Chapter 672

673
Seeing how it brought more smiles to my family, I decided to keep it up. If only I had known I wasn’t their daughter from the start, I would have just stayed my quiet, reserved self.
That way, they wouldn’t have compared us, and no one would think Aria was cold because I would have been just like her.
Silvia regretted deeply. She thought, ‘What must fifteen-year-old Aria have felt after seeing how well Mom and Dad treated
me?’
*****
Aria’s team consisted of five members, including Saintiger, with exactly two women and three men. Wade’s team had the identical composition.
Word spread quickly that Aria and Wade would be leading teams into Mount Soultaker, and the members who hadn’t been picked in the draw soon crowded around.
One member mustered up the courage to raise his hand. “Mr. Murray, can’t you add a few more spots?”
Emmett chuckled and shook his head. “Too many people would make management difficult,” he replied.
“We’ll behave!” a young member pledged. “Just give the order and I’ll follow it to the letter. No tricks, I promise.”
Someone next to him immediately chimed in, “I’ll be your most loyal man, Echohawk.”
The group howled with laughter. “Damn, you’re so shameless.”
He huffed, “Echohawk only comes around once every four years. Who knows when we’ll see her again?” At his words, the others quickly chimed in, all vying to join Aria’s team.
One of Wade’s team members muttered under his breath, “Seriously, Wade is the top assassin here. Why’s everyone so hung up on Echohawk?”
Wade looked at the lively crowd, thinking to himself that things really were much better with Curtis gone. He much preferred this kind of atmosphere.
He turned to the team member and said, “Go on, say it louder. See if they beat you up.”
The team member’s face fell. “Cap, I was trying to stick up for you.”
“No need, Wade replied coolly. “I prefer to hear the truth.”
The team member said, “Well, to be honest, Cap, I think Echohawk is more skilled than you.”
Wade was speechless. He held it in and thought, “They all look down on me now, but just wait till I win this competition. I’ll
make them eat their words!
Harry sidled up to Wilson and whispered, “Aria sure is popular.”
Wilson lifted his chin proudly. “Of course she is. Just look who her brother is.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “You’re just her cousin. Caleb’s her real brother.”
“Shut it,” Wilson glared at him.
1/2
Emmett lifted a hand, and the buzzing crowd instantly fell silent. “This is just the first trial. Everyone will get their chance to enter eventually, but for now, we’ll proceed strictly according to the lottery results. Understood?”
It wasn’t about the trial; it was about following Echohawk. Once the leader spoke, the crowd fell silent.
Soon, Aria and Wade, each leading their teams, entered Mount Soultaker one after another.
Emmett watched the teams disappear into the distance, then turned to find only Wilson still standing there. And Owen, Joel, and Harry were already gone.
Wilson caught Emmett’s gaze and flashed him a grin. With a slight nod, Emmett averted his eyes. They didn’t belong to the Solemnity Guild. Whether they entered Mount Soultaker or not made no difference to us.
The two teams converged at a fork in the mountain path. Ahead, the path split into two, both shrouded in dense fog, their ends lost from sight.
Wade spoke first, “Left for us, right for you. Agreed?”
Aria nodded. “Agreed.”
Wade said, “Echohawk, I’ll give it my all to defeat you. I hope you’ll do the same.”
“I won’t hold back,” Aria replied. She wasn’t about to let her five teammates lose on her watch.
She led her team along the right-hand path. The fog grew increasingly dense, and the temperature around them dropped sharply.
Aria raised her hand to halt the team. “Change into warmer gear first,” she ordered.
The team had just finished gearing up when a startled cry rang out through the thick fog.