In the dense undergrowth, two shadows lingered in the silence of dusk. One belonged to Nyx, whose Crimson eyes were fixed on the clearing ahead where a peculiar creature grazed among the moss. The other belonged to Zayne, who leaned lazily against the trunk of an ancient oak tree, his arms folded, eyes half-closed, appearing to be on the edge of sleep.
"In the name of the sun, why did the teacher give us two full days to hunt some garden pet?" Zayne groaned, his voice slow and unbothered. "I might as well make use of the time by sleeping."
Nyx did not reply. Her attention remained on the creature before them—a small, white rabbit with enormous, delicate ears. To an untrained observer, it might indeed appear harmless, but Nyx knew otherwise. During the four centuries she had spent wandering forests, jungles, deserts, and forgotten ruins, she had encountered many beasts, yet very few were as dangerous as this one—the Deaf Rabbit.
Despite its name, the Deaf Rabbit was far from an ordinary animal. It was indeed deaf, but that was only part of its nature. The closer a person came to it, the more their own hearing dulled until they could not even hear their heartbeat. By the time the creature attacked, the victim would hear nothing—only silence, followed by a burst of acid strong enough to melt through bark, stone, and bone alike. Before it released this acid, it emitted a shrill sound that most hunters never heard until it was far too late.
Nyx brushed a strand of Black hair from her face. "This is no garden pet," she murmured. "It is a survivor."
A faint green light blinked on her wrist. The small bracelet every student had been issued displayed two readings: seven hours remaining, and three Deaf Rabbits left in the training zone. Their time was slipping away.
A soft voice came through the communicator. "All right, team, are you in position for extraction?" asked Autumn, her tone filled with energy.
"Yes," the other four members replied in unison.
"Excellent," Autumn continued cheerfully. "The plan is simple. We wait until it exhausts its acid. Once that happens, we lead it toward the pond by the cliff. It will drink from there to refuel, and that is when we strike. We corner it, capture it, and finish this quickly."
Zayne sighed. "You always say that before something goes wrong."
Ignoring him, Nyx tightened her gloves and whispered, "It is almost out of acid. Let us move it toward the cliff."
"Fine," Zayne replied with one eye open, pushing himself away from the tree. "Let us get this over with."
They moved swiftly, their steps silent on the damp forest floor. The scent of moss and rain filled the air. Ahead, Autumn, Lior, and Eris waited beside the pond, hidden among the reeds. The forest was eerily still; even the insects had gone quiet.
A sudden rustle came from the bushes. The three waiting students tensed as the white rabbit burst through the undergrowth, panting and frantic. It hurried toward the pond, its ears twitching in confusion. Eris leaped from her hiding place with lightning speed, claws extended, but the rabbit dodged, its ears fluttering like the wings of a butterfly.
Now Nyx, Autumn, Lior, and Eris surrounded it. The creature's back was to the cliff. It had nowhere to run.
"Got you now," Eris muttered with a confident grin.
But the Deaf Rabbit crouched, its large ears spreading like sails, and leaped backward off the cliff.
Everyone froze in disbelief.
"Wait—did it just jump?" Autumn exclaimed, rushing to the edge.
They peered over the side and saw the rabbit gliding gracefully downward, its enormous ears carrying it safely into the misty valley below. Only then did the group realize their mistake. They had cornered it too well, leaving it no choice but to escape in the one way they had failed to anticipate.
Nyx cursed quietly. "We forgot about its ears. They are not only for hearing—they are for flight."
Her bracelet flickered again. Two minutes remaining. Only one rabbit left—the same one that had just escaped.
Before Nyx could answer, a shadow passed across the cliff. A soft hum filled the air, followed by a figure descending from the sky. It was a young man with auburn hair, glowing faintly in the light, floating as if the air itself obeyed him. In one arm, he held the rabbit. He landed gently before the others and tossed the creature into the capture cage at Eris's feet.
"Let us go," Zayne said calmly. "I would like to return to camp."
The others stared in astonishment. Nyx watched him closely as they began the walk back. He can fly, she thought. No wonder he was so calm.
As the group followed the winding forest trail, Autumn fell into step beside Nyx, who continued to glance curiously at Zayne's back. "He really is a mystery, is he not?" Autumn said softly.
"Do you know him well?" Nyx asked.
"Of course I do," Autumn replied with a fond smile. "He has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. When my father worked for the Royal Dragon Family, my family and I moved to their city. That is where I met Zayne—at a small playground near our home. He was fearless back then, always talking about saving the world, becoming famous, and being admired by everyone. Especially by the girls." She laughed lightly at the memory.
Her laughter faded as her expression turned somber. "Everything changed when he awakened his first power—flight. His father said that gaining a power at such a young age made him a prodigy and that he was destined to serve the Royal Dragons. But Zayne wanted a normal life. He argued with his father for years. When he turned sixteen, he left home and enrolled at this academy. I came with him."
Nyx looked at the young man walking ahead of them, silent and unreadable. "And he has been like this ever since? Distant and quiet?"
Autumn nodded. "He carries something heavy inside, but he has a strong will. He always has."
"I admire people who stand for themselves," Nyx said quietly. "People with strength of mind."
By the time the group reached the training grounds, the sun was beginning to set. Their instructor, a tall man with sharp golden eyes and a calm but commanding presence, stood waiting. Behind him, cages containing the captured creatures gleamed faintly in the fading light.
"Well done, everyone," he said in a deep, steady voice. "You have managed to capture a Deaf Rabbit without injury. That alone shows promise. I believe we have a strong class this year."
The students straightened proudly as he paced before them, his boots pressing into the soft soil.
"However," he continued, "this was only the beginning. Tomorrow, your real training will start. The groups you are currently in will remain your teams for the rest of the year. I expect every one of you here at three in the morning. Each team will receive an assignment consisting of multiple tasks that must be completed before ten. Prepare yourselves. It will be one very long and difficult ride."
A quiet murmur rippled through the students. Some looked nervous; others, excited. Zayne merely yawned, hands in his pockets. Nyx smiled faintly, her golden eyes glinting in the dim light.
The hunt had ended, but the true challenge was about to begin.