"If being a coward means you choose your battles...then let me become a coward and win this war!  -- Entry No.: 100"

"Let me go!" 

In the snow-covered forest, three boys were trudging through while another dark-haired boy was forcefully dragged by his collar across the forest floor. His face was bruised and his left eye was swollen. His right eye glared hatefully at the person who was following behind them leisurely. 

With hair as white as snow, eyes as cold as a frozen lake, and a guileless face that could rival the face of angels, the bastard could have been part of a flock of cherubs in a painting. At least, that would be the case if not for the bored expression that was permanently etched on his face. The bastard was perfectly at-home with his clubhouse. The Devils of Avalon.

Of all the things to happen, he had to cross the Devil's path. He had to get free. With bloodied fists, he struggled to remove the hand on his collar, and growled, "I said, let me go! Bastards!"

"Shut up, twerp!" Far from breaking free, the two boys who were twice his size shook his collar violently. At first sight they looked the same, with their stout body, round face and bushy eyebrows. But, another look would show that, while the boy on the left was frowning, the other was smiling.

"Settle down, Wolfram," the cursed devil drawled. "We'll let you go. Soon enough."

"What do you want?" Wolfram struggled more. If there was one thing that he knew about these guys, it wasn't going to be good for him. "Let me go, Arcus!"

"Ohho!" The stout boy with a perpetual smile snickered. "Lookee here. He knows you after all!"

"He's dead meat!" The other twin growled. He clenched his jaw. On the underside of his jaw, was a noticeable shadow. The little twerp had the guts to kick him! He was going to make the twerp pay! Double!

"Oh, calm down Dan!" His twin chuckled. "It was your fault for getting careless anyways"

Dan growled angrily, "Shut up, Ned!"

Ned shrugged his shoulder. Dan was always grumpy. Never a smile since... well, better to forget about it. 

"I got lost at that time!," Wolfram struggled fiercely, "I didn't know that place was restricted for clan heirs."ِ

Arcus yawned tiredly. Same old excuses. Sometimes newbies think that they can be excused if it was the first time. This was getting boring. The semester was not even starting yet and here he was dragging a good-for-nothing waste. He had better things to do. The waste should have known better than make himself a target for young predators.

"Almost there," Ned chimed happily while Dan grunted in agreement. Suddenly, Wolfram was hauled to his feet. Disoriented at the sudden change of pace, he found himself teetering on the edge of a cliff.

"What are you going to do?" He gulped nervously. Even in their village, this forest was famous. The elders repeatedly warned him of the dark forest in Avalon. Never step into the sealed forest, lest it be your doom. "You know the Sealed Forest of Avalon is dangerous."

"Pfft! Sealed Forest of Avalon?" Arcus snickered, "Did you hear that, Ned? Did he just say Sealed Forest of Avalon?"

"The Sealed Forest of Avalon is dangerous!" Ned mocked as his perpetual smiling lips sneered at the boy grasped by his brother. "He's an idiot! That forest is just a legend. Maybe it's better if you let go Dan."

Sensing that he was about to fall down the cliff, Wolfram desperately grabbed his captor's arm. he didn't want to be left inside this damned forest. Legend or not, his uneasy felling doubled as soon as they entered this forest. Like something was watching them.

"Hmph! An idiot and a coward." Dan shook his arm in disgust. He was about to kick this idiot away from him when Arcus tapped his shoulder.

"Tell you what, Wolfram," Arcus said. "We'll let you go after this."

"After what?" Wolfram glared at the boy. He didn't trust that it would be just this much. The followers of Elites were known to be unforgiving. Even if the Elites didn't care, their followers would demand punishment for the supposed insult. The devils were the worst of them.

"Clever. Clever." Ned sneered, "What a clever idiot we have here. You should have thought carefully before you trespassed on one of the restricted areas."

"Of course, its very simple," a vicious gleam flashed in Arcus's eyes. "You just have to spend the night in this forest. Consider this as helping you manifest."

Wolfram felt his guts cave in as Arcus swung his fist into his abdomen. He couldn't breathe, his sight was fading into the dark. He didn't feel the pebbles and twigs that dug into his skin as he tumbled down the ditch.

"If he dies?" Dan asked disinterestedly.

"The semester didn't start yet. Think of this as an accident while in vacation," Arcus shrugged. "If he dies. Then he was weak. He doesn't belong in Avalon."

"He won't die," Ned peered at the bottom of the cliff. "He got pass the exam, didn't he? If he passed Avalon's entrance exam, then he must have been a little tough. This is easier compared to the others. Should we come back tomorrow, and get him?"

"Nah. He'll get back on his own," Arcus turned around and strolled away from the ditch. "So much for entertainment. I'm bored. I want to sleep."

The twins looked at each other, and shrugged. The idiot got off lightly. If he was punished by the others, the last thing the twerp would worry about was his life. They followed Arcus out of the forest.