The silver Knight

Chapter 4

The boat rocked gently on the cold, dark water, anchored in the shadows. Raze stood, watching his companions — Rai, Kaizen, and Giro — in quiet conversation with a man. Against the glittering white ice, the figures appeared ghostly, like specters in an otherworldly tableau. He joined them, his breath visible in the frigid air.

Rai, his wristwatch fractured with only a lonely hour hand left intact, glanced at the cracked glass. He spoke without looking up. "Excuse me, what time is it?"

The man looked at the sky, his gaze distant. "It's 10:59 PM."

A shared realization rippled through the group. Kaizen's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching like a spring-loaded trap ready to snap. "Where does the license exam take place?" His voice was sharp. "I want the license to leave the Penta."

Giro and Rai echoed in unison, "Yes, us too."

Raze tilted his head, fingers rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "What is the Penta?"

The man turned slowly, taking a deliberate step forward. "Follow me. I'll lead you to the exam," he said. His voice was calm, as though addressing a routine query. "And on the way, I'll explain it to the young man."

They moved through a narrow, ice-lined street. The cold bit through their clothes, the ground beneath them treacherously slick. The entire island seemed drenched in two colors — a stark, shimmering white and the deep, inky blue of the night sky. Every structure was sculpted from ice, casting strange, elongated shadows in the faint light.

"So, Raze," the man began, his voice muffled by the cold, "you're here for the license exam, but you don't even know why you need it."

Raze's eyes glinted with a spark of defiance. "No, I know why I'm here. I want to see the Phoenix."

The man's smile was faint, almost imperceptible. "If the Phoenix is real, you must first leave the Penta. This license certifies your readiness to face what lies beyond these peaceful islands. The Penta, where we stand, is a cluster of five islands, with this snow-covered expanse as one of them. Outside, it's a different world — chaotic, brutal. Survive the exam, and you might survive what's beyond."

The walk stretched on, the cold seeping into their bones. The wind howled, cutting through their outfits. Every step felt heavier than the last, as if the slippery ice beneath their feet was dragging them down, slowing their progress. They walked for a long time.

Giro, visibly tired, yawned. His kimono hung loosely off his shoulder, exposing his weariness. He glanced around, his usual easygoing demeanor slipping. His breaths came out in shallow puffs, and he huffed, blowing warm air onto his hands. "Man, how long have we been walking? Feels like we've been at it for hours." He muttered, scratching his head. "Hey, brother, you sure it's still 10:59? Because it feels like we've crossed a whole country by now."

The man turned slowly to face them, his expression calm, almost serene. "No game. This is just the path to the exam," he said, his voice steady. He stepped back, placing his hand on his chest as he bowed slightly. "Good luck."

In the blink of an eye, his form shimmered. The man's body twisted, contorting unnaturally. His skin darkened, roughening, as roots sprouted from his feet, digging into the ground. The transformation was swift yet eerie. His body grew rigid, bark forming where skin had been, until he was no longer a man but a tree. A towering, frosted tree, its branches like skeletal arms reaching for the sky.

Where the man had stood, a frozen wooden tree stood. An aroma of eucalyptus filled the air, foreign and sharp. It stood as an ice sculpture, the scent lingering like a memory.

Raze jumped back, startled. "What the hell?!" He pointed at the tree, eyes wide. "Did he just—?! Hey! Why is this thing growing toward me?!"

Kaizen shot a sharp look at the man.. no the frozen tree. "Why you….What kind of game are you playing with us?"

"At this point, nothing surprises me," Rai muttered, his posture slouched, hands buried deep in the pockets of his baggy jeans.

"That bastard played us!" Kaizen's voice was a growl. He turned on his heel, his boots cracking on the ice. "We need to get to the exam hall, now!"

They sprinted, their breaths harsh in the freezing air. The ice underfoot made every step precarious. Suddenly, Giro skidded to a stop. "Hold up!" He glanced back at the path they had taken. "What if that wooden guy tricked us about the exam's direction?"

Rai halted, his eyes narrowing in thought. The others followed suit, their movements slowing to a careful slide.

Kaizen stepped up beside Giro, crossing in front of Rai, who watched with an almost dazed expression. "Let's split up" Kaizen said, his voice rough, on edge. "If the exam time has already passed, then we've lost. Let's take a gamble! Atleast 2 can pass"

Raze smirked, his confidence bubbling up despite the circumstances. "Fine! I'll head towards where the wooden man went. Maybe I can find something useful."

He took off, but before he could gain speed, a firm grip yanked him back. Rai's hand clenched the fabric of Raze's shirt like an anchor. His eyes were cold, calculating. "Wait," he said, his voice flat. "We're all running in the wrong direction."

Raze twisted to face him. "How?"

"You shouted when that tree started growing towards you," Rai explained, his voice steady. "You were standing ahead of us. The man might have been telling the truth — the tree grew towards you, which means he pointed us in the right direction all along."

Giro's eyes lit up with realization. "The tree didn't grow straight up. It curved, like it was showing us the path."

Kaizen's expression shifted, his jaw unclenching as a new plan formed in his mind. "If Rai's theory is correct, then the tree was pointing us in the direction of the exam arena. But it also grew towards the houses nearby. If we cut through them, we might find a shortcut."

They shared a silent understanding, nodding. Without another word, they clambered up the icy structures, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.The four of them moved cautiously, following the direction the tree seemed to indicate. The walk on the rooftops continued, and the icy wind picked up, making the walk feel even longer. The cold pierced through their clothes, numbing their limbs. Their breaths grew heavy, visible as fog in the moonlight. The vast white of the island seemed never-ending, stretching out into the horizon, with no sign of the exam hall in sight.Minutes dragged on, feeling like hours. The unchanging scenery began to gnaw at their patience. Giro glanced at his companions, noticing their growing fatigue.

Finally, the white landscape gave way to something new. The faint outline of a massive structure appeared in the distance, partially obscured by a veil of snow. It looked like a frozen cathedral, its towering spires piercing the sky, glistening in the pale moonlight.

Raze's eyes lit up with excitement. "There it is! The exam hall!"

Kaizen pressed forward, his stride confident despite the aching in his legs. "Let's move. We don't have time to waste."

Giro's feet slipped on the icy ground, and he landed with a heavy thud. "Ow!" He winced, rubbing his head. As he looked up, he realized they were standing before a massive frozen door, shimmering in the dim light. "Well, this is it," he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

Kaizen stepped up, placing a hand on the door. It was solid ice, unyielding. He pushed against it with all his strength, but it didn't budge. "Damn it," he growled through gritted teeth."We're too late," Kaizen muttered through clenched teeth.

Raze grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Step aside, tough guy. If the door is locked.." He pulled back his fist, his muscles coiling like springs. With a loud shout, he drove his fist into the door. The ice cracked under the force of his punch, spiderwebbing outwards before shattering into countless shards."We just break it!"

As the shards of ice scattered, sparkling in the moonlight like a shower of diamonds, the four of them stood at the entrance, peering into the darkness beyond.

"Let's go in," Rai said, extending a hand to pull Giro up.

The four of them stepped into the room, the cold air rushing past them as they entered the unknown.