CHAPTER 61: BOUND BY RIVAL BLOOD

[Continuation—]

"...Soda and Stephanie."

The names rang through the training grounds like a soft echo, the sound seeming to bounce off the walls of silence that surrounded the field.

For a moment, no one moved. Everyone was just listening. Then faint murmurs rose— thin and uncertain voices weaving through the lines.

"Did she just say Soda and Stephanie?" someone whispered from the back.

"Oh my... they’re about to throw fists at each other..." another chuckled.

"Don’t they hate each other?" another echoed.

"This is going to be messy..."

Soda tilted her head slightly, her hair brushing over her shoulder as she exchanged a brief glance with Stephanie, who looked more annoyed than confused. Around them, the tension was spreading like wildfire.

Soda’s brows rose slightly, a quiet scoff escaping her lips. Rain, who stood beside her leaned in, in concern— knowing there history together...She couldn’t help but ask "You okay, girl...?"

She didn’t get a response, so she called louder, just enough for Soda to hear.

"SODA?"

Soda’s lips curved faintly— not into a smile, but something closer to disbelief. "Not even close," she whispered.

Across from her, Stephanie stood still, jaw tight, fingers drumming slowly against her folded arms. Her friend Rosé nudged her gently, whispering, "You’ve got to be kidding me. You and her?"

Stephanie didn’t answer. Her eyes flicked briefly toward Soda— expression unreadable...then, she turned back to the stage. "Hmmm, the universe has jokes," she muttered under her breath. "...but I’m hilarious though," she added, smirking faintly.

The pairing announcement had barely begun, yet it already felt like a declaration of war.

Another name echoed from Camila’s lips, firm and clear.

"Jasmine... and Punch."

"Oh, hell naw!" Jasmine cursed.

"I’m about to break some faces. One wrong move from that guy and I’m completely losing it. I don’t even care if I’m sabotaging our team...I’ll break his nose!"

"Jaz, you heard Darren. You wouldn’t want that, would you?" Valkyrie asked, but Jasmine didn’t respond— she was already pissed as it was.

Echoes began rippling from both sides of the formation, faint and uneven...like waves crashing against an unseen shore.

From the Devils’ side, the look on Punch’s face said it all. He didn’t want any more problems. He didn’t want to pair with Jasmine. She had humbled both him and his ego after beating him in the stance trial.

"Oh no..." he murmured under his breath, though he pretended in front of his friends that he wasn’t intimidated at all.

"Rain and Mona," Camila continued.

A few heads turned. Rain, a tall, winged Angel of Water, who was known by everyone for her quiet discipline.

Mona, however, rolled her shoulders, cracked her neck, and gave Rain a look that said, ’Oh... this is going to be interesting’.

Camila raised a hand. The air snapped silent instantly. Her gaze swept over the field— sharp and cold. Even the breeze seemed to hesitate.

"Whisper again," she said softly, "and I’ll make the rest of you pair with your minds."

That single line was enough. The murmuring died completely.

By her side, Darren stood still— his expression unreadable, hands clasped behind his back. His presence was silent thunder, supporting her authority without a word.

Camila glanced at the parchment in her hand and continued in a steady voice.

"Lily and Delvin."

Lily, the bright, radiant Earth Angel, looked appalled. "Him?" she mouthed silently.

Delvin only grinned, he didn’t talk much. The dark flame in his eyes flickering.

"Ball and Raven."

"Tekna and Stone."

The students began to murmur again, but it was mostly from the devil’s wing...

"Oh, Stone... that should’ve been me..." a few female devil students whispered lustfully, snickering before quickly covering their mouths as Camila’s eyes swept in their direction again.

Her tone softened, though her focus remained firm.

"May and Rosé."

The two girls exchanged a knowing look. Rosé wasn’t having it though. She couldn’t help it...she hated May so much, especially after all she said earlier to her.

"Oh, not that bitch..." Rosé cursed.

"How can Principal Camila pair me with her? Come on guys, you can’t make this shit up," May said with agitation in her tone. "This is a setup or close...’cause I won’t waste a single second pulling her lace front out her scalp!"

Tekna burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, May, you’re hilarious! Not her lace and scalp?...the girl’s bald as it stands!"

That made the whole group break into uncontrollable laughter.

**************************

"Suki..." Camila paused briefly, scanning the next name. "...and Raze."

