1 The Search

The sun hadn't come up yet and all the champions gathered at the port. Not very far from them is the Grim Cruise waiting to depart in search of the next champions.

"Who should go this time?" Niall asked.

Whenever the Grim Cruise departs, a team of champions shall be with it to greet and brief the new contestants.

The last time to brief the contestants during the season of DREAMS was CROWNS.

"We should go this time! We haven't gone out of this island for ages!" Lisa from ACES said while eating her boyfriend's favorite drink. A banana milk.

"Oh yeah? What more of us?" Jared said and back hugged her.

"Get a room! You two!" Ben growls as he shoots them a deadly glare.

"Aw! My baby Ben is being grumpy again!" Raven teased and pinched his cheeks which Ben deliberately ignored.

"Let's have DREAMS go!" Sage suggested and Jace and Troy raised a thumbs up to agree.

"Alright! DREAMS can go this time!" Niall decides as he slid his hands in his pocket.

ACES cheered even though they really wanted to go. While DREAMS just had a poker face agreeing at their leader's decision.

"We'll see you in a few days! I'll miss you!" Yuna said while cuddling to Kamal.

"I'll miss you too! Want me to bring you something when we get back?" He asked.

"Just you going back will do!" Yuna whispered and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Eew! Don't do that here!" Steve exclaimed, pulling Kamal to the cruise.

While Daniel and Ben went to board first. Steve, Kamal and Terrence followed them after bidding their farewell.

DREAMS weren't usually cold as they are now. Especially Terrence and Ben. They were as cheerful as the other three members.

It was because of something in the game that completely changed them. Not just the members of DREAMS. But also the rest of the champions.

They may not show it, but they sure love the members and the rest of their fellow champions.

"Ben! What's wrong? The sun hasn't come up yet you're here sulking again!" Steve spoke as he sat down on the couch on the deck.

Ben was leaning on the railings with a cup of cappuccino in his hand. Sitting beside Steve is Terrence with his usual plain face staring at nothing.

Sitting at the couch across from them are Daniel and Kamal having fun playing chess.

"He's just tired after what happened yesterday!" Kamal commented followed by a humorous laugh from him and Daniel.

"Why? What happened last night?" Terrence said still with the same expression.

"Nothing happened!" Ben said and left.

"Don't mind him! He had a misunderstanding with Raven of course! They were just acting up earlier! You know Niall won't let us leave if he finds out both of them are not on good terms!" Daniel said and Steve nodded his head.

After a few more minutes, the cruise finally escaped the thick clouds that's been covering and protecting Herus island for centuries.

The warm breeze greeted them along with the warm and rising sun. Just watching the magnificent view fills their minds with awe.

The boys haven't seen a sunrise in a while such as this. The light is reflecting on the sea making it sparkle like jewels.

They haven't seen birds flying around the sky for so long that they can't even remember.

The cruise took them to many countries in 7 days. As soon as all the bunk beds were filled up, the cruise decided to return home from its journey.

Just as when DREAMS decided to show up to the contestants. They haven't shown up to them not until they were completed.

The contestants gathered on the upper deck. Sitting on their respective seats. While DREAMS stood in front of them wearing poker faces.

The contestants are nervous. They didn't have any expectations of who they'd meet but were still nervous.

They don't know that the people in front of them are champions and think they're just frontmen in charge to host the game or sort.

Steve, the leader of DREAMS. Invited everyone to introduce each other and their own unique skills.

After their introduction, it got more intense because nothing changed with DREAMS' expressions.

"Everyone! Welcome to the fifth season of the Game of Herus!" Steve greeted and walked towards them scanning them all with his eyes one by one.

Each contestant that he laid his eyes on couldn't even look him back in the eye. They found him intimidating. All of them precisely.

Steve returned to his team and asked "Can someone tell me something about the Game of Herus?"

The contestants looked at each other waiting for someone with guts to raise his hand.

And finally someone did.

