The silver Knight

The first candidate, Number 1, stood motionless at the edge of his assigned bridge. His form was swathed entirely in dark coverings, the material thick and seamless, revealing neither flesh nor eyes beneath the layers. The very sight of him unsettled the crowd. Whispers rippled outward, voices rising in confusion and dread.

"Is it... a shadow?" someone muttered.

"A human?" another ventured.

"A beast?"

"An assassin, maybe?"

"Who is Number 1?" one voice demanded, louder than the rest. "And why's he standing there like he's already won the whole thing?"

"What's going on? What is he doing?"

The tension mounted, sharp as a blade pressing against bare skin. Then, without so much as a flicker of movement, he vanished.

A gasp rippled through the gathered candidates, sharp and collective.

"Am I seeing things?" Raze murmured, his voice barely audible over the murmurs.

"No way! What... what is he?" Giro stammered, his eyes darting to the spot where Number 1 had just been.

One moment, the figure had been there—silent, ominous, unyielding—and the next, he was gone. The air where he'd stood felt heavier somehow, as if marked by his presence. It was as though the very ground had swallowed him whole.

Around him, the candidates trembled, their confidence wavering like leaves in a storm. All but one. Amidst the sea of fear, a single figure stood unmoved, their stance calm, their expression unreadable. While the rest of the crowd recoiled in apprehension, this lone candidate stared ahead, their gaze unwavering, unflinching.

A low murmur swept through the candidates, followed by a sharp laugh. Number 2, his lean figure relaxed, stood at his bridge but made no move to step forward. His thin lips curved into a smile that seemed to cut the frozen air. "That's interesting. Heh, heh, heh," he muttered, his tone both amused and sinister.

Rai's brow furrowed as he turned toward the scene. "Number 2… even he isn't taking any action, just standing there. He will die if he stays there for half an hour, won't he?"

Raze clapped a hand on Rai's shoulder, a grin splitting his face. "Who cares? Let's go!"

Before Rai could respond, Giro smacked the back of Raze's head with an audible thud. "Just minutes ago, you were ready to die—and planning to drag us down with you!"

Raze rubbed the back of his head, his sheepish smile returning. "Oh, right."

"Whatever," Giro growled. "Let's just get going!"

The four moved quickly, weaving through the chaos of the crowd. Their numbers placed them far back, near the last section of bridges, and the way was littered with scenes of desperation. They passed candidates whose bridges had already shattered beneath them, their screams fading as they fell into the bottomless void. Others displayed their prowess, strange powers crackling in the frigid air—some conjured fire, others water, their abilities allowing them to bypass the perilous ice altogether.

Rai's gaze lingered on one of these displays, his mind churning. "Kaizen, could you bring fire or water like that using your veil?"

Kaizen shook his head, his tone as steady as ever. "No way. I only know how to generate veil. What they're doing… that's something else entirely. A higher level."

Raze's voice cut in, loud and impatient. "Hmph! So how do we use veil like that?"

Kaizen started to answer, but Giro smirked, cutting him off. "Not possible right now. You'd need time to learn—so first, let's survive this round. Then maybe I'll teach you, brat."

The group pressed on, their breath coming in quick bursts as they neared their assigned bridges. Behind them, the groaning echoes of cracking ice filled the air, a grim reminder that their time was quickly running out.

As they approached their bridges, the air seemed to thicken with tension. There, standing as if carved from the shadow itself, was a man dressed in black. His presence was impossible to ignore, his stance predatory, his face a mask of quiet arrogance.

"Zane!" Giro spat, his fists clenching as his voice filled with barely contained rage.

Raze smirked, his tone mocking, even playful. "Of course, he's here! After all, he stole our Giro's spot! Ha, ha!"

"SHUT UP, YOU BRAT!" Giro barked, his glare snapping toward Raze before returning to Zane.

Zane turned his head, his movements slow and deliberate, as though savoring the moment. His gaze landed on the group, and a cruel smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Well, well," he drawled, his voice rich with disdain. "Look what we have here. You weaklings don't stand a chance of crossing this bridge. What I predict is… you'll all end up shark food."

