CHAPTER 184: THE ISLAND SHIFTS, AND THE TEST TRULY BEGINS

The silence in the underground basin didn’t last long. Arios kept his eyes fixed on the glowing roots of the massive tree, trying to gauge whether the light was stable or fluctuating. Lucy and Liza stayed beside him, neither speaking, both waiting for his cue. The soft thrum of mana beneath their feet vibrated faintly, like the rumble of distant machinery buried deep beneath the earth.

Arios eventually stepped back, letting his senses adjust. "The island’s mana flow changed when we entered," he said. "I’m certain of it. We didn’t cause this accidentally—this was a trigger."

Lucy’s fingers fidgeted with the edges of her gloves. "A trigger for what? Another phase? A guardian? Or something worse?"

Liza stretched her arms behind her neck, but her eyes remained serious. "Whatever it is, it’s not part of the normal exam. The academy wouldn’t hide a giant glowing tree under a fake basin field."

Arios agreed. The academy liked harsh tests, yes, but this felt different. Older. Unpredictable. Something that existed long before any "exam" was built around it.

They walked slowly around the tree’s base, tracing the curve of the roots and the faint lines etched into the stone. Liza squatted down, touching a symbol. "These aren’t elven runes. They’re not dwarven either."

Lucy kneeled beside her. "Then what language is it?"

Arios didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he crouched and focused his mana into his sight. The symbols shimmered faintly, outlining unfamiliar curves and angles. "It’s not a language we’re meant to read," he finally said. "It’s a formation code. The tree isn’t just alive. It’s connected to the entire island."

That unsettled both girls. Lucy looked around the cavern again, suddenly noticing how every rock, every root, every inch of the place felt too pristine—like it had been preserved intentionally.

"Then that means something is controlling this whole place," Lucy said.

Arios nodded. "Or monitoring it."

A low tremor suddenly rolled through the chamber, subtle but present. Dust fell from the upper roots, drifting into the faintly glowing air. Liza stood up and grabbed her staff. "Okay, that’s not normal."

"No," Arios agreed. "It isn’t."

The tremor stopped after a moment, but the warning was enough. The island was active—fully awake—and reacting to them.

Lucy exhaled slowly. "We should regroup with the other teams."

Arios didn’t argue. "Yeah. Before the island decides to isolate us again."

They turned away from the tree and made their way back through the tunnel they had entered from. The faint light from the basin dimmed behind them, fading into a natural darkness that swallowed the edges of the path. Lucy kept glancing back, as if expecting something to follow. Liza stayed ahead, tapping each stone with her foot before stepping onto it.

After a while, the tunnel began to curve upward. The smell of fresh air returned bit by bit, replacing the cool underground scent with the familiar breeze of the island’s forest. When they finally emerged back into the open, the canopy above them looked unchanged—but the atmosphere was not.

Birds were quiet. The wind stilled. The forest seemed to pause, listening.

Liza frowned. "The island feels heavier."

Lucy tugged her ponytail tighter. "Do islands feel things?"

"When they have mana like that beneath them," Arios said, "perhaps."

They began trekking back toward their temporary base camp. The path felt longer than before, and the shadows deeper. The sun was lowering, shading the forest floor in streaks of gold and brown. Arios kept his senses sharp. Every step seemed important, every crack of a twig unnaturally loud.

At one point, a branch snapped somewhere to their left. All three of them halted. Arios raised a hand, signaling silence. He scanned the direction of the noise and waited for a second sound—but nothing came. The forest settled again.

Liza whispered, "Maybe a beast?"

"Maybe," Arios said, "but it didn’t move after that."

Lucy leaned in closer. "So something watching us?"

He nodded. That possibility seemed more likely.

They continued. Eventually, the faint sounds of their temporary camp returned—crackling fire, murmured conversation, the general noise of students preparing for evening rest. The tension eased when they saw the clearing ahead. Other teams gathered under makeshift tents, cooking, sorting materials, and comparing notes.

Arios noticed immediately: the mood was completely different. Students looked confused, uneasy, whispering among themselves.

Liza nudged him. "Something happened while we were gone."

They stepped into the camp. Several students looked up—relieved, surprised, or irritated. A third-year guy pointed at them. "They’re back!"

A cluster of students hurried over. Some from Class B, some from Class C, even two from Class A. One of them, a tall girl with a shield, spoke first.

"Did you guys feel the tremor earlier? Something shook the whole island!"

