As we approached the group of seven, a sense of unease began to grow inside me. Do they really believe they can win this test as a team? How naive.

Introducing ourselves, I said, "Greetings, my name is Najin, and this is my partner Kitani. We come here with pure intentions, so there's no need to worry."

The group's laughter and carefree expressions disappeared instantly, replaced by an air of tension. My intuition was warning me that we were in danger, that perhaps this was all a ploy to lure unsuspecting candidates to their demise.

Suddenly, a realization hit me - they must have known that there were two traitors on their team, but why were they doing this? Winning was the only objective, but was it really worth sacrificing the trust and safety of others?

As I was contemplating this, a memory surfaced of the grandmaster's words.

"You will all be divided into different groups, one of which will have a traitor. If you find him, the task is completed." But he never specified that we had to find the traitor within our own group, did he? From the beginning, the objective was to find the traitor, not necessarily within our own group.

My mind raced as I thought of a plan.

"Of course, you can join our team. We have nothing to hide," said the blonde-haired girl with a sly smile.

"Is that so?" I responded with a fake smile, trying to conceal my anger. I wanted to confront them directly, but that would only waste our precious time.

They thought this was a mere game, not realizing the severity of the situation.

"Silence." I said menacingly.

"Do you really believe I'm going to sit here idly with you and pretend everything is fine? Do you take me for a fool?"

The mood shifted instantly as everyone looked at me in shock.

"How can you be so sure that I haven't figured out your plan…!?" I challenged the group, determined to get to the bottom of their intentions.

The blonde-haired girl's face turned from smug to worried.

"What do you mean?"

“Do you have a headache?”

“Have you slept enough?" she asked in a feeble attempt to change the subject.

I wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily.

"What do I mean? It's quite simple. Look around you. Everyone in your group is waiting for an answer, an answer from you. Perhaps you are the captain here?”

The tension was palpable as the group remained silent.

"You see how powerless you can be when someone knows how to speak and what to say. I know you can't hurt me because we're all new here and lack combat experience. Communication is key."

While talking may not solve everything, it was our best chance at survival. The group may still try to gang up on us, but at least we had a fighting chance.

Standing before me, the girl's face was filled with confusion as she stumbled over her words.

"What...what's your point?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

I raised an eyebrow, studying her for a moment. Did she really not understand?

"My point?" I repeated slowly, drawing out the words. "It's simple. Just give up."

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. It was clear that she hadn't expected me to say something like that. But I knew better than to underestimate the power of words.

"You...you can't be serious," she stammered. "I can't just give up now."

I rolled my eyes. This girl was so stubborn.

"Listen, there's no shame in admitting defeat. It's better to give up now than to keep fighting and end up getting hurt," I said, my tone calm and even.

She opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off before she could speak.

"Trust me, I know what I'm talking about," I said firmly. "Sometimes, the best thing you can do is accept your limitations and move on."

As I spoke, I could see the doubt in her eyes slowly give way to acceptance. It was working.

But then, everything changed. A sudden burst of mana overwhelmed me, leaving me and the others paralyzed and gasping for air. I could feel my own mana core being drained, leaving me weak and vulnerable.

"What the...I don't understand," I muttered, my heart pounding in my chest.

As I struggled to regain my strength, two glowing figures appeared before me, their eyes fixed on our group.

I knew then that we were in serious trouble. But despite the fear and uncertainty, I refused to back down.

"We have to get out of here," I said, my voice low and urgent. "Now."

As I scanned my surroundings, ensuring that everything was truly all right, I was suddenly struck by an intense surge of mana that left me and my companions completely paralyzed. The sheer magnitude of the energy was suffocating, draining the oxygen from our lungs and leaving us gasping for air.

"What in the world is happening?" I managed to choke out, my heart pounding wildly in my chest as I struggled to make sense of the situation. But as the seconds ticked by, my rational thoughts grew increasingly muddled, and the last thing I could recall were two mysterious, glowing figures drawing nearer and nearer.

And then, out of the blue, came a voice that pierced through the haze of confusion that clouded my mind.

"The boy is here. The relict has been found."

Relict? What was that supposed to mean?

