Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 65: Back Down

Chapter 65: Back Down

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Chapter 65

~Author’s POV~

Eva said nothing—only squeezed her hand tighter to reassure her of their support.

Just then, Chloe burst through the corridor’s edge with a paper cup and a bottle, sliding to a stop. "Okay. I may or may not have threatened a third-year to get the last mineral water, but I did it."

Spring gave a small laugh. Just once.

"Thanks girls."

**************

Meanwhile, above the arena, in the Council’s private box, silence enveloped the council members until Kael spoke.

"I don’t know whether to be scared of her... or fall harder."

"She broke her illusion by piercing through the heart," Mira murmured, still watching the replay on the enchanted mirror projection. "That kind of focus... that kind of pain... I do not want to imagine what she went through."

"Well, she used it," Tyrion added. "And came out the other side."

Storm stood at the edge, arms crossed, gaze unblinking.

"If she wins the next," Jace said softly, "Lilith’s seat would be hers."

"She just might," Raphael muttered, tapping a clawed finger on the glass of the panel. "The maze didn’t break her. It sharpened her."

"She’s dangerous," Mira said again, but this time, it sounded more like awe than warning.

"She’s alive," Storm corrected. "More than anyone else down there."

None of them disagreed.

Then, the crystal panel in front of them shimmered and a quiet tone rang out—signaling the final call to the next stage.

"Prep the tower," Storm ordered and walked away.

Kael smirked. "Let’s see if the Vice President can still climb."

And far below, Spring Kaine stood slowly, wiping the last of the sweat from her temple, and stared up at the towering silhouette of chains now growing from the center of the arena.

Her second game was waiting but like last time, she did not know what it would bring—another Rael episode or...?

It was magic, which meant, anything would happen. She actually thought she’d play some card games with Lilith but they were both at ods with the kind of games chosen which wa sonly fair with the stakes on the line.

Spring exhaled as she clenched her fist and walked there. "Game two."

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~Spring’s POV~

The Tower loomed above me like some steel giant—cold, heartless, and gleaming under the morning sun. Chains dangled from every direction, thick and thin, taut and loose.

Most swung lazily in the breeze. Some curled like serpents, others just hung there, waiting.

It wasn’t the height that unnerved me.It was the fact that most of these chains were illusions.

And worse—there were traps.

Ten small red crystal buzzers blinked along the tower’s body, mounted on steel rods near major grip points. A glowing rune beside each one marked its function.

Hit it, and your opponent took the hit. Literally.

A jolt of electric shock would surge through their body. Enough to burn, stun, or break their momentum—maybe more. Each contestant could use them. But once pressed, they went dead. No resets. No mercy.

Raphael’s voice boomed from the upper dais, his tone grim and dry. "Contestants. Reach the sigil. Use the buzzers wisely. Your chains are your lifelines. Your instincts are your only truth."

Lilith stood at the opposite base of the tower, her expression unreadable. Her black hair was tied back in a tight braid. She flexed her hands once, like she was itching to climb me instead of the tower.

I didn’t look at her again.

I locked my eyes on the top—on the glowing sigil etched in shifting white light nearly fifteen stories above us.

The horn blared.

I jumped.

My hands latched onto a black iron chain. Solid.

I climbed fast—skipping footholds and relying on upper body strength as I swung to the next link. Spectral wind whipped at my hair and metal groaned under pressure. The chains sang like a cursed choir.

I bypassed the first buzzer. Then the second. And the third, using the opportunity to cover more ground.

It was too early to play dirty.

I focused instead on movement—on Jade’s voice guiding me from within.

"Left. Second chain. That one’s real."

I moved, my muscles burning already. Then it happened.

A sharp buzz filled the air behind me.

Then the pain felt like lightning streaked across my back. My grip faltered and gasp tore from my lips.

Lilith.

She’d hit the first buzzer. My gazze narrowed in on her and anger coursed through me.

"Play it like that?" I hissed under my breath.

Fine.

I reached my next checkpoint and grabbed the buzzer mounted just above the rung. My palm slammed down on it with force. The glow turned green, then red—deactivated.

A heartbeat later, I heard Lilith grunt loudly.

Cheers erupted from behind me and I knew the students were happy for her payback. No one feared her anymore.

"Good. That got her."

I moved faster, skipping two chains in a swing, landing on a support beam midway. Although, Spring’s physique wasn’t quite suited for this and Lilith looked athletic like she was trained for this, all my endurance and training for my past life made up for it.

We were neck and neck.

She buzzed me again—second shock. My back arched involuntarily and pain flared down my spine.

I gritted my teeth and kept climbing.

I reached another buzzer. Slammed it hard, letting ehr feel the same pain if not twice as more.

The crowd roared again.

We kept climbing. Buzz. Climb. Buzz. Move.

I ignored the next two—saving my remaining chances.

The top was getting closer.

Just five more meters.

I swung to the last real chain—thicker, marked with a red rune. My fingers brushed it.

Almost—

But then the chain shimmered... and vanished.

Illusion! Fuck!

I gasped as my balance tipped. My hand reached for anything to quickly steady me but my fingers barely reached. I stretched, willing Spring’s small body forward, straining my back and body until I griped it.

That’s when I saw her. Lilith, slightly below me now, smiling like a cat who’d cornered a wounded bird and then she slammed her palm into the nearest buzzer.

A searing jolt of electric shock ripped through me. My muscles locked and my legs trembled.

I tried to grab another chain—but before I could, the buzz came again, and with it another shock.

That one tore through my shoulders and my arms went numb.

I fell.

Down. Down. Down.

I slammed hard into a lower platform, a jarring, bone-bruising hit, my palms scraping harshly against the rough edges of the chain.

My back hit the metal next—and the pain seared up my spine. My vision blurred. My ribs screamed and blood filled my mouth.

Jade shrieked in my head, "No—Spring, get up! Get up!"