13th District

Silent Predator

Kael’s eyes snapped open as the sound of rustling leaves broke through the eerie silence of the labyrinth. He tensed, every muscle in his body ready for action. The quiet crunch of footsteps echoed through the trees, and his hand instinctively went to his side, fingers curling around the hilt of his knife.

The pain from his side was still there, a dull ache reminding him of the fight earlier, but he pushed it aside. He couldn’t afford to be weak. Not now. Not here.

He looked down at his wound, the blood dried in dark streaks across his clothes. It was shallow, nothing more than a graze, but the thought of it made his stomach turn. He wasn’t in peak condition, and he couldn’t afford to make mistakes.

As the footsteps drew closer, Kael positioned himself higher up in the tree, blending into the shadows, waiting. He knew how to hide, how to move silently when needed. He stayed still, holding his breath.

Then he saw her.

A woman from District 8, her face pale and streaked with tears. She was walking slowly, almost as if she didn’t notice the danger around her, her movements erratic. Kael’s eyes narrowed as he studied her—she was clearly distressed, unaware of the threat silently following her.

Behind her, a figure loomed, his movements predatory. The man was tall, his silhouette hard to make out at first, but Kael could see the gleam of a knife in his hand. He was stalking her like prey, and the way he moved—silent, deliberate—made Kael’s gut twist with a sense of foreboding.

The woman’s sobs were barely audible over the crackling of the leaves, but Kael could hear them clearly from his perch. His grip on his knife tightened, but he didn’t act immediately. He needed to be patient. He needed to see how this played out.

Then, just as Kael’s heartbeat quickened, the man lunged.

The woman, startled, barely had time to react before the man was upon her, the knife flashing in the dim light.

Without thinking, Kael sprang into action.

He leapt from the tree, his movements fluid and swift, landing in front of the woman just as the man’s blade came down. The impact of his landing made the earth tremble, but Kael didn’t falter. He was already charging, his knife raised in defense, his eyes locked on the man’s.

The attacker was fast—he’d been trained. But Kael’s reflexes were sharp, honed from years of surviving the harsh realities of his district. He parried the man’s strike with a clash of steel, the blade grazing his arm as he deflected it.

“Not today, bastard,” Kael muttered under his breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

The man growled, stepping back, but his arrogance was clear. He smirked at Kael, sizing him up. There was no fear in his eyes, just confidence. He was used to this—used to dominating weaker opponents.

“District 7, huh?” the man sneered. “How pathetic.”

Kael’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t take the bait. He could see the man was brimming with overconfidence, but Kael wasn’t about to let that get in the way. His focus was razor-sharp. This man wasn’t going to be an easy fight. He was from District 1, one of the most elite districts, known for their brutal training and competitive nature.

The man lunged again, this time with more precision, aiming straight for Kael’s chest. Kael barely had time to react, but he sidestepped at the last second, feeling the wind rush past him as the blade missed.

Kael quickly regained his stance, his mind racing. The man was too skilled—he couldn’t just match him blow for blow. He needed to outsmart him.

With a swift motion, Kael feigned a slip, stumbling backward as though he were losing his balance. The man smirked, thinking he’d won, and moved in for the kill. But that was exactly what Kael had been waiting for.

As the man closed in, Kael twisted on his heels, using the man’s momentum against him. He reached out, grabbing the man’s wrist and twisting it sharply, forcing him to drop the knife.

The man let out a strangled cry, but Kael didn’t give him a chance to recover. With one swift motion, Kael kicked him in the knee, sending him crashing to the ground.

The man scrambled to get up, but Kael was already on top of him, his knee pressing into the man’s chest, pinning him to the dirt.

Kael’s breath was heavy, his muscles burning with exertion, but his eyes were cold, focused on the man beneath him.

“Stay down,” Kael growled.

The man’s arrogance had evaporated in an instant, replaced by fear and frustration. He tried to push Kael off, but Kael’s grip on him was firm, his knife poised just inches from the man’s throat.

He was done.

Kael glanced up at the woman, who was still frozen in place, eyes wide with shock. She hadn’t moved a muscle since Kael intervened, too terrified to react.

“Go,” Kael said to her, his voice rough. “Run.”

The woman blinked, still in shock, but finally, she turned and bolted, disappearing into the maze of trees and stone. Kael’s gaze followed her for a moment, making sure she was gone before he looked back down at the man beneath him.

“Consider this a warning,” Kael muttered, before pulling the knife back. He stood up, leaving the man to writhe in the dirt.

He had no time to waste.

Kael knew the trials were far from over, and the danger was only beginning. The man had been from District 1—well-trained, ruthless. There would be more like him. And Kael wasn’t about to let his guard down now.

He turned and disappeared into the shadows, his heart still racing, but his resolve harder than ever.

Kael’s side still ached as he stepped away from the man from District 1, but there was no time to dwell on the pain. His body throbbed with the exertion of the fight, the adrenaline still pumping through him, but the wound on his side was slowly reminding him that it needed attention. The woman, who had run off only moments ago, had returned, still cautious but now watching him with a strange expression.

She had a knife in her hand—perhaps as a precaution—but her posture had softened. The fear was still evident in her eyes, but there was something else now too: gratitude, or maybe just curiosity.

Kael barely acknowledged her as he walked away, wiping his blade clean on his jacket. But then she spoke.

