Page 105 of My Wild Pet

I look at Briar. “You get out. Don’t wait for me. You’re more valuable than a male pet and will have a better life.”

“No Gabirel,” tears form in her eyes. “I won’t leave you. If you stay, I’ll stay.”

“You’ll die, just like Fifi and I won’t do that to anyone again.”

Briar meets my gaze. “We do this together. We figure out a way out,together.”

I nod, trying to steady my racing pulse. The idea of betraying her is unthinkable, but the judges have rigged the cage so that if one of us doesn’t move forward alone, the entire platform will drop.

A countdown timer flashes across the overhead display. Fifty-nine seconds. Fifty-eight. The drones outside the cage start spinning up energy blasts.

“Look around for something that can save us when this cage drops. Something we might be able to hold on to,” I tell her quickly.

Then we hear a jolt of static, and Aefre’s voice surges through more strongly than before, “Ember, override the cage from your side! There’s a console—lower right corner!”

I rush to the console. My collar thrums, Aefre’s presence flowing through the link. Even though the spectators want to see us betray each other, he’s still guiding me. It’s so bizarrely comforting that tears prick my eyes.

“Listen Ember, I only get one chance to tell you this. Are you ready?”

“Yes, Master Aefre,” I say impatiently as I watch our time slipping away.

“Input this code exactly,” Aefre instructs. “U4-KARR1/9:S2-Ω.Remember to include the symbol for Omega at the end. There are no second chances. If you miss even one stroke, the system won’t be overridden and you’ll die.”

I shakily put my finger over the keypad’s alien characters and begin typing, each keystroke shimmers with a faint glow—U, 4, dash, K, A, R, R, 1, slash, 9, colon, S, 2, dash, Omega—each beep echoing in my skull. The console emits a series of soft chimes in response and then finally, the screen pulses green.

With a wheeze, the cage doors swing open.

I grab Briar’s arm before she jumps out. “Wait the drones will attack. We must jump together and protect our heads as we jump. A direct hit to the head will knock us unconscious.”

“We only have a second!” she screams. “Jump!”

We jump out just as a lethal barrage of stun-beams sears the air behind us.

The last moments play out in a blur as Briar and I sprint across a swaying catwalk. Ahead, the final exit comes into view—bright lights glowing like a promise of survival. We push through with a final burst of energy, collapsing onto solid ground amid a deafening roar of applause.

For a second, I can’t breathe. But then I realize, we made it.

A voice booms through the arena, “Phase Three: Integration Complete. Ash, Ember, and Master Aefre have completed The Eternal Convergence.”

But did we score enough points to win?

A hush settles. A pulsing holographic display comes to life high above us, showing dozens of names all written in Imperial hieroglyphics. My heart pounds as I scan for “Ash & Ember”—for any sign of our final score. Then I see it, flashing into place at the top of the list:

ASH & EMBER (TRAINER: AEFRE) – THE ETERNAL CONVERGENCE

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Time (out of 10): 9

Technique (out of 10): 9

Mental Resilience (5): 5

Synergy (5): 5

Trainer’s Bonus (5): 4

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