As the darkness began to close in around me, I fought to stay conscious, desperate to find some way out of this nightmare. But it was too late - I could feel myself slipping away, the world fading into nothingness as if I had been given some kind of powerful anesthetic.

In my final moments of consciousness, my thoughts turned to Yato - I could only hope that he had escaped whatever fate had befallen us.

And then, suddenly, I awoke to a sense of warmth and comfort that washed over me like a gentle tide. I had no idea where I was, but the sensation was so soothing that I couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over me.

As I slowly opened my eyes, I was enveloped in complete and utter silence. It was so quiet that even the concept of silence was an understatement. However, a gentle breeze brushed against my skin, bringing with it a pleasant sensation. Despite not wanting to, I slowly sat up, feeling disoriented and confused.

"Where... am I?" I muttered to myself, trying to make sense of my surroundings.

The darkness was all-consuming, making it impossible to see anything in front of me. My vision had been completely taken away, leaving me with only my other senses to rely on.

Yet, amidst the darkness, I felt a familiar warmth that I couldn't quite place. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I had experienced it before, but where and when was still a mystery.

Alone and without any explanation, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Could I be unconscious and trapped somewhere? But that wouldn't explain the strange warmth I was feeling.

I desperately tried to reason with myself, telling myself that it was all just my imagination. However, the physical sensations were too real to ignore. It had to be something more than just a figment of my imagination.

As I stood up, I realized that the darkness seemed to stretch on endlessly. Was this some sort of alternate dimension or world?

All I knew was that something was off, and it wasn't just my imagination. The longer I stayed here, the more dangerous it would become.

Despite my best efforts to stay calm and focused, the darkness seemed to be slowly taking its toll on me. Hours had passed, and I still hadn't found a way out. Just when I thought all was lost, a small light appeared in the distance.

Hopeful but cautious, I began to follow the light, but it seemed like the distance between us barely changed. It was as if the light was moving further away from me with each step I took.

The strange thing was, despite the endless walking, I felt no physical exhaustion. It was as if my body was immune to the effects of time and distance.

As I continued to follow the light, it suddenly burst, sending out a small blast wave that knocked me back. In the next moment, the light appeared behind me, illuminating a small area around me.

To my surprise, there was a mirror. Why was there a mirror in the middle of nowhere?

As I took a few steps forward, my curiosity piqued by the sight of the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a sense of apprehension at what I might see. I hesitated briefly, my heart pounding in my chest, before steeling myself and moving closer. As I looked into the mirror's reflection, I saw a young boy standing there, his features etched with an otherworldly quality.

His hair was the first thing that caught my attention. It was long and black, so dark that it seemed to absorb all the light in the room. The tips of his hair brushed against the ground, giving him an almost ethereal quality. His eyes, however, were what truly stood out. They glowed with an intense red hue, like two burning coals, their pupils elongated and slitted like those of a tomcat. They seemed to pierce through me, as if they were peering into my soul.

Despite his striking appearance, the boy's features were not without flaw. His nose was neither large nor small, but rather fitting for his face, and his cheeks were slightly sunken, hinting at a possible illness. But what stood out the most were the dark circles under his eyes. They were so pronounced that they almost seemed like bruises, giving him an exhausted and worn-out appearance.

And yet, despite all of this, his gaze held no signs of emotion. It was as if he was a lifeless doll, his eyes devoid of any feeling or expression. It was an eerie sight, one that left me feeling both fascinated and uneasy.

And then as I looked closer, I noticed that his hands were covered in blood, from the fingertips to the ulna or radius. It was a gruesome sight that left me feeling uneasy and disturbed. I wondered who he was and why he was covered in blood.

To my surprise, the boy moved his hands in the same way as me, as if we were both mere reflections of each other. But that couldn't be possible. I had short brown hair and was wearing a black kimono, while his hair was long and black, and he wore a black and red outfit. It made no sense for us to be identical.

But as I stared into the mirror's reflection, I noticed something even more alarming. There was blood on my own hands. I had no recollection of touching anyone or committing any violent act, so how did it get there? My mind raced with questions, and my body began to ache with pain.

