[POV: Caspian Arcwright]
CRACK.
Pain shot through Caspian’s stomach as Fianna’s fist dug deep into him, fire scorching his skin.
His feet left the ground.
THUD!
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He crashed back-first into the dirt, his breath knocked out of him.
But she was already moving.
Before he could react, she closed the distance—fast.
Another punch came straight for his face.
Caspian raised his arm just in time, blocking it.
What the hell is wrong with her?
Her flames surged wildly, distorting the air around them.
Her blue eyes, burned with something more—rage.
Confusion.
Panic.
She didn’t even recognize him.
She wasn’t thinking.
She was fighting on instinct.
Caspian clicked his tongue. Enough.
He shifted.
Fianna’s next strike came—but this time, he moved first.
BAM!
His fist met her head, not too hard, but enough to jolt her back to reality.
She staggered.
Her flames flickered.
And then—her body tensed.
Like a switch had flipped, everything in her froze.
Slowly, her wide eyes locked onto him.
Her breathing turned uneven. Her hands trembled.
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Eight years, and now—
"...Cas?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Caspian said nothing. Just watched.
She took a step back, as if trying to process what she was seeing.
Her brows furrowed. Her hands clenched into fists.
Then—
She swung at him again.
Caspian caught her wrist.
She didn’t fight it. Just stared at him.
"…It’s you," she muttered, more to herself than him.
The disbelief in her voice—it wasn’t just shock.
It was anger. Pain.
She let out a sharp breath, yanking her arm away.
Her head lowered, white hair falling over her eyes.
"…You’re alive."
A pause.
Then she looked at him again—this time, her expression unreadable.
Caspian didn’t know what she was thinking.
Did she hate him? Did she want to hit him again?
Maybe both.
But then—
She laughed.
Not out of happiness.
It was bitter. Hollow.
"...You look different," she said finally.
Caspian’s lips twitched. "So do you."
Fianna inhaled deeply, brushing a hand through her hair.
Then, after a moment, she exhaled, rolling her shoulders back.
Her flames had fully disappeared.
She crossed her arms. "...So. Are you just going to stand there?"
Caspian raised a brow. "Depends. Are you going to punch me again?"
A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Maybe."
________
<<Comments
"Wtf that’s the fight we was waiting for
"He survived that? This guy is tougher than we thought."
"This fight is different… there’s history here."
________
Caspian exhaled sharply, rubbing his jaw where Fianna’s punch had landed.
She stood a few steps away, her breathing uneven, the embers around her flickering out.
Neither of them spoke.
Fianna wiped the sweat off her forehead, eyes scanning him. "You hit me."
"You hit me first," Caspian replied flatly, dusting off his sleeve.
A pause.
Then, unexpectedly, she let out a small huff—half a scoff, half a laugh. "Fair enough."
Caspian rolled his shoulder, wincing slightly. "You always this welcoming, or just for me?"
Fianna crossed her arms, a ghost of a smirk playing at her lips. "You’re the only one who deserved it."
He nodded, as if that answer made perfect sense. "Then, what do you say we work together?"
Fianna arched a brow. "Teaming up? With you?"
"You’re strong." Caspian said simply. "And it doesn’t seem like you want me dead. At least, for now."
For a moment, Fianna just looked at him, something unreadable in her expression.
Then, finally, she smiled.
"Of course."
****
"I still can’t believe you’re Cas," Fianna said, staring at him like she was looking at a ghost.
Caspian met her gaze, unfazed. "Oh? Is that so?"
Fianna crossed her arms. "Zero out of ten. That’s not how you talk to me after nine years."
Before Caspian could respond, a mechanical voice interrupted.
________
<< Announcement >>
"As five days have passed, from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, all participants will receive designated rest time.
Only 10,000 students remain.
You have secured your eligibility for the International Academy.
Now, class rankings will be determined. Additionally, all four regions will merge, and the exam boundary will shrink.
Good luck."
<< Announcement Ends >>
__________
Click
______
Caspian Arcwright
Rank: 12
Eliminations: 112
Assists: 11
______
His eyebrows raised slightly. "Didn’t expect to climb this fast."
Fianna tapped her ring next.
______
Fianna Redmond
Rank: 19
Eliminations: 105
Assists: 02
______
She frowned. "Damn. I dropped from 5th to 19th."
Caspian smirked. "Looks like you’re slacking."
Fianna shot him a glare. "Oh, shut up. We’ll see who’s slacking when this exam is over."
---
The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across the camp.
Caspian sat cross-legged, absently chewing on a ration bar—hard as a rock, bland as dust, but at least edible.
Across from him, Fianna sat with her own ration in hand.
Unlike him, however, she wasn’t eating. She was staring.
At his food.
Her blue eyes, flicked from her own ration to his. A slow, calculating look settled on her face.
"That looks better than mine," she muttered.
Caspian raised a brow. "It’s the same ration."
Fianna scoffed, waving hers dramatically.
"No, mine is dry and soul-crushing. Yours looks… less depressing."
Caspian sighed, breaking off a small piece. "Here," he said, holding it out.
Just as her fingers brushed against it—
SNAP.
He popped it into his own mouth, chewing slowly, deliberately.
Fianna blinked.
Then, very slowly, she nodded. "Alright. I see how it is."
Caspian smirked.
Then— She tilted her head, expression unreadable.
Then, without warning—
WHOOSH.
Fianna lunged.
Caspian leaned back, narrowly avoiding her grasp, but he wasn’t fast enough.
In one swift motion, Fianna snatched his entire ration pack from the ground and rolled back to safety.
He stared. "Seriously?"
Fianna grinned triumphantly as she tore open the pack. "Survival of the fittest, Cas."
She took a smug bite—
And then froze.
Caspian leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm. "Oh yeah. That one’s the extra-spicy ration."
A slow realization dawned on her face. Her expression barely changed.
Then her lips parted slightly.
Her face turned red.
She swallowed with visible effort.
"…You son of a—"
She choked.
Fianna fumbled for her water flask—except it was gone.
Caspian twirled it lazily between his fingers, giving it a slow shake. "This what you’relooking for?"
Fianna’s entire demeanor shifted.
Gone was the arrogant thief—now she was desperate.
She lunged again.
Caspian dodged, barely holding back laughter. "Nope."
She tried again.
Sidestep.
She reached for his sleeve.
He spun away.
For the next five minutes, two of the top-ranked combatants in the exam—Rank 12 and Rank 19—engaged in a silent, high-speed battle over a water bottle.
At some point, Fianna switched tactics. She stopped lunging and instead stared at him with dead, glassy eyes.
Caspian sighed. "That’s not going to work."
She didn’t blink.
"…Fine."
He tossed the bottle.
Fianna caught it mid-air and drank half of it in one go.
Silence.
Then she wiped her mouth, looking at him.