The dorms were split by gender, the male dorm in one building and the female dorm in another. With around two hundred and sixty recruits in total, both dorms buzzed with noise and movement as everyone rushed to find their assigned rooms.
Zephyr was relieved to find that Blondie wasn't in his group. He didn't have the energy to deal with whatever weird drama that kid might bring along. Instead, he ended up in a room with nineteen other boys. The space was clean and simple, two rows of bunks lined both sides of the walls, with a narrow path straight down the middle. It was just enough space to walk, with not much else.
The giant kid from before was also assigned to this room. When he stepped inside, the chatter died down slightly. Without being told, people stepped aside, instinctively making way for him as he made his way to an empty bed near the corner. He didn't say a word, and no one tried to talk to him.
Some of the recruits already knew each other. A few had made friends earlier and were lucky enough to end up in the same room. Others were starting to introduce themselves now, trying to carve out a sense of familiarity in a place that already felt so cold and strict.
Zephyr didn't say much. He just picked a bed, sat down, and kept to himself. His thoughts drifted to what tomorrow might look like. Training would start, and if today had been any indication, it wouldn't be easy.
The next time he opened his eyes, it was to the sound of blaring horns. He hadn't even realized when he had drifted off in sleep.
His roommates scrambled to their feet, some even half dressed, as they rushed out into the corridor. They joined the stream of groggy recruits stumbling into line, forming uneven ranks as they made their way to the training grounds.
The sky was still painted in that ever present dull shade of gray, except now it was an even darker shade. It was hard to tell if it was morning or night here. The darker shade seemed to be the only difference between them here.
The moment the recruits stepped onto the field, the instructor barked at them to start running as he took off ahead of them.
He began yelling to spur them on as they ran;
"Move it! Move it!"
"Move those lazy legs!"
"Do you have twigs for legs, huh?!"
"I know old ladies that could move faster than you!"
He launched into nonstop heckling, not missing a beat as they continued their laps around the massive training ground.
Zephyr fought the urge to roll his eyes as the man continued to spew a creative stream of insults— calling someone a sack of wet potatoes, one a dry twig, another a winded mule. He wasn't even sure if the words were supposed to be motivational or if it was just therapy for the instructor's rage issues.
After a while, exhaustion was beginning to creep in for most of them. A few recruits had already started to fall behind, their legs barely cooperating. But Zephyr wasn't really feeling it. At least not at this pace.
Up ahead, he spotted the red-haired girl pulling forward, running right beside the instructor. The giant kid lumbered along next to her, his steps heavy but steady, he barely even looked winded. Not far from them, Ponytail dude also followed after them. Blondie trailed just behind, his expression locked in determined focus.
Others were pushing themselves too, clearly aiming for a top-ten position right from the get go.
Zephyr, on the other hand, was doing the opposite. He began slowing down just like the others at the rear, even adding an exaggerated pant to sell the act.
They kept running until the sky gradually brightened to a lighter, yet still joyless shade of gray before the instructor finally ordered them to stop.
Everyone came to a halt immediately, heaving and panting heavily. Some collapsed to the ground, their legs giving out under them. Zephyr bent over like the rest, pretending to gasp for breath, though his heartbeat had already steadied.
"Get your fucking asses up, you lazy worms! Get the fuck up!" the instructor shouted, charging toward those on the ground and barking directly into their faces.
He gave them all no time to recover before he jumped straight into the next drill on the schedule - Basic combat training.
The recruits, still weary and tired, were split into groups of ten, each assigned to a soldier. The instructor's voice rang out as he addressed them all.
"I'm a firm believer in learning by experience. So for this first lesson, I'll permit you to use whatever knowledge you already have about combat. All you have to do is take down the soldier standing right in front of you."
Each group turned to look at the soldier assigned to them.
"As you can see, these are soldiers not much older than you. In fact, they were in your shoes, right here just a few years ago."
"Look closely at their faces. This could be some of you in a few years— those not talented enough to be recruited by a noble house or even a minor family, but still not useless enough to be sent back home after the one year of service like others. Just stuck smack in the middle, your average Joe!"
The soldiers' gazes hardened at the instructor's harsh and raw words.
"You can use every trick in your arsenal. I know some of you may have had prior combat training... So I want you to understand how little that it is worth here."
"You can attack all at once or go in one by one, I don't much care how you do it. Your goal is simple- bring them down."
"They're not permitted to use magic, they'll only fight you using basic combat." He said, then stopped speaking.
No signal was given after that, so while most of the recruits stood frozen, expecting a call to start, the soldiers sprang into motion immediately.
'Fuck.' Zephyr's eyes widened as the soldier burst toward him with a sharp jab aimed straight at his midsection.
In just a few blinks, the soldier was already within striking distance.
'Fast.' Zephyr's pupils constricted in shock.
He twisted his body and narrowly dodged, leaping back to create more space between them.
The soldier's eyes briefly widened, clearly not expecting him to be able to dodge. But the surprise faded just as quickly, replaced by a frown as he stepped forward again, intent on pursuing Zephyr down.
But just before he could close the gap, someone else jumped in with a flying kick, shouting. The soldier caught the idiot's leg mid-air and slammed a palm into his kneecap without mercy. The joint gave out with a resounding crack as the leg bent inward at a sickening angle.
"AARRGGHHH!!!" A guttural cry of pain tore through the boy's throat before it was cut short by another brutal kick to the face that snapped his jaw shut and knocked him out cold.
The others, who had lunged forward to attack, skidded to a stop in fear as they watched the brutality of the takedown. But it was too late. The soldier didn't pause. He moved on to the next closest target with a continuous fluid movement. The girl screamed in fear and raised her hands to block too late as he jabbed her temple with force, knocking her out cold with a clean strike.
The group quickly realized the hopelessness of their situation. Whatever ideas they'd come in with— probably boosted by the instructor's jab that these soldiers were middling— were dashed in an instant.
Zephyr was also now facing a dilemma of his own. The soldier seemed to be saving him for last as his attention was now fully turned to the others. And looking at the way he was tearing through them, he wasn't holding back at all, especially when it came to the boys.
Zephyr's gaze swept around the group, searching for anyone still standing that he could work with. Ponytail dude was in this group too, but he hadn't made a move yet, carefully watching the soldier with laser focus. He narrowly dodged a swipe as the soldier passed near him.
As he skidded to a stop, their eyes met and a silent understanding passed between them—an wordless realization that they were the only ones who stood even a sliver of a chance of doing anything at all.
As the soldier busted the final recruit's nose with a sharp strike, he straightened up, releasing a breath, twisting his neck and cracking his fingers like a performer who had just finished his final act.
He stood loosely with a cold smile playing on his lips as he watched Zephyr and Ponytail dude circle around him from opposite sides.
A look passed between the two boys, and with a small nod, they lunged at the soldier.