I Killed The Main Characters

The forest buzzed with murmurs.

The sun was halfway down as drops of water trickled through the canopy of the Eastern Forest, dappling the open field below with flecks of gold and green.

The earth was soft with dew and fallen leaves, and the morning breeze carried with it the faint scent of pine and something else—uncertainty.

Clusters of students began arriving, one after another, drawn to the field by the glowing pulse from their magical bracelets—each one having flashed earlier with a message from the instructors, summoning them for an urgent announcement.

No reason had been given.

And so, naturally, whispers turned to questions.

Questions turned to theories.

And theories soon turned into accusations.

"Why would they call us all the way out here?" one student muttered.

"Did something happen? Another monster attack maybe?"

"I heard someone failed the exam already..."

Amid the hum of voices and nervous speculation, two boys stood out.

Their tones weren't hushed.

They were shouting.

"—I asked you a question, Leif!"

One of them roared, his voice slicing through the murmurs. His expression was wild with frustration, sweat already beading on his brow.

"Where the hell is my bracelet?"

Leif, a lanky student with tousled blond hair and a sullen look, shrugged exaggeratedly, lips curled in annoyance.

"I don't have it."

The other boy's eyes flared with rage.

"You don't have it?" he echoed, laughing bitterly before shoving Leif backward with both hands.

"You bastard! You stole mine, didn't you?!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Leif stumbled, fell to the ground.

Before he could get up, the other student was on top of him, fists clenched and shaking.

"You knew the bracelets hold points! They track our performance—and you took mine to boost your own ranking! That's it, isn't it?!"

"You're insane!"

Leif shouted, voice cracking.

"I don't have your damn bracelet! Get the f—!"

The words were cut off as fingers clamped around his throat.

"Don't lie to me!"

The boy screamed, his eyes wide and bloodshot, veins straining across his neck.

His knuckles turned white as he pressed harder, pinning Leif to the forest floor.

Students backed away, some too stunned to react, others shouting for someone to stop it.

Then—

Thud.

A blur moved.

A single, clean kick landed squarely in the attacker's gut, sending him flying back with a guttural cough.

His body hit a tree trunk a few feet away, bark cracking from the impact as he crumpled to the base.

Leif coughed violently, gasping for air, only to find a hand extended toward him.

He looked up.

"Draven..." he rasped.

Draven stood above him—his dark hair tousled, eyes narrowed.

The tension in his jaw said he hadn't come here to play peacekeeper, but he had still moved without hesitation.

He turned, glaring at the student now slumped by the tree.

"Losing a bracelet isn't a reason to kill your fellow students."

His tone was cold, matter-of-fact.

No anger. Just disgust.

The boy coughed, holding his ribs, then spat blood to the side.

His lips twisted into a sneer as he clicked his tongue.

"Of course you wouldn't care about the bracelet," he hissed.

"You'll probably rank first anyway."

His voice cracked—less from pain, and more from the frustration bubbling beneath the surface.

He staggered to his feet, legs trembling, eyes glassy with humiliation.

"Not all of us are gifted in combat!" he shouted.

"Some of us have to fight tooth and nail just to survive these damn trials!"

He threw his arms out wide, shaking.

"Holding onto our dear bracelets is the only way we stand a damn chance!"

His words turned bitter. Poisoned.

"So screw what you think, commoner."

He spat.

The word hung in the air like a curse.

A few students gasped.

Draven's entire posture shifted.

His shoulders tensed.

His right fist clenched so hard that his nails dug into his palm.

He took a step forward—but was stopped.

A delicate hand slipped into his path, gripping his wrist gently.

Princess Elara.

Her hair caught the sunlight, her face calm, but her eyes held urgency.

She shook her head once, slowly, silently.

"Don't," her eyes seemed to say.

She knew that word had struck deep.

She knew what it could unleash in him if he let it.

Draven closed his eyes for a moment, forcing the breath back into his lungs.

When he opened them, the tension hadn't left, but it had been buried—for now.

Still, his mind was racing.

He wanted to speak—to say something about the real reason this was all happening.

About how the Princess's bracelet had been stolen the night before as well.

But saying that now… would only cause chaos. Panic.

They couldn't afford that.

Not yet.

He glanced toward the angry noble still muttering to himself by the tree, then back at the field of students now thick with unease.

No… he had to stay confident. Keep the group calm. Buy time.

But deep down, he knew—

Whoever stole Elara's bracelet…

Was likely the same person who stole that noble's as well.

And that meant—

Someone among them wasn't just aiming to pass the exam.

They were aiming to break the rules entirely.

