By late February and early March, the atmosphere for the Exigros Final had reached a fever pitch. It was Fyrnic versus Malthen. Under Captain Vukasin's grueling training, Simon had secured his spot in the team as a Scrap. This marked the first time in Exigros history that a first-year student had been allowed to compete. Even though his position was a minor, supporting role, just being part of the roster was a stroke of incredible luck.
The Fyrnic common room was in a state of chaotic excitement. Chamber leader Lucas hurried back and forth, managing the logistics, while students busied themselves preparing headbands, flags, and banners.
In the first-year boys' dorm, Simon was donning his Exigros uniform. His heart was racing, and despite Kai's constant reminders to stay calm, Simon felt like he was on the verge of throwing up from sheer nervousness.
"What if I lose before the game even properly starts? What if a core member fails and they swap me in? I wouldn't even have gained any real experience... Oh god, I'm seriously going to throw up..." Simon rambled, his face pale.
Finn quietly fanned him, trying to keep him cool. Kai chimed in, "Don't worry so much, mate. Even if you lose, it's not the end of the world for you. You're just a first-year. You aren't supposed to have experience yet!"
"Exactly!" Toad added. "And don't forget, you're the first-ever first-year to compete in Exigros. Even if your role is just a Scrap, you've already made history, buddy!"
Hearing his friends' unwavering support, the heavy weight in Simon's chest finally began to lift.
Shortly after, they made their way to the common room. Vukasin, Dean, and the rest of the team were already assembled, looking combat-ready. Simon stood among them, fully clad in his Exigros uniform. Once everyone was present, Vukasin gave the order to move out, as the players needed to reach the arena before anyone else. Kai, Jack, and the rest of the group stayed behind in the common room, shouting words of encouragement and waving as Simon marched out with the team.
Jack was riddled with anxiety. He was terrified that Simon's chest pain would flare up during the match. Just the other day, he had seen Simon paralyzed by the pain. Even though Jack had urged him not to compete, Simon had insisted he was fine and went ahead anyway.
Seeing Jack frowning intensely at the elevator where Simon had disappeared, Kai gave him a playful nudge with his shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry. It'll be fine."
"I hope so, Kai. I'm just praying that the thing I'm suspecting doesn't actually happen," Jack replied grimly.
Just then, Finn and Toad shouted for them to come and grab their cheering headbands. Kai patted Jack's shoulder once more.
"Come on, Jackie. Let's give Simon our full support!"
Kai ran off to get the headbands. Jack watched him go, sighed, and followed behind. "Such a peaceful soul," he muttered to himself, marveling at how Kai could remain so optimistic despite everything.
Out in the arena, the cheerleaders took center stage as usual, opening the event with a magnificent performance. This was the Final—the match to determine the Exigros Champion Chamber of Willowgate. The air was thick with anticipation.
Meanwhile, Simon was in the waiting room. Since the gates hadn't opened yet, the players were waiting in position. He sat on a wooden bench, his limbs trembling uncontrollably, cold sweat drenching his forehead despite the chill. Beside him lay the blade he would use in combat. While the seniors remained composed, checking their equipment with practiced ease, Simon felt as though he were on the verge of fainting from the sheer pressure.
Dean sat down beside Simon, still wiping his sword with a cloth. "Nervous?" he asked with a faint smile.
Simon nodded weakly. "I feel like I'm going to throw up..."
Dean chuckled and gave Simon's back a gentle, reassuring pat. "Relax. It's just a game, not a real battlefield. Take it easy."
"But this is my first time," Simon admitted. "The only games I've played were with children. I've never... I've never actually competed like this before."
Dean looked at the incredibly anxious Simon and smiled. Simon blurted out, "What if I lose before the game even starts? I mean, I'm the Scrap. Even if someone in the team loses by accident, I'm just the replacement. What if I don't even get to play before—"
"Whoa, hold on a second. You're overthinking this," Dean interrupted.
