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I lay on my back, the wind knocked out of me, staring up at the sky.
A flag flying from a pole above me flapped in the wind, and as I caught sight of the Magic Blessed Academy crest on it, I knew for certain where I was.
I’d made it back to the earthly plane.
I’d won.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Holy fuck.
Those were the only two words that made it through my stunned brain as I lay there.
A roar filled my ears, and for a moment, I was sure the sky must be falling, collapsing down on me just like the cave ceiling had done back in the godly realm.
After everything that my body had been through, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I rolled to my side, groaning as I pushed myself up to a seated position. It took me a minute to get my vision back fully—bright spots still danced in front of my eyes from staring at the glowing gem for so long as I’d fought my way toward it. It had felt a little like staring at the sun.
Looking around, I realized I was on The Hill, the same place where we’d had the departure ceremony before all the contestants had stepped into their portals. And just like it had been when we’d
left, the area around the small pavilion was filled with students.
That was the source of the roaring sound, I realized. They were all cheering.
It didn’t look like the whole school was present, but it was more than half. I had no idea what day of the week it was—maybe not everyone had been able to get out of class to come observe. The admins must’ve been able to see that we were getting close to the prize, so maybe they’d let certain students come watch.
A hand touched my shoulder, and my head snapped to the right, adrenaline flooding me. My nerves were still on edge from being in the jungle for so long.
Several of the school admins stood gazing down at me—including Dean Frost, who had a broad smile on her face.
“Welcome back, brave competitor,” she said formally, and her voice rang out over the pavilion, magically amplified. I almost rolled my eyes at the term, and it occurred to me that maybe she’d just forgotten my name in the time I’d been gone. It felt like years, although in reality, it’d only been about a month.
“Uh, thanks.”
The crowd had quieted a little when Dean Frost spoke, and now that I was aware of their presence, I could feel their gazes on me, the attention making me shift uncomfortably. I’d barely seen another human being besides the three men I’d teamed up with for weeks, and to be suddenly surrounded by people was a bit unnerving.
Forcing myself to ignore my discomfort, I stood carefully, feeling the burn and stretch in my thighs. After battling monsters and barely surviving various threats over the past several weeks, I was beat to hell and probably covered in bruises.
Then a thought struck me, and I turned in a circle, my gaze searching the pavilion. Panic made my heart thud harder in my chest as I whirled back to face the dean.
“Where’s everybody else? I know for a fact there were at least five other people near me right when I grabbed the gem.”
Frost’s smile widened reassuringly, and she put her arm around my shoulders, smiling up at the crowd. Worry punched a hole in my chest, and I wanted to fling her arm off and scream my question at her again, but I held back. I needed fucking answers, and losing my shit at the dean probably wouldn’t get them.
“You were the first to return because you collected the gem,” she told me, still facing the crowd. “But I assure you, anyone who was still alive when the challenge ended will be brought back.”
Her choice of words made my stomach drop.
The fact that she’d said anyone who was still alive was not a good sign. That meant that my assumption was right—there had been at least some casualties in this semester’s challenge.
A loud crack filled the air to my left, followed by another to my right, and another. I spun around, ducking out from under Frost’s arm as I watched several portals open across the pavilion, spitting out my three one-time teammates, who tumbled onto the ground.
A moment later, Knox and Chetna came through their own portals, and relief lit in my chest at the sight of them.
Thank fuck.
They’d either gotten out of the cave earlier or been pulled out through the portals to earth when I’d snatched up the gem.
The crowd started cheering again, shouts and whistles rising up in the morning air, but I kept staring, waiting for the two contestants who’d been fighting their way to the gem with us to pop through the portals.
