They moved the corpse on the sled back to the tent. The Keeper went inside the lab, while Felix closed Martin’s eyes with the palm of his hand.

He didn’t know him, but what happened was wrong. Having a second at life and being killed shortly after must be horrible. He sighed, “Even if I don’t know who you were”, he said, “I’ll find your murderer”;

“Talking alone?”, the head of the Keeper appeared beyond the hatch, “Don’t worry. I do it too”;

“It doesn’t surprise me”, said Felix, “Do murders happen often here?”;

“Not quite”, the Keeper moved towards the body and pulled him toward the hatch, “Most people die of hunger, or their brains melt under the sun”, he grinned, “This is a welcome change”;

“Has someone ever told you that you’re a disgusting person”;

“Many did, or I wouldn’t be here”.

As the first starts were twinkling in the sky, Felix decided that he was fed up with this desert and of that creepy man.

“I must go now”, he said, making him stop pulling the body, “You’re an odd person, but you know how to take care of people”. The old man bowed, “I thank you for your company. May I bring you a gift?”;

“What is it?”;

“Just a moment”. He went in his lab, and when he resurfaced, he kept his hands behind his back.

“Here”. It was a golden ring, still attached to its finger.

“I’ll pass, but thanks the same”.

He went back to the murder scene. He ducked on the sand in the place where they found the body. If he looked closely, he could see small black freckles.

His head turned towards a girl who only needed to release the string of a bow to hit him in the forehead. The wind was moving her spiky dark hair, and her narrow eyes were focused on him. The sleeves of her Academy suit were rolled at the shoulder as she always did. There was no way he could mistake her for someone else, even if he didn’t saw her in years, and it was for a good reason: she had died two years before him.

“Samantha?”. The last memory he got of her was her torn face disappearing as Elliot pulled up the zip of the body bag.

“Is that really you, Felix?”. She put down the weapon, “How many I’ve told you to call me Sam?”. She glared at him, narrowing her eyes again, “You look different. Where’s your mole?”. Felix rubbed his chin, and it was the first time he realized it wasn’t there anymore. That was good news, as it was hideous.

“Whatever”, he said, “Can you tell me what the hell happened here?”.

“What do you mean?”;

“I found a dead body here before, killed by an arrow”;

“It was just combat. He’ll respawn later”.

Felix’s eyes widened, “You don’t really believe that, do you?”. This Carlson guy died for nothing. It was absurd. And yet another person who lost their memories, something which he couldn’t explain.

“Felix”, she said, “You know where we are, don’t you? How could have you forgotten that we’re in a simulation exam?”.

“Maybe, but how did it happen?”;

“Well… He attacked me first”, said Sam, “Tried to surprise me, but I was quicker. I turned as he was approaching to me and he charged, then he fell on the knife as I hit him”. It could be plausible, but he had no way of knowing if she was telling the truth or not.

“How did you manage to nock an arrow as he was charging towards you?”;

“I didn’t use the bow”. That was something Sam could do. He shuddered.

“Listen, Sam”, he said, “It’s hard to tell you, but we’re not in a sim-”. The jolt of electricity made him cough and poke his tongue out of the mouth.

“You’re choking!”. Sam sprinted to his back and wrapped her arms around him and joining her hands at the end of Felix’s sternum. “I’m fine!”, he said, but when she pulled his body upwards, he elbowed her in the abdomen, making her gulp and release him.

“You idiot!”, said Sam, panting, her face was red, “I was trying to help you!”;

“I wasn’t choking!”. Felix cleaned spit from his mouth, “We should get going”.

There had been hardly any talking at all in their walk towards the Wall. The land now was only a barren strip of flat sand, but sometimes there were some footprints, or two straight lines and hoofprints made by a carriage. A crown of light separated the dark and silent desert from what was beyond the wall, hiding the multitude of stars he saw in his first day. The HUD automatically reduced his sensitivity to light and noise. It was like staring at the sun, and the noises of drums and cheering people were so loud to give him goosebumps.

Her head turned on the spot, “Someone’s here”. She left him and ran. It was true. The HUD heat vision detected the shape of a human hiding behind a rock at the side of the road. Sam arrived before him and grabbed the guy out of his hiding before he could start running. She pulled him up, and he started flailing and kicking the air. One of his elegant black shoes fell on the ground.

“Please!”, he said, “Don’t kill me!”.

Sam pointed her knife at his throat, “You’re not wearing a suit”, she said, “You know that disguising is against the Geneva convention?”;

“What!?”, tears were streaming down his cheeks;

“Geneva convention! Do you know it?”, Sam pulled his red tie with the other hand;

“What?”;

“Say what again! I dare you!”;

“He isn’t a cadet”, Felix sighed. Sam turned towards him, “Have you gone mad? He can’t be an NPC”;

“Just leave him alone. He’s harmless”.

