There’s no such thing as a free dinner in this world. Faoros rose from the metal casket, his thoughts and head heavy. The helmet was suffocating him, so he reflexively tried to remove it but to no avail.

  “Why… does… it… not… budge?” His voice was hoarse and he was short of air.

  “Faoros, my student, hang in there. Don’t act rushed.” A familiar voice echoed through the wide hall. He could hear her heavy footsteps approaching, but with the helmet on, he had no way of confirming their source.

  “Tite?” Faoros placed his hand on the helmet. “What is going on? I clearly remember that it was easy to take it off.”

  “The Pilot is different from the device you had at home for the trials. Now you are officially on your way to adulthood. We are proud of you.” Miss Tite touched the metal helmet and pressed a few buttons around it. Immediately, the helmet loosened its grip on Faoros, and, with a soft pull, she removed it from his head. “The academy is taking great care of your condition and experience in the Game.”

  “I don’t think I am a student anymore, and I certainly don’t like this hall. It is no different than a graveyard.” Faoros placed his hands on the metal coffin named a Pilot and stood up unsteadily. His legs trembled, and his stomach growled with hunger. “Can’t you put music to lighten the mood or perhaps let us take the Pilot home?”

  “Unfortunately, the Station has strict rules for both teachers and students alike. The academy demands total silence for its future adults during their immersion.” Miss Tite touched the Pilot, and her fingers pierced through a small hole. A weak light emitted from there, barely illuminating the inside of the casket. Her face turned serious. “Faoros, don’t try to connect to the Game from your home. You may dislike the idea of visiting the Station every time you want to enter, but here we can take care of your basic needs and monitor dangerous situations closely. If we detect any unusual activity in your brain, we will disconnect you forcefully.” Her fingers continued caressing the interior of the coffin and reached its center. The number fifty-three was carved there. “Remember your Pilot. You must return here before twenty-four hours pass and reconnect. Each time you leave, stay away from the Game for at least four hours. Those are the precautionary measures taken by the academy. If anything urgent comes up, you can stop by my office and submit a ticket. I am in charge of your well-being until the end of the year when you officially become an adult. Until then, you are my student. Take care, and spend your time well.”

  “Thank you, Tite.” Faoros bowed slightly and headed toward the exit.

  Miss Tite sighed. “And don’t forget to read the manual.”

  At her observation, Faoros hastened his steps. He passed by the metal coffins with his sleeping schoolmates inside. A few of them were open, but they were the exception. This gave Faoros a chilling sensation. It was like a graveyard. Despite the machinery, no sound was heard except for his footsteps. The few teachers stationed around the room looked bored and remained silent. The realization hadn’t sunk in but starting from this year, he would have to live mainly as his Alter and barely stay at the academy at all. Still, now was no time to get sweaty palms. Belo had exited the Game about an hour before him and that meant the clock was already ticking.

  The Station was not far from his favorite Cafeteria. It was located below ground, near the numerous labs that the academy had constructed for its experiments. Faoros had noticed stairs leading further below, but no student was authorized to enter these labs. Without wasting time, he quickly climbed the stairs to the front gate.

  The sunbathed courtyard of the academy was stained by autumn’s drizzle. Faoros disliked this strange quirk of the weather this year; rain under such calm, sunny skies. Nevertheless, most of the younger students skipping class were enjoying their time there.

  He was wearing a sheepish smile without realizing it. He rushed through the hallways, apologizing as he bumped into teachers he barely remembered. It didn’t take long to leave Etal Academy and head to the plaza in front of B13. Younger students around Arom's age were enjoying the sunshine. Faoros hastened his steps, aiming to pass unnoticed.

  No sooner had he reached the edge of the plaza than a desperate cry resurfaced long-forgotten memories. “Help! Someone...please help!”

  “The Lords curse me…” Faoros spat and turned around. Numerous students had formed a tight knot around the unconscious young Etal. Seeing Faoros heading their way, they immediately made room for him to pass.

  “He… we were playing Chase the Lord. H-he just closed his eyes… he closed his eyes…”

  Faoros’ heart tightened. Such misfortune left no room for words. He fell to his knees and pressed his ear against the student’s heart. Silence.

  “Go get a teacher. I need some time alone with him.” His classmates protested, but they knew better than to argue with their senior. Faoros remained cross-legged beside the unconscious boy until his friends left his view. “That settles it, then.” His heartbeat grew louder. Even if his friends cried and protested, deep down, everyone knew what had probably happened. Faoros had been the same. He had seen students collapse too many times, no longer breathing as if they had never been alive in the first place.

  “It’s in their eyes. You can have your doubts until you check their irises. The sickness always leaves its mark there.” Miss Tite’s words rang fresh in his mind. It hadn’t been a year since she shared this detail with him. The unfortunate student had merely fallen unconscious from long exposure to the sun back then, but this time was different. Faoros massaged his lids before sliding them up.

