The night Logan met the prince.
The night offered no respite in the castle's underground. Several gusts hissed through the air, punctuated by a sharp crack and a rending scream. Drops of blood spattered the stone walls, tracing scarlet lines down to the floor, where the frail body of the young elf lay, wracked with spasms of pain. Naked and chained, she endured the lash without defense, wielded by Raphaël, her tormentor.
Raphaël's face was twisted by rage and frustration. With each strike he seemed to hit the girl harder, as if to erase from his mind the humiliation he had just suffered.
"Damn it… damn it!" he growled through clenched teeth, panting, eyes wild. "That bastard… Does he not know who I am?! Filthy adventurers! Caught me off guard… Who is he? I didn't even see him move!"
Lost in his black fury, he spent a good part of the night unleashing blow after blow upon the young elf. Each new cut, each fresh bruise on her battered body served as an outlet for his shame, for his sense of powerlessness. For the prisoner, the night stretched on, interminable measured by pain, blood, and stifled cries.
Back to the present
At the royal castle, the days had marched on with military regularity, leading inexorably to the end of training. Already, the shadow of the final trial the one that would decide who would become the new heroes of the Kingdom of Sigma loomed over every mind.
At dawn, Maïli and her group Eva, Éléonore, Beth, Marine, Karine, Max, and Dan had gathered on the training field.
Sweating and focused, they cycled through friendly duels, challenging one another, correcting each other. Maïli, the most experienced, oversaw each exchange while offering advice and encouragement. From her arrival, she had naturally imposed herself as the leader of their small circle, and her comrades' trust in her only grew with each new session.
All over the castle, groups had formed. But the two main poles remained: Maïli's dynamic and tight-knit and Shawn's, where ambition sometimes outweighed cohesion.
During a break, Éléonore spoke up, thoughtful:
"I really wonder what this afternoon's trial will be like…"
Eva shrugged, wiping sweat from her brow:
"Probably a fight against tougher monsters than usual."
Beth, tending a light scrape, gave a small smile:
"My bet is a showdown against one of the instructors."
Karine shook her head, thinking out loud: "I doubt it. We've already faced them several times, and we've never beaten them… They're way too strong for us, even with our progress. I don't see the point in trying that again."
"Not wrong," Marine admitted, pensive.
Eva followed up:
"Duels among ourselves, then? That'd be the ideal trial we've never truly fought each other seriously, only trained together and fought monsters…"
Éléonore nodded, a hint of excitement in her voice : "That'd be the perfect opportunity, and probably the best way to reveal who's really ready to become a hero."
Marine concluded, pragmatic: "Chances are high that's what it is, yeah."
Max, a mischievous smile on his lips, proposed: "Let's bet on who's right, then!"
Dan chimed in, amused: "Why not. We'll see…"
Marine shook her head, teasing: "You two seem pretty relaxed."
Max shrugged, resigned: "For us, it's already decided. We won't be chosen, whatever the trial."
Dan added, fatalistic but without bitterness: "The only reason they haven't thrown us out yet—unlike Logan—is that we can still be useful. They'll probably send us to the smiths' and alchemists' guilds for another kind of training…"
Max rolled his eyes, mock-enthused: "Woohoo, more training…"
Eva, curious, asked:
"Then why didn't they send you earlier?" said Emma.
"Probably to let us level up alongside you, so we're actually useful…"
"Or because they hoped we'd finally get a combat skill."
Still focused, Maïli cut in:
"All right, let's finish our morning training and go eat. We'll see what the afternoon brings."
Meanwhile, in the grand salon, bathed in the morning's golden light, the king sipped his tea in quiet, flanked by his daughter Sarah and his son Raphaël. The mood was both relaxed and expectant, each aware of the importance of the day ahead.
Sarah, serious, broke the quiet: "The selection of the kingdom's heroes is this afternoon, Father, correct?"
The king nodded, setting his cup carefully on the marble table.