"Yes, that's how the Scrap position works. But in Fyrnic, the Captain doesn't let a Scrap just go to waste. It's an Exigros rule, but Captain Vukasin believes that even a Scrap can bring home a victory. That's why he chose you. So, just do your best. You have talent..." He offered a reassuring smile.
As the announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, the roar of the crowd intensified until it shook the very foundation of the stadium. Dean stood up, sheathed his sword with a sharp click, and looked at Simon.
"Let's go." Simon met Dean's gaze, swallowed hard, and gripped his blade. He stood up and nodded firmly. At that moment, Vukasin approached with a helmet and slid it onto Simon's head.
"Wear this. Direct orders from the Headmistress," Vukasin stated before marching to the front of the line, waiting for the gates to open. Simon adjusted the helmet, ensuring it sat perfectly. He was the last one in the formation.
Then the massive gates ground open, and the deafening wall of sound from the crowd hit them with full force.
The stadium erupted in a deafening roar. The Fyrnic section was a vibrant sea of orange, pulsing with energy, and Simon stood there, completely awestruck by the spectacle.
Looking through the crowd, he spotted his friends in the distance. There was Kai, holding up a massive banner that didn't say "Go Fyrnic," but specifically "Go Simon!" Next to him was Toad, vigorously waving a flag, and Jack, who sat there looking like he had a massive headache from all the noise. Finally, he saw Finn, who caught Simon's gaze and began waving enthusiastically in greeting.
Then, Simon's gaze drifted toward the Daven benches, searching for Henry. He didn't have much hope since Henry hadn't shown up to the last game, but then... he saw him. Henry was sitting right next to Logan. He was nodding along as he listened to whatever Logan was telling him.
The roar intensified as the gates for Malthen finally swung open. It was even louder than before. Edward, the Exigros leader of Malthen, emerged with his signature polite smile, waving to the cheering fans. Behind him followed Vancy, carrying a massive, terrifying hammer resting easily on his shoulder. It was a sight that commanded fear.
Edward approached Simon with a deceptive smile.
"So, the rumors were true—a first-year has made it into Exigros. I didn't expect it to be you, Blackburn. Well, being able to meet you like this, just as I'd hoped... it's quite fun, isn't it?"
Simon shuddered under that smile, hating the way it felt. Vukasin remained cold and stoic, arms crossed as he glared at Edward. Just then, the commentator's voice boomed:
"Well, well... the two kings have finally met! Malthen, those who use words as weapons, versus Fyrnic, the lovers of freedom over rules! Who will become the champion? This match is special—truly special. Usually, Miss Lora includes a Quest as a cheat code, but not this time. In this final, it's all about capturing the flags and fighting the opposing team to take the crown!"
A wave of surprised murmurs rippled through the stadium at the announcement.
Simon quickly processed the strategy: "If there's no Quest, we just have to avoid losing and find as many flags as possible." Miss Lora stepped forward with her coin. She flipped it into the air, and when she caught it, the result favored Fyrnic. They earned a one-minute head start over Malthen. The whistle blew, and the match officially began.
"Let's go!" Vukasin roared as they bolted toward the forest gate. Simon glanced back one last time and saw Edward smiling, waving at him mockingly. The game had truly begun.
Simon dashed through the forest, where the massive trees formed a dense canopy like a natural roof, casting everything in a deep green shadow. He kept adjusting his helmet, which nudged downward with every step, as his blade thudded against his back with each movement. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—he spotted a white flag nestled in the branches of a tree.
Though a white flag was only worth two points, it was infinitely better than zero. He grabbed it and quickly whispered the activation word:
"Exigros."
Instantly, two points were added to the Fyrnic score. As the flag in his hand dissolved into a white mist, the momentary joy was replaced by a chill. A booming voice announced:
"Tommy Tarni of Team Fyrnic has been eliminated by Vancy Cavigan of Team Malthen! Malthen gains 25 points!"
