[Here is the surprise event that everyone has been waiting for.]

  [The SURVIVAL TRIAL.]

  [Our little bunnies must defeat their once-beloved friend to survive. Time limit: 5 hours. Once the time is up, our little bunnies' hearts will automatically stop beating.]

  "What! Defeat that giant worm in 5 hours? That's crazy." I gasped, heart dropping into my stomach.

  Once-beloved? There was never a once! Is Mr. James blind?

  Rona howled. "Fight our friend?! No!"

  "Did none of you see the heart automatically stop beating part?" Isaac smacked his face.

  Rona and I stared blankly at him. "Oui…"

  "I'm with a bunch of idiots. What sin did I commit in my past lives?" Isaac muttered.

  Maybe insulting someone till their death.

  [I would appreciate it if you little bunnies stopped interrupting me.]

  "Oh… Sorry." Rona bowed her head instantly.

  I stomped my foot. "Can't we chat a bit more before we become Looney and Monica Jr.'s food?!"

  "Here I thought I might be able to open a flower shop before I die," Isaac said gloomily, his gaze distant. "It was my mother's dream."

  I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. There's us too, you know. With the three of us, there's nothing we can't handle."

  "Even though you guys are the reason Looney and Monica Jr. gone berserk?" he said calmly. I ignored it.

  Why is he blaming me? It was Rona's fault.

  Rona grinned and held out a weird-looking fruit, green with a sickly purple hue. "Don't worry! Here!"

  She patted her chest. "Rona shares her food too! So cheer up, Isaac!"

  I stared at it. Is that consumable…?

  Isaac gave a half-hearted smile and accepted it. "Thanks, Rona." Then he leaned toward me and whispered, "She just gave me a poison fruit."

  I whispered back, "At least she gave you something she thought was edible, so stop complaining."

  [Are you done yet? We don't have all day. Or should I just take care of you three little bunnies myself?]

  Isaac and I immediately shook our heads.

  Rona stepped forward, hands on her waist. "Mr. James, you should try comforting Isaac, too. He's feeling really down right now."

  We turned our heads towards Rona. Our jaws dropped.

  Isaac's eyes widened. "I'm all better now. So let's just continue on, shall we?"

  He rushed to her side and hissed, "Please, Rona, stop it now. I'm serious."

  Rona ignored him. "Well, Mr. James? Aren't you going to..."

  We tackled her and clamped her mouth shut.

  "Please continue," I said quickly. "Just ignore what Rona said. She wasn't serious."

  [I suppose I'll ignore it… or else the game will never end.]

  [So there you have it. Your final trial.]

  [I do hope our three little bunnies pass, or I'll be absolutely disappointed.]

  [Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Say no more. Your time starts now, little bunnies. Hop along! Or meet your maker, so they say.]

  Mr. James gave a nasty laugh and vanished, leaving behind a cold, glowing countdown.

  3

  2

  1

  0...

  As the number vanished, time snapped forward like a whip, and the worm roared.

  SCREEEEECHHHHHH!!

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  The force of its scream slammed into us like a freight train. Trees were ripped from the ground and flung through the air. We were lifted off the ground, arms and legs flailing.

  "He's mad, alright!" I sobbed.

  We slammed into the dirt. My bones groaned.

  "My bones… please don't crack," I muttered, trying to rise.

  Isaac pushed himself up. "Broken bones should be the least of your worry, you nut case."

  The worm's massive head dipped forward, then froze. Its body rippled in slow, uneven waves, segments tightening, loosening, tightening again. The ground trembled in short, frustrated pulses.

  Why does that position look so familiar? I closed my eyes, breathing deep. Why do I sympathize with it?

  Silence. For a beat.

  Suddenly, the worm's massive mouth opened and dove straight toward us.

  I jumped back in shock. Screw sympathy! No time to think. No time to plan. Just pure, primal instinct.

  "RUN!!!"

  "This must be revenge for all those times my Ma ate fried worms!" I screamed as we were flung into the air. "Oh, Ma! Why!"

  Bang!

  We dodged. Barely. The worm struck the ground behind us, splitting the earth open. Shards exploded upward.

  Again. Thrown. Slammed down. No time to groan. No time to complain. Scrambled to our feet. Ran.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  The beast kept diving after us, relentless.

  The ground split open.

  Heat and rot blasted up from below.

  Dozens, no, hundreds, of smaller worms erupted from the soil.

  Kashaahh!!

  Kuwahhh!!

  They spilled from the ground in a writhing mass. Not as big. But quicker.

  Isaac's jaw tightened. Are those... newborns?"

  "Babies! They're..."

  Isaac hauled Rona back just as a small worm snapped its jaws shut inches from her face. Drool splattered across her cheek. Rona swung her axe, crushing the baby worm's head.

  The smell of blood hit me. I gagged, head spinning. "Oh my god. I feel like puking."

  "Now's not the time to puke. RUN, YOU MORON!" Isaac bolted past me.

  Rona hoisted me up like a sack of potatoes. I bounced on her shoulder like a beanbag. Eyes closed, a single tear escaped. My pride… long gone.

  Whoosh. Whoosh.

  We dashed through the dense woods. Trees flattened by the stampede behind us. They didn’t stop. Never stopped.