Her knife traced a red line on his cheekbone. He couldn’t allow this. Felix bumped into her with his shoulder, making her loose her footing and drop the guy to the ground.

“What are you doing, you idiot!”.

He pointed his knife at her, “You can’t do that!”;

“He’s an enemy!”. There was no way he could persuade her that he wasn’t. The fact that he might be one didn’t allow her to torture him, especially when they were all on the same side: mankind.

He neared his knife at her throat. “We’ll do as I say”.

Sam grinned, “Fine”, and she rose, “Seems like you’ve finally grown a pair”;

“Shut up”.

To be sure, he checked if the guy had any weapon with him. He found a golden watch in the back pockets, a ballpoint pen, and a crumbled sheet of paper. It had been scribbled with five straight lines and plenty of musical notes, something which Felix didn’t have much knowledge of.

“He’s clear”, he said, “Let’s move”;

“No”, she said;

“Why?”;

“Because I said so. Wait me here, and look in the other direction”, she pointed her knife at them, “If I see one of you looking at me…”;

“We won’t”, said Felix, and the guy shook his head. She disappeared in the night, and they both gave their backs to her.

The prisoner’s face was pale, making a contrast with his red ears and dark shaking lips. “T-thank you”, he said, rubbing his gleaming eyes, “I wouldn’t be alive if you didn’t intervene”;

“What’s your name?”.

“Arthur”, he sniffled;

“I’m Felix”;

“Where are we? I-I can’t remember anything”;

“I don’t know, sorry”. It had been harsh even for him who had been trained. He couldn’t imagine how it could be for someone who had no experience.

“What were you doing behind that rock?”, said Felix;

“I don’t know. I-I woke up alone near here, and I don’t know why. Then I saw both of you, and I got scared. what else could I have done?”;

“I can understand”;

“This is terrible”, he said, wiping his tears, “I want to go home. My parents are going to kill me, and I have a concert next week”;

“Were you going to attend one?”.

He shook his head, “It’s part of my tour”;

“Tour?”;

“In Europe. Oh, my, I don’t know what I’m doing here. Please”, he was kneeling at his feet, “I beg you. Tell me how to go back, there must a way-”. He started sobbing again. His voice was getting annoying.

“There’s none”, he said, “And you better stop crying and accept it”.

Sam was back, “I’m done”, she said, “Let’s go”.

The road ended under the lowest spikes, forming a tall roof. Drops of water dripped from above, forming large puddles in which their feet made splashing sounds and a light mist hung around. Glowing eyes observed their movement, hidden inside the recesses of the rock, making hooting noises. Sometimes a bat would descend, screeching.

The doors of a gate opened, and they walked into a cave with a low ceiling. The walls had been sculpted in relief with various scenes: the first one was of a person with blank features holding a flame in his hand, gifting it to people wearing only rags; the last was identical to the statue he saw at the house of the Keeper. The heat inside the gallery was rising, and bright lights were flashing on the walls. The noise echoing around made him dizzy until the HUD patched it.

Felix’s eyes widened at the sight at the end of the tunnel. The balcony they were on was at the stands of an arena brimming with people seating on steep wooden standings.

“Ale!”, shouted a man carrying a tray full of tankards, spilling some of it on the ground, “The best ale!”. Another vendor was giving a meat skewer to another in exchange of coins, while two men next to him bumped into each other on the stairs. He couldn’t hear what they were shouting, but one pushed the other, and the other one raised if punch, but another man in full armor grasped his arm and twisted it.

The people seating in the towers at the corners of the arena surprised him even more: the women wore bright dresses, full of frills, and their gown was so long to hide the feet; the men wore breeches, with stockings and heeled shoes. They were sitting at large tables, smoking long cigarettes, while a servant poured wine in their golden goblets, and another was dusting the table.

“Where the hell are we?”, said Sam;

“I told you this wasn’t a normal-”. The public fell into silence when a strong voice talked, but Felix couldn’t pinpoint its location.

“Welcome to all of you, people of all generations!”, he said, “The road towards perfection is paved with the failure of our enemies, and all the new people in this world must learn this lesson. Only one of those two fighters will conquer the right to live tonight. Let’s see who they are!”.

The sandy floor of the arena was sloping towards a dark pit in the middle. Four doors of different colors were positioned at each side of the fighting ground. The red and blue pair opened at the same time.

The public gasped, “He’s enormous”, said a man in the stands right below Felix.

“Oh, god, that’s not human”;

“I pity the one who’s going to fight him”.

The extreme light prevented him to see who was entering through the blue door. He was sure the people weren’t referring to the one from the red one because it was only a normal guy wearing a hoodie and wielding a curved sword. A short, and fat man had been surrounded by a crowd around the stairs, “I don’t accept any bet!”, his voice was shrill, and he pushed away all the people who were giving him a blue or red card, “It’s useless! I won’t pay any bets”.

The Giant made his way into the arena.