The four stood in the crowded courtyard, looking at the thousands of new students spread everywhere. The scene was strange. Some of them were laughing, some of them were crying, some of them were just sitting on the ground, their eyes glassy and empty, as if the soul had already left them.

  Hours passed.

  The sun moved across the sky, and the shadows began to lengthen. But nothing happened. No one came to receive them. Jane did not appear again. Nothing was announced about tests or lectures or anything. Only this large courtyard, and these thousands of young people, and this strange silence that began to weigh on everyone.

  San was watching.

  It was his old habit. In his previous world, watching was what kept him alive. Watching opponents, watching the audience, watching even the referees. Here, it was the same. He watched everything: the faces, the movements, the glances, even the way people breathed.

  And there was something wrong.

  It wasn't one thing. There were many things. First: no one came to receive them. In any institution of this size, there should have been officials, guides, guards. Second: some students were looking at the sky with fear. Not like normal fear, but like those expecting something. Third: there was hunger in the eyes of some of them. Not ordinary hunger, but deep hunger, old, like someone who hadn't eaten a good meal for weeks.

  Elena approached him. She whispered in a low voice: "Do you feel it?"

  San looked at her: "What?"

  She said: "This place... is not as it should be."

  She was right. The place was not as it should be.

  Suddenly, Shin moved. He was pointing to a corner of the courtyard. There, by a distant wall, there was a small door. No one had noticed it before. But now it was open, and from inside it, a man was emerging.

  The man was in his mid-thirties, perhaps. His clothes were not clean, torn in some places, but they were strong, practical. He carried a weapon on his back, a broad sword that looked heavy. His face was tired, but his eyes were sharp, watching everything.

  He did not appear hungry.

  He did not appear afraid.

  The man advanced towards them. He walked slowly, confidently, like someone who knew this place well. When he reached a close distance, he looked at the four of them, then at the other students, then returned to look at them.

  He said in a hoarse voice, like someone who hadn't spoken for weeks: "You're new, aren't you?"

  San slowly nodded his head.

  The man sighed. Then he sat on the ground, and gestured for them to sit. They sat. It was strange, sitting here with this strange man, among thousands of other students, but something in his eyes made them trust him. Or at least, made them want to hear what he would say.

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  The man said: "My name is Kai. I was a student. For two years."

  He looked at them to see their reaction. They were not surprised. They did not yet know what this meant.

  Kai continued: "This academy... is not as it seems. In truth, this is not the real academy. This is another place. An old place. It was affiliated with the original academy, before it was attacked."

  He was silent for a moment, then added: "The attack happened years ago. It destroyed the original academy. Killed thousands. ... in this old branch. And since then, they send students here to take the test. This started two years ago."

  Clarissa opened her mouth to speak, but Kai raised his hand to silence her. He said: "Listen first. Then ask."

  He continued: "For two years, I've been here. With me are others. Some of you will see them soon. Some of you may never see them. Because this place... is not an easy place. There is not enough food. There is not clean water. There is no protection from the curses that still attack us from time to time."

  He looked at the sky. It was clear blue, beautiful. He said: "Do not be deceived by this weather. It is not real. It is part of the old protection techniques. But they are fading. Every day they weaken more. And in the end... we will have to face the truth."

  Shin spoke, his voice sharp: "What truth?"

  Kai looked at him. He looked at the sword in his hand. At the dry blood on its blade. At his sad eyes. He said: "The truth is that you will not leave here. Not easily. Not soon. Perhaps you will never leave."

  Silence.

  The silence was heavy, like a wall collapsing on their chests.

  Kai continued: "During the past two years, hundreds of students tried to survive. Many died. Some were killed by curses. Some were killed by hunger. Some... killed each other."

  He looked at the ground. At his dirty hands. He said: "We are not human here. We are animals. Animals trying to survive."

  Kai said: "Learn the laws. The laws of this place."

  He looked at them all. Then he said slowly, like someone teaching a lesson to new students:

  "To be able to live here, you have only three options. First: to hunt. You go outside these walls, to the destroyed areas, and hunt anything from animals. You bring their meat, their skins, anything we can use. It can be sold. It can be exchanged."

  He stopped to catch his breath. Then he continued:

  "Second: to do public work. Cleaning, building, repairing. There is always something that needs repairing here. The walls weaken, the towers collapse, the old machines stop working. Whoever works... eats."

  He looked at them with sharp eyes. He said:

  "And third: to be part of the guard. The academy guards. They are the ones who protect us from large attacks. They are the ones who decide who eats and who dies. They are the ones who... rule."

  Shin quickly asked: "And who rules them?"

  Kai smiled. A smile they recognized. The smile of someone who knows something he does not want to say. He said: "There is a man. In his late thirties. He was a student here before the attack. Now... he is the king. Or so he calls himself."

  He looked into the distance. At a tall tower in the middle of the academy. He said: "He sits there. In the tower. No one sees him much. But his decisions... reach all of us."

  Everyone was silent.

  The information was heavy. Much. Hard to digest.

  San finally spoke. His voice was calm, practical, like someone analyzing data: "So, we are trapped here. For two years. And thousands of new students enter every year? Isn't this strange?"

  Clarissa said: "No, it's not strange, because the academy's reputation is bad. Hundreds of students, their families considered them dead. No trace remained of them. Most of them were sent here."

  A pause.

  San thought: Baylor, this is why you wanted me so strongly to come with them.

  Kai looked at her. He saw the fear in her eyes. He said in a less harsh voice: "No one knows. The original academy was destroyed. Communication was cut off. The outside world thinks we are dead. But we are here. We live. We die. And we fight over crumbs of food."

  He suddenly stood. He looked down at them from above. He said: "I gave you the information. Now the choice is yours. You can join me. Or search for another way. But remember one thing..."

  He paused for a moment. Then he said seriously:

  "Trust no one. Not completely. Not even me."

  Then he turned and walked away, leaving them with this new nightmare.

  ---

  The four sat in silence.

  Shin was gripping his sword tightly. Elena was staring at the ground. Clarissa was clenching her fist. San only was thinking.

  Thinking quickly. Analyzing. Planning.

  He finally said: "Okay. We'll panic later. Now we have information. Let's use it."

  They looked at him.

  San continued: "We have three options. Hunting, work, or the guard. The first option means risking going out. The second option means staying here and depending on others. The third option... means being part of the system."

  He looked at Shin. Then at Clarissa. Then at Elena.

  He said: "Shin, you are an excellent fighter. You can hunt. Clarissa, your combat abilities are the highest among us. Hunting is suitable for you too. Elena and I are the weakest combat-wise. Our options are fewer."

  He stood. He looked at his companions. He said: "We will stay together. As we said. But each of us will work in their field. We gather information. We discover weaknesses. And in the end..."

  He did not complete the sentence. He did not need to.

  They all stood.

  To prepare for what is coming.