Chapter 69 Qualified for the second stage moon trials
Chapter 069
RAVENNA
Her face immediately flushed bright red, and she looked away. "Do not be ridiculous, Ravenna. He is just a player. Everyone knows his reputation. He probably says that to every girl."
But I could see the sparkle in her eyes, the hope she was trying desperately to hide behind her words. "I do not think so. The way he talks about you, the way his whole face changes when your name comes up. That is not just playing around."
Samantha bit her lip, clearly wanting to believe me but afraid to let herself hope. "Even if that were true, which I am not saying it is, what would someone like him want with someone like me? I am boring and ordinary, and he could have anyone he wanted."
"That is absolute rubbish and you know it," I told her firmly, sitting up to look at her properly. "You are brilliant, funny and kind. Any guy would be lucky to have you, including Dorian."
She smiled slightly, still looking uncertain but pleased by my words. "You really think so?"
"I know so," I confirmed. "And I am going to help make sure he knows it too. Consider me your official matchmaker from now on."
Samantha laughed and shook her head, but she did not protest the idea.
We talked for a while longer about nothing important, just enjoying each other's company until we were both too tired to keep our eyes open any longer.
The following morning came far too early. The speaker system in the hallway crackled to life, "This is to inform you the second trial training session would begin immediately and all competing students were required to meet in the combat room right away.” The voice announced.
I groaned and dragged myself out of bed, quickly throwing on training clothes whilst Samantha watched me with sympathy. "Good luck. Try not to let Darius push you off anything high."
"No promises," I called back over my shoulder as I rushed out the door.
When I arrived at the combat room, slightly out of breath from running, I discovered I was only the third person there. Darius and Dorian had beaten me, both already changed and ready. Of course they had.
I walked past Darius without acknowledging him and went straight to Dorian instead. "Good morning. How are you feeling after last night? You were pretty drunk when we parted ways."
Dorian smiled warmly at me, looking surprisingly alert for someone who should have been nursing a terrible hangover. "I am actually feeling much better than I have any right to. Darius was kind enough to take care of me last night and even made hangover soup for me this morning."
I blinked in surprise, unable to hide my shock. "I did not know Darius knew how to be caring like that."
Dorian laughed at my expression, clearly amused by my reaction. "Many people do not know that side of him actually. He keeps it locked away and hidden from most of the world. But underneath all that anger and arrogance, he actually has a good heart."
Before I could respond to that startling information, the door burst open and Ace strode in. He was the trainer assigned to oversee the second trial, a tall man with a scarred face and an intimidating presence that made everyone straighten up automatically.
The other students began trickling in after him, filling up the combat room until we were all present. Ace waited until everyone had arrived before speaking, his voice carrying easily across the space.
"The training for the second trial will involve endurance drills, obstacle races, and elemental combat scenarios," he announced, pacing back and forth in front of us like a drill sergeant.
"I have designed specific challenges that will test not just your physical abilities but your mental strength and strategic thinking as well. Some of you will excel. Some of you will fail. That is simply the nature of these trials."
The training began immediately, brutal and unforgiving from the very first moment. We were pushed through drill after drill, each one designed to break us down and test our limits.
My muscles screamed in protest, my lungs burned, but I refused to give up or show weakness.
Throughout it all, I noticed Darius kept placing himself directly in my path.
Whether it was blocking my route during obstacle courses or forcing me to take on extra challenges by positioning himself strategically, he seemed determined to make everything harder for me specifically.
During one particularly difficult climbing wall exercise, my grip slipped. For one terrifying moment, I was falling, the ground rushing up towards me far too fast.
But then my safety rope caught, jerking me to a sudden stop that knocked the breath from my lungs.
When I looked up, gasping for air, I saw Darius holding the other end of my rope. He had been the first one to reach it, refusing to let me hit the ground.
Our eyes met across the distance, and something passed between us that I could not name.
After what felt like hours of torture disguised as training, Ace finally called for a break. We all collapsed where we stood, too exhausted to even move to the benches along the wall.
Ace surveyed us with what might have been approval on his scarred face. "You have all done adequately today. But this was just preparation. The real challenge comes next week."
He paused for dramatic effect, making sure he had everyone's attention. "The second stage of the Moon Trials begins next week. All eligible students will compete."
His eyes landed directly on me when he said that last part. "Ravenna, despite being human, you are eligible to participate in these trials. I suggest you prepare yourself accordingly. The challenges ahead will be unlike anything you have faced before.”