  “This...” He jumped back, shutting his eyes in disbelief. Their former color was no longer discernible; instead, they had turned into two fully bloomed orchids. The wondrous yet sickening sight made Faoros want to vomit. He no longer wanted to stay. The teachers would take care of the issue and inform the student’s friends. Another bitter reminder of the importance of his goal. With heavy steps, he headed toward the large park that bordered the plaza. To Faoros, its towering trees and bushes resembled a true forest. He could almost hear beasts howling within it.

  Unlike most of the teachers or students visiting it, Faoros climbed the fence surrounding it and dived into the bushes. It looked strange to the eye but a path soon revealed itself in front of him. Arom had discovered this spot during a game of Catch the Lord a few years back.

  Still dazed from the Game and the shock from the Curse’s victim, it took him unusually long to find the correct path leading to the glade. Without a second thought, Faoros fell to his knees and elbows and began to crawl through the mud. Strangely, this mud felt cleaner than the one in the Game. From the distant light that bathed the glade, his friends emerged. Like him who was wearing the same blue jeans and white T-shirt he had worn when he entered the Game, Arom and Belo wore similar clothing. They had blue jeans for comfort, and Arom had picked a black T-shirt to contrast with his blonde hair, while Belo wore a brown one to match his eyes.

  “It wasn’t an impossible task for the two of us, but those Scavengers certainly know what they’re doing. They taught us how to safely exit the Game. There’s a bank there. If you deposit your merits, you can go to sleep and wake up safely in reality. I’m sure most students are stuck in the Game for now. Still, they are troublemakers. I can’t wait to finish this and hand them over to the guards. Especially Aselom. He seems calm, but his sudden outbursts of insanity can send shivers down your spine!”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Did Faoros face him head on? Did he talk back to him? Of course he did; he wouldn’t be our mighty friend otherwise!”

  “Are you talking about me?” Faoros emerged from the thick greenery of the glade. Arom and Belo turned around at the same time. Belo scratched his cheek, and Arom giggled. They were already drinking coffee from the Cafeteria. The rising fist was a distinguished logo for their academy and it was clearly depicted in their cups. Faoros’ gaze immediately focused on the third cup. They had brought coffee for him as well. “I truly need this drink now.” He fell to his knees and had a sip from his cup. “Ifas gave it her best. Thank the Lords.”

  “Yeah.” Belo frowned. “That’s not your usual reaction. You didn’t shout that this is the best coffee in the academy. Did something happen?”

  Arom didn’t raise his head. He had taken out his phone and was staring at the screen; his expression was no longer bright and smiling.

  “I don’t want to talk about this,” Faoros said, crawling beside Arom. “Was he…”

  “Was—He was a classmate.”

  “Lords’ mercy,” said Belo, unable to stop diverting his attention between them. “The Curse?”

  “He closed his eyes.”

  “A-a classmate.”

  Silence ensued between the three of them. The unexpected occurrence made the Game seem meaningless. Without reason and without any hope of survival, the Curse had taken another student’s life.

  “That’s just another reminder that we have to best our past selves and expand our thinking. The Game demands we change,” Faoros groaned. “Belo?”

  “A bitter reminder.” Belo cleared his throat. “I was narrating our journey in Sector B. After all, we were in there for ten days. Aselom, really—”

  “Don’t.” Faoros leaped on his friend and pressed his palm against his mouth. “Not yet!” He kicked and punched, and Belo rebuked him. Like any other students fighting over a toy, they clawed at each other over empty air.

  “Now that’s a ferocious Etal. An Etal fiercer than any lion or wolf.” Arom laughed out loud at the sight of his friends fighting.

  “He must learn patience!” Faoros growled, struggling to keep Belo’s mouth shut. “Ah… you bit me!”

  “You deserved it,” Belo hissed and took a breather. He glanced at his coffee to make sure it hadn’t spilled before adding. “Do you feel any better?”

  Faoros sighed and rolled over. He grabbed his coffee and took a big gulp. “A bit. When did our lives get so complicated?”

  “They were always like this, we simply didn’t pay enough attention to the—”

  “Apart from this.” Faoros cut him short. “Answer me Belo, would you take any action that might displease Etal Academy?”

  “What are you even saying?” Belo frowned, dropping his gaze in thought.

  “Is our brave wolf thinking of jumping into the lion’s den?”

  “No, not yet. I don’t like taking unnecessary risks.” He rolled up the sleeve of his white T-shirt to his shoulder, exposing his arm. Surprisingly, even after ten days, his clothes still smelled good despite him not having changed them. “For now, at least. Belo, do you remember the student who got into a fight with a teacher? The—”

  “The guy with the messy hair?” Belo frowned. “He’s Fablo’s close friend. It’s been...what? Five years since then?”

  “Yeah. They cut his EPs to the minimum for a year. There was also that rumor about a student who burned the Principal’s private—”

  “Faoros,” Belo growled. “Are you planning on betraying our academy?”

