LOGINThe sun begins to set, casting a terrifying blood-red glow across the massive glass ceiling enclosing us.From the top of this rocky hill, the finish line looks so close—a high-tech gate illuminated by blazing red neon lights in the middle of the barren valley.“Finally,” Ash whispers, leaning her exhausted body against Fredrick. “We made it here before anyone else.”Kael carefully lowers me from his back onto a flat boulder. The moment my fractured foot touches the ground, the pain starts throbbing again.But the sight before us distracts me from it, if only for a moment.Surrounding the finish gate are five small, dome-shaped steel buildings.What are those shelters for?“Come on, let’s get down there before another team shows up,” Damian says. “I’m sick of this godforsaken wilderness.”Fredrick leads the way. Kael offers me his back again, and even though I feel guilty, I have no choice but to climb on.We make our way down the rocky slope, approaching the glowing red line marking
Without saying another word, Kael brushes away the moss and sniffs the air. He pauses for a moment.“Kael, maybe we should—”Fredrick’s words are cut off as Kael immediately shoves the symbol with all his strength. A low rumble echoes through the tunnel. Fine dust falls from above as the symbol slowly slides aside.It’s a door.“Come on, Maddie.” Kael holds out his hand. “Get on. We’re checking out this tunnel.”“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ash squeaks nervously.Damian lets out a quiet scoff. “Got a better one?”Without another word, we all reluctantly step into the tunnel.The steady rhythm of Kael’s footsteps vibrates through his back as we move deeper inside. Fredrick’s flashlight sways in his hand, its beam reflecting off the rusted Capitolis emblem embedded in the stone wall.“It smells strange,” Ash whispers, clutching the arm wrapped in strips torn from Fredrick’s shirt. “Like rust... and something rotting.”“This tunnel’s been abandoned for a long time,” Fredrick says q
Behind the curtain of acidic mist that slowly clouds my vision, the shadow of a massive creature steps out. Its vertical yellow eyes stare straight at us. The creature has a small horn above its nose and a row of hard scales running down its back.Kael notices the creature’s presence. He doesn’t say a word, but I can feel the muscles in his shoulders tense beneath my grip.“What the hell...” Fred gasps.A loud snort bursts from its nostrils, releasing a cloud of hot steam. Without warning, it suddenly charges straight at us.BANG!Its horn slams into a solid wall of earth, sending a tremor through the ground beneath us.“Run! My wall won’t hold it for long!” Fred shouts.Kael sprints through the dense forest. I feel a violent jolt every time his feet pound against the ground.Behind us, the heavy footsteps of the predator crush dry branches beneath its weight. It’s chasing us with murderous intent.“Damian! Fredrick! Move!” Kael shouts without looking back.The rain pours even harder.
The tension between them reaches its boiling point. Sparks from Loki’s fingers begin licking against the skin of Kael’s arm.My body tenses instantly. I’m terrified a fight is about to break out in the middle of this forest. Even Fredrick and Damian immediately go on alert.But Kael doesn’t move. His eyes stay locked on Loki’s icy, dagger-sharp gaze.“You threatening me, wolf?” Loki hisses, his voice trembling with restrained anger. “After I save your asses?”“I appreciate your help. But that doesn’t give you the right to touch my teammate.” Kael’s voice is low and flat, but full of authority. “Not even once.”Loki lets out a short mocking laugh. His free hand clenches, ready to unleash a close-range fire attack.Suddenly, Fredrick steps between them. He places a hand on Kael’s shoulder and gestures for Loki to calm down. I guess Chief doesn’t want this situation to turn into a bloodbath between the Strains.“We’re in the middle of a death game, not some contest to show off power. Lok
The wind roars violently in my ears as gravity pulls me down. My heart feels like it stops beating, and I can’t breathe!The ground below looks like a massive yellow field ready to crush every bone in my body. I shut my eyes, waiting for the impact to end everything.Suddenly, a hard jolt slams into my stomach. The air is forced out of my lungs.“Hold on, idiot!” a very familiar voice shouts.I open my eyes, and my body is no longer falling freely through the sky.Damian, in his sleek bird form, grips my stomach and chest with his claws. He lowers our altitude quickly. His wings shake violently under the weight of my body.“Damian! We’re going to crash!”“Shut up or I’ll drop you right now!!” Damian snaps harshly.We dive sharply toward the ground. Damian is already exhausted from avoiding the prehistoric birds’ attacks, which still chase us. He doesn’t land smoothly. We’re still several feet above the ground when he releases me.My body crashes into the sharp, tall grass. I slam into
One of the prehistoric birds dives sharply toward Ash. Fredrick tries throwing a mass of earth at it, but the creature is too agile. It twists away and slashes Ash’s shoulder with its massive claws.“Ash!!” I scream.I try to move forward, but Kael holds me back.“Don’t panic! Stay beside me!” Kael growls.How can I not panic? My friend is bleeding just a few feet away from us. There’s no way I can stand still and leave Ash in danger!“Ash is hurt! She could die, Kael!” I shout desperately.“I told you not to panic! We can get out of this if we work together and stay calm!”“To hell with staying calm!! My friend needs me!”I yank myself free from Kael and run toward Ash.Dozens of screeches echo from every direction. They’re no longer attacking from one side only. The prehistoric birds begin surrounding us. They fly low through the tall grass, revealing razor-sharp wing edges.We’re trapped in the middle of an open field with nowhere to hide.“Damian! Fly and distract them!” Fredrick
Too much information was making my head dizzy. Turns out these Strains weren’t as simple as I thought. To put it bluntly, they were anomalies among humans. And their numbers kept decreasing, because ever since the Legendary Trinity was held, almost 80 percent of the participants were Strains.Even
I followed the others through the gate and felt the air shift into something… different. Above us was a glass dome acting as the sky. Surrounding me were trees I'd only ever heard about in storybooks. A narrow path of damp soil stretched ahead, carrying a scent so distinct—one I had never smelled b
I stepped into the booth after the first post and was ordered to sit down. Of course, I didn’t resist—there were soldiers with rifles standing at every booth, watching closely.“Hands,” a staff member said, grabbing my wrists and pulling them onto the chair’s armrests.In one swift, rough motion, h
From afar, I saw tiny black dots in the sky—growing larger as they came closer. Their arrival brought a constant roar, the sound of the rotors making my heartbeat pound even harder. Our district was rarely visited by the government—once every three years, to be exact. And when those helicopters cam







