"Putting you on speaker, Rafael. I need to do some last-minute preparations," Nathan said, placing the phone on a boulder that functioned as a table.

"How's the exam so far? Having fun?" Rafael's voice echoed in the small cavern.

Nathan unzipped the bag he’d had with him at the start of the exam. It was now almost empty, except for a few knives and a bunch of miniature darts and vials. The rest of it—a map of the island, a signal amplifier, and a set of black clothes—was now on the boulder in the middle of the cave.

"Being dead is a lot of fun, honestly. You should try it sometime."

"Oh, trust me, I have," Rafael chuckled. "So you went with that plan?"

"It was the best one, all things considered.”

"Found anyone suspicious so far?"

"I only checked one person for a tattoo, but I’ve been keeping an eye on everyone. I've narrowed the list down to a couple of people."

"Good."

"Are you sure about the tattoo?"

"Absolutely. We had a hunch, but we finally discovered how it works."

"How do they even make something like that?"

"Whoever made the ink was a real genius,” Rafael said, admiration evident in his tone. “I've never seen anything like this before. It seems to be a parasitic type of ink that disappears when the host dies. That’s why we haven’t noticed it before—all of the assassins we’ve captured have killed themselves before we could do anything. But this one hesitated for a split second, and that was enough.”

"Parasitic ink. As ominous as it gets. Anyway, I'll make sure to keep you updated. If anything happens, you know the distress signal."

"I do."

"In that case, I'm off to hunt."

***

Two men walked through the forest warily. They both wore small backpacks and dark clothes.

"What's the time, Ryan?" asked the one on the left. He shifted nervously from foot to foot.

"Quarter to twelve. Fifteen minutes."

"Were those supposed to be the RTDs? They looked. . . different. They didn't say anything about that!"

"Calm down, Henry. They wouldn't let them out if we couldn’t handle them. We beat one yesterday, and it was weaker than the one we fought during the first exam."

"I know, but. . . fuck."

"I don’t think they’re any stronger than the ones we fought during the first exam. They just look more intimidating to increase psychological pressure. They're trying to test us by increasing the pressure."

"It sure as hell's working. I almost shat my pants there yesterday."

"Don't worry. If we stay vigilant and fight with our brains, we'll be able to get through this. Let’s just concentrate on finding a safe place to set up camp. Our spot yesterday had way too many blind spots.”

"How large is this island?” Ryan asked. “We've been walking for hours and we haven't even. . . " he trailed off, twisting towards a noise from behind. “Somebody’s there,” he hissed.

Henry and Ryan readied themselves. A moment later, a person in black strolled out of the bush. His face was covered by a hood, but his posture spoke well enough for itself. Hands in his pockets, he strolled out without a hint of hesitation.

"Who are you?" Ryan shouted, his voice cracking. "I don't remember seeing you!"

Before Ryan and Henry had a chance to react, the man had jerked a hand from his pocket and thrown something. Ryan felt a sting in his neck. He lifted his hand and pulled away a dart. To his right, Henry seemed to be doing the same thing.

"What's this?!" Henry shouted, pointing with the dart at the masked perpetrator. "What did you do to us?"

"Midazolam. A powerful tranquiliser. It will take a few minutes before it knocks you out, so I suggest you sit down and take a rest. I don't want to kill you, but you're out of this exam. I'm sorry."

"What?!" Henry threw the dart to the ground and stormed forward. "Are you fucking with me? What—"

"Hey, Hey," Ryan interposed. "If you don't want to get killed, step down."

"Like hell I will. He's bluffing. Let's beat him to a pulp."

"Are you retarded? Don't you recognise his voice?!"

"What? How should I?"

Ryan turned around to face the enemy. "You did this because you didn't want us to fight back, right Nathan?"

"Nice catch."

"So it really is you, huh?" Ryan smiled.

"Wait. . . wait. By Nathan, do you mean that kid from—" Henry stumbled to the ground. “Fuck.”

"It's working a lot faster than I thought it would. Anyway, it would be best to just lie down for now. You too, Mr. Berkley."

Ryan looked at Nathan hesitantly, but he complied. Soon his eyelids grew heavy and everything turned black.

***

Nathan picked up the two darts left on the ground. He'd have to sterilise them before he used them again, so he hid them in a separate pocket. Then he pressed his ring against the unconscious men’s fingers to disqualify them. He cut through their jackets and shirts to reveal their shoulders.

"No tattoo," Nathan mumbled to himself. Straightening his back, he scanned his surroundings. He’d kept an eye out while he’d been conversing with Ryan, but it was time for a more thorough search.

He Shadowstepped up onto a tall tree branch to watch and wait. In under ten minutes, a group of people appeared right next to the two bodies. Pyke, the leader of this group, looked around and ordered his men to wait.

Nathan released a slight killing intent at Pyke, who immediately looked up. They nodded at each other, and Nathan Shadowstepped into the forest.

"Okay, pick them up and let's go," Pyke ordered with a wave of his hand. "Try not to break their bones while you transport them." Then he disappeared, too.

***

Maya's group wasn't in the best possible shape, but they still managed to overcome twelve RTDs on the second day. After the initial wave of shock had dissipated, the group had gotten back into its fighting spirit. With Manny at the front, Maya and Simon on the sides, and Ann covering their back, they’d managed to overpower even groups of five RTDs.

They’d taken turns collecting the points from their enemies. Now, as they set up camp and prepared for the night, they each had an even sixty points from the day’s work. They sat in a circle, eating quickly and quietly. Even the usually jovial Simon was subdued.

The silence wore on Maya’s nerves until she couldn’t stand it any longer. “So, where are you from, Ann?” she asked.

Ann was visibly startled. "M—me?” she stammered. “I’m actually not from here. I grew up in Rhitrea."

"How did you end up here, then?"

"My father was a martial artist. He used to fight for a living. But then one day he got mixed up in some shady business and we had to flee from our own country," she said, her brow furrowing.

"I'm sorry," Maya said softly.

Ann looked at her with a bitter smile. "It's all right. That's how life is, I suppose."

"Is your father the one who taught you how to fight?" Simon asked.

"That's right. I think he's also the one I got my genes from. He used to be an incredible fighter. I remember watching him while I was a kid," Ann said, smiling at the ground.

"Was he also an assassin?" Manny asked.

"No. If he were, maybe we wouldn't have had to move out back then," Ann sighed. "But let's not talk about that stuff. I think we already have enough on our plates. Talking about my past doesn't really help us here."

"Right," Maya said, caressing Ann’s back. "You'll be fine with us. I promise."

"Thank you."

***

As the days passed, the exam continued without any major upsets. Nathan hunted the candidates on his list, making sure to check their shoulders tattoos. Maya and her group survived the treacherous island, gradually piling up points on their rings. The number of candidates had thinned to ten as the sun rose over the horizon on the fifth and final day of the exam. It would be a day nobody had expected—nobody but one person.