Kaizen stepped forward, the air around him suddenly alive with veil energy. Without a word, he leapt onto his bridge. The ice groaned beneath his weight, hairline cracks spreading across its surface like a warning. Kaizen realised that jumping on this bridge was a mistake, because , now he can't stop but keep on going without his friends. Kaizen didn't slow, no other way. His feet pounded against the bridge, even as it crumbled behind him with every step. "I'll make it before it falls apart," he called over his shoulder, his voice tight with determination. "No other way. See you guys on the other side!"

Raze, not to be outdone, sprinted toward his own bridge with a fiery spirit. His small, light frame barely made a dent on the icy structure, but his inexperience betrayed him. He slipped and stumbled, his legs skidding awkwardly across the slick surface. Rai watched in horror as Raze veered dangerously close to the edge, his arms pinwheeling wildly.

For a heart-stopping moment, Raze dangled over the abyss, his fingers clawing at the edge of the bridge. With a grunt of effort, he managed to haul himself back up, only to make the same mistake again, dashing recklessly forward. His figure became smaller and smaller, a faint blur beside Kaizen's as the two pressed onward, each focused on reaching the far side.

Rai's gaze shifted to his own bridge, his expression intense, eyes wide with concentration. His index finger rested against his lower lip, the telltale sign of his mind working at full speed. Beside him, Giro's attention was divided, his shock at his brother's antics mingling with his growing unease.

But neither of them could focus for long. Zane moved, and his actions demanded attention.

"Hey, Giro!" Zane's voice carried over the chasm, mocking and cruel. "Don't die here… I still want that scroll which contains the final stage of how to master the dark veil you've been hiding!"

Veil energy pulsed around Zane, a deep, menacing purple that seemed to writhe like a living thing. For a brief moment, his hair shifted, revealing both of his eyes, their intensity cutting through the distance. His smirk deepened, twisting into something almost unholy as he let out a low, sinister laugh. The purplish veil surged forward, spiraling into the air like a massive cobra coiling around its prey.

The 893rd bridge groaned under the weight of Zane's power. The spiraling veil wrapped around the ice, crushing it piece by piece. Cracks spiderwebbed outward until, with a final shattering sound, the bridge collapsed entirely. Fragments of ice tumbled into the dark void below, leaving only the pulsing, floating remnants of Zane's veil in its place.

The candidates nearby froze, their attention riveted by the display. Zane stepped onto the swirling dark path he'd created, his veil carrying him forward at an unnatural speed. He surged ahead, overtaking Kaizen and Raze effortlessly. From the distance, the two could see the purplish spiral streaking past them, Zane riding it like a predator in pursuit of prey.

Back at the starting point, Rai and Giro lingered, the shattered remnants of the 893rd bridge looming behind them like a fractured skeleton. It stood as a stark, silent reminder of the peril that surrounded them, a grim testament to the stakes they faced.

"Your brother, Zane, can do miracles with just his veil," Rai said, his tone calm, polite. "Can you?"

Giro snorted, folding his arms. "Heh, Zane's veil isn't normal. It's like he was born with it surging through him. No human should have that kind of power, not from the start. But… if only he'd used it for something good. Instead, he got obsessed with the dark veil—learned the secret arts of it from our master. By the time the master realized what Zane was after, it was already too late. He was too old to stop him." Giro's voice lowered, the memory weighing him down. "So he passed the final stage of the dark veil scroll to me. Told me to keep it safe. I hid it somewhere Zane can't reach."

He paused, swallowing hard, then scratched his head with a nervous grin. "Well… I can do some of what Zane does. Barely. In my own way." He yawned, the gesture as casual as it was incongruous. "But what about you, Rai? I'm not leaving you behind!"

Rai's eyes flicked sideways, though his face remained forward, calm and steady. "Don't worry about me. I've got the basic idea of what to do."

Giro blinked, taken aback. "What? Just from watching?"

"Just do me a favor," Rai said, cutting him off. "Teach me how to activate my veil."

For a moment, Giro could only stare. He couldn't believe what Rai was saying—this man, who had merely observed, claiming he already knew what to do. Giro hesitated, unsure whether to admire him or question his sanity.

Above them, the air felt taut, charged with unspoken doubts and the weight of the unknown. Beneath their feet, the bridges stretched onward, fragile and untrustworthy. The question loomed between them, unspoken but undeniable: Would they make it to the other side? Or would they fall, their ambitions shattered like the bridge behind them?