Heroes of Veridia: Evelyn's Journey

"Fighting is meaningless without a loser," a deep, resonant voice echoed through the room, commanding instant attention. The man stepped forward, dressed in a pristine white suit that gleamed under the dim lighting, his silvery hair slicked back in perfect order. Beside him hovered a floating sword, its sharp edge reflecting the faint light.

"You are to tag others with this," he said calmly, gesturing to the paintball gun in his hand.

Vivian's eyes narrowed as she pointed toward the sword. "And you have your weapon out. Who are you to tell us what to do?"

"If you want to tag people, go do it somewhere else," Selene added, her voice cool but watchful. Both women stood firm, their bodies tense, ready for anything.

The man raised a brow, unshaken by their defiance. "Relax. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to propose something better." His words came with an easy confidence, but Selene and Vivian remained on edge.

Vivian crossed her arms. "Why would we team up with you?" she asked, the suspicion clear in her tone.

Selene, ever direct, followed up. "We don't even know what's going on here. All we got were vague instructions to tag and eliminate others."

The man's smile didn't reach his eyes. "A hundred people were brought here. Only fifty will make it through. Those fifty will then be divided into teams of five for specialized tasks. The moment I entered this place, I began analyzing the participants to find the strongest, and you two are among the ten gifted I find... intriguing." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Those who don't join a team will be randomly assigned. What do you say?"

"How do you know all of this?" Selene demanded.

"The owner of Phantom's Edge is a close friend of my father. That's all I'll say about that. Now, what's your decision?" He extended his hand, the weight of his offer hanging in the air.

Vivian and Selene exchanged a glance, their wariness easing slightly, though they stayed alert.

"If you try anything suspicious, I'll deal with you myself," Vivian warned, stepping forward and gripping his hand firmly. "Vivian Blackwood." She introduced herself, and the moment her name left her lips, the man's eyes flickered with recognition.

"I've heard of you," he said simply, before turning to Selene.

Selene shook his hand as well. "Selene," she stated.

"Welcome to the team, partners," he said with a slight smile. "My name is Logan Pierce, and you're now part of the White Knights."

Vivian's eyes flicked to Selene. "Just so you know, I'm still furious about your attempt to kidnap my sister."

"Feel free to come after me anytime," Selene shot back, a smirk tugging at her lips.