"No one actually really knows anything about the game! A lot of people join the game whenever the chance is there! But none of them got out and no one knows who the champions are! But they say that being a champion holds great responsibility for Herus island! Something greater than any of us that is worth fighting for with our lives! That's why many are still joining despite the increasing numbers of losses!" The one with round eyes and dark fluffy hair said.

"So what I think about the game of Herus is that it isn't any common survival game with a simple goal of winning. It is a survival game that will benefit us in some way! A survival game that will help us grow and discover ourselves more than what we think we are right now!" He added and most of the contestants nodded their heads.

"What's your name?" Terrence asked who seemed to have his interests caught by the boy.

"I'm Hunter sir!" The boy replied politely.

"Hunter! Very well!" Daniel complimented and clapped his hands thrice in a very slow manner.

"Anyone else?" Ben asked and crossed his arms.

"Kylo! Sir!" One of the tallest boys introduced himself and raised his hand.

"Just like Hunter said! I also think the same way! And to add more to it! I say the game of Herus will also give us much more than glory!" He said.

"And what do you think it is?" Steve asked and showed him a sheepish smile.

"A family and friends sir!" K replied and the champions grinned at all of them.

"Take note of what you heard today!" Steve said and his members left. "You're dismissed!"

The contestants were finally able to sigh in relief when the people who just interrogated them left.

"Waaaah!!! I thought my knees were about to melt!!! My precious soul!!!" Hanbin, a candidate from Vietnam exclaimed and grabbed onto Julian with his other hand holding his chest.

"That was so scary! I was about to jump off the water and go home if only they hadn't left!" Sean whined and his body laid on the floor. Some of the contestants are laughing at the sight of him.

"You two left a good impression on them! You're so cool!" Taki, a contestant from Japan complimented looking at Hunter and Kylo with his sparkling eyes.

"I didn't even remember anything after I spoke! They look really scary!" Hunter said while rubbing his body as if he's shivering while the rest of the contestants laughed at their comments.

Right after sunset, everyone returned to their rooms.

"They didn't introduce themselves to us! Do you guys think they're also contestants who just arrived at the cruise before us?" Grant asked while arranging his bed.

"I don't think they're also contestants like us! Just remember how authorized they were when they stood in front of us!" Theo said, still reminiscing about what happened earlier.

"You have a point bro! What if they're one of the contestants who failed to be champions? And now they're here fetching us because they lost the game!" Elijah said and Grant threw him a book which earned him a laugh from Theo and Neil.

"What? It's possible!" Elijah defended and threw back the book to Grant.

"You weren't paying attention Elijah! Didn't you hear what Hunter said earlier?!" Grant scolds him while Elijah is making a face at him.

"Hunter said none got out! So obviously it's a survival game! And the very crucial part is that this is not like any survival game that is being showcased in the media!" Grant said, which finally caught his roommates' interests.

"Grant, just say your point!" Said Neil who was sitting beside Elijah.

"My point is, this survival game might have something to bargain with us! When Hunter said 'despite the increasing numbers of loss!' I think he meant that a small failure can cause us our own lives! Maybe that's why no one got out!" Grant explained and they were controlled by silence for a few seconds. Not until his roommates threw pillows at him.

"You're exaggerating Grant! What you said is impossible! How can someone hold a survival game that will cost the lives of their contestants!?" Theo exclaimed.

"Think about it! And those five at the deck earlier! I think they are the last champions!" Grant still continued on with his theory and his roommates decided to ignore him.

Well except one.

"So you mean to say... we could die if we fail?" Neil asked. Grant sighed deeply before he nodded his head.

"I'm thinking that those two know something! Otherwise they won't be able to say something in front of them!" Grant said and took off his glasses. "Especially that guy..." he whispered, referring to Hunter.

"You mean Kylo and Hunter? But you heard Hunter! No one knows anything about the game of Herus!" Neil said as he himself is starting to be curious.

(a/n)

So I hope you liked this chapter.

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