But who?

***

The air had grown heavy with anticipation, silence falling like a curtain over the open field of the Eastern Forest.

Dozens of students stood assembled, scattered across the clearing in organized clusters—each group easily identifiable by the colored ribbons tied to their sleeves, a temporary measure put in place to keep track of camp affiliations.

The morning haze still clung to the canopy, and the hum of tension pulsed stronger than the morning breeze that whispered through the leaves.

All eyes turned as several figures stepped forward from the shadowed tree line.

The instructors had arrived.

Their presence alone commanded silence.

Professor Scarlett, clad in her signature obsidian leather coat that shimmered faintly with embedded magical threads, stepped forward to the center.

Behind her stood the other instructors—Professor Sharon, the sharp-eyed strategist of Ravenwood and head of the first years, and three others from varying departments.

Every major instructor involved in overseeing the field exam was there…

All but one.

Professor Scarlett spoke.

"We won't keep you long," she began, her voice clear, steady, carrying easily across the hushed field.

"This is only a brief intermission."

She paced slowly, hands clasped behind her back.

"Several issues have been reported since the last check-in. There have been complaints of stolen bracelets, territorial overlaps, and—" her eyes sharpened slightly, "—unnecessary violence among students."

Some heads turned. Others lowered.

"But let me make this clear," she continued, halting, "the test is not over. Despite these hiccups, the exam will continue to run as planned. We've intervened only to ensure that certain zones remain balanced and that no group is placed at a fatal disadvantage. There are no restarts, no reissues."

The silence that followed her words was thick with unspoken tension.

"Most of you will return to your camps immediately."

A few students exhaled, shoulders sagging.

"But those stationed in Section C," Professor Sharon now stepped forward, parchment scroll in hand, "will need to relocate immediately.

The magical interference in that zone, along with beast migration patterns, has destabilized the area's mana field."

She glanced up, expression neutral but stern.

"Remaining there would only risk injury or worse."

Three teams stood straighter at the mention.

Draven's.

Elias'.

Bianca's.

Sharon unrolled the scroll, a large enchanted map glowing faintly with sigils.

"You'll each receive copies of your new camp coordinates. Avoid the paths marked red. Those are territories where Class-A magical beasts are still roaming. They're not within your combat range. Do not engage."

With that, she turned to confer briefly with another instructor.

Professor Scarlett, however, made her way to one group in particular—Draven's.

Her gaze fell first on him, then shifted to Roselyn, Elara, and the Greg.

"Still haven't found the Princess's bracelet?" she asked, voice lower now—meant only for their ears.

Draven answered for them.

"No. Not yet."

Scarlett's brows knit slightly.

"That's unfortunate," she muttered.

"It's rare for one of those to be taken without detection. Whoever stole it knew what they were doing...plus it's not against the rules now is it?"

She turned to Roselyn next.

"And the crystal? Is it functioning?"

Roselyn gave a faint nod.

"It's drained by fifteen percent," she admitted.

"But still operational."

"Good," Scarlett said.

"You're not getting another."

Roselyn didn't seem surprised.

"Thought so. Just wanted to ask."

Scarlett's expression softened slightly.

"I'd recommend conserving energy as much as possible. You'll be relocating to a better zone anyway."

Elara crossed her arms.

"Better?"

Roselyn nodded in agreement.

"Section C had most of its beasts cleared out thanks to Draven. It wasn't exactly an exciting zone anymore."

Scarlett smirked faintly, folding her arms.

"Then consider the relocation a chance to test your limits."

She looked over all of them one last time.

"This will be the last time we meet until the exam concludes. Fight well. Even without the bracelet, the beast count your team has accumulated is... impressive...

But still the leader's bracelet is worth a lot of points and so are the flags each group has...it would be detrimental to your final score"

She offered them a small, rare nod of respect.

With that, she turned and walked away, her coat swaying behind her as she rejoined the other instructors.

The announcement continued.

Professor Sharon stepped forward once more.

"Elias, Bianca—your teams will also receive updated maps and safe pathing. You're to move immediately. You'll be briefed on your new boundaries and expected to resume activity within two hours. I expect no delay."

Her tone left no room for protest.

The instructors gave one last glance over the gathered students, then slowly began to dismiss them by section, each group disappearing back into the trees.

The field thinned.

Tension began to fade.

But Iris… remained still.

She scanned the gathering one more time, her fingers tightening slightly over the strap of her belt.

Noah wasn't here.

Every instructor assigned to this exam had shown up.

Except him.

A tight knot twisted in her stomach.

She had a bad feeling.