Simon's eyes widened in shock. Vancy's hammer had claimed its first victim. He waited, held his breath, for the command to swap. If he were to be subbed in right now, they would only lose the 10 points he carried as a Scrap, saving the team 15 points. But when the announcement didn't come, he realized Dean was right. Captain Vukasin had no intention of using him as a mere sacrifice.
He had to keep moving. He had to prove he was worth the Captain's trust.
Simon continued to scavenge for any flag he could find, mostly gathering white and yellow ones. His steady stream of points kept the team in the race. Meanwhile, Fyrnic managed to take down a Malthen member, but Malthen quickly subbed in their Scrap, limiting Fyrnic's gain to only 10 points instead of 25. Thanks to Simon's efforts, Malthen only held a slim two-point lead.
As Simon looked down from a hill, he spotted another yellow flag nestled in a thicket below. He began to dash down the slope, but suddenly, three Core Members from Malthen stepped out from the woods at the base of the hill. Simon froze. The trio spotted him instantly and gripped their weapons.
Panicked, Simon tried to turn and scramble back up the hill, but in his desperation, his foot slipped, and he went down hard on the uneven ground. Despite the fall, Simon scrambled to his feet, grabbing onto clumps of grass and jagged roots as he clawed his way back up the hill. The sound of the Core Members chasing him sent shivers down his spine. Their goal was clear: take Simon out. Even though eliminating a Scrap only yielded a few points, removing the person who was steadily racking up flag points for Fyrnic was a strategic necessity.
In the stands, the tension was palpable. Kai gripped Jack's arm, shaking it frantically as he cheered at the top of his lungs.
"Ah! There are three of them! Run, Simon! Keep running!"
Simon reached the top of the hill, but he didn't even have a second to catch his breath. He scrambled up and kept running. Suddenly, a voice crackled through the emblem on his chest. It was the Seeker, the team member responsible for locating flags from a safe, hidden position.
"Little Scrap! Do you hear me?"
"I'm... I'm... running right now! Just a second!" Simon panted.
"Listen to me! On your current path, you'll see a massive tree with dark brown bark. It's an Oak tree. Do you know what an Oak tree looks like?"
"Um... I think so..."
"You think so? Are you kidding me!? Never mind—there's a Black Flag on that tree. Get it, no matter what!"
Simon couldn't even manage a verbal reply. He was running for his life, but his mind was already scanning the forest, searching desperately for that dark-barked Oak tree.
He spotted it. The massive tree with the dark, charcoal-like bark—there was no mistaking it. As soon as Simon reached the base, he began to scramble up. He gripped the thick, sturdy branches and hauled himself upward, straddling the limb as he climbed higher. He knew the three Malthen members would be able to climb up after him, so he had to reach that flag and secure the points before they could catch him. If he got eliminated after getting those points, so be it.
Simon scrambled upward, searching frantically for the flag. The Oak tree's branches were a tangled mess, and the foliage was so thick it felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. Below him, the three Malthen members had reached the base of the tree.
"Look at him go," one of them jeered.
"Climbing just like a little monkey." He turned to a girl named Brittany, whose golden hair was pulled into a high, sleek ponytail.
"Brittany, give him a little scare with your arrows."
She smirked and aimed her bow upward. These arrows were tipped with blunt, adhesive pads instead of sharp points—safe, but enough to knock someone off balance. An arrow whistled past Simon's cheek and thudded into the branch in front of him. Heart hammering, Simon nearly lost his grip and fell. He clung to the branch like it was his only lifeline, squeezing it as tight as he could.
"Oh my god... heaven help me," he whimpered, refusing to let go.
On the spectator screens, the dragonfly cameras captured Simon's predicament in vivid detail. Kai clutched his chest, shouting in frustration,
"Is this Exigros or the Hunger Games? Are they trying to kill him? How can the Masters just look the other way!"
"Calm down," Jack interjected. "The arrowheads aren't sharp. They're just designed to stick to whatever they hit. Like a child's toy."
