Shattered Sanity

(Northern Forest, A Few Minutes Earlier)

Hidden beneath the cover of several thick bushes, three injured Aureate students remained completely silent as they watched Randy, Batista and Flair slowly make their way through the forest.

All three had suffered minor injuries from the traps earlier, which was precisely why they had separated from the main pursuit and remained behind to recover while the others continued chasing Riven.

However, what they were witnessing now made them extremely glad they had done so.

Seven Aureate students walked ahead of Randy, Batista and Flair with their wrists bound together, while the three Argent students followed closely behind them.

”What the fuck happened? Those idiots were supposed to capture them, so how did all seven of them end up tied together instead?” one of the injured students whispered, as he stared at the seven prisoners in disbelief.

”I don’t know, but keep your fucking voice down. Whatever happened, those three somehow managed to take down seven of our people, and considering we’re already injured, we’re not accomplishing anything by jumping out there and trying to fight them ourselves,” another whispered back, as he lowered himself farther behind the bushes to make sure none of the passing Argent students spotted him.

The first student reluctantly nodded, as although none of them particularly enjoyed watching seven members of their own House being marched away as prisoners, attacking Randy, Batista and Flair in their current condition achieved nothing except adding another three names to that group.

Hence, the three remained hidden behind the vegetation as Randy, Batista and Flair passed less than thirty meters from their position, waiting until their voices had faded completely before finally crawling out from behind the bushes.

”We need to get back and find some help. If those seven have been captured, then the pursuit has obviously gone completely to shit, so instead of trying to rescue them ourselves, we find someone from Aureate, tell them what happened and come back with enough people to get everyone out,” one of them muttered, as he glanced in the direction their captured companions had disappeared.

Nobody disagreed with the suggestion, as the three immediately began moving towards the forest entrance, although their injuries prevented them from running anywhere near as quickly as they normally could.

One student still limped slightly because of the fall he had suffered earlier, while another periodically rubbed the shoulder struck by one of the branches Circuit had rigged across the pursuit route, although neither injury was severe enough to prevent them from continuing.

More importantly, compared to Randy’s group transporting seven bound prisoners through the forest, the three of them could still move considerably faster, which meant there was a good chance they could reach the forest entrance and return with reinforcements before their companions were taken too far away.

However, after several minutes of moving without encountering anyone, the sound of distant voices suddenly reached them again, prompting all three to immediately leave the pathway and hide before whoever was approaching could spot them.

One hurried behind the thick trunk of a nearby tree, while the other two disappeared behind a cluster of bushes and carefully watched the approaching figures through the gaps between the leaves.

Initially, they assumed Randy and the others had somehow circled back.

However, as the figures drew closer, Riven Dawnriver emerged between the trees with Jeff and Matt walking beside him, while another five bound Aureate students were being escorted between the three.

”You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.... Those five were the ones who turned back to get reinforcements. How the fuck did they get captured too?” one of the injured students whispered, as he slowly raised a hand towards his mouth while the other two stared at the approaching group in equal disbelief.

It was only then that the full extent of what had happened inside the Northern Forest truly began to sink in.

Seven of their companions who had continued deeper into the forest had somehow been defeated by Randy, Batista and Flair, while the five who had made the seemingly sensible decision to retreat and search for reinforcements had instead run into Riven’s group and suffered the exact same fate. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

”I hope they don’t find us....” another whispered, as the three remained completely still behind the vegetation, barely daring to breathe too loudly until Riven and his companions had finally passed their hiding place.

Only once they were certain that Riven’s group had moved a safe distance away did the three emerge and begin running frantically towards the forest entrance, as by now they understood that they were the only Aureate students who knew exactly what had happened and still had a chance of bringing back help before the twelve prisoners reached House Argent.

—------------

(Meanwhile, Inside the Northwatch Grounds)

The Northwatch Grounds stood immediately beyond the Northern Forest, occupying a wide stretch of open terrain that connected the forest’s primary entrance with several pathways leading deeper into the Academy.