The pairing drew mild reactions. Raze, the tall, lean Devil with violet scars running across his arms, gave a lazy salute. Suki simply nodded, keeping her composure. They had never interacted before, as a result — she swore their mission would be a smooth one.

Camila kept calling names for over thirty minutes. Each new pairing carried weight now, not just curiosity or rivalry, but something sharper.

"Lyra and Zeon."

"Clair and Vorn."

"Tessa and Xyro."

The names continued to echo into the chilled morning air. Until—

Camila lowered the parchment. Her gaze finally fell upon the final name, and her breath paused.

Her eyes scanned the page once more, as though confirming what she’d read.

"...Valkyrie," she said at last, her voice solid as rock.

A long, ten second passed before she spoke the next name.

"...and Bulb."

The field went utterly still.

The air thinned. The silence stretched.

Even the distant wind seemed to falter.

From the front row, Sky’s expression cracked— just slightly, but enough for anyone watching to see. His jaw clenched, the corner of his mouth twitching as his eyes locked on Valkyrie.

She was calm and unreadable, her focus pinned forward as though she hadn’t heard. But Sky saw it...the faint flicker of contentment in her gaze before she masked it.

His heart burned.

The sound of Darren clearing his throat broke the silence, but Sky couldn’t stay quiet anymore. He stepped forward, voice barely restrained.

"Principal Camila," he said, tone measured, "what about me?"

Every head turned. The sound of his voice alone was enough to draw the field’s attention. His friends Tyson, Bryan, Klien, Randy were slightly embarrassed on his behalf.

Camila looked at him briefly but said nothing. Darren took a step forward instead.

"You’ll stay back, Sky" Darren said simply. "You’re assigned to guarding duties for this round...with the rest of the Guardians, of course."

The words hit him like a physical blow.

"With respect, sir," Sky replied, his voice trembling just enough to betray the emotion beneath, "I’m still an Angel. I’ve completed every stage of the assessment. I should be out there. With them."

Darren’s gaze hardened. "This isn’t a request, Sky. It’s an order. You’ll observe the arena with the other Guardians and report any irregularities directly to me. Do you understand?"

"But..."

"That’s final."

The firmness in Darren’s tone cut through any remaining argument. There was no room for rebellion.

Sky’s hands curled into fists, his knuckles whitening. He looked at Valkyrie again, her expression still unreadable...and then back at Darren. His voice broke softly when he finally spoke.

"...Yes, sir."

Iyo, standing quietly beside him, reached out and tapped his hand gently. "Calm down."

He swallowed hard, forcing his breath steady. "Yeah," he muttered. "I’m calm..."

His anger didn’t fade, though. It only sank deeper— like a blade pushed quietly into the dark.

Camila watched him for a moment before turning back to the parchment. "That concludes the pairing," she said, her tone resolute. "Each of you will find your assigned partner within the next five minutes. Once the horn sounds again, the challenge begins."

Darren stepped forward, his presence grounding the restless energy that filled the arena.

"Remember," he said, "today’s objective isn’t to outshine your partner. It’s to survive with them. The forest is active. The traps are real. And this time..." his eyes narrowed slightly, "...you won’t just be facing illusions."

A faint ripple of unease swept through the crowd.

Camila nodded once. "You have your orders. Proceed."

The students began to move, slow at first— breaking from formation like ripples spreading across still water. Angels approached Devils and vice versa, some with hesitation, others with forced civility.

Bulb turned toward Valkyrie, his expression unreadable. "Hey..." he said lightly.

"Hey," Valkyrie replied.

"Let’s crush this, partner," he said with a silly laugh.

Valkyrie gave a simple nod. "Yes... let’s do it."

Behind them, Sky watched in silence, his jaw tightening. Iyo’s hand remained lightly on his wrist, keeping him anchored as the horn began to rise again in the distance.

The sound cut through the air like a call to arms.

Puuuuurrrrrrr!

The training ground trembled faintly underfoot as Darren’s illusions began to activate— dark ripples forming across the open field like fractures in glass.

Camila’s voice rang out once more, cutting above the chaos. "Your test begins now!" The horn blared again, louder this time.

PURRRRRRR!

Its echo was swallowed by the roar of magic, steel, and light colliding in the center of Euphoria Base.

And far beyond the walls of the training ground...something else was already moving toward them. Something Camila and Darren never saw coming... SOMETHING?— VENOMOUS.