[Vol 2.] Chapter 6: Signs of Betrayal [Part 2]

“I… I’m fine…” she murmured, voice barely above a breath. “You’re not fine!” Ren dropped beside her, checking her side. “You’re bleeding. You look like you fought a demon.” Zack knelt behind them, silent—but his eyes never left Yuki’s face. The bruises. The brokenness. The faint traces of fury still lingering in her expression. “What happened?” he asked quietly. Yuki opened her mouth—but couldn’t form the words. Only one thing escaped her lips, soft and cold as winter wind. “...Ryuka.” The name sent a ripple through the group. Yuki didn’t nod. She didn’t have the strength. Her eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion finally overtaking her. The instructors stepped forward, one already calling for an emergency evac via comms. “We need to get her out of here—now.” As they carefully lifted her up, Yuki’s head leaned against one of the instructors shoulder, her fingers twitching weakly toward her fallen blade. Zack quietly walked over, picked it up, and followed. And though none of them said it aloud… they all felt it: Something had changed. The forest blurred around them as Kaia, Ren, and Zack sprinted through the trees, two instructors beside them—one cradling Yuki in their arms. Her breaths were shallow, her body limp, and blood soaked her shirt near her ribs and neck. The moment they broke through the treeline, the main joint camp came into view—rows of tents, humming spotlights, and students gathering, oblivious to the recent events deep in the woods. But the instructors knew. As the group emerged, eyes immediately turned. "Get out of the way!" one teacher barked. "Move!" "Is that Yuki?!" "What happened?!" A flurry of staff and mentors stormed over. An instructor pointed toward the medical tent, waving someone over. "Over here! Get Dr. Himari—now!" Dr. Himari, a composed woman with silver-streaked black hair, emerged from the medical tent at once, her eyes narrowing at Yuki's state. "Inside. Quickly," she ordered. As Yuki was rushed into the tent, dozens of voices swirled behind them. "Was this part of the exercise?" "Who attacked them?" "Did they engage another squad?" "Where are the other students?!" One of the lead instructors stepped in front of Ren, Kaia, and Zack, eyes stern. "Talk. Now. What happened out there?" Ren, still catching her breath, managed to speak. "It wasn’t another squad. It wasn’t part of the training." Kaia cut in, her voice tight. "There were… cloaked people. Not students. Not staff. We didn’t recognize any of them." "Cloaked?" The instructor’s brows furrowed. Zack eyes still locked on the tent where Yuki had been taken. Another instructor’s face twisted in disbelief. "You’re saying someone from outside got into this camp unnoticed?" "Yes," Kaia said firmly. "And Yuki fought one of them. Alone. She told us to run and get help." The lead instructor turned to the other staff, murmuring something urgent before snapping back to the three students. "I want a full report—now. Everything you saw, every word you heard. We’re locking the camp perimeter and doing a full sweep. If this was a coordinated infiltration…" He didn’t finish. Behind them, the medical tent lights glowed softly. Inside, Yuki lay unconscious, a faint monitor beeping rhythmically as Dr. Himari worked to stabilize her. Outside, the camp buzzed with confusion and rising tension. What had started as a joint exercise had just turned into a full-blown security breach—and no one knew who was behind it. The three students started to write everything has happened. Hours went by, Nothing was found, no evidence of the intruder or the fight, A low, tense hum settled over the main camp. The flurry of activity had ceased, replaced by a quiet, focused energy. Instructors moved with a new purpose, locking down the camp perimeter and organizing search parties, while students whispered in hushed tones, their faces a mix of confusion and fear. Ren, Kaia, and Zack sat huddled together in a corner of the medical tent, their report given, their energy drained. "This is insane," Ren muttered, running a hand through her hair. "They just... vanished. And Yuki... she fought him alone." Kaia's eyes were fixed on the curtain separating them from Yuki. "She didn't want to leave us, but she knew we had to. We couldn't fight them all." Zack said nothing, his mind replaying the last moment in the clearing—Yuki, bruised and defiant, a chilling name on her lips. He clenched his fists. "He said he was a Null, just like her. He wanted her to join him." An instructor walked over to them, a stern look on his face. "Councilor Rya has been informed. She's on her way. This isn't just a security breach; it's a direct attack. The training camp is officially over." "What about Yuki?" Kaia asked, her voice trembling. The instructor sighed, his expression softening slightly. "Dr. Himari is with her. Yuki is a fighter. She'll pull through. But the damage... it's not just physical." Ren, Kaia, and Zack exchanged a look, the weight of his words settling on them. They all knew what he meant. Yuki had faced a pain that went beyond bruises and cuts—a pain that resonated with the very core of her being. "We have to be there for her when she wakes up," Ren said, her voice firm. "We can't let her feel alone in this. Not after what he said." Kaia nodded, her eyes determined. "Together. Just like she said." Zack looked at them, a small, tired smile on his face. "Always." The next few hours crawled by. The students were all confined to their tents, the atmosphere thick with uncertainty. Ren, Kaia, and Zack were the last to leave the medical tent, their eyes heavy with exhaustion. They stood