"Caio Sun."
"Theo Kristopher."
"It's nice to meet you all," I stated.
We had a few more minutes for casual chit-chat. I was between Orion and Finn, leaning against the wall while Hunter, Theo, and Caio stood in front of us in a deep discussion about Finn's apparent addiction to pie.
"ATTENTION! Teams will be called up to proceed to their designated areas for the second part of the examination. Can Teams A, F, and O, come forward?" a male announced in a megaphone.
The room grew silent while the teams that were called moved up to the front. The man directed them to proceed down the first hall. Three more sets of teams were called to the front, followed by another; each team going down a different path. Eventually, our group was called forward.
I felt more confident now that Vincent wasn't in the room. We made our way down the directed hall which was numbered ten.
Once we reached the exit, we walked right outdoors, but instead of being the afternoon it looked to be the middle of the night.
"Huh? Is this a simulation?" I asked, glancing at the starry sky. It felt too real to be fake.
"Looks like it, but I can feel nature's presence. Maybe we were teleported to a section of the school," Finn suggested.
We exchanged nods.
"BRU-REEE!"
I grinned, turning to my left to see my familiar in all her flaming glory. I lifted my arm, allowing her to land.
"Welcome back, Arielle. How did you know I needed you?" I asked.
"Bru-ree?" she replied, lowering her head so I'd pet her.
I gave her an extra long rub, having missed her presence.
"A phoenix familiar. Don't see many of those anymore," Caio pointed out.
I nodded in agreement.
Hunter opened his mouth to speak, but a loud beep sounded, followed by a voice coming in on some type of intercom.
"The second part of your entrance exam is about to begin. You will need to survive the rest of the afternoon and night within your designed maps. Feel free to hunt, and use nature, personal resources, and magic to aid you. There are various monsters that can and will attack you. If you are injured and unable to continue, you will fail. Be advised, your teamwork, ability to defeat any monsters, and survive the living conditions for the night will determine your score. If you die during this exam, we’ll ensure your remains are returned to your loved ones."
"Die?" I asked in shock. I glanced at the others who looked just as astonished as I.
"That's a first," Orion said quietly.
"They never give out all the details regarding Aslan and regardless if you win or lose, you're sworn with magic to withhold any information learned during the exam," Theo explained.
"Good luck to all of you and see you in the morning," the announcer finished.
Guess it's time to pass this test.
Survival
"You're a UNICORN shifter?"
"Bruuuu-ree." Arielle kept chirping away in the branch above us.
It'd been five hours since the beginning of the second exam and it was now six in the evening. With no map to guide us, Hunter volunteered to create his own map and make markings in the ground and trees to help us find the entrance of the forest if a situation arose and we had to scurry back.
We'd made camp in the middle of the forest, Hunter helping us create a fire using a spell while Finn and Caio went off to hunt for dinner. Orion, Theo, and I sat in wait for them, thinking of game plans in event of an attack. My dual swords were still strapped to my back as we sat around the fire. Arielle had taken a nap during our expedition, so she was now ready to defend me if necessary.