Weakened, yes, but not defeated. Our training, though incomplete, had instilled a sense of cunning and a well-honed ability to move unseen. We were faster, more agile than these sadistic superiors. Most of us hadn't excelled in the previous combat sessions, but that didn't make us incapable.

I addressed the group, my voice echoing with a newfound resolve. "𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒔," I declared. "𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒔. 𝑾𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒓𝒖𝒏; 𝒘𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑲𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆'𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓. 𝑻𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 - 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏!"

A collective fire ignited in their eyes. Renji, a mischievous glint returning to his gaze, spoke up. "𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒔 𝒐𝒏," he said, a hint of a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. Night had fallen, cloaking us in a veil of darkness. We had already gathered the sticks, a fact Kaito remained blissfully unaware of. It was time to turn the tables on our tormentors.

The hunt was on - not for us, but for them. The superiors, arrogant and overconfident, wouldn't know what hit them. Tonight, the students would become the hunters, and the training ground would become our silent battlefield. We were no longer just trainees; we were a team, a force to be reckoned with. The path ahead wouldn't be easy, but tonight, under the cloak of darkness, we would take our first steps as true spies.