15 Into The Maze: An Unexpected Challenge

We were walking silently, all of us were shaken and upset by the revelation that happened earlier. We still continued through the maze even though each and every one of us wants to just tear the whole maze apart but we didn't. We're afraid that that action might cost us our lives and end our chance at accomplishing this exam.

"Make a left." Octavia dictated with the most unenthusiastic voice I have ever heard from her. Later on, we come across a path with two routes, the right and left route. Remembering what Octavia had said earlier we took the left route and continued to walk through the boring maze.

"This is so boring, are we there yet Octavia? Or at least getting nearer?" Jessie complained, she looked at Octavia who was also looks bored. She looked at her and sigh.

"Unfortunately, no. We have a couple of routes to go." She sighs again and continued to walk. Jessie moaned in response.

"Ah, HELLO? You freaking lunatics on the screen watching us can do something other than walking? Like you know do something interesting? I thought this was an "Elite" exam, not a walking simulator!" Jessie snapped, she bursted her frustration and yelled at the sky. In an instant, the ear-piercing siren echoed out of nowhere, stopping us dead in our tracks and made us clutch our ears.

Theo turn around to face Jessie and said, "You just had to ask."

Just like earlier, the sky darkened but this time a projector illuminated the sky. We all looked at the enormous projector of the principal's head, mesmerized at the high-tech we are seeing. Even though they are truly disgusting for putting us kids in this maze, I've had to give them credit for putting a hole in their pockets. An enormous maze, never before seen monsters, and now a huge projector that is strong enough to project itself on the sky crystal clear? That has got to cost them their heads to construct.

"Hello, my precious Hellvanians who are still alive right at this moment. We have come to notice that this exam is not challenging you enough." The principal announced. Something about him still doesn't seem right to me. Why the sudden change of attitude? This is our principal that agreed to a goodbye old building party and attended himself, the same principal that greeted us with warm smiles and hugs.

"Are you kidding me?! Losing all our fellow Hellvanians was hard enough for us! What do you want us to do? Kill each other?!" Theo yelled in frustration. He tried to conjure the wind and tried to slice the principal's projecting head into pieces but he stopped mid stance as Octavia hold his hand and shaking his head left and right to say "no".

"We will be giving you special tags representing yourself or your team. Your mission to proceed to the next phase is just to collect five to ten of these tags and you'll move on to the next phase of this maze test." The principal explained. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a section of the wall moving and opening. I tapped Theo's shoulder to catch his attention.

"What?" He asked. His face covered in anger and frustration. I immediately pointed at the wall, not wanting to wait for Theo to burst his frustration at me. He was taken aback at the sight of the wall opening but he later on composed himself and walk towards it.

"Oh my goodness what is that?" Gasp Jessie as she sees Theo walking up to the wall. The others quickly turn their heads to look at Theo. Theo stood at the opening wall, his hands clench onto fists, ready for any surprise attacks, but instead of an assault, the wall revealed our tag. He hesitantly took it and afterwards the metallic wall closes.

"These tags are your key to move forward on the exams. Destroying, tearing, burning, or losing your tags will result in your elimination and you'll lose the Hellvanian Elite Exams. Collecting at least five to six of these tags and you still have yours will grant you an advantage the next round but collecting five to six tags but losing yours will qualify you but to a disadvantage." The principal added more information. We all looked at our tag. At its center, No. 21 HEAE was written in golden ink.

"Also consider that extra points will be given to you or your team when you incapacitate and/or kill your opponent. This is a game of lives my dear Hellvanian, only the best of the best shall continue. May luck be with you on this exam." The principal stated before the projector shuts down and the sky went back to normal. We all look at each other, dreading at the thought of killing or even fighting our fellow Hellvanians to the death. Theo who was at his limit earlier completely bursted and punch the wall out of frustration. The metal wall cracked upon impact and some of it even crumbled into pieces, how powerful is Theo gonna be when he's mad?

"Hey Theo, relax, we're not gonna kill our fellow Hellvanians, we just need to take their tags and that's it." James reassured. Theo turned around to face him.

"I know that James, but deep down I want that advantage. I want to do whatever it takes to get that advantage." Theo declared with the darkest look I have ever seen of him. This exam has changed him, it has gotten inside his head, he was getting competitive to the point that he is now, actually willing to do anything to win. This is not good.

"Have you completely lost your mind?! This is just a stupid test, Theo and the lives of our fellow Hellvanians are more than valuable than that stupid advantage. They getting inside your head, trying to make you do something the real you wouldn't even dare to think. What happened to the Theo that fought against these a-holes, the Theo that was frustrated earlier because of that fact that most of the Hellvanians of this stupid school are now dead?" I snapped. I needed to wake him up before he does anything stupid that he may regret later on in his life. He looked at me and gave me a weak smile.

"Thank you Zion, I needed that." He thanked. I nodded in response.

"Now let's get a move on before somebody-" I was cut from speaking when someone or something threw a massive fireball at us. I dodged out of the way and so did my friends but Theo wasn't so lucky. The flame quickly engulfed him and I did nothing but just stare at the burning fire knowing that my best friend was in it.

"One down." A voice called out. I sickening laugh echoed, taunting us.

"Wait, I know that laugh." James murmured, he threw a relatively small but wider fireball above, it exploded everywhere and caught something mid-air.

"No pia!!" The voice called out. It revealed itself. The voice came from a girl, a little girl holding a cat on its tail. The cat's fur was burned but it seems fine.

"Nicar how dare you to hurt one of my friends!" James yelled as he unleashed yet another small but wide fireball directly at the little girl. She deflected it and it exploded on the ground.

"You killed my best friend you little sh*t!" I yelled. With tears in my eyes, I erupted and let my power run wild. The walls distorted and changed form, it quickly turns into a massive gargoyle, attacking the kid called Nicar. I was surprised by what my ability can do. The gargoyle quickly snatched the kid from above and squeezed her tightly in its hands.

"No fair! I wasn't ready!" She called out as she struggled to free herself from the clutches of my gargoyle.

"Hey, hey Zion. It's fine, Theo's not dead. He's fine. Let the kid go." Jessie said. I looked at Theo who was badly burned but alive, I sigh and made my creation disappear.

"Big mistake mister!" Nicar suddenly said as she created a massive dragon made of fire. She descended it towards us and laughed thinking she has won.

"Rookie fire you got there." James quipped as he instantly destroys the dragon of fire using his own flame. He looked at me and smiled. (Show off)

"You ain't seen nothing yet James! I will take your tag and kill all of you!" Nicar screamed. She threw her cat up in the air and burned the poor cat to a crisp.

"Pia now's your time to shine sweetie!" Nicar giggled as the burned cat quickly transformed into something hideous. The cat grew out a head of a lion on its side and a head of a goat on its back. All of the heads breathe out flames out of their mouths. Its fur turned into scales and its tail was turned into a set of disgusting looking snakes. It was a chimera!

"Time to die!" She exclaimed as her chimera charges right towards us, ready for the kill. She let out a sickening laugh and levitated above for a better view.

"You mess with the wrong group you little brat." A voice behind me declared. I turn around to see Theo standing up, clenching his fist. With just a flick of his fingers, the wind became violent and quickly sliced Nicar's chimera into pieces. He, then, looked at Nicar and glared at her.

In an instant, the kid fell out of the sky and crashed landed on the ground, unconscious but alive. He limped towards the kid and quickly swiped her tag from her unconscious body and limped back towards us.

With a heavy sigh, he handed me the kid's tag and said, "One down."