"Yes. Today we will choose our six heroes, who will then be officially presented to the entire kingdom. We'll be the first to unveil our champions: other countries are taking their time, but we don't have that luxury."
Sarah frowned, concerned.
"Shouldn't we extend their training a little longer?"
The king shook his head, categorical: "Impossible. We are currently the kingdom most affected by the appearance of dungeons. Our borders are threatened every day. We must act as quickly as possible."
Sarah, unconvinced, pressed gently: "Certainly but if our heroes aren't prepared enough, they may die in the dungeons… That would be a disaster for them and for the kingdom's prestige."
The king wore a confident half-smile:
"I don't believe that will happen. These months of training have revealed exceptional potential in several of them. Some were born for this role, I'm sure of it."
Raphaël, silent until then, spoke with casual air:
"By the way, what is this famous final trial?"
The king shook his head, amused:
"No idea. I entrusted all the organization to Moïse," he said, shaking his head, amused.
"Knowing him, he's surely preparing something grand… or cruel."
"Did he hint at anything?" Sarah asked, pensive.
"Only that this trial should help them acclimate to the true rules of our world… which means everything and nothing."
Suddenly, Raphaël leaned forward, mischief flashing in his eyes:
"By the way, Father, I heard you dismissed one of the heroes on the very day he arrived…"
The king shrugged, indifferent:
"Yes. He was devoid of any talent. A waste of time, nothing more."
Raphaël burst into a cold laugh:
"Ha! I would've loved to see the look on his face as he got kicked out."
"Don't worry, you'll have many more chances to see scenes like that," the king laughed in turn.
He nodded, eyes sparkling with impatience:
"In any case, I can't wait for this afternoon."
"Me too," the king concluded, his gaze already turned toward the future and the stakes to come.
After their morning training, the prospective heroes gathered as usual in the great lecture hall. There, a carefully filtered, exclusively human view of the world was dispensed glorifying the goddess and omitting anything that didn't serve the kingdom's cause. If some students bristled openly, others chose to look away, deeming it incidental. After all, not everyone was driven by a keen sense of justice or noble ideals: many thought only of their own survival or even of the dream of a good life here, willing to adapt without asking questions or rebelling.
In the castle's shadows, agitation rose: Moïse personally supervised preparations for the afternoon trial. Massive cages were moved discreetly under guard. Even the instructors were unaware of the test's exact nature: only Moïse knew the details, and all waited with eagerness or dread to discover what awaited the heroes.
After the midday meal, everyone was given free time until four o'clock, the fateful hour. While some met with friends or trained one last time, Maïli sought quiet in the castle garden. The place, bursting with colors and scents, seemed outside of time. Multicolored roses, caressed by the sun, drew swarms of fluttering butterflies.
Rounding a path, she spotted Princess Sarah from behind, a delicate butterfly perched on her finger. The young woman turned, greeting Maïli with a sincere smile.
"How are you, Maïli?" she asked softly.
"Well and you, Princess?"
Sarah lifted her shoulders with a light sigh.
"A bit tired by royal obligations, to be honest."
"I wouldn't want to be in your place."
Sarah gave a bitter smile.
"Me neither, truth be told… Being torn from your world, separated from friends and family, forced to obey strangers and risk your life… What you're living, I wouldn't wish on anyone. And I imagine some aspects of my world must disgust you and your friends."
Maïli's gaze grew grave.
"It's true… I'm afraid of what we might be forced to do here."
Sarah stepped closer, confiding.
"That's why you come hide here, isn't it? To find a little respite even a fleeting one."
"Yes," Maïli admitted in a low voice.
The princess looked over the garden dreamily, admiring its beauty as butterflies of many colors danced.
"To tell the truth, I'm like you, Maïli… This garden is one of the few places where I feel at peace. Here, one forgets the cruelty of the outside world. It's like an invisible barrier, a bubble where we shield ourselves from responsibilities and the horrors waiting for us out there."
