High above the forest, veiled by clouds and arcane concealments, a dozen professors sat around observing the scenes below, silent as statues. Below them stretched a scene none of them had expected would happen, let alone be possible.
The forest, once a desolate field of death, now housed a chaotic maze of grouped up students and was now humming with activity. Zeke's group, if it could even be called that anymore was spreading like a tide through the trees. Coordinated. Unified. Alive.
One of the many instructors watching, a tall woman with ink-black eyes and streaks of silver in her braids, whispered, "Headmaster, aren't you going to stop them? They've already tripled in size. That's over three hundred students gathered, and they're still growing."
The Headmaster didn't respond at first. His gaze was steady, fixed on the ever-expanding formation of students below. A flare of golden energy erupted as another group who engaged an enemy signaled their position, responding to Zeke's earlier orders. He looked like a man observing a battlefield, not a test.
Finally, he spoke, voice as calm as stone worn smooth by time.
"They were told to survive using their skills and they are. That brat... he seems to be quite the skilled leader."
A murmur rippled through the professors. Some narrowed their eyes in obvious discontent, complaining in their hearts about Zeke's oversized group but none spoke in protest because the ancient being they called the headmaster could destroy them with a wave of his hand.
Below, the groups of students moved as a single body, each having the own roles but all incredibly connected, setting up temporary markers, gathering new students, and borrowing familiars to communicate across distances. Zeke had broken them into teams of twenty, but each team was now weaving back toward the center group.
It was nearing the end of the day, the sky, painted in a vibrant orange hue slowly fading out.
A great big bonfire roared at the center of the clearing, its flames licking toward the sky, casting long shadows over the forest floor. Around it, dozens of smaller campfires crackled. The scent of roasted meat, baked roots, and sweet fruit filled the air. Some students cooked beasts they had hunted in the forest throughout the day, giant wolves, scaled birds, mana-eels from underground streams. The students from better backrounds unpacked food they had stored in space rings or enchanted packs.
As they were gathered together, eating, there was laughter. Actual, unfiltered laughter. Boys and girls trading jokes, sharing food, patching wounds with whatever they had. Some argued over who roasted better meat. Others passed out makeshift skewers. For the first time in the trial, warmth existed that didn't come from a spell.
Little did they know that hidden behind the trees the shadows were moving, the executioners were watching, waiting.
Their cloaks fluttered in the wind as they crouched behind trees, atop massive branches, and beneath ancient roots, all of them baffled as they looked at the army of more than 300 students moving about.
"What the hell is this?"
"Didn't that strong guy say there were only six hundred students left? This looks like three hundred here alone."
"Unless he was lying."
"Why would he do that?"
A pause.
"Who knows? He might be a little crazy."
"That's true. They say once you go past a hundred years you start going senile and that guy, based on his strength alone has got to be extremely senile."
Above, many of the professors watching from the sky wore dark expressions as they heard the conversation between the executioners.
A younger man amongst the group of old teacher, barely past his twenties, burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Did you guys-"
POOF! POOF! POOF!
Instantly, ten or more professors launched spells at the speaker. The young man vanished beneath a flurry of light. When it cleared, he was wrapped tightly in rope, a spell sealing his mouth, hanging upside-down above a fire.
One of the other professors stared at him, expression still dark, "Little Jonah, you better stop talking or your new role as First-Year Director will be revoked."
Despite being tied up and gagged, Jonah's eyes sparkled with amusement. The light of the flame danced across his bright , a noticeable white streak running through the front like a lightning bolt. His fingers made lazy gestures, pretending to conduct the surrounding flames.
Back on the ground, Zeke finished dividing the last team. He glanced at the sky once, eyes narrowing. He couldn't see them, but he felt the eyes watching.
Lunch came and went, and the fires were slowly extinguished. Only the massive center flame remained, still burning high. Groups of students were laughing, chatting, or laying down to rest, comepletely oblivious to the eyes watching them.
Zeke was hanging out with Rian and Kaito when suddenly his head snapped to the side. Screams rang out, urgent and sharp. He ran toward the noises, and when he scaled a small rise, the situation was laid bare.
Two shadows, their movements frantic were surrounded by more than fifty students, all with their weapons out shouting back and forth. Just behind the encirclement, Darius clutched his neck, blood seeping between his fingers. Zeke's stomach dropped.
"Darius!"
The large boy looked up and gave a pained grin.
"Don't worry, boss. I've got a thick head."
Zeke expression went weird as he exhaled sharply, muttering, "Yes... you definitely do."
He shouted out.
"Capture those two. Bring them to me."
The circle of students closed in slowly as if sheperding sheep. Once they got them all tied up they started walking towards Zeke.
"Take the tape off their mouths."
The two captured individuals stared at him, eyes gleaming with resentment. But they still tried to laugh before spitting out the gag one of the students put in.
"Who the hell are you? What is this, some little student army? Are you their leader?"
Zeke didn't bother to reply as he was still observing them, when suddenly he moved towards them swiftly.
"Shhh."
He walked towards the two tied up people, stopping beside one of them before reaching towards their robe, the figure flinched slightly but when he saw Zeke pull his hand back from his cloak, dagger in hand he paled.
Zeke turned the person's blade in his hand before running it across his palm, nothing happened for second then a thin red line spread across his palm, he looked at the figures with narrowed eyes then licked the blood from his hand, after ripping off the figures masks, two teenage boys were revealed, one still smiling while the other one, the one who had his dagger taken was pale faced. POP! Zeke's hand came crashing down on the smiling one's face.
"Tell me,"
His aura surged. A wave of power crushing, deep rolled outward like a crashing tide.
"Why did you and your group kill all those students?"
Like a stone tossed into a still lake murmurs spread throughout the nearby students, the group now numbering around three hundred shifted uneasily, only a few knew what Zeke was talking about, one of the ones who knew stepped forward, face grim.
"Zeke... you're not saying that they"
"Yes," Zeke said quietly. His eyes never left the two shadows. "They are responsible for the massacre we saw."
The two shadows reacted when they heard that, at first they were suprised that they got called out then they realised they were surrounded by the friends and possibly family of the people they killed.
Silence fell among the army of students, some of the original members of Zeke's crew let the others know about the camp they found, where all the students were killed, most of them while still sleeping. Many emotions spread among the crowd, some went pale, others held hands to their mouths as people described the scene, but then it shifted.
Rage. Pure and unadultered fury.
All eyes locked onto the two executioners.
Something shifted.
The wind picked up. Cold. Fierce. The combined killing intent thickened the air.
Clouds rolled in, dark and heavy.
...
Above the forest, the professors who were watching this scene stirred again.
"Ahh... how impressive," one said.
"This must be a first," another replied. "To see this level of synchronized killing intent."
"Normally these trials split students up too much. But this brat…"
"He's giving us a good show haha, what a good boy."
...
Zeke stared into the eyes of the two shadows, blood still trailing from his hand.
"Speak."
The shadows shivered slightly, trying to think of a way to run away but there was no escape. Not from this big army of students.
Zeke stood slowly. The bonfire behind him blazed higher, casting a monstrous shadow through the plain and over the two executioners.
'Operation: Build an Army' wasn't just about building up numbers.
As Zeke said, there was no leader, just a combined drive, a higher purpose, one they all agreed on.
And right now, that purpose was revenge.