“Wait,” her voice trembled slightly, yet there was a steady resolve in it. “I— I owe you my life. You saved me.”

Kael stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn to face her. His grip tightened on his knife, but it wasn’t aimed at her—it was out of habit, a precaution. “You don’t owe me anything,” he said, his voice gruff. “You should be more careful out here. You’re lucky I heard you.”

She stepped closer, and he could hear the hesitation in her every movement. “I… I know how to help you,” she said, holding up a small vial of liquid. “I’m a healer from District 8. I can fix that wound of yours. At least make it bearable.”

Kael hesitated, eyeing the vial she offered. His mind screamed to refuse, to keep his distance, but his body was growing more aware of the damage. He was tough, but he wasn’t invincible, and the pain in his side was growing sharper. His thoughts raced, and he could almost feel the pulse of the arena closing in around him.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Kael asked, finally turning his eyes on her.

The woman nodded, her expression serious but calm. She was no longer crying, but her face held the softness of someone who had seen too much pain. “I’ve trained for this. Healing is my specialty,” she explained, her voice low. “It’s not much, but it will keep you from getting worse.”

Kael studied her for a long moment. The fear that had been in her eyes was now replaced with a glimmer of something else—an offer. He knew he could refuse, but the rational part of his mind reminded him that this arena didn’t care about his pride. He needed every advantage he could get.

“Fine,” he muttered, his voice low. “But I’ll take the dagger back once I’m better.”

The woman’s lips twitched into a small, understanding smile. “Of course.”

Kael sat down cautiously, wincing as his side protested. He watched her carefully as she knelt in front of him, unrolling a small cloth and preparing her vial. She seemed practiced, as though she’d done this many times before.

“You might feel a bit of a sting,” she warned softly as she uncorked the vial and dipped her fingers into the liquid, her touch surprisingly gentle as she applied the mixture to his wound.

Kael flinched when the cool liquid touched his skin, the sting sharp but not unbearable. She worked with steady hands, smoothing the balm over the cut, then bandaging it up with precision.

He watched her closely, trying not to make his discomfort obvious. Her presence was quiet, calming in a way that made the chaotic, violent world around them feel just a little bit smaller.

“Thank you,” she murmured, focusing on her work.

Kael’s brow furrowed at the softness in her voice. “I’m not interested in your gratitude,” he said, his voice rough. “Just get me through this.”

The woman didn’t respond to his harshness. Instead, she finished her work with a final knot on the bandage, and for the first time since they’d met, her eyes softened. “I understand,” she said quietly. “I just want to help.”

Kael was silent, feeling the weight of her words. He hated feeling vulnerable—hated being in a position where he had to rely on others—but he wasn’t stupid. The wound was better now, the pain dull and manageable. It wouldn’t hold him back.

She stood up slowly, dusting off her knees, and looked down at him one last time, her eyes still holding that faint glimmer of gratitude. “I’ll leave you to rest,” she said, but Kael was already standing.

“You don’t have to leave,” he said, surprising himself with the words. “You helped me. You should stay safe.”

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she shook her head. “I’ll be fine,” she said softly. “You should be careful though. The arena doesn’t care about our wounds. It’s only waiting for us to make a mistake.”

Kael nodded stiffly. “I’m not planning on making one.”

Kael watched as the woman hesitated at the edge of the trees, her form blending with the shadows of the labyrinth. She didn’t move for a moment, as if weighing something in her mind.

The quiet of the arena surrounded them, the air still except for the soft rustle of leaves. Kael stood still, his heart still pounding from the fight and his wound pulsing under the bandages.

“Kael,” the woman’s voice broke the silence, tentative but clear. “I— I’m not asking for much. But… would it be alright if I stayed with you? Just for today? I promise I won’t slow you down.”

Kael stiffened at the request. He didn’t want to be responsible for anyone. Not here. Not in this place. He’d already made that mistake before.

But something in her voice made him hesitate. She wasn’t asking for protection. She just wanted a sense of safety, a brief respite from the brutality of the arena.

After a long pause, he exhaled slowly, the weight of her words settling in. He didn’t want to trust her, didn’t want to get involved. But he had to admit, he didn’t mind the idea of some company, even if just for a short while.

“Fine,” Kael muttered, his tone rough. “But don’t make me regret this.”

A small, relieved smile flickered across her face. “Thank you,” she said softly, as she sat down across from him, her body relaxed but still cautious. “I’m Aerin.”

Kael looked at her for a long moment before responding, his voice gruff. “Kael.”

She nodded, accepting his clipped response, her eyes meeting his for just a second before she turned her attention to the surroundings. The tension between them was still there, unspoken, but there was an unacknowledged understanding that they would survive this—together, even if only for a short while.

As the silence stretched between them, Kael’s thoughts turned back to Arya. Where was she? Was she safe? His mind couldn’t fully escape the worry gnawing at him, but for now, he focused on the present.

Today. Just today.

And that, for the moment, was enough.

As Kael sat, trying to steady his breath, a sudden flicker in the air caught his attention. Without warning, a hologram materialized in front of him, casting an eerie blue glow. The voice of the announcer echoed coldly through the labyrinth.

“Out of 135 remaining participants, an additional 7 have been eliminated. The trials continue. Day 2 has officially begun.”