Logan sighed, stepping between them. "Deal with that later. Right now, our focus is on the challenge ahead. If we take out the real threats, Phantom's Edge will be ours for the taking."

~~~~~~

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose to join Phantom Edge?" the red-haired boy asked Evelyn, his voice casual, yet curious.

Evelyn shrugged, her gaze distant. "I didn't come here by choice." She fiddled with a dumbbell, her fingers brushing against its cold metal surface. It seemed the boy knew nothing of her or her infamous father, despite her face being plastered all over the media.

"Your parents forced you?" He chuckled, oblivious to the weight of her words. "Ever since I heard about Anonymous, I've been working hard to become one of them."

"How good are you?" Evelyn asked, lifting the dumbbell, her tone neutral as she waited for his answer.

The gym was eerily quiet, the atmosphere thick with tension. Evelyn and her new acquaintance had locked themselves inside to avoid running into any other participants. Outside, distant echoes of footsteps and the occasional thud from a paintball gun reverberated through the halls.

Tyler chuckled again, clearly unfazed. "I'm seventeen, but I've already hacked—"

Evelyn cut him off abruptly. "Just know we're being monitored," she warned. "I don't want you getting into trouble because of my curiosity."

He nodded, understanding, and mimed zipping his lips. "I'll be careful next time," he assured her, finally introducing himself. "Tyler Wolfe."

Evelyn gave a small nod, offering her name as well. But again, no flicker of recognition crossed his face.

"He knows nothing about me," she thought to herself.

Tyler stood up, pacing in the small, enclosed space. "This is taking too long. What are we going to do?"

Evelyn, her expression cold, raised an eyebrow. "And what do you expect me to do about it?" She tossed the dumbbell to him, which he caught easily. "If you want to succeed, you'll need to be patient."

Tyler, clearly growing restless, sighed. "If it weren't for my parents forcing me into this, I'd be trying to hack into a certain organization's database right now."

Before Evelyn could respond, the door to the gym suddenly flew open, a powerful gust of wind ripping it from its hinges. The familiar sense of dread washed over her.

Tyler immediately dropped the dumbbell, both of them instinctively reaching for their guns and crouching behind a desk. Silence filled the room as they held their breath, waiting.

In strode the trio known as the White Knights. Vivian cursed aloud, frustrated. "Where the hell are they?" she muttered.

Selene, standing beside her, shot Logan a glare. "You said they were here."

Logan's gaze swept the room, his demeanor calm. "They are. They're hiding behind that desk." He pointed directly to where Evelyn and Tyler crouched.

Evelyn sighed softly, her frustration growing as she realized that Selene and Vivian had teamed up. Tyler, on the other hand, looked utterly shocked by how calm she remained.

"Whatever you do, don't touch Evelyn," Vivian growled, warning Selene and Logan.

Selene scoffed. "I'll do whatever I want," she replied, her voice sharp and challenging.

Logan, sensing tension rising between the two women, stepped in. "One of them has a gift. Be careful."

Tyler turned to Evelyn, his eyes wide. "Are you gifted?" he whispered.

Evelyn simply shrugged. "He's wrong."

Tyler frowned, confused. "Maybe his senses are off."

"You have a plan?" he asked, his voice quiet but tense.

Evelyn shook her head. "No. There's no point. They have gifts; whatever plan we come up with will fail." She glanced at him. "Even if I'm eliminated, my father will find a way to get me into Phantom Edge."

Tyler's eyes lit up with an idea. "If I tell my parents I was eliminated by the gifted, they won't be mad at me!" Without waiting for Evelyn's response, he stood up from behind the desk.

Immediately, paintballs flew toward him. Tyler was eliminated within seconds.

Evelyn blinked, stunned at his recklessness. No matter how much she wanted to defy Victor, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

It had been hours since they'd been brought to this place. The challenge was nearing its end, and Evelyn was certain many others had already been eliminated. She was also sure her three soldiers were still somewhere in this building, though not currently in the room.

"Hurry up," she muttered under her breath. She felt a presence towering over her and looked up to see Vivian staring down at her, grinning.

"Look who we have here," Vivian sneered, her voice dripping with menace.

"Three seconds... that's all I need," Evelyn thought, a red crosshair only she could see appearing on Vivian's head.

Before Vivian could react, Evelyn fired her toy gun, hitting her squarely on the forehead. The sting of the plastic pellets made Vivian stumble back, cursing.

Evelyn didn't waste a second. She shot toward the two at the door but missed as they retaliated. Selene moved to attack with her blood whips, but Vivian, still nursing her pride, lashed out with a gust of wind, knocking the blood tendrils away.

Logan's sword spun in the air, deflecting the droplets before they could stain his suit. Selene snarled in frustration, her eyes narrowing at Vivian.

"You still haven't forgotten about what you did to my sister, have you?" Vivian snapped.

Logan sighed. "We're not supposed to be fighting each other," he reminded them, but they ignored him.

Suddenly, Evelyn's soldiers burst into the room. Logan's eyes widened as he realized he was too late to stop them.

As Evelyn's soldiers stood poised, ready but unmoving, the atmosphere thickened with unspoken tension. Logan's eyes darted desperately around, seeking any possible escape, but the soldiers had effectively blocked all exits.

Evelyn's calm gaze seemed to pierce through the growing unease. Just as Logan's panic reached its peak, a faint, menacing click echoed through the room. 

Evelyn's smile widened. "It appears," she said softly, "that the real game is just beginning." The soldiers' guns shifted slightly, their aim now fixed on Logan, sealing their fate.