The sun had dipped below the distant trees and forests, casting a golden hue over Castle Loon Assassin Campus. The light bled through the high walls of stone and steel, seeping into the halls like soft flames licking across the marbled floors. After all the brutality, death, and survival, a rare hush had fallen over the campus.
Xero walked beside Sonze in silence, their boots scraping against the worn path leading toward the dormitory halls. The tension of the Fifth Test still clung to the air like a storm that had passed but left thunder in its wake. Clark had left them to follow his own click of friends.
The corridors were mostly empty now, echoing with only the sound of weary footsteps and distant murmurs.
Sonze let out a heavy sigh, his massive arms folded behind his head as they walked. His bruised knuckles were scabbed over, and a faint smile played at the corners of his lips.
"You know what, Xero? I didn't think we'd make it this far."
Xero glanced at him, his face calm, but his eyes were distant. "You saved me back there. Again."
Sonze shrugged. "She was going to roast you. That girl's fire was crazy. Xui Hai, right?"
Xero nodded. "She wasn't just strong. She was curious. She wanted me dead."
"I saw it," Sonze said. "She was going at you like you burned her home. What happened between you two?"
Xero didn't answer immediately. His gaze turned forward again. The memory of the flames swirled in his thoughts—how they singed the edges of his coat, how they danced like serpents, wild and unrestrained. Xui Hai's fury wasn't just battle rage, it was personal.
"I don't know," Xero said softly touching his temples without knowing. "I think… maybe I remind her of something. Or someone."
Sonze didn't press further. They reached the dormitory block. The outer structure was made of stone slabs held together by dark metal bindings, with sigils etched around the entrances. Above the main doorway, the Castle Loon crest glimmered—two curved daggers crossing beneath a hooded shadow.
They climbed a spiral stairwell and reached their room. Inside, it was small and spare—a pair of beds, a single candle lamp, and a wooden desk that held an old mirror. No glamour, no comfort. Just enough space to survive. And maybe think.
Xero stepped in and sat on his bed.
Sonze dropped onto his own with a groan, his weight making the frame creak.
"Finally," he muttered. "Silence. No knives. No fire. No crazy assassins. Just a bed. We don't have to creep over what tomorrow brings us. Whether we die or not."
Xero leaned back, resting his hands behind his head. The ceiling was plain stone, but he stared at it like it held answers. The silence stretched, until the images in his mind stirred.
He saw the Fifth Test again. The screams. The clash of blades. The girl with crimson eyes and molten fire. Xui Hai.
He had killed. Again. Not in defense. Not out of desperation. But as a means of survival. There had been that recruit with the dagger, charging, reckless and Xero had thrown a broken pipe through his throat without blinking.
Was this what Derick meant? That part of himself had died? That he had to kill not just others, but what remained of his guilt? He thought of Derick's words.
You didn't pass, you endured.
Then Idran.
There is a shadow in you . Not cowardice. Not doubt . Something older. Deeper.
He sat up. What did that mean? Why did Idran look at him like that?
There was no doubt that he was different. From the first test, when everyone had panicked, he had remained calm. During the second test with the knives, he had felt his senses heighten unnaturally. During the third, when the clone assassin attacked, his body had moved before he even thought. Instinct, or something more?
And then there was the Fourth Test… striking Idran. He'd landed a hit when others couldn't. Even if it was during a distraction, he was still fast enough to get close. That meant something.
Xero got up and walked toward the mirror on the desk. He looked into it.
His reflection stared back—young, but not innocent. His blue hair was wild and slightly damp from sweat. His silver eyes held a sharpness now, like polished blades. There were dark circles under them, and a faint red mark on his cheek.
He barely recognized himself. He let out a soft laugh.
"I'm a scholar now," he whispered. It sounded strange. Like a joke. Yet it was true.
He had survived all five preliminary tests. Only a small fraction of recruits made it this far. The rest were injured, broken, or dead.
He had made it into Castle Loon Assassin Campus. Officially. His heart skipped for a second.
That realization hit him like a wave of cold water. It wasn't just about surviving anymore. It wasn't just about learning how to fight or defending himself. This was the beginning of something far greater.
He was a student now. But also a weapon in the making. He walked back to his bed and sat beside Sonze, who was half asleep.
"Sonze?" he said.
The big guy grunted. "Mmh?"
"We're students now."
Sonze cracked one eye open. "You're just realizing that now?"
"I think the realisation just hit me."
Sonze smiled. "Yeah. It's crazy, huh? Out of all those people… we're part of the survivors. We made it."
Xero nodded. "But what now?"
Sonze chuckled. "Now we train. And we survive some more. But hey… we're here. That means we've got a shot at something big."
Xero tilted his head. "Like what?"
"The Grande Assassin Tournament." Sonze said.
Xero blinked.
"You think we'll be chosen?"
"Why not?" Sonze said. "Clark wants it. I want it. You're smart. We keep getting better, maybe we'll be part of the twenty chosen. Who knows?"
Xero stared at the candle's flame dancing in the corner.
The Tournament.
It had a mythical aura around it. Held every two years. Assassin Schools from across the world sending their best twenty first year assassins to compete for glory, rank, and recruitment into elite leagues.
But to be chosen… they had to become the best. Xero smiled faintly.
"Then we'll survive the next stage." He resolved to himself. He then remembered Xui Hai. He wondered where she was. He did not see her on the opening ground after the fifth test . He had a bad feeling about her sudden disappearance.