The pain was everywhere, in every muscle and joint, and I couldn't escape it. My head throbbed, my chest felt tight, and my feet throbbed with every step. I had no choice but to keep going, to push through the pain and find a way out of this nightmare.

Then, a voice echoed in my mind.

"This is reality, Najin Kyushu, the reality you were once in."

Reality? What did that mean? And who was speaking to me? I couldn't see anyone, but the voice was so familiar, like a long-forgotten memory trying to resurface.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling with fear and confusion.

But there was no response, only a deafening silence that left me feeling more alone than ever. The pain continued to surge through my body, and I realized that there was no escape, no easy way out of this nightmare.

I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind, to focus on finding a way to break free from this terrifying reality. But as I opened my eyes once more, the reflection in the mirror had changed. The boy was gone, replaced by a darkness that seemed to swallow me whole.

"Remember who you are, and you will understand," it said, sending a chill down my spine.

As I opened my mouth to speak, a sudden shiver ran down my spine, the weight of the silence around me heavy and foreboding.

"Who are you?" I whispered into the darkness, my words barely audible in the stillness. But there was no response, only an eerie stillness that seemed to stretch on forever.

Just as I was about to give up hope, a voice, deep and mysterious, echoed through the void.

"Do you truly want to know who I am?" it asked, its tone sending a chill down my spine. "But can you handle the truth?"

The sound of those words made my blood run cold, but I was too curious to back down now. I waited, listening intently as the voice continued.

"The reflection that appeared before you, and the sensation of pain that accompanied it, were not merely a trick of the senses. They were glimpses of your past self, existing on a different plane of time. You may wonder how this is possible, and why you still draw breath in this world. The answer lies in the arcane art of reincarnation. You were granted a new life, a fresh start, after being caught in the midst of a great conflict. A conflict born of avarice, and fueled by beings that remain as rapacious as ever.

The reason for your continued existence is shrouded in mystery, a secret known only to the divine. Whether it is a gift or a curse, bestowed upon you by the hand of fate or a higher power, is a question that may never be answered. But you are here, alive and pulsing with a vitality that defies explanation. What you do with this second chance at life is up to you. But remember, the past has a way of catching up to us all, in ways that are both unexpected and unforgiving."

The words that filled my ears left me stunned. Reincarnation? Conflict? My mind struggled to grasp the weight of it all. It was as if reality had become a veil, and the voice had pulled it back to reveal a truth that was beyond comprehension.

The voice spoke again, its tone dark and foreboding, cutting through my thoughts with ease. "Najin, listen to me," it said. "Your fate is not a matter of chance, nor luck. It was destined from the start, and you have the power to shape it."

My heart raced as the voice continued, its words weaving a web of mystery around me. "Yes, fate," I replied in a hollow voice, unsure if I even believed what I was saying.

The voice ignored my response and continued its eerie monologue. "The Almighty controls everyone's destiny. The only question is, where is He?" It paused, and then the tone grew more menacing. "You must change, Najin. Shed your humanity before they take everything from you. Human morality is but a shackle that binds you. It makes you weak. If you don't cast it off, they will kill you."

My mouth fell open in disbelief at the voice's words. "Kill me?" I whispered, feeling a chill creep up my spine.

"Beyond the veil of your limited human perception lies a truth that is seldom spoken of. Morality, a concept that you humans have clung to for centuries, is but a mere illusion. It is a fragile construct that crumbles under the weight of your deepest desires and fears, leaving you all vulnerable to the machinations of a cruel and unforgiving world.

The path to true power lies not in adherence to these feeble morals, but in the rejection of them. Only by freeing yourselves from their shackles can you humans ascend to the pinnacle of your potential.

Listen closely, for there will come a day when you too will understand. Time, an ever-shifting force, will demand of you a change that you cannot ignore. On that day, you will shed your old skin and become something new, something greater.

But heed this warning, for the journey ahead is a lonely one. The company of others will only hinder your ascent, and so you must learn to embrace the solitude that awaits. Let it become your greatest ally, and together you will conquer all that stands in your way.

Remember these words, for they mark the beginning of a new chapter in your life. The day will come when you are no longer the person you once were, and that is a day to be celebrated. Until then, live fully and without regret, for time waits for no one."