Chapter 52: Before the Gates Open

The heavy steel plated wheels of the military carrier groaned on the loose gravel before finally stopping on the outer wall of Sector 3.

The doors groaned open, releasing a rush of frigid and damp mountain air laced with the familiar scent of ozone, damp bark and aged earth.

Beyond the reinforced stone fort wall was a pair of thirty-foot high steel gates with faint runes of high-grade warding magic humming against the iron bars.

Beyond the steel gates the forest was not gradually unveiled to their sight.

It swallowed the daylight whole.

A canopy of pitch black pines and curling elder oaks formed a dense roof above, hiding the sky from view. Thick white fog snaked between the trunks and pooled along the exposed roots like spilled milk.

Then.

A low rumble of something large and brutish echoed from the gloom.

It was not the sound of an average wolf, nor the gurgling snarl of a tiger.

It was something deeper, something guttural that reverberated within the marrow of the bones.

The students’ boots felt the ground tremor faintly as several lower-ranking students visibly flinched. Their faces drained of all color as their fingers twitched towards the grip of their side-arms.

High above, the steady drone of military reconnaissance machines cut through the fog.

Sleek and silent disk-shaped mechanical birds hovered overhead in thirty-meter intervals as their crimson optics swept around the perimeter wall. Every so often a mechanical bird would dip down into the fog and vanish within the tree line to scan the perimeter from above.

"All squads, formation halt!"

A sergeant’s voice rang out over the staging area, his voice amplified over a loudspeaker.

"Prepare for zone assignment! Check your wrist devices!"

ZONE SEPARATION DIRECTIVE

Lucian exhaled as he raised his slate grey Military Emergency Beacon Watch.

The device buzzed against his palm before a ring of pale blue light gently illuminated the watch face.

Lucian: ZONE 1 - OUTER SAFE RIM (Designated C-Rank to F-Rank / Solo Entries)

Terrain: Low-density Pine Ridge; Unobstructed Line of Sight; Shallow Streams

Expected Threats: First-Order Stage 1 & Stage 2

A few yards away, Evelyn’s wrist mount produced a distinct golden chime.

The familiar silhouette of her holographic display formed before her eyes.

Evelyn Vance (Alpha Team Leader): ZONE 3 - HIGH-RISK DEEP CANOPY (Exclusive for S-Rank & A-Rank Top Performers)

Terrain: Jagged Ravines; Dense Elder Oak Canopy; Subterranean Caves

Expected Threats: First-Order Stage 3 to Stage 9 / Periphery Core Basin

The crowd immediately began to disperse as military proctors guided the students towards different steel funnels at the entrance. Lower class students were ushered along the wide western gates leading into the broad open zone of sector 1 while upper elites were escorted along the northern iron chute that disappeared into the dense fog of sector 3. Heavier armor surrounded the upper class escorts as they prepared to breach the high-risk zone 3 with elite combat squads.

The separation is swift.

Lucian adjusted the leather wrist guard at his forearm as he observed the dispersing crowd.

They want the elites to deal with the high yield targets from the front while the lower classes are kept within shallow waters.

Before he could position himself towards the zone 1 entrance, the crisp yet steady sound of boots against stone echoed from behind.

He turned.

Evelyn was walking up to him, alone.

While she had received her zone 3 directive and should have been heading towards the northern entrance, she had taken a brief detour to speak with him.

Her pale-blue eyes locked onto Lucian’s face as she approached with steady steps, her fingers idly brushing the hilt of her rapier.

"Lucian,"

She said softly.

She halted less than a foot away from him.

"You’re going the wrong way,"

Lucian remarked, politely glancing towards the northern entrance. "Zone 3 is that way."

Evelyn chose to ignore his mocking words.

"Listen to me,"

Again, Evelyn ignored his attempt to brush her off.

Her tone was serious, devoid of the usual aloof and aristocratic demeanor she wore around him. She reached out to tap against his wrist. Her gloved fingers nearly brushed against the beacon watch before pulling away. "The zone 1 is called a ’safe rim’, but the fog is particularly dense today. Occasionally beasts from the inner border will migrate out seeking prey."

She fixed him with a hard stare.

"You’re going in alone and you won’t have a vanguard shield at your back."

Her voice dropped lower as she leaned forwards until she was inches away from his face.

"If you should encounter a beast pack or an anomaly, don’t do something foolish because of your pride."

Her voice softened dangerously as she searched his eyes.

"If your life is in danger, use the emergency beacon crystal. Do you understand me?"

She paused.

"Don’t try to be a hero and prove something to me. Ego will get you killed in these woods."

Lucian noted the intensity of her gaze before he caught the hint of genuine concern hidden in her eyes.

A wry smile curled on his lips.

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a sensuous whisper.

"Fearing for my life already, wifey? What a lovely thought."

Evelyn stopped dead in her tracks.

Her breath caught in her throat for a heartbeat before she stuttered out in outrage.

"W-Wha-?!"

For an instant, the steel-willed and composed genius of Evelyn Vance withered under the pressure of his words. A deep shade of crimson bloomed on her cheeks before traveling down the slender column of her neck and onto her pointed ears.

"Th-Think nothing of it! I-I’m not afraid of this silly young man!"

Lucian smirked.

"That is quite the way to treat a guest."

Evelyn gaped at him before she clamped her thin lips together in a tight line of irritation. Her face was burning brightly as she unconsciously took a step back, her fingers twitching towards the hilt of her rapier. Her mind scrambled for a suitable reply as she fought to reestablish her ever-present icy composure.

Her ears were betraying her.

"You are truly a menace," Evelyn spat between clenched teeth. "If you die out there, I swear I’ll cut you down myself!"

Lucian chuckled.

"A rather interesting way to express concern, wouldn’t you say?"

Evelyn opened her mouth to retort but Lucian cut her off with a wave of his hand.

Everyone was watching.

Lucian casually glanced at the growing number of curious students who had turned to watch the unfolding scene. He turned his gaze back at Evelyn who was currently busy seething with silent fury.

"Everyone is watching."

He noted how her face burned even darker as her eyes darted around nervously. Evelyn bit her lower lip to stifle the sharp remark that threatened to escape as she fought to regain her composure.

Her ears were on fire.

"You are so annoying!" Evelyn hissed out finally before clamping her hands over her ears.

Lucian chuckled.

"That’s quite the way to show affection."

In the distance, a few meters away under the shade of a military truck, Eric had quietly observed the entire exchange.

His face was a mask of simmering rage as he gripped the edge of the metal truck bed with white knuckles.

"Look at him..."

Eric muttered through gritted teeth.

"A commoner talking to Evelyn like that..."

His scowl deepened as he narrowed his eyes at Lucian.

"Making her laugh. Making her blush."

His gaze followed the departing figure of Evelyn as she walked away from the gathering crowd. He watched the other students part for her as she walked past them until she disappeared at the entrance of zone 3. Then his eyes snapped back at Lucian.

A slow and dangerous smile played at the corner of Eric’s lips.

"Enjoy the view while it lasts,"

He muttered before his hand disappeared into his coat.

Within his palm laid a small crimson object.

"Once the hunt begins,"

Eric’s grip tightened.

"...let’s see who will still smile."