Moments later, they were all given a key. Sylas looked at it—it was similar to the one he got from his mother. After handing them the key, a man in massive armor stood in front of them. He was a giant. He had a sharp jaw full of scars, his arms were massive, shoulders wide.
He slammed his giant sword on the ground.
"Listen up, maggots. That key will lead you all to a private island full of monsters."
He paused and let out a malicious smile.
"Only 50 of you will be chosen, so try not to die."
Sylas already hated that man. He sounded too arrogant, too reckless.
The massive man spoke up again.
"In this test, you will be tested on your survival instinct. The rules are simple. You are to survive there until only 50 of you are left."
One participant shouted from the back,
"Will we be given resources or food?"
The man grinned.
"You have to find your own food."
People started to whisper.
Then they started to complain.
That infuriated him, so he slammed his sword on the ground, the sound splitting the air like a whip.
"If you can't do it, use that key to get back out. There are checkpoint areas for the key, but"—he paused—"good luck finding them. Only one person can enter through each door."
He turned his back toward the weapon station.
"We only need 100 of you."
His tone was cold and emotionless. He continued,
"Pick up your weapon and survive. Remember, there are monsters roaming, so good luck."
His face formed a wide smile, like a villain in a movie.
Like Excalibur, he picked a long sword, and Elizabeth picked a sword as well.
After picking their weapons, they were told to form a massive circle around the school. Elizabeth stood next to him, her shoulder tense, her fingers twitching. Sylas turned to her and handed her Excalibur.
"Keep that with you, and I will find you."
She smiled faintly, feeling slightly relieved. Like before, a keyhole rose from the ground. They put the key in and twisted, and a door appeared. Once they opened it, people started to enter. Before entering, Sylas looked at her once more.
"Don't die."
She nodded.
"Ok."
Then they all entered.
He found himself swallowed by darkness. He couldn't see anything. He could only feel the cold air on his skin. He reached out, trying to feel by touch, and realized he was surrounded by rough stone. He was inside a cave. That much, he could tell.
The place was silent, but he could hear air seeping through something, so he moved toward it slowly, following the sound—one step at a time over uneven ground.
As he walked forward blindly, he saw a faint light leaking through a crack ahead. Without thinking, he walked toward it.
Once he made it, he stepped through. The light hit him hard—blinding him for a second. He flinched, raising his hand to cover his eyes.
When his vision finally returned, he found himself standing on top of a mountain. From there, he could see everything around him. The land stretched nonstop below—a massive place, filled with trees, tall grasses, and winding valleys. Tiny rabbits hopped through the grass, barely visible. The wind brushed against his skin.
He took a deep breath. The air carried the smell of leaves and dirt that reminded him of Camelot. He liked this.
After another deep breath, he started to climb down—calm and focused. His steps were steady, hands moving with ease. He was used to this. During his time in Camelot, Merlin forced him to do weird tasks and pick up ingredients for him. He made him study the landscape, his surroundings. Because of that knowledge, he won many battles. He always had advantages over his enemies.
Once he reached the bottom, he stretched his arms, cracked his fingers and neck.
"Time to hunt."
Sword in hand, he went straight for the rabbit he saw earlier.
He positioned himself behind a giant rock, making sure they couldn't see him. Once one of them came into range, he stabbed it clean through and pulled it back before the others noticed.
Waiting behind the rock, he stabbed the next rabbit mid-air as it jumped.
After getting enough for him and Elizabeth, he took one of the tall grasses and wrapped it around the rabbits he killed.
He stepped out, with a smile on his face.
"Time to find Elizabeth."
He and Excalibur were linked, so he could sense her. She was somewhere in the forest. He looked up and noticed the sun was about to set. He needed to find her fast.
He walked toward the forest. It was dense, barely any light came through, but he continued walking toward Excalibur's signal.
He could hear howling in the distance. The chirping birds and wild animals grew louder, as if they were running—hiding from something.
Suddenly, the air around him became cold and heavy, like something dangerous was near.
Then the sound disappeared.
The only thing he could hear was his own footsteps… and his breathing.
Out of nowhere, a deep guttural growl tore through the silence, his body frozen. It echoed through his body, as if something was near and watching him.
THUD, THUD
Then he heard heavy footsteps coming toward his direction.
He rushed up the nearest tree and waited for the footsteps to stop. When he looked down, he saw a massive humanoid monster with two giant tusks, dragging something by the foot.
In most situations, he would have been scared to death. But he fought many monsters in his life as Arthur.
But this one was different. He had never seen this kind before.
Once the monster walked underneath the tree he was hiding on, it started to sniff—left, right. He begged it not to look up, because if it did, he wasn't sure if he could fight that thing.
Still, he prepared his sword. If it looked up, he would leap downward and bring his sword down. He started sweating, his heart was pounding, but then he noticed the rabbit he was carrying was still dripping blood.
It hit him—that thing could smell the rabbit he had with him, so he grabbed one and threw it as far as he could.
That got its attention. It ran toward it, dragging the person it caught.
He let out a long breath—he hadn't realized how long he'd been holding it.
"I lived," he muttered, as he let out a small laugh.
The weight in his chest lifted, but not fully.
"I have to find her now."
He climbed down the tree and started walking toward her.
He took note—at night, this place was too dangerous. Animals appeared during the day because it was safe, and at night, monsters appeared to hunt.
He walked carefully. Excalibur's signal led him to a cave. It had a small entrance—small enough for people to go in, but not monsters.
He went inside and saw no one was there, but someone had set up a camp.
He slowly approached it. Without warning, Elizabeth burst out from behind a rock—sword in one hand, Excalibur in the other.
Sylas smiled.
"Hey, looks like I found you."
She ran toward him and wrapped her hands around him.
He realized she was scared. No, she was terrified. She probably heard that thing outside.
He felt like a fool dragging her with him into this. He thought at least with him, she would be safe since they didn't treat her well at the mansion.
He placed his hand on her head.
"It's okay. Don't worry. Nothing will happen as long as I'm here."
He clenched his fist, with enough strength to dig into his palm. If something happens to her, he could never forgive himself.
"Since you got the fire ready, let's cook some rabbit meat."
She looked up and nodded.
He cooked just enough for her, not wanting to attract any attention. Quietly, he watched her eat.
After eating, he told Elizabeth to sleep. She was hesitant. She wanted to keep guard first, but he told her to go instead.
She slept next to the fire. Sylas moved to the entrance and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes, his sword resting against his shoulder.
Before he knew it, the sun was up and the animals outside had come alive.
When he opened his eyes, he noticed Elizabeth was watching him.
"Good morning," he mumbled, as he rubbed his eyes.
"Did you sleep well?"
With a soft smile on her face, she said,
"Yes."
He remembered that familiar, soft, gentle smile—the one that made him fall for Guinevere.
He closed his eyes before any tears could shed.
"We have to gather food and dry wood before the sun goes down."