The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 242: Chapter 238 — Burning Time

In all the past tests, only a handful had ever thought to light the bonfire. More importantly, every cadet had gathered together. No one was trying to flee for their lives.

Rathen narrowed his eyes at the boy now standing before the army of Shrikes.

’Zephyrion Calderalth.’

He hadn’t realized the boy was this impressive.

Major Rhydan scoffed.

"He managed to light the bonfire, but he’s still cornered. The fire won’t burn forever, and the Shrikes aren’t leaving their nest. Unless he comes up with something else... there’s no getting out of this."

’He’s right.’

Rathen gave a slow nod.

Even with the bonfire burning, he still had to find a way out.

’How would he handle this?’

Soon, the attention that had been divided across the four screens narrowed onto one.

The Southern House.

...

The fire pierced more than the darkness. Even the chill the night had brought seemed to melt away.

Zephyrion stared at the blazing bonfire behind him, then at the army of Shrikes glaring from the shadows, and realized he had merely bought time.

The wood would soon become ash, and darkness would descend once more. It was naive to hope the sun would rise before then. There had to be another way.

Only the crackling of wood, accompanied by the occasional snarl and screech, filled the air.

The cadets were deathly silent.

From the Tier Threes, to the Twos, to even the Ones, every face was pale, every eye fixed on him, waiting. Even Vaelor and the other Ocren cadets were no different.

Everything rested on him.

For a while now, Zephyrion had been wondering what the true purpose of this test was. After everything, he’d finally determined it. It wasn’t just one. There were multiple. First was to ingrain in the cadets never to let their guards down, and second, solidarity. They were Ferrans, and they were one. The real test was whether they could stand together.

And so, given the little time they had left, Zephyrion decided the first thing he had to do was bring the cadets together.

He formed a barrier, blocking all sound from escaping.

"Alright, listen up."

The cadets’ attention immediately shifted to him. Zephyrion gave a slow nod.

"I know this situation caught all of you off guard. It caught me off guard too. But that ends now. From this moment on, the only thing that should be in your heads is how we survive. Nothing else."

He allowed a moment of silence to pass.

"The Shrikes are bigger and faster than most of us. But they have one weakness."

He pointed toward the blazing bonfire.

"The light. They fear it. They can’t stand it. But this bonfire won’t burn forever. Once it dies... so does our safety."

The cadets’ expressions darkened. Many even shivered at the realization that their only protection had an expiration date.

"T-then maybe the sun will come up by then!" a cadet said fearfully.

"That’s wishful thinking. And if it doesn’t?" Kaiden scoffed. "We’ll be dead."

"Kaiden’s right. It’s naive to hope for the sun."

From the corner of his eye, Zephyrion saw Kaiden fold his arms with a smug smile.

He raised his voice.

"We help ourselves. We are Ferrans. We are warriors. We rely on ourselves, not on luck. The Shrikes are bigger than us... but that doesn’t mean they’re more dangerous."

"So... who’s with me?"

Kaiden, Kaelion, Fiona, Tobias, and Horus instantly stepped forward to stand with him. Several cadets joined them moments later, nodding with grim but determined expressions.

"Of course I’m with you, brother!" Draven thumped his chest with a grin.

Zephyrion ignored him. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the remaining city lord descendants.

Nedra had a complicated look on her face as she stared at him. Soon, an unusual glint crossed her eyes, and she scoffed with a nod.

"I’m only helping this one time. Don’t start thinking you’ve... tamed me or anything."

Zephyrion frowned.

’Tamed?’

She seemed to realize her slip and coughed into her fist.

"I mean... let’s just get this over with."

Zephyrion regarded her for a moment before nodding.

Kaelith Korrath was surprisingly already standing with them. Zephyrion gave him a sidelong glance before turning to Vaelor and Lucien. The former wore a twisted expression, avoiding his gaze, while the latter gave Vaelor a complicated look.

"Sorry, my friend. I’m sitting this one out and I quite enjoy breathing."

Lucien stepped away.

Vaelor’s fists clenched so tightly that blood dripped onto the ground. The Ocren cadets looked at him reluctantly, as though silently urging him to move. Unfortunately, none of them could. He was of the primary line.

Realizing this was as good as it was going to get, Zephyrion spoke up.

"Alright. Listen to the plan..."

It took several minutes to explain everything to the cadets, and several more to divide them into appropriate groups.

Once he was done, Zephyrion called Lumi aside.

"I want you to do something for me."

She looked up at him with her large eyes and nodded firmly.

"Alright..."

Several moments later, Lumi vanished from the clearing.

Zephyrion reminded himself several times that she could handle herself before finally relaxing.

Then he turned toward the assembled cadets, each one meeting his gaze with grim but determined expressions. Behind them, the bonfire had already begun to shrink.

They were running out of time.

He faced forward, toward the army of Shrikes hidden within the darkness...

The clearing fell silent.

Several minutes passed before, ahead of them, the countless crimson eyes slowly began to part, making way for two pairs of glowing crimson eyes arranged vertically side by side.

As it neared, it stepped into the edge of the firelight, revealing its figure.

It was thrice as large as any Shrike. A dozen long, hard, pointed legs. Four pairs of muscular arms. A large mound protruding from its chest. Whitish hair cascading down its wide head.

Zephyrion tensed the moment he saw the Shrike.

It was none other than the Queen.