"In that case, we can call it our own ivory tower…"
Sarah laughed softly, happy to share the moment of intimacy.
"I like that. Let's meet here as often as we can, then in our ivory tower."
But the grace of the moment shattered beneath a too-familiar voice, breaking the garden's spell in an instant.
"Wouldn't this be my sister and our heroine Maïli? How intriguing to see the two of you together," Raphaël called as he appeared at the garden's edge, a cold smile on his lips, approaching his sister with slow steps.
Sarah stiffened at once, the softness in her gaze vanishing.
"It was brief, but I appreciated this moment, Maïli," she said gently, starting to step away.
Raphaël blocked her path, gripping her arm firmly.
"Where are you going, sister? I'd like to talk too, you know."
Their silent exchange became a battle of stares, tension tangible between them. Annoyed, Maïli watched, feeling anger rise within her. He noticed and challenged her with a mocking smile.
"Did I interrupt something? Why so hostile toward me?" he taunted, feigning innocence.
Sarah, her voice trembling, said, "Let go of me."
At that instant, a threatening wave of mana surged from Maïli, electrifying the air. A heartbeat in which everything could tip. Finally, he released his sister, a sickly smile plastered on his face. Freed, Sarah passed by Maïli, eyes shining with held-back tears, and hurried away.
"Be careful with this afternoon's trial," she whispered as she passed, her voice breaking.
Maïli remained facing Raphaël, adrenaline still humming in her veins.
"What's your problem?"
He shrugged, feigning detachment.
"I simply wanted to speak to my sister. Nothing more."
Maïli let out a contemptuous huff and turned on her heel, refusing to grant him more attention.
Left alone, Raphaël watched her go, a rotten gleam in his eyes, licking his lips with perverse satisfaction.
Shortly after, a new agitation rippled through the castle. The hour had come. All candidates gathered on the training field, under the gaze of the King, seated in majesty on a dais, flanked by his children and surrounded by the kingdom's instructors.
On the field, imposing cages formed a sinister line, reminding everyone of their first days in this world. But this time, a strange tension reigned, weighed down by Moïse's barely contained excitement as he stepped forward, wearing an enigmatic smile.
"Knew it…" Max murmured, throat tight.
"We're going to have to fight monsters again, aren't we…" Éléonore breathed, worry shading her voice.
Whispers spread through the group as each tried to guess what hid behind those cages. But Moïse, radiant with cruel delight, raised his voice:
"The decisive moment has come, to choose the heroes of the Kingdom of Sigma! But know this this trial will be unlike any other…"
At his words, a bad premonition crossed Maïli, who studied the cages more intently. What they held were not monstrous creatures, but something far more terrifying.
Moïse continued, theatrical:
"Today you will learn the true nature of this world and show your allegiance not only to the Kingdom of Sigma, but also to the goddess Hamnesia."
A snap of his fingers rang out, and the cages opened in unison. What emerged froze every onlooker: they weren't monsters, but children. Young boys and girls, frightened, pointy-eared, fur bristling, tails trembling beastfolk, half-wolves cowered in the daylight, huddling to shield one another.
A murmur of horror ran through the ranks, and Zem was the first to react, his face red with anger.
"What is the meaning of this, Moïse?"
"This is their trial," Moïse replied implacably, a cruel smile on his lips.
Zem growled, his voice tight with anger.
"Don't mock me! You're going much too far!"
Moïse shrugged, feigning regret: "I'm teaching them the reality of this world."
Zem exploded, beside himself: "They're still adolescents!"
Moïse's gaze hardened, pitiless: "Then it's time they grew up!"
A glacial silence fell. Before them, the half-wolf children clung to one another, eyes wide with fear.
Drunk on his own cruelty, Moïse concluded loudly, his voice carrying across the entire field:
"Here is your trial, young heroes: prove your loyalty to the Kingdom of Sigma and to the goddess Hamnesia… by eliminating these abominations of nature."