House Aureate had taken control of the area earlier that morning, and although the territory itself wasn’t particularly valuable compared to the larger training facilities scattered throughout the Academy, its position made it useful for controlling movement throughout the northern region.

Six Aureate students were currently stationed there, with five Second Years assigned to maintain control over the area, while Gary Ironveil was the only First Year amongst their group.

”CYRUS! WE NEED HELP!”

One of the injured students shouted as he came running towards them, prompting a tall Second Year standing near the center of the grounds to immediately turn towards him.

Cyrus frowned upon seeing their condition, as all three had filthy uniforms, while one was limping heavily and another had dried blood running down the side of his face.

”What happened to you three? Slow down and explain properly....” Cyrus asked, as the other Aureate students began gathering around them to see what had happened.

The injured student bent forward and placed both hands against his knees, desperately trying to catch his breath before finally forcing himself to speak.

”I–It’s a disaster, Senior! Twelve Aureate students have been captured inside the Northern Forest by Riven Dawnriver and his crew.

We thought we were the ones ambushing him, but that’s not what happened. The bastards had already prepared traps for us inside the forest, and once we followed them inside, they separated us and managed to pick us off one group at a time,” he explained, as Cyrus’s expression immediately changed.

Even Gary, who had been standing several meters away and paying little attention to the conversation until then, turned towards them the moment he heard the name ’Dawnriver’.

”Twelve? How many members does Dawnriver even have in his crew if they managed to capture twelve of ours?” Cyrus asked incredulously, as the three First Years exchanged uncomfortable looks.

”There were only six of them, sir, and we were stupid.... Although fifteen of us went after them, we were no match for the tricks they had prepared inside the forest,” one of them reluctantly admitted, as Cyrus stared at the three for several seconds before shaking his head in disappointment.

”We seriously need to do a better job recruiting students next year. If we were this incompetent when we were First Years, House Aureate would never have won the House Championship.

Anyways, regardless of how badly you idiots managed to screw this up, we’re not letting Dawnriver carry twelve Aureate prisoners back to House Argent,” Cyrus declared, as he turned his attention towards the distant entrance of the Northern Forest.

”There are five Second Years stationed here, alongside Gary, who can already fight at roughly the same level as a senior student.

So unless Dawnriver suddenly found another dozen people inside that forest, I fancy our chances of turning this situation around and capturing his entire crew instead.

Whatever happens, they’re not getting past the Northwatch Grounds with twelve of our people.”

The senior students surrounding Cyrus nodded in agreement, as most of them had already witnessed Riven fight firsthand during the exhibition match and weren’t particularly intimidated by what they had seen.

Riven was undeniably dangerous for a First Year, although with every senior present possessing both a tier advantage and considerably more combat experience, none of them believed six juniors presented a threat they couldn’t handle.

Gary, however, appeared considerably less relaxed than everyone else.

His expression had turned grave from the moment Riven’s name was mentioned, while his gaze remained fixed upon the distant Northern Forest with an intensity that made it obvious he was thinking about considerably more than simply rescuing twelve Aureate prisoners.

After all, Gary had been publicly humiliated by Riven during their exhibition clash, and although neither of them had spoken about a rematch since that day, Cyrus could understand perfectly well why the possibility of encountering Riven again had suddenly captured his complete attention.

’A rematch during Black Week? Surely the idea has got him going....’

Cyrus thought, as he noticed the considerably colder expression that had settled across Gary’s face.

DRIP!

Suddenly, a cold droplet of water landed against Cyrus’s nose, causing him to shift his attention away from Gary and glance towards the sky above, where dark clouds had quietly begun gathering over the Northwatch Grounds.

’Rain?’

Cyrus wondered, feeling slightly irritated by the thought of spending the coming fight with his robes completely soaked.

However, while the approaching rain seemed like little more than an inconvenience to him, Cyrus had no idea what it was about to bring with it.