  “I wouldn’t go as far as to phrase it like that. I always choose the path that leads me toward my goal, but I prefer the most law-abiding solution most of the time...” He scratched the patch slightly, and its surface came off his arm.

  “What are you doing?” they asked in unison, leaning in toward Faoros.

  “Give me some space.” Faoros swiftly removed the white patch given to him by Miss Vione from his arm. It gradually turned transparent. Bursts of light appeared on its surface, but he ignored them. Although he had skipped history lessons, he was one of the top science students. He let the patch rest for a moment, and its glittering spots vanished. Without offering an explanation, he crawled toward the path leading outside the glade and buried the patch in a shallow hole. Belo and Arom stared intently at their friend, awaiting his explanation. They had seen similar devices that he had created during science class, but this was the first time he had brought out such a strange creation. Its purpose remained unknown to them.

  “No—is it a new device? A trick to best the Game? Or is it related to the Curse?” Arom asked again, tightening his grip around his coffee cup as soon as Faoros returned to his spot.

  “Now we are free of eavesdroppers. Maybe this is how things were meant to happen,” he said, finishing his remaining coffee. His gaze diverted to wide blue sky above. He had to muster his strength to recall the past few events. Recalling them meant that he had to brace himself and decide on his next move. But for all he said, he was not ready for that.

  “You should start with the accident,” Belo muttered, then joined his friend. “It’s relaxing, isn’t it?”

  It was an old habit they had cultivated. Whenever they were stressed, they would look at the clean, blue sky and clear their minds. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I intended to do. Bear with me as every detail matters regarding the turn of events after the accident at the gallows.”

  Faoros recounted his experience, beginning with his first encounter with Aselom and the mysterious, raven-haired woman at the gallows. He didn’t share the exact words she said, but he gave them the overall idea. Aselom had confirmed that she had the awareness of being in the Game. Up to this point, his friends didn’t say anything. The woman’s existence was even dubious, considering that he was still in the accommodation phase when he met her. Deep down, they doubted their friend. However, what startled them both, and caused Belo to throw his coffee on the ground, was Miss Vione’s invitation and the deal they had made. And that was not all. There was still one secret that Faoros had not had time to consider. He truly thought that he was ranking second in secrets right below the Lords.

  “Did you remove a device that a Lord offered you? That’s… treason.” Belo’s hands trembled with anxiety and anger. He couldn’t even pick up his cup.

  “That’s my friend. Is that a logical course of action? Certainly not, but we’re talking about Faoros here.” Arom jerked his head in approval.

  “There’s one last thing,” Faoros added, lowering his head. A few ants were climbing on his legs. He wished for a carefree life, but reality had different plans for him. He had to make a choice, and he had to fight for it. “Vione asked me to join the Scavengers. I certainly accomplished that during my first time in the Game, so there should be two more tasks—”

  “It’s Miss Vione Unbound… and that’s the first good news you share.” Belo approved quickly. “As far as I can tell, you should focus on them. I would also mention to her that Aselom is an Alter despite clearly being an adult. You never know, this will probably earn you a reward. Pick up her device and wait for her orders.” Belo fixed him with a serious look unlike anything Faoros had seen before.

  “Now, come on, both of you. Faoros’ wings are too big to fit in a cage. He wants to fly. Let him finish his thoughts. Tell us!” Arom offered him a sly grin.

  Despite what he said, Faoros clearly recognized Arom’s youthful curiosity, and he approved of it. “Bear with me.” He lowered his head, considering Belo’s suggestion. “We don’t know if there are any other adults who work as Alters. After all, if you don’t receive a good evaluation, you are forced to help maintain the Game. This could very well be part of his job. I don’t think that’s worth the risk,” Seeing that Belo was still silent, he added. “It took us ten days of training and planting seeds with Tiole before they finally deemed us ready to act on our own. Aselom already assigned me in private my first real mission as a scavenger.”

  “Look at this sly fox! Let the Lords take him and be done with him. He showed me the safe exit just so he could be alone with you. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Belo exploded in a sudden outburst.

  “Yeah, and he didn’t keep his promise to help me meet the raven-haired woman after we helped him plant his seed.” Faoros patted Arom on the back and smiled. “I’m not sure how much Belo has already told you, but this Aselom is a real jerk.”

  “I figured that much. He made you run errands for him for so long without helping you at all. He’s like those soulless teachers who always promise rewards for studying hard, only to forget about them the next time you see them!” Arom agreed and fell silent. “Then what did that jerk ask you to do? Was it something dangerous?”

  “It is worse…” Faoros apologetic gaze landed on Belo. His throat was hoarse, thirsting for water. The worst part was that he was excited about this. “H-he… he wants to learn of the Unbounds’ objectives by the time I return.”

  ?? From the Desk of Schwarzburg:

  To every traveler: Faoros thanks you for following his journey. He is young and has much to learn but he is inclined to do so!

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