I didn't show the card to anyone.
Not Kat.
Not Adrien.
No one.
I slipped it into my pocket—
like it was something dangerous.
Because it was.
I just didn't know how yet.
Morning came too fast.
"Assembly. Five minutes."
Strike's voice echoed through the base.
Calm.
Unfeeling.
Like nothing had happened yesterday.
Like Karl had never existed.
We gathered in silence.
One spot—
empty.
No one dared to stand there.
The instructor stepped forward.
Same expression.
Same voice.
Same control.
"Yesterday," he began,"was your first real test."
A pause.
His eyes scanned us.
Counting.
Measuring.
"You failed."
Murmurs broke out.
Confused.
Angry.
"We completed the mission," someone protested.
"Yes," he replied.
"And still lost a member."
Silence.
"In this world," he continued,"success is not survival of some."
A pause.
"It is survival of all."
Kat's jaw tightened.
Adrien looked away.
Xiara didn't react at all.
Something cracked right there.
Not loudly.
Not visibly.
But I felt it.
Our team—
was no longer whole.
"Today's task will be different," the instructor said.
"No guidance. No hints."
A pause.
"You will choose your own path."
That sounded worse.
"Three zones are now unlocked."
A screen lit up behind him.
ZONE A — LOW RISKZONE B — MODERATE RISKZONE C — HIGH RISK
"And before you ask," he added—
"higher risk does not guarantee survival."
Of course it didn't.
"You leave in ten minutes."
Just like that—
it began again.
Back in our group—
no one spoke at first.
Then—
"We go Zone C."
Xiara.
All heads turned toward her.
"Are you serious?" Karl—No.
Not Karl.
He was gone.
Adrien stepped forward.
"That's high risk. We just lost someone."
"And we'll lose more if we stay weak," Xiara snapped.
Her eyes were different.
Hard.
Cold.
"Low risk won't get us anywhere," she continued."We need power. Cards. Progress."
"She's right," someone else added.
Kat stayed silent.
Watching.
Thinking.
Then she turned to me.
"Rose?"
The question hit harder than expected.
Why me?
Because yesterday—
I led.
Because yesterday—
I changed.
All eyes were on me now.
My fingers brushed against my pocket.
The card.
Cold.
Still there.
And suddenly—
a thought crossed my mind.
What if someone is already ahead of us?
Watching.
Waiting.
Hunting.
"We go Zone B."
My voice cut through the tension.
"Not too safe," I added."Not too reckless."
A balance.
Xiara looked annoyed.
Adrien relieved.
Kat—
nodded.
"Zone B it is."
Decision made.
But not accepted.
The crack—
grew wider.
We moved out soon after.
The path to Zone B wasn't like yesterday.
It was open.
Too open.
No tunnels.
No walls.
Just a vast stretch of broken land.
Ruins.
Crumbling buildings.
And silence.
"Stay alert," Kat warned.
We spread out slightly—
but not too far.
I kept scanning the area.
Every shadow.
Every movement.
Every sound.
And then—
I felt it again.
That same presence.
Watching.
My hand instinctively moved to my pocket.
The card—
vibrated.
Just once.
I froze.
"Rose?" Adrien called softly.
"Do you feel that?" I whispered.
"Feel what?"
I didn't answer.
Because I wasn't sure.
But my instincts—
were screaming.
Someone was here.
Not hiding.
Observing.
A sudden sound—
metal scraping.
We turned instantly.
Across the ruins—
a figure stood.
Still.
Unmoving.
Too far to see clearly.
But one thing was certain—
They weren't surprised to see us.
They were—
waiting.
"Enemy?" someone whispered.
"No…" Kat said slowly.
Her voice dropped.
"That's not a creature."
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Then—
took a step forward.
Calm.
Controlled.
Confident.
Not a monster.
Not prey.
Something else.
Something—
dangerous.
My heart started pounding.
Because deep inside—
I felt it.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't just another challenge.
This was—
intentional.
The figure raised something in their hand.
A weapon.
And pointed it—
straight at us.