Heroes of Veridia

Chapter 22

The students began to disperse as the guard approached Evelyn's dorm.

"What's going on here?" the guard asked, his voice stern.

Evelyn quickly explained the situation.

The guard listened, his face hard. "If you want to fight, do it in the gym," he said. "But killing is prohibited. The victim should be brought to the Manager's office when she's okay." He turned and walked away, leaving the students in silence.

Moments later, Selene, Vivian, and Logan appeared at Evelyn's dorm.

"What happened?" Selene asked, with her playful smile adorning her face.

Evelyn sighed. "I explained already," she said, exasperated. "Miss Angry Saint here tried to blame us."

The silver-haired girl glared at her. "Who are you calling 'angry saint'?"

The pink-haired girl groaned as she sat up, pressing a hand to her head. "What happened?" she muttered, her voice weak.

The silver-haired girl knelt beside her. "Who did this to you?" she asked softly.

"I didn't see his face," the pink-haired girl admitted.

Evelyn frowned. "How do you know it was a guy?"

"His hands," the pink-haired girl said, "and his voice."

The silver-haired girl's expression darkened. "What did he say?"

"They were talking about getting rid of the gifted so they could dominate the giftless in Phantom Edge," the pink-haired girl explained.

Logan's brow furrowed. "They?" he asked.

The pink-haired girl nodded. "I heard two voices."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "One of them must have the power to manipulate his surroundings or... maybe he can pass through walls." She shrugged. "If they want to get rid of the gifted, why not face them head-on?"

"Because he's a coward," the silver-haired girl replied, her voice bitter.

Evelyn smirked. "Fair point."

Logan frowned. "I thought they would stay low after what they did to Leah."

Evelyn thought for a moment. "They probably want to hurry things up. We only have two months here."

Everyone except Vivian looked at Evelyn, startled.

"Two months?" Logan asked, confused.

Evelyn blinked. "What?" she asked, taken aback by their reaction.

The silver-haired girl folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "How desperate are you to get out there that you want to become an assassin in two months?"

The pink-haired girl, still recovering, added, "It takes two years to complete Phantom Edge."

Evelyn turned to Vivian for confirmation. "Vivian, you told me—"

Vivian raised her hands. "Don't look at me. I was told two months too."

Suddenly, a loud ding echoed through the room, and in an instant, everyone found themselves standing in a vast forest. Above them, the Manager sat in a floating chair, watching them with a calm smile.

"I know most of you have questions," he began, his voice echoing through the forest. "Even though this is only the second day, you won't be taught anything this week. Everything you do will be used to evaluate you, and you will be divided into groups according to your strengths and weaknesses."

The Manager's smile grew as he added, "From what I've been hearing, some of you have already started forming your own groups. That's not how it works here."