The fire crackled low, its embers fading into the damp soil beneath. Morning hadn’t yet broken. Mist coiled lazily between tree trunks. But in the middle of the wilderness, two figures sat close — too close — as if the forest around them didn’t exist.
Erik Falk leaned back on his elbows, his silver-blond hair catching the firelight. Raiden Kurogane, quieter than usual, sat beside him, their knees brushing.
“I never thought Valgrave would give me insomnia and butterflies,” Erik whispered.
Raiden let out a soft laugh. “It gave me bruises and mosquito bites.”
Their fingers intertwined.
Across the clearing, Avni stared at them with a half-smile, clearly affected by the gentle moment. Her gaze slowly shifted—landing on Lev, who was currently half-asleep against a tree trunk, his jacket draped over his face to block out the mosquitoes. She didn’t say a word, but her smile lingered.
Sayaka noticed.
Sayaka always noticed.
Her eyes, sharp and unreadable, flicked between Avni and Lev… and then to Luce, who was watching her. Not Avni. Not the lovebirds. Just her.
Luce offered a subtle smirk. She didn’t return it.
Meanwhile, chaos stirred in the comedy corner of camp.
“I swear to the Godfather of Mafia himself, I did not sign up to become Bear Grylls,” Ishaan groaned, slapping another mosquito.
“This is criminal negligence,” Veer added, scratching his arm. “Do you see this? These bites? My skin looks like it fought a war and lost.”
“I’m just saying, if this ends with us drinking our own piss,” Dev began ominously—
“Don’t,” Saira warned, already done with everyone's complaints.
“You’re all dramatic,” Avni called out. “We survived worse. Remember Day 1’s Crucible Fight Club?”
“That was combat. This is camping. This is worse,” Ishaan declared.
But suddenly, Lev sat upright. His senses sharpened. Luce too.
“Did you see that?” Lev said, standing quickly.
Luce nodded, eyes narrowing. “Movement. Between the trees.”
Without a word, the two of them sprinted off, boots thudding against the damp ground.
“Oi! What now?” Veer shouted, scrambling to follow.
They weaved through twisted roots and hanging vines, ducking beneath claw-like branches until they reached a clearing. A strange breeze moved here. The trees looked older, marked with scars. And then—
There it was.
A single message, carved deep into the bark of a giant, ancient tree:
🜃 WE HUNT OATHLESS.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXt5rEf5KL
LEAVE OR BLEED.
Luce stepped forward, heart sinking.
“That’s COMA,” he thought.
Lev turned to him. “Hey, Do you know anything about this?”
Luce didn’t answer. He just stared at the sigil, thinking hard.
The others arrived moments later, gasping for air.
“What the hell is that?” Veer asked, pointing.
Raiden, who’d been silent the entire chase, answered calmly, “Failed students. Ghosts. Exiled criminals who used to walk these halls. Some say they went mad. Others… just became smart.”
“Fantastic,” Ishaan muttered. “So we’re stuck in a forest. On a cursed island. Hunted by academic serial killers. And we still haven’t had coffee.”
“Forget coffee,” Saira snapped. “We need weapons.”
Avni knelt near the base of the tree, studying something. “They burned this mark recently… whoever did this, they wanted us to see it.”
“Psychological warfare,” Sayaka murmured.
Luce turned to the group. “The Oathless are real. Valgrave has rules. Fail the Crucible Cycle, you disappear. But disappear where, no one ever says.”
“But how could Valgrave symbols be out here?” Lev asked. “Only Valgrave members use them.”
Luce thought, " Valgrave symbols...... What Valgrave these are COMA". But he can only think.
That was when Juno screamed.
They all turned as one.
A weak cry echoed through the trees, followed by a thud. They ran.
They sprinted past rotting logs, across shallow streams, their breath ragged with panic. The sound led them to the seashore, the wind battering them with salt and cold.
And there — lying on the sand, bloodied, her skin pale and damp — was Juno.
“Shit—Juno!” Avni dropped beside her.
A dark, raw symbol was burned into her shoulder.
The COMA insignia.
Lev froze. “That’s impossible.”
“No one knows about COMA,” Luce said, voice trembling (silently). “No one among the 55 except…”
He turned toward Sayaka.
Sayaka stiffened.
Saira leaned in close to Juno, whose lips trembled.
“Speak to me. Say something,” she urged.
Juno’s eyes fluttered open for just a second.
And a single word left her mouth.
“Traitor.”
Silence.
Dead silence.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Luce’s mind spun. A traitor. Among us. Not Sayaka? Someone else? Or… someone working with her?
Sayaka and Luce shared a glance, so sharp it could have cut stone.
Veer, completely missing the tension, broke it with:
“…Okay. So just to recap — we’ve got exile-hunters, traitors, burned sigils, mystery forests, AND still no breakfast?”
Everyone groaned.
Ishaan clutched his chest. “I’m too young for this.”
Dev pointed at the sky. “That’s it. I’m dropping out. Someone call my mother.”
“Shut up and help me lift her!” Saira barked.
Raiden was already grabbing leaves and water to treat Juno’s wounds. Lev and Luce helped carry her.
And as they walked back into the trees, darker thoughts trailed behind them.
Someone among the 55 had knows COMA.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJQJbfs87H
And now the Oathless were watching.
Waiting.
Hunting.
ns216.73.216.139da2
and then Add to home screen.