Flight to the Unknown
The private aircraft was far too luxurious for what it was carrying—10,000 selected students, each hand-picked from around the world. Mafia blood ran in most of their veins, though no one said it aloud.
Rows of leather seats. Blacked-out windows. No staff. No pilots visible.
Lev Morozov sat near the back, arms crossed, hood up, expression like ice. He hadn’t spoken a word since takeoff. His eyes barely blinked. He stared straight ahead, but his mind was a thousand miles away—in cemeteries and gunfire.
Across the aisle, Sayaka Kurogane leaned toward her twin brother, whispering in Japanese, “That’s Lev Morozov. The grandson of him.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUTHySmwFx
Raiden Kurogane didn’t look. He was busy tapping something invisible on the back of the seat in front of him. “We shouldn’t talk to him.”
“Why? Scared?”
Raiden cracked half a smirk. “Not scared. Cautious. You don’t poke a sleeping beast.”
Toward the center cabin, Avni Rathore was already arguing with Luce Moretti—or rather, enduring him.
“I’m telling you, this isn’t a normal mafia orientation,” Avni said, scanning the sterile walls of the aircraft. “No windows. No staff. We’re in the air, but no turbulence? No announcements?”
Luce kicked his feet up on the armrest. “Oh, darling, you worry too much. Look around. Everyone here has killed or been trained to. If they wanted us dead, we wouldn’t be sipping in-flight champagne, would we?”
“You’re not sipping anything. That’s your sixth mint.”
“And it’s the only luxury I trust. This plane feels like a hearse.”
From behind them, Erik Falk spoke quietly, “This isn’t a transport. It’s a cage with a countdown.”
Everyone turned. Erik rarely spoke.
Avni narrowed her eyes. “Countdown to what?”
Then the lights flickered.
A soft hissing began, almost melodic. Students started looking around. A lavender scent filled the air. So subtle. So calming.
One by one, heads dropped.
Raiden stood, alarmed. “Avni—don’t breathe too deeply!”
Too late.
Avni’s vision blurred.
Luce fell sideways, muttering, “Valgrave really knows how to host a party…”
Then nothing.
Waking on the Islands
UMBRA ISLAND — Cold. Foggy. Sharp.
Avni’s eyes snapped open. The moss beneath her cheek was wet. Her fingers curled into soil, breathing in panic. She sat up, drenched in dew, her breath coming out in shaky huffs.
She wasn’t alone.
To her right, Raiden groaned and rolled over. “Either I’m hungover... or someone drugged us mid-air.”
She shook him. “Raiden. Wake up. Look.”
The forest surrounded them like a snare. Tall skeletal trees. Mist weaving through air like ghosts. On her wrist, a band blinked:
UMBRA ISLAND.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwuKs0Tn6E
You have 48 hours. Reach the opposite coast. Swim to the Central Island. Good luck, Vaults.
“Is this a sick joke?” Avni muttered.
Raiden read the message. “No. This is Valgrave’s welcome ceremony.”
From behind them, a yawn.
“Do I look like I want to hike through hell at 7AM?” Luce Moretti stumbled out from behind a tree, adjusting his blazer like it was a beach party. “Also... did anyone else dream of being chloroformed by a perfume ad?”
Avni blinked. “You’re here?”
He grinned. “Why does everyone say that like it’s a surprise?”
Raiden cut in, voice tight. “This isn’t a simulation. We’re being tested.”
“No,” Avni said coldly. “We’re being watched.”
Luce walked forward, wristband blinking. “Forty-eight hours. Island terrain. One coast to the next, and then a swim? Sounds like boot camp for psychopaths.”
Raiden was already checking the compass on his device. “We head north. There’s a clearing two kilometers from here.”
“Wait,” Avni snapped. “Let’s think. We don’t even know what’s out here. Traps? Drones? Other mafias?”
Luce’s smile faltered just slightly. “You scared?”
“I’m calculating.”
He laughed. “You sound like a Rathore.”
“I am a Rathore.”
“Oh.” His eyes lit with interest. “That explains the glare.”
Raiden moved between them. “Enough flirting. We move. Now.”
Across the Islands
ASTRYNOX ISLAND — Jungle. Humid. Overgrown.
Lev awoke with a blade already in his hand.
Sayaka sat beside him, cross-legged. “Took you long enough.”
He blinked. “You didn’t leave me?”
“Didn’t need to. You breathe like a tiger in sleep.”
He stood silently, analyzing everything.
Map. Coordinates. Wristband. Jungle shadows.
“This is strategic terrain,” he said. “Perfect for ambushes.”
She nodded. “Perfect for war.”
Lev turned to her slowly. “You trust me, Sayaka?”
Her voice didn’t waver. “Not even a little.”
“Good.”
VIRELIOS ISLAND — Craggy. Infernal. Red cliffs.
Erik pulled a screaming student away from a ledge, setting him down gently. “Stay low.”
Veer Khanna marched past. “What are we? Babysitters?”
Saira Malhotra checked the device. “Erik saved him. That’s not weakness.”
Veer rolled his eyes. “You two can play heroes. I’ll get to the coast.”
Erik’s voice was calm. “You won’t survive alone.”
Veer smirked. “Then maybe I’ll finally be at peace.”
CAELTHORN ISLAND — Waterfalls. Dense canopies.
Ishaan Rao looked up at the sky through vines. “This place is beautiful. Like the kind of place where serial killers fall in love.”
Saira Sharma ignored him, checking their compass.
“Why so serious?” he asked.
She looked at him, deadpan. “Because one of us is going to die.”
He chuckled. “So dramatic.”
“Not dramatic. Statistical.”
Day One Ends
Back on Umbra, night had fallen. They hadn’t eaten. The wind screamed louder now. But the trio pressed on.
Avni sat by the fire, face lit in flickers. “Why us? Why the three of us together?”
Raiden leaned against a tree. “Because Valgrave wants chaos.”
Luce exhaled, serious for once. “Or maybe they want to see who turns on who first.”
Avni looked him in the eye. “Would you betray us, Luce?”
He didn’t blink. “Depends who’s watching.”
Day Two – 48th Hour
By the end of the second day, all ten had made it.
Soaked. Bloodied. Some scarred.
Valgrave Island shimmered in the distance—ancient, godlike.
Luce emerged from the waves last, grinning as he shook water from his hair. “Well, I didn’t drown. That’s progress.”
He looked at Avni and Raiden.
“They’re not the traitors,” he said.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTvJwBBgn6
“I watched them. Closely. They bleed like us.”11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjnUXm9CJ4
Then his voice lowered. “Which means we’ve got a snake among the others.”
Ten survivors.
One traitor.
11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKt5MrdhfxC
And Valgrave University awaited—its walls older than empires, and bloodier than myths.
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