  "Thank goodness Mama Worm isn't after us," I muttered, laughing nervously.

  Isaac didn't reply. "We need to split up. Take out these smaller ones. I'll send coordinates once I'm done so we can regroup."

  Rona and I nodded.

  He pointed at the big tree a few meters ahead. "We split there."

  We reached it and split. Isaac straight, Rona right, me left.

  Of course… most of the worms followed me.

  Left is the wrong answer as well.

  I looked back. "Don't you all know what even distribution is?!"

  KISHAAA!!!

  "Yeah, like I know what that means." I gritted my teeth and charged into an open plain.

  Within seconds, they swarmed me.

  A sea of thrashing bodies. Sharp, glistening fangs. Gaping mouths twisting unnaturally as soulless eyes locked onto mine. Their sheer numbers alone could swallow a fortress.

  Shaa… Shaa…

  The wet, maddening sound scraped my ears. The earth shivered; each step vibrated through my bones.

  Between screams, I caught my heart’s thump-thump against my ribs. In that heartbeat, I saw my own terrified eyes reflected in the lead worm's black lens. The world stretched, thin and silent.

  Motion exploded.

  The worms lunged. My scythe twirled, a sliver blur.

  "Vicious noise pollution monsters," I muttered under my breath, teeth gritted, "let's fix that."

  Warm, sticky blood oozed between my fingers as the lead worms struck. It was either me or them. A grim smile curved my lips.

  SWOOSH.

  The blade cut once.

  In a single arc, the front line of worms exploded into torn flesh.

  SPLAT.

  Half a dozen dropped instantly, sliced from jaw to tail. My breath hitched. But there was no time to pause.

  WAAAGHH!!

  They came from all sides. Claws, teeth, screeches.

  I spun. The dagger hidden in my scythe flicked into my left hand. Movements sharp, fluid, merciless. Muscle memory carried me, familiar as the woman in my dream.

  Step back; stab.

  Slide left; slash.

  Two down.

  Another lunged. I dropped into the grass, slick beneath me, worms wriggling like living ropes. My pulse hammered, thoughts flashing to Rona. Her grin, her reckless courage. I had to make it through, for her.

  Coil around my leg; snap. Dagger met thick, rubbery resistance. Wet pops and vibrations shook the shaft.

  Swing. Step. Turn.

  The battlefield became a blur of motion, mud clinging to boots, the iron scent of blood thick in the air. One worm lunged high. I sliced, it fell.

  Not a pause. Not a second wasted.

  Breath grew heavier. Arms trembled, not from exhaustion, but from the weight of what I was doing. Guilt burned alongside adrenaline.

  Another tried to coil, faster this time. Instinct took over. The dagger plunged into its skull, resistance giving way with a wet, sickening pop.

  Surrounded. Outnumbered. But not overwhelmed.

  Every strike precise, every motion burned into my body through blood, sweat, and fear. The worms fell one by one, screams cutting into the wet slap of their bodies hitting the ground.

  Then stillness.

  Silence.

  I exhaled, chest heaving, hands slick with blood. The storm had passed but its mark lingered, in my arms, in my pulse, in the taste of iron on my tongue.

  No more hissing. No more movement. Just the corpses around me. Silence pressed in, thick and suffocating. My hands still trembling.

  A breeze stirred, brushing cool against sweat-slick skin, carrying the sharp tang of iron and damp earth.

  I knelt, pressing fingertips into the soil. Not all could be buried, but I did what I could. Simple mounds, roughly carved markers. One word etched into each:

  "Worms."

  For a moment, I just stared at them. The ground, the blood, the mud. Everything felt impossibly heavy. I could still feel their tiny bodies beneath my fingers, the weight of lives ended by my hands.

  I stood, inhaling the heavy, metallic air. Mud, blood, sweat. The aftermath clung to me. My chest ached, a mix of exhaustion and guilt. I bowed.

  "I'm sorry," I whispered, voice hoarse. "You didn't ask for this."

  Fists clenched. Sticky. Warm. Red.

  This isn't just a game anymore.

  I drew a slow, shuddering breath, trying to steady my racing chest. The metallic tang of blood lingered on my tongue, sweat dripping into my eyes.

  Ping.

  [You got a new message.]

  Isaac's coordinates blinked on my screen.

  Blue lines twisted across the holographic screen. My eyes watered from the brightness.

  [MAP]

  Green dot: Isaac; moving steadily.

  Yellow: Rona; spinning wildly.

  Red: me. Danger.

  I squinted at the flashing dots.

  "Err… this is a map?" I mumbled. My stomach roared, empty and aching, reminding me of every missed meal since the hunt began. I closed it. Instinct, then.

  I cast one last glance at the graves, pressing my palms into the soil. Goodbye, worms. May your next life be better.

  Steel clenched in my chest, scythe in hand. I faced the forest.

  Let the next hunt begin.

  “Survival Trial” indeed.

  We got comedy, carnage, and existential crisis, all in one episode.

  Llyne’s empathy keeps shining through, even in a blood-soaked field.

  But that compassion may be the one thing that gets her killed.

  Next chapter: Rona’s honesty meets the apocalypse.