"But if Simon gets scared and falls, he could split his head open!" Kai retorted.
"Has he fallen yet? Just keep your cool and trust him. He can do this," Jack said firmly. Deep down, Jack's heart had skipped a beat when Simon nearly slipped, but unlike Kai, he kept his anxiety hidden behind a mask of stoicism.
Simon took a deep breath and forced himself to keep climbing. If he could just get this flag, the point gap would widen significantly—he had to succeed. Below, the three Malthen members watched him with growing suspicion. "Why is he still going up? Is there something up there?" Brittany wondered aloud. Just then, their own Seeker's voice crackled through their comms, revealing that a Black Flag was indeed hidden in that very tree.
Realizing Simon's goal, the tall, athletic boy in the group handed his sword to his companion. "I'm going up. I'll take the flag and that little Scrap's points while I'm at it. Two birds with one stone," he declared confidently.
As Brittany and the other boy cheered him on, the senior began his ascent. He was moving much faster than Simon. Being a final-year student and a veteran Exigros player, climbing trees was second nature to him. A small-framed first-year like Simon stood little chance in a race of pure speed and experience.
Simon glanced down, and his heart skipped a beat as the senior closed the gap with terrifying speed. Panic surged through him, but as he scanned the branches above, he spotted it—the Black Flag, fluttering on a nearby limb. He pushed himself to climb faster, even as the senior's voice echoed from below: "Better hurry, first-year! I'm almost there!"
In the stands, the tension was unbearable. Finn covered his eyes with his hands, whimpering, "I can't watch. This is like a horror movie." Toad stood frozen, unable to wave his flag, while Kai gripped his banner so hard his knuckles turned white. "Come on, Simon. You can do this," he whispered desperately.
Then, the entire stadium gasped in unison. Simon's foot slipped. For a heart-stopping second, he plummeted, only to catch a sturdy branch at the last moment. He didn't fell, but his helmet did. Now, he was left dangling high above the ground, clinging on for dear life.
"He's going to fall!" students screamed in unison. Finn covered his eyes, unable to watch, while Kai was drenched in a cold sweat, terrified that his worst fears for Simon were coming true. On the other side, Henry watched the screen with an unreadable expression. Logan, looking thoroughly entertained, nudged him.
"Henry, want to make a bet? I bet he falls." He grinned at Henry, waiting for a reaction. Henry shifted his gaze from the screen to Logan.
"What do I get if I win?"
"Hmph. Name it, and I'll do it. But if I win, you have to spend this entire summer at our vacation home with me."
"Deal," Henry said simply. Logan's grin widened, brimming with the confidence of someone who felt victory was already in his hand.
Simon's arms were screaming in pain. The branch was too thick for him to get a proper grip, and with sweat slicking his palms, he felt himself slipping. "I'm going to fall," he thought, the panic rising as the senior closed in from below. But Simon took a ragged breath and, with a final surge of adrenaline, began to pull. He hauled his upper body onto the branch, inch by grueling inch.
In the stands, the atmosphere was electric.
"Come on, Simon... Simon..." Kai chanted under his breath, his eyes glued to the screen.
Using every ounce of strength he had left, Simon swung one leg over the branch, successfully straddling it and pulling himself back up to safety. He sat there for a moment, gasping for air, safely perched once more.
The stadium erupted.
"Oh my god! He did it! That's my boy, Simon!" Kai screamed at the top of his lungs, jumping up and down and squeezing Toad in a bear hug. Finn finally opened his eyes, trembling with relief, while Jack let out a long, heavy breath, the tension finally leaving his shoulders.
Logan gritted his teeth, crossing his arms and leaning back into his seat with a scowl. Henry turned to him, calm and steady.
"So... I win."
"Whatever. What do you want?" Logan snapped, clearly irritated.
