CHAPTER 59: _ AWAKENING CEREMONY (THE TASKS)

The students scream and whoop again. Heidi freezes, heat rushing to her face. Nash chuckles low. If the Bellamys weren’t furious before, they’re ready to combust now. Heidi almost wants to wink at them just to tip them over the edge, but she restrains herself.

With her final bow, Ms. Vesper retreats, handing the stage to another teacher.

This one is a chubby man with a protruding belly. However, his jolly appearance and contrasting harsh tone only make him scarier. "Now that you understand the purpose of this ceremony, we must move forward to the agenda," he booms.

Heidi feels the air tighten, anticipation prickling across the crowd like static.

"There are tasks. Tasks that will separate the strong from the weak, the worthy from the shameful. The Moon Blessed will face them first, for you are untested. You will undergo a trial that will show the truth of your wolves."

Murmurs fly through the hall in uneasy, curious, and excited chills. Heidi grips the hem of her dress, feeling her palms dampening

"To determine who among you holds the strongest and highest-value wolves, you will be sent into the Umbralis Labyrinth."

Gasps answer him, even cheers from some bloodthirsty seniors who clearly enjoy the sound of that. Heidi frowns. The name alone sounds like something ripped from a nightmare.

"The Umbralis Labyrinth," the teacher continues, "is no ordinary trial ground. It is a place where the veil between our world and the darker realm is thin. Demons prowl its corridors. Shadows come alive. It is a maze designed to break cowards and elevate the brave."

Heidi’s stomach twists into a knot. A labyrinth with demons. And she’s supposed to walk into it? DEMONS?!

Oh, God. Just two weeks ago, she found out she’s a werewolf, and now, she is supposed to go into a labyrinth full of demons. Cool.

SUPER COOL. Not scary at all.

The teacher doesn’t soften the blow. His voice only grows harsher. "However, to preserve your lives, we will determine how fit your wolves are before sending you in there. The ones strong enough to survive the tasks will continue deeper. Those weak will stand back, but remember, the school will not be responsible for any treatment you receive from your peers afterward because you have not served it by being weak. Only the ones who go into the labyrinth have served the school. And when you shift in there—because you will

shift, you will use your new strength not only to serve this pack but to destroy the demons that plague the humans. As you know, your family and friends are back there."

Beside Heidi, Lucan suddenly sucks in a sharp breath. "That’s dangerous," he blurts under his breath, leaning toward his friends. His voice quivers in disbelief.

Heidi’s head whips toward him, and she sees the genuine panic on his face.

"They’ll die," Lucan whispers harshly. "The newly shifted might die in there. And even if the demons don’t get them, they’ll tear each other apart in panic. This is a suicide mission."

Nash’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t deny it. The others exchange grim looks, and Heidi feels her skin prickle. Everyone else seems unsurprised, as though they already knew this was coming. Only the Moon Blessed—her, and the other first-years, are staring with dawning horror.

The room is alive with whispers now. Seniors exchange sharp smiles, some are even licking their lips at the thought of the Moon Blessed stumbling into the labyrinth like newborn lambs to slaughter.

And across the aisle, the Bellamy brothers lean back in their seats and on their faces are shocked, fearful, and worried expressions For the first time since Heidi sat beside Nash, they look less furious, more...concerned.

And that terrifies her more than anything.

The teacher clears his throat, silencing the whispers. His eyes glitter with glee, and somehow, that makes Heidi’s stomach sink deeper. He’s enjoying this. The entire hall which is now suffocating with tension, waits for his next words like prisoners awaiting sentencing.

"Enough muttering," he booms, his belly jiggling with each syllable. "Now that the truth of your service is laid bare, let us descend into the agenda of the day."

He spreads his arms wide, as if unveiling something holy. "Your trials begin now."

A surge of gasps and squeaks spreads across the Moon Blessed rows. Heidi swallows hard, her throat is as dry as parchment. A bead of sweat slides down her spine despite the chilly hall.

From the wings, several older students shuffle forward. They’re dragging something. Think heavy crates that groan against the wooden stage. Metal clangs. The screech of wheels breaks through the charged silence. And then Heidi sees it.

At first, it looks ridiculous. A carnival game? A massive contraption of wood and steel, with a tall vertical tower stretching toward the ceiling. At the base sits a target plate, dull and dented from years of abuse. Beside it, a mallet larger than Heidi’s torso gleams under the stage lights.

Heidi blinks. Her panic hiccups into disbelief. Oh no. Oh, hell no.

"High Striker?" she whispers under her breath, incredulous. "We’re... we’re at a murder circus, and they want us to play whack-a-mole?"

Nash leans close, his lips quirking despite the tension like he too, loves this show. "More like whack-your-own-doom."

Lucan doesn’t laugh. His wide eyes are glued to the tower, his knuckles white as he grips the edge of his seat. Ace frowns, confused, like he missed a punchline.

The teacher spreads his hands with fake grandeur. "Strength is not measured in words, or even in bravado. It is proven in action. Before we hurl you into the Umbralis Labyrinth, we must know the raw power of your wolves." He gestures grandly to the High Striker. "Strike the base. Let the mallet measure your worth."

A shiver rolls through the hall. Whispers rise again as second to fifth years begin to make their amusements and anticipations known.

"Oh, this is going to be good."

"They’ll humiliate themselves before they even step into the labyrinth."

"Bet half of them can’t even lift the mallet."

Heidi shifts in her seat. Her palms are no longer wet, but dripping. This isn’t just some carnival game. The way the tower hums faintly, the way strange runes pulse along its length—this isn’t wood and metal. It’s magic... it’s—it’s judgment.

Nash turns to her this time. "You know what this is, right? It’s not just for show."

Heidi shakes her head, heart pounding.

"I overheard my father," he mutters, eyes darting to make sure no teacher is close. "He was on the phone. He said more Moon Blessed batches are coming to Duskwind soon. This? This whole thing... It’s population control."

Population control. Heidi puts an index finger in her mouth and begins to bite it. Isn’t this the same thing as murder? She wonders and wishes she could call the cops on the entire management of this fucking messed-up school.

"They’re not training you..." Nash continues in a sing-song tone. "They’re culling you all."

Her eyes widen, showing a lot of sclera. The word culling paints ugly images in her mind: slaughterhouses, herded cattle, the weak cut down before they can even live. Her knees press together, trembling.

"That doesn’t make sense," Ace interrupts, shaking his head. His voice is a stubborn growl. "If they want strong wolves, why send them into death traps? Why not keep the strong ones alive and toss the weak instead? That’s just—stupid."

Heidi almost agrees before Lucan cuts him a hard look. "No, it makes sense."

It does?

Ace gapes. "How?"