The beautiful girl lying against the wall slowly opened her bleary eyes.

The sight before her was unfamiliar. She was in a room she didn't recognise. Someone was standing before her, but she couldn't clearly see who it was. Terrified she started to gather magi particles on her hands.

She remembered she was standing next to her fiancé before someone tapped her shoulder when the fog arrived. After that, she remembered nothing else.

She recognised that someone must have casted a sleep spell on her.

As her sight slowly regained its vision she saw the person standing across her was someone she knew.

"Ellis"

"Ava. Nice to see you too." Ellis greeted her back.

"Ellis let me explain..." Ava quickly tried to say something on her defence but seeing Ellis was moving towards her she backed up only to realise there was nothing but a wall behind her.

"You don't need to Ava. I know what you want to say." Ellis interrupted her as he walked closer.

"You were forced into the marriage right?" Ellis asked shocking Ava.

Seeing that she wasn't trying to escape anymore he carried on as he walked closer to her "You loved me just like I loved you. You family seeing that theirs was only a merchant family, while Phil's is a reputed noble family with backing, wanted you to marry him. You had no choice seeing that Phil or your dad threatened you with my life if you didn't agree to the marriage. For my sake, you decided to agree to the marriage." Ellis explained.

Suddenly tears welled up in Ava's eyes. "I am sorry Ellis. They would have killed you otherwise." As Ava cried her heart out, Ellis knelt before her and hugged her while caressing her hair, with his gloved hand.

"I am so sorry. I tried running away to you but they captured me. They forced me to do everything that night when they tortured you and your mother. They would have killed you if I didn't agree." Ava wept while Ellis carried on to caress her hair.

"I understand Ava, I understand..." Ellis consoled her.

*Clack*

"I understand that you loved me."

*Clack*

"I also understand that you had nothing to do with anything"

*Clack*

"I also understand Phil was at fault for everything."

*Clack*

"I also understand that it is futile for you to try and stab a rank 1 barrier with that dagger of yours."

*Clang*

The dagger dropped as she felt the grip around her tightening suffocating her.

"You have to do better than that, dear Ava." Ellis kept hugging her, tighter.

"Let...go" Ava voiced out breathlessly while trying to push Ellis off her.

------------------------------

Lewies ran with the group while carrying Phil, while Natasha Carried the boy who they met on the alley.

Natasha had knocked Phil out after seeing his outbreak when he realised Ava was missing.

Many of the people in the group looked at the boy in jealousy not only because Natasha was carrying him but seeing the points on his badge. He already had 67 points.

'No wonder he became a target of a predator.' Many of them thought.

They finally arrived outside the exam hall. They were already behind schedule.

As they arrived Ruby and Law's group arrived as well from another direction.

"What happened?" Law asked seeing that Natasha's group were behind on schedule along with finding 2 other people incapacitated.

"Ellis. We quickly need to get back." Lewies gave a short answer.

Law nodded before allowing Natasha's group to go first, while Ruby tried to wake up Phil.

"Ava!" Phil quickly woke up screaming his fiancé's name.

"Where are we? Where is Ava?" Phil started to panic.

"Phil calm down. Ava should be alright. If she was captured by Ellis, she should be converted into the predator faction. He won't do anything to those in his own faction." Law tried to calm Phil.

"No, you don't understand. He will hurt her. Law please find her. I will give you anything." Phil pleaded.

As Law was about to console him a voice interrupted him "He is right."

Law glared at the person who said that. He noticed it was the other person who was carried here, by Natasha. "I have no idea why that sicko captured that girl. However, I am sure of one thing he has ways to hurt her without converting her."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked him.

"When he captured my group last night, we thought we would all be converted. However, we soon realised that was least of our worries as he proceeded to torture my group. From that, I realised as long as it's not a skin contact he won't be able to convert us. All he needs to do is wrap all his skin in clothes and make sure none of it touches any of your body, and he can fight anyone without converting them." The boy explained to our horror.

"Are you sure it was Ellis?" Law asked in doubt.

"Yeah. I witnessed his transformation into the predator faction yesterday. So, I am sure it is him." The boy replied while Phil turned pale.

"Law, please ... anything you want, I will give you. Just help her." Phil started begging.

"Phil calm down. Let's go back to the camp first before we make a plan." Ruby interjected.

Phil hesitated for a moment before shaking his head "No, I cant."

Everyone looked at him in confusion "I am not coming back. I am dropping out of the exam here."

That sentence was something very unexpected for them.

"Phil, no matter what you still have a chance." Law tried to explain.

"No Law you don't understand. He is after me.

He can't forsake the rules and hurt me. So, he will abide by the rules while hunting for me. He will go to any lengths for me, to the point of even hurting Ava. The only way to stop that is to leave the exam, then he won't be able to do anything to me.

If I knew the exam this year was going to be like this I would have never participated. I should have just listened to Ava." Phil said while clenching his fists as a tear rolled from his eyes.

"Law do me a favour: find and help Ava. After the exam, I will give you anything you ask for as long as Ava is safe." Phil looked at Law.

Law was silent for a while before sighing "Ok, I will do it, but in return, you have to tell me everything that happened between you and Ellis. I don't believe a person like Ellis will go after you like this just for bullying."

Phil hesitated for a while before nodding "Thanks." Phil replied as he walked towards the marked area around the scoreboard.

Suddenly Natasha moved in front of Phil and pushed him back.

"Natasha what are you doing!?" Law shouted as he ran to Phil.

However, before he reached Phil a loud sound was heard.

*Bang*

Everyone stared in shock at the ice bolt that partially pierced the shield barrier raised by Natasha.

*Crack*

Cracks slowly started forming around the shield.

"Where do you think you are going?" Everyone turned to the source of the voice to see a familiar person standing opposite them, Ellis. He walked towards the group and stood opposite them 20 meters away.

Seeing this Law shouted "Ellis, what are you doing? Did you ..."

"Shut up! Don't speak! This is between him and me." Ellis ordered as he looked at Phil.

"How long has it been since we last saw each other, Phil?" Ellis asked as he stared at Phil.

"Where is Ava?" Phil asked back in anger seeing Ellis.

"You don't want to play by my rule? Fine be that way."

Ellis said as he threw another ice spike towards the barrier standing between him and Phil.

The barrier shattered as the ice spike flew through it without barely slowing down, as it approached Phil.

However, suddenly an earth wall suddenly appeared between Phil and the ice spike.

"Why are you interfering in our matters, Law?" Ellis asked as he looked at Law.

"You are trying to kill him. This is no longer your matter. This is a crime." Law answered.

Suddenly Ellis started laughing. Everyone felt a chill on their back hearing his laugh.

"Crime? Accident happens during every year's magi exams. It's not a crime as long as we are not in the same faction in this round. The only law governing here is that of the examiners and the exams."

"Ellis I am not sure what he has done, but can't you just move on from the past and forgive him." Law tried to explain to Ellis.

"Forgive? We are way past that Law. I don't live on the present anymore due to him. I don't live in the future because of him. What drives me forward is the past, not the future nor the present. I have sacrificed everything I had just to get him to this state in front of me.

The only thing standing between me and him is you. And if it means getting rid of you as well to get to him then I will do it."

Ruby suddenly saw an earth spike moving behind Law "Law!" From there everything slowed down as she tried screaming while running forward, however overtaking her Lewies ran forward but it was too late as the knife was already too close to dodge or block by anyone.

Natasha face changed hearing Ruby scream and seeing Lewies running to stop someone right behind Law. She prayed her barrier could reach Law before the assailant did.