Date: Day 4, Frost Range Trial
Location: Southern Ridge, Emergency Camp – Moonlight Watch
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Today, the bronze bell rang.
Not ours — theirs.
Team B is gone.
No message. No signal. Just gone.
One moment we were gathering firewood.
The next, a flash of bronze light across the sky — followed by silence.
Riya dropped the logs in her arms.
Alice stood up slowly, eyes narrowing.
Yukari whispered something in her native tongue. I only caught one word:
> "Retreat."
---
Mireille returned an hour later. Alone.
She told us what little she knew.
> "Their bell was triggered near the northern ridge. No one hurt, just… shaken. The professors recalled them."
She didn't explain what they saw. Or what forced them to give up.
But her lips were pale, and her blade hadn't been sheathed.
She looked at me and muttered:
> "You're the only ones left. No more training. This is survival now."
---
We moved base again — deeper into the trees, near a frozen creek bed.
We took inventory. More rations than expected.
Either David planned for this… or someone adjusted our supplies.
Leander joked that the other team left behind their dignity.
No one laughed.
---
Tonight, I took first watch.
The others are sleeping in a half-circle around the fire.
Lily pulled her blanket closer to mine before nodding off.
Alice pretended not to notice.
Riya… stared at the tree line for too long before closing her eyes.
---
I've placed runes near the boundary, activated two spirit crystals. If anything crosses the line, we'll know.
Still…
I can't stop thinking about what Mireille said.
> "No more training. This is survival."
---
If the Velgrem really is out there… and if it hunted the other team…
Then why didn't it attack us yet?
Why did it wait?
And more importantly —
Is it alone?