Lucy traded glances with Arios and Liza, but stayed quiet.

Another student stepped up. "It wasn’t just a tremor. The sky changed for a moment. The mana in the air pulsed like something was... activating."

Arios narrowed his eyes. "When exactly did it happen?"

The shield girl answered immediately. "About twenty minutes ago."

Which lined up with the exact moment they approached the glowing tree.

Lucy’s face stiffened. Liza muttered, "Great."

Arios kept his expression neutral. "We were doing interior scouting. We didn’t see anything like that."

He wasn’t about to spill everything—not without understanding more.

Students continued to chatter around them. Some complained about their points, others argued about beasts they encountered. But the majority were unsettled by the tremor and mana shift.

Eventually, the groups dispersed, leaving Arios, Lucy, and Liza alone near their shelter.

Lucy crossed her arms. "We can’t pretend everything is normal."

Arios sat on one of the flat stones they used for benches. "We don’t have to pretend. We just need more information."

"Meaning?" Liza asked.

"Meaning we confirm how far the island’s changes have spread."

He stood and looked around the camp. The trees were still. The ground solid. But the air felt off—like the mana inside it flowed with a rhythm that didn’t belong to nature.

"We scout after nightfall," Arios said. "Only the immediate perimeter. Nothing deep."

Lucy nodded, even though her worry was clear. "I’ll go with you."

Liza stretched her legs. "And me."

Arios expected that, so he didn’t argue.

For the moment, they settled into the quiet routines of preparing simple food and sharpening equipment. No one joked much. No one spoke loudly. The island’s earlier tremor had shaken more than the ground—it had quietly unsettled everyone’s instincts.

As dusk shifted into early night, the campfire light flickered across the clearing, casting long shadows across the trees. Arios sat sharpening his blade, listening to the crackling firewood and the distant hum of insects.

Lucy approached him. "Are you sure we need to scout tonight?"

"Yes. Whatever’s happening, we need early awareness."

She sat beside him, pressing her shoulder lightly to his. "Just... don’t do anything reckless."

"I won’t," he said, then glanced toward Liza, who sat across from them. She was adjusting her staff’s grip and checking the runes carved along the wood.

"You don’t look worried," Lucy said to her.

Liza shrugged. "Worrying isn’t useful. Getting ready is."

Arios nodded. "We’ll stay within sight of the camp. We’re not disappearing into the island again."

Lucy exhaled, reassured.

Night settled quickly. The students dimmed the fire for safety, allowing only small embers to glow. Most of the camp prepared for sleep, though some formed rotating watch groups.

Arios, Lucy, and Liza slipped from the clearing, moving quietly between the trees.

The forest had changed again.

The air was heavier. The mana flow behaved almost like a current—like stepping into a soft tide. It brushed against their skin, not aggressively but unmistakably.

Lucy whispered, "It’s stronger than before."

Liza tapped her fingers against her thigh. "Feels like walking through fog. A magical fog."

Arios didn’t speak yet. He studied the patterns in the air—the rhythm, the density, the slow pulsing in waves.

It matched the glowing tree’s heartbeat.

They advanced slowly. Every few meters, Arios paused, listening, analyzing. The forest seemed to inhale and exhale around them.

At one point, they reached a clearing. A massive stone—unmarked before—now glowed faintly with small veins of light. The same color as the tree’s.

Lucy stepped closer. "This wasn’t glowing earlier..."

"No," Arios agreed. "It wasn’t."

Liza circled behind it. "It’s spreading. Whatever activated beneath the ground—it’s moving through the island."

Arios placed his palm lightly on the stone.

The mana inside it pulsed back—once, steady, unmistakable.

Lucy stood beside him. "That’s... a heartbeat."

Liza’s expression sharpened. "The island’s waking up."

Arios stepped back and scanned the area. Nothing moved, but the world definitely wasn’t static anymore.

He spoke quietly. "We need to tell the others to stay alert tomorrow. The exam is changing. And the academy might not even know it."

Lucy looked around the glowing clearing, anxiety returning. "Arios... what if this isn’t an exam problem? What if we’re dealing with something the academy can’t control?"

Arios answered honestly.

"Then we prepare. And we stay alive."

Liza smirked faintly. "Good plan."

They turned back toward camp, moving with steady caution.

The forest watched them. The mana followed them. And the island—fully awake now—seemed to whisper with every shifting leaf and subtle glow.

The real test had begun. And none of them knew what the next dawn would bring.