outside their dorm, the moonlight casting long shadows on the ground. "We should get some rest," Kaia said softly, but neither of them moved. Suddenly, a voice came from the darkness. "You three. Follow me." Councilor Rya stood a few feet away, her expression as unreadable as ever. She led them away from the dorms, to a secluded area near the academy. The air was cool and crisp, but the mood was heavy. "What you saw tonight was not a simple attack," she said, her voice low and serious. "It was a targeted recruitment. The 'League of Villains'—they are a group of Nulls who have been rejected by society. They believe their purpose is to tear down the system that cast them out." Ren's eyes widened. "And they want Yuki?" Rya nodded. "They believe she is the key to their cause. A symbol. But Yuki, she made a choice tonight. She chose us. Now, the question is, what will you choose to do?" "We'll do whatever we have to," Zack said without hesitation. "We're with her." Rya's gaze lingered on him for a moment before turning to Ren and Kaia. "This is no longer a training exercise. This is a war, and Yuki is at the center of it. I need you to be ready. Are you?" "Yes," they all said in unison. Rya gave them a rare, brief nod. "Good. Because the real fight... is just beginning. The first thing Yuki felt was the rhythmic beep of a monitor. Her head throbbed, and a dull, deep ache radiated from her ribs and stomach. As she slowly opened her eyes, a sterile white ceiling came into focus, followed by the familiar face of Dr. Himari, her expression a mix of concern and relief. "Yuki, can you hear me?" the doctor asked softly, checking the monitor. Yuki tried to speak, but only a dry rasp escaped her lips. Dr. Himari gently held a cup of water to her lips, and Yuki drank greedily. "You're in the medical tent," Dr. Himari explained. "Your friends brought you back. You took quite a hit. It's a miracle there wasn't more damage." Yuki's mind reeled, flashes of the fight with Ryuka replaying in her head. She remembered the fire, the pain, and the desperate, defiant roar she'd let out. "Where are they?" Yuki whispered, her voice still weak. "They're here," a voice said from the side. Ren, Kaia, and Zack stepped out from behind a partition. Their faces were etched with worry and exhaustion. Yuki’s heart ached at the sight of them, knowing what she had put them through. "You're an idiot," Ren said, a tear tracing a path down her cheek. "A complete, utter idiot." "We were so worried," Kaia added, her voice thick with emotion. Yuki gave them a faint smile. "I'm okay. I told you I'd be okay." Zack stepped forward, placing her sheathed sword on the bed beside her. "He wanted you, Yuki. He said he was a Null, and that the world had rejected him... and you." Yuki's smile faltered. She looked at her friends, their faces a blur of genuine concern and love. She remembered the offer of a place to belong, to embrace her hate, to become a weapon against the very people who had looked down on her. "He tried to turn me," Yuki admitted, her voice barely audible. "He told me that I was a villain in their story... that I should embrace it." Ren took a step closer, her hand resting gently on Yuki’s. "But you didn't. You fought him. You fought for us." Yuki’s eyes met Ren’s, and she saw not pity, but pride. She looked at Kaia, who was nodding in agreement, and at Zack, who was giving her a small, knowing smile. In their eyes, she saw her answer. "He said the pain would make everything clear," Yuki said, her voice stronger now, "but it didn’t. The pain just reminded me what I have to fight for." Suddenly, the flap of the medical tent opened, and Councilor Rya stepped inside. Her gaze was sharp and focused, but as her eyes fell on Yuki, they softened slightly. "Yuki, you've been through a lot. The training camp is over. We'll be returning to the academy first thing in the morning." Rya's expression grew serious. "But before we go, I want to ask you something. What do you remember about the man who attacked you? His name... you called him Ryuka." Yuki took a deep breath, steeling herself. She wasn't just a Null, a rejected outcast, or a symbol for a cause she didn't believe in. She was a fighter, and she had a new purpose. "He's a Null. He's fast, and he's strong," Yuki said, her voice steady and clear. "And he's not alone. He said they're a League... a League of Villains." Rya's face tightened, her eyes flashing with a cold fire. "A League of Villains. We've heard whispers, but never a name. This is a far greater threat than we imagined." The air in the tent crackled with a new, somber energy. What had started as a simple training exercise had now become a battle against an unknown enemy, one that sought to tear down the very foundation of their world. "This is no longer a training exercise," Rya announced, her voice echoing in the tense silence. "This is a war." With that final, chilling declaration, the tent fell into a stunned silence. Yuki lay on the cot, her body still weak, but her mind now a fortress of renewed purpose. The pain was no longer a weight to carry alone, but a reminder of what she had to protect. Ren, Kaia, and Zack stood by her side, their exhaustion replaced by a fierce determination. They weren't just students anymore. They were allies in a fight they never asked for, bound together by a shared truth discovered in the moonlight and the shadows. Councilor Rya's words had changed everything. The academy was no longer just a school; it was the last bastion against an enemy born of the very system it upheld. The war had truly begun, and Yuki, the girl once considered a mistake, was now at the very center of it all.