Chapter 51: Together ───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ──── ║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 24 - 2027 ║ ║ Wednesday║ (D - 2) Before the Commencement of Olympia's Cup║ I walk out of the archery room in a daze, my mind reeling with the horrific sight I just witnessed — the lifeless body of that student lies sprawled on the floor. My hands tremble uncontrollably as the scene plays over and over in my mind. I imagine the sickening thud of the arrow hitting flesh, the choked gasps he did as he clutched at the protruding shaft in disbelief in that moment of his death. Perhaps, that's how it got hell for him. I tried to tell myself it was just my imagination, that same old paranoia rearing its ugly head again. But, no matter what I do or think, it still leads to the same scenes I had been trying to whisk off my mind. I staggered away from the archery shed, the metallic scent of fresh blood filling my nostrils. I stumble out into the corridor, my footsteps echoing hollowly. I try to s

Chapter 53: The Amethyst Serpents───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 25 - 2027 ║║ Thursday║ (D - 1) Before the Commencement of Olympia's Cup║As we dispersed to our common rooms to strategize, an air of mystery and danger surrounded this new challenge. The corridor was dimly lit, the torches casting shadows that danced ominously on the stone walls. An eerie silence hung in the air as we made our way down the stairs, our footsteps the only sound, echoing off the cold stone. We descended into the unknown, into what seemed like the bowels of the school's dungeon itself.Within our mysterious endeavor I stayed silent, listening to the hushed chatter of my teammates around me. Rumors from them began to swirl in my mind as I can hear them mention the last wave of the Olympia's Cup years before where they found artifacts hidden around the cup's grounds, weapons that could incapacitate opponents, and of secret passages that could give one team an advanta

Chapter 55: Labyrinth of Woe───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 26 - 2027 ║║ Friday║ (D - DAY) The Commencement of Olympia's Cup║"Now, go, my dears... and may the darkest hearts win!"Those were the remnants of the headmistress words in my ear. Echoing like distant thunder through the corridors of my mind, a call to action for those of us with ambitions beyond what society deems acceptable. And with a determined smile spreading across my face, I stepped forward into the daylight, ready to claim my place among the darkest hearts."This is gonna be hell for me, I am certainly sure," I muttered under my breath as I glide my orbs to the forest arena spread out before me, a vast maze of dense trees and thick undergrowth. The bright sun shone down on the forest, its rows of tall trees stretched as far as the eye could see, their leafy branches casting dappled shadows on the uneven ground.The thought that somewhere within this maze lays dark challenges

Chapter 57: Triple Deadly Threats───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 26 - 2027 ║║ Friday║ (D - DAY) The Commencement of Olympia's Cup║The entrance gapes like an open wound, beckoning me forward with promises of secrets hidden deep within. I hesitate, fear and curiosity warring within me. The forest has fallen silent, as if holding its breath, waiting to see what I will do next. I take a step forward, then another, passing under the stone arch and into the Labyrinth itself.When I did reach the space, the last step of my boots resounded before I halted, the Labyrinth stands tall and ominous now on my front, its dark stone walls casting long shadows across the mud forest ground."Well, this is far worse than what I had imagined," With nothing else to do but to utter those words, my hope and soul seemed to take turns and escaped from my body as quick as lightning as I stared at three obstacles laying in my front. What in the, "Triple Deadly Threats,

Chapter 59: Blood Meadow───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 27 - 2027 ║║ Saturday║ Second Day of Olympia's Cup║The blaring siren pierced through the silence of the day like a knife, jolting me awake from my slumber. It was not the usual alarm used to rouse prisoners from their sleep, nor the usual siren the school used to signal the times of class.This was the Games siren, the one that signaled the beginning of a new day of torture and perhaps bloodshed. With its dreading call, I immediately knew what it meant — the second day of the games had begun. I pushed myself up from my spot on the cold floor where me and my teammates had slept, my muscles aching and stiff, and my heart pounding in my chest. The same time that the room casts an eerie red glow from the flashing light outside the small window of the chamber, was the time the other girls from my team woke up. We looked at each other with hollow eyes, knowing that we were lucky to make it t