"I'll have to think about it," Henry replied with a faint, almost imperceptible smile. He turned his gaze back to the screen, where Simon was already making his move to the next branch. The flag was now just an arm's length away.
Just as Simon's hand neared the flag, his ankle was yanked hard from below. Luckily, his iron grip on the branch saved him from falling. The senior was holding onto Simon's ankle with one hand while clinging to the tree with the other, trying to drag him down.
"Hey, little Scrap. Give me your emblem and that flag, and I'll let you go without pulling you down," the senior threatened.
Simon remained silent, looking down at his captor. Sensing his advantage as he sat securely on the branch, Simon began to violently shake his leg. While Simon was safe in his seated position, the senior, who was only holding on with one hand, felt himself losing his balance. Terrified of falling from such a height, the senior finally let go of Simon's ankle.
Simon didn't waste a second. He scrambled toward the small branch where the flag was tied and snatched it. As he shouted "Exigros!", twenty points were added to Fyrnic's total, officially pushing them into the lead over Malthen.
Fuelled by rage, the senior charged up toward Simon's branch. Knowing he was trapped and outmatched, Simon remained still, bracing for the inevitable. However, in his frantic haste, the senior miscalculated his footing. Instead of landing squarely on the branch, his foot slipped off the edge, sending him plummeting toward the forest floor. Simon gasped, reaching out a desperate hand to catch him, but it was too late—the senior was already out of reach. The entire stadium erupted in shocked screams, and below, Brittany and her teammate cried out in terror as they watched their fellow member fall.
Fortunately, before the senior could hit the ground, a vibrant green light erupted from his silver chestplate, enveloping him in a protective orb. The bubble shielded him from the jagged branches and ensured a soft, cushioned landing on the forest floor. It was an automated defense spell designed by the Masters to keep participants safe during the high-stakes game.
In the stands, the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief. Kai turned to Jack, who remained as stoic as ever with his arms crossed.
"So... if Simon fell, would that bubble appear for him too?" Kai asked.
"Of course," Jack replied calmly. "This is a school competition. The Masters would never allow a student to get seriously hurt. Now, stop overreacting and focus on the match."
Kai nodded, finally settling back into his seat as the tension eased.
Below, Brittany looked up at the tree and made a swift, tactical decision. "Let's leave him. He's just a Scrap—only worth ten points. We're running out of time, and Fyrnic is leading. We need to find more flags quickly and take down their Seeker and remaining Core Members." The two boys nodded in agreement. They shot one last lingering look up at Simon before vanishing into the dense woods with Brittany.
Only after he was certain they were gone did Simon carefully climb down, finally feeling the solid ground beneath his feet. He immediately bolted in the opposite direction, but a sudden, forceful impact struck his back, sending him sprawling face-first onto the earth. It was Brittany's arrow. She hadn't left after all. While one teammate had split off to find flags, she and the senior who had fallen remained behind, waiting in the shadows for Simon to descend.
In the stands, Kai bolted upright, unable to contain his fury at the blatant deception. He couldn't stand seeing his friend fall into such a dirty trap. Logan, however, leaned forward with a keen interest, a smirk playing on his lips as he crossed his arms.
"Oh, he's definitely finished this time."
Henry remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the screen. He didn't utter a single word, his expression unreadable as he watched Simon lying on the ground.
Simon rolled over to find the two seniors closing in on him. Still sprawled on the ground, he scrambled backward in a blind panic.
"You take it, Marcus," Brittany said dismissively to the boy beside her. Marcus didn't even bother to unsheathe his sword as he sauntered toward Simon.
"Just hand it over quietly, first-year," he said, reaching out a hand as he approached. "I'd rather not be accused of bullying a kid."
Simon's mind raced through his options. He could try to throw dried leaves and dust to distract Marcus and bolt, but Brittany stood ready with her bow. Even if he managed to slip past Marcus, she would just pin him down again. Trapped and sitting on the forest floor, Simon faced a seemingly impossible situation. How on earth was he going to get out of this one?