Kadota (Love Trilogy)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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It was just another ordinary evening in our side of forest-cradled campsite, nestled comfortably amidst the wilderness. Liv, Fin and I had gathered by the smoky heart of the camp, a cradle of red cinders and bursts of fire shooting into the night sky. Sipping our warm tea after a grueling day of practice running sessions, we relaxed against the rough bark of logs, heads tilted towards the star-studded sky.

My muscles ached with exhaustion; a constant buzz humming through my legs, a testament to the harsh physical regime we had put ourselves through. I felt weak, drained, unfit.

Fin was laughing heartily at Liv's constant stream of jokes about the abominable lunch we'd struggled with today. His dark, medium length hair fluttered in the breeze while his blue eyes kept drifting towards me—brimming with hope and resilience. "Dee, couple more sips of tea?" he offered, the innocent eagerness in his voice almost touching.

I responded with a soft smile, my mind churning through turbulent waves. The warmth of the smile did nothing to pacify the cold bitterness nestled in my heart—the fresh sting of humiliation at being turned down from the fighter's section. His subsequent move closer to me made Liv grin but I kept my eyes glued at the flickering dance of fire.

Our silent camaraderie was interrupted abruptly. An authoritative voice shattered the calm of the evening. "Fight or be killed. Rule number one here."

I instantly recognised the stern tone. It belonged to Red. As the head of the fighter's section, he was known for his disciplined, regimented leadership style. Apparently, he was conducting his section's briefing just behind us, on the wooden benches. I didn't need to turn around and peek; his gruff, commanding voice was enough to paint the picture.

Like a drawn magnet, my attention was completely absorbed by the conversation, robbing me of my earlier melancholy. His occasional roughness, his precision, the respect embedded in the silence that followed his words — it intrigued me. I hung onto every word about some 'thoughtless' creatures roaming the woods at nights. It was the first time that I've heard of such. Oddly named yet potent enough to ingrain a sense of dread even in the hearts of the mighty fighters? Who were these 'thoughtless'? And why were they so much to be feared?

Immersed in my thoughts, I jolted at the sudden intrusion of a small tablet placed right under my gaze. Red towered over me, his features veined with an unreadable expression. The silence stretched taut, like a hawk ready to pounce. Fin and Liv wore puzzled expressions — they too could not fathom Red's intentions.

"Your name will never be here even if there are two hundred spots to fill in," he declared callously. The tablet bore a list of fighters in their hierarchical standing.

His gaze swept over my stunned friends, lingering on Fin's proximity to me. On his finger, an obsidian ring glinted conspicuously in the firelight, an alien, ornate addition to his rugged masculinity.

The moment I met Red's gaze, he hastily hid his hands and stormed off with a disdainful sneer tossed at my friends.

Fin and Liv watched him retreat, their held breaths escaping in a collective sigh. "What was THAT about?" Liv asked finally. I shrugged, in a futile attempt to dismiss the importance of the incident that rankled deep inside me. In the silence that followed, I was aware of a tiny ember of defiance kindling within me. It was still far from becoming an inferno, but the first sparks had ignited.