In front of us stood three men. I didn't recognize two of them, but the one in the middle stood out instantly. At first, I only saw him from behind: broad shoulders, a tight black shirt, and those black, slightly curly strands that fell just to his neck. His stance was relaxed, but he looked like someone who knew people were watching him.

The guy looked like someone who naturally belonged in the spotlight.

Something about the way he stood felt strangely familiar.

He drew the string, exhaled, and released. The arrow hit almost exactly in the center of the target. The girls behind us clapped quietly, some giggled, others called his name. In front of us I could feel it—the crowd's mood leaning forward, that typical hype feeling when everyone knows: this guy is better than almost everyone else.

He turned slightly to the side to place a new arrow.

And in that moment I saw his face.

I froze.

Shit. Of course. Of course it's him.

The younger guy from the water station.
The one who shoved me aside.
The one who looked through me like I was a rock on the ground.

"See?" Daisuke whispered to me. "If you train here, you'll get better automatically. Pressure is good."

I didn't answer. My throat felt dry.

Carmen stood next to us, smiling—that warm, honest smile that somehow calmed me while also making me even more nervous.

"You made it all the way to the front," she said softly. "That's already more than I would dare to do."

Yeah. Except I didn't walk here by myself.

I looked at the crowd. So many eyes. So many faces. If I stand there and shoot now, everyone will see it. If I drop something, everyone will see it. If I stand wrong, everyone will see it.

Screw this. I'm leaving.

I turned around, pushing past Rafi and Daisuke, trying to squeeze my way back through the crowd. My heart was racing, my head pounding. I just wanted to get away before somebody—

"Hey."

The voice came from ahead, clear and sharp, with a hint of amusement. I stopped, even though every part of me wanted to keep walking.

"You, with the spear," the same voice said. "You were up front just a second ago."

The crowd opened up again a little, almost on its own. As if everyone sensed that something interesting was about to happen. I turned around slowly.

Antoine was only a few steps away, looking straight at me. His black, curly hair was slightly sweaty, but he still looked like he'd walked out of some kind of advertisement. His muscles showed under his tight shirt. He looked completely sure of himself, not even a bit nervous. Next to him stood two hunters from Squad One, both wearing small grins.

"You've got a spear in your hand and you're trying to walk away?" he asked. His voice sounded amused. "You don't want to train with us?"

A few people laughed quietly. Not loud, but enough for me to hear it.

I glanced at the spear in my hand, then at the shooting range, then at the crowd behind me. So many faces. I looked for Rafi and Daisuke. They were standing off to the side, both looking surprised. Rafi's brow was slightly furrowed, and Daisuke looked like he was one second away from yelling, Just do it.

I found Amina next. She stood further back with her new friends. They all had their heads raised, watching the scene. Amina looked at Antoine first, then her eyes moved to me. Her expression was hard to read—somewhere between interest and concern.

Then I searched for Carmen. She was closer than I thought. Her eyes were locked on me. No laughing, no mocking. Just that serious watching, like she wanted to see what I would do next.

Aleks, pull yourself together. If you embarrass yourself now, everyone will remember. Not just today, but for the whole six months. And probably even after that. Everything has gone so well this week. Don't mess it up—but don't run away like before either.

My heart beat faster. My chest felt too tight.

The people became quieter. The murmuring faded. Suddenly only a few sounds remained: the crackling of a far-off fire, the clinking of arrows in a quiver, the soft snort of a Grivar somewhere behind the rows.

"Come on," Antoine said. "Since you're already up here, you can show us what you've got."

In that moment he leaned toward one of his teammates and whispered something. It was half quiet, but I was close enough to hear it.

"That's the bastard from the water station," he muttered. "The one with the big mouth. Because of him I showed up late."

My stomach twisted even harder. The other hunter from Squad One widened his eyes for a second and looked at me, surprised.

"That's him?" he said a little louder. "The small one?"

He laughed. It wasn't a cruel laugh, more like the kind of laugh people make when something doesn't add up. But it still hurt.

Antoine straightened up again. His expression changed. It wasn't that relaxed, confident smile he had shown the girls earlier. It was tighter, sharper. A kind of smile that moved downward, the way people look at insects.

"Are you assigned to the hunter squad too?" he asked, and this time there was no neutral curiosity in his tone. It sounded dismissive. Like he already knew the answer and just wanted to hear me say it myself.

I wanted to say something smart. Something like, "Yeah, and?" or "Why do you care?" or anything that wouldn't make me sound like an idiot. But my throat felt blocked. My tongue felt heavy. No sound came out.

So I just nodded.

His friend next to him stared at me, then his expression twisted into a wide grin.

"What?" he said, laughing. "He's really a hunter?"

The laughter spread. Not to everyone, but enough people laughed that it sounded like a small circle around me. A few girls giggled quietly, others just looked around, unsure. Nobody stepped in. Why would they? It was just a small moment. Just a few sentences.

My heart started beating even faster. My hands suddenly felt too heavy for the spear. I didn't know what to do with my arms. Hold them tight? Keep them loose? Lean the spear down? I only noticed that my fingers had begun to shake.

For a moment, everything in front of me blurred. The faces, the trees, the targets, the shooting lanes. It felt like I had seen this scene before. Schoolyard. A circle of people. One guy talking big. Me somewhere in the middle with a red face and thoughts moving too fast. The same pattern again. Me as the target again.

Not again. Please not again.

Antoine tilted his head slightly. "So, which unit are you from, kid?" he asked. "Since you're a hunter and all."

People looked straight at me. I felt every expectation on my skin. If I said nothing, it would be bad. If I said something wrong, it would also be bad. There was no good outcome, only different kinds of embarrassment.

"Seven," I finally managed to say. My voice sounded thin. "Unit Seven."

It was just one word. But it felt like I had just spoken a judgment over myself.

Antoine and his friend looked at each other. In the next moment they burst into loud laughter. Antoine even put his hand on his colleague's shoulder, as if he had just heard the best joke of the day.

"That explains a lot," he said between laughs. "Of course Seven."

Some people in the crowd laughed along. Not everyone, but enough for it to hurt. It wasn't cruel, brutal laughter, but that light, dismissive kind—the kind that says: Oh, that makes sense. That guy.

My stomach turned. Not in an overdramatic way, but in a real, physical way. My gut tightened, my knees felt soft. I felt my gaze drop for a moment. Then I forced myself to look up again.

For a second, all the faces in front of me blurred. I searched for Carmen. Her silhouette stood out in the crowd. She didn't look like she was laughing. Her face was serious, her forehead slightly furrowed. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

I glanced at Rafi. He definitely didn't look happy. Daisuke had his mouth half open, like he was about to say something, but he stopped himself. Maybe he didn't know how far he could push things here.

Antoine eventually stopped laughing. The smile stayed, but it changed. It wasn't a spontaneous grin anymore—it was intentional. His eyes stayed on me. Clear. Direct. Looking down at me.

"You know what," he said calmly. "If you're really Unit Seven and you show up here with a spear, then we can have a little fun."

He took a step toward me. The distance between us shrank. He didn't look tense at all. More like he was about to suggest a game.

"Let's have a little duel. Okay?"