~Laurent
The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
I blinked hard, staring at the red text hanging in the air.
[Current Mission: Kill your enemy]
[Penalty: Death]
For a long second, I thought I’d imagined it. But when I blinked again, the words didn’t fade. They pulsed. Waiting.
“No,” I muttered under my breath. “That can’t be right.”
The arcanist was still sprawled on the ground, half-conscious, coughing dirt and blood. He didn’t even have the strength to stand.
I read the message again. The last line burned brighter, like it was daring me to choose.
Penalty: Death.
I exhaled shakily. “So it’s either him or me.”
Silence pressed in around us — the trees, the wind, the faint hum of leftover mana.
I sighed once more, steadying my voice. “I pick me.”
Fang and Talon materialized in my hand
