We were in the dining hall, and I had just finished eating. I told Andrew and Sophia that I needed some fresh air outside. The truth is that I just wanted some space. The silence would allow me to think.
Once outside, the sun was bright in the sky, with a few clouds around it, dimming its light. The air was neutral and fresh. I felt comfortable for a moment. As I walked, I passed some horse-drawn wagons, driven by soldiers and instructors toward the center of the camp. I didn't pay much attention to it and just kept going. I turned the corner of the camp. A quiet spot behind the supply tents. The terrain was uneven, with dry patches and some weeds growing between the rocks. A small hill surrounded it, covered with light grass and a few sparse trees. From here, I could see most of the camp, and beyond, the hill stood like a quiet watchtower overlooking the area. This place is usually empty.
But this time, it wasn't.
Three people, two near each other, were shouting aggressively. The third person was standing still, arms crossed, face that was unreadable. In the center of the chaos stood a girl.
I felt that I had seen this scenario before in all the stories I've read ... I'll just watch for now.
The girl was tall. Her honey-brown hair was tied back in a neat bun. Her sweater was slightly torn at the shoulder and had some dirt on her arms. There was a bruise on her jaw. But she didn't back down. On the contrary, she stood her ground, defying them, even as she was surrounded.
My interference could cause trouble, and it's not in my best interest to make enemies in the future.
"I didn't steal anything!" She shouted sharply. Her voice was steady. "You think I need your useless weapon?"
"Don't lie!" One of them shouted. Broad-shouldered. Long hair, tied up, beard, not short. Then his friend, who was thinner than him but taller, shouted back and headed towards her again.
Shit, I know I'll regret this later, but I have to stop them somehow. So, I walked up to them.
"Enough," I said.
They turned to me as if I had interrupted something sacred to them.
"Who the hell are you?" The big guy yelled.
I ignored him. My eyes shifted to the quiet man behind them, who was the taller, dark-haired, cold-eyed man who looked like he was ready to kill anyone easily. He was so quiet, and his posture was uncomfortable; he was dangerous, and I had to watch out for him.
"If she steals anything," I said, while walking towards the girl, "Report it to the commanders. Beating her in a place like this proves nothing."
Skinny chuckled. "And who asked you to be the hero? Do you want to join her?"
The girl moved beside them, her fists clenched. "I can handle it," she muttered.
"I think you misunderstand," I stood between them and continued, "You can handle it or not; I'm not here to save you, I just want to stop the fight." and kick you out of here. I mean, this is my place.
The quiet man behind them replied. "You're Roy, aren't you?" he smiled and said, "Interesting."
The moment he finished speaking, the skinny one lunged at me. It was expected.
I grabbed his wrist with a straight punch to his stomach, then his face, and finally I kicked him straight at his big friend, who grabbed him and pushed him aside and he just fell to the ground.
His friend shouted. "You brought this on yourself!" He was about to lunge at me when the quiet one put a hand on his shoulder.
"You can't beat him, move away," he said coldly.
And then he moved. No screaming. No threat. Just a quick movement.
I blocked his first strike with difficulty. I stepped back gracefully, countered with a kick to the waist, which was easily blocked, then jumped back. He pressed again. We exchanged a few quick, sharp blows. He was incredibly strong; if we kept fighting, it would be a problem.
We stepped back and stopped at the same moment, hands still raised, feet planted firmly. Neither of us was breathing heavily.
He tilted his head slightly. His eyes narrowed.
"Not bad"
I didn't answer.
He adjusted his sleeve and turned around.
"I'm Oliver, we'll meet again," he said as he walked away.
Then he left. He didn't even glance back at the two behind him. They followed after him, the skinny one rubbing his stomach and the big one glaring at me.
I'm not sure what happened right now, he attacked suddenly, I barely have time to think. Having people that strong here... I smirked involuntarily, I have to get to know him somehow, but now I have to go back. It's sad, the time I would have spent alone was ruined.
I turned to leave.
"Wait," the girl behind me called out.
Oh, right, I had forgotten she was there, I stopped and looked at her.
She looked down, "I didn't really need the help," she looked up at me. "But thanks."
"I was just stopping the fight," I replied.
She smiled slightly. "You're not very friendly, aren't you?"
Well, she wasn't wrong, but I'm trying my best, maybe I will exchange some conversation with her later, but for now, I am not in the mood. I raised my hand in goodbye and turned to walk away from her.
"I'm Kylie," she said, and I got the feeling that she's the kind of person who talks even when there's silence. She seemed like she only wanted to make friends.
I nodded to her. "Roy."
She tilted her head, her smile not fading. "I guess I'll be seeing you a lot, Roy."
I continued walking. "Then see you next time."
I didn't turn and didn't look at her. Still, I felt her eyes on me.
She didn't follow me. Good.
When I came back, Andrew and Sophia were standing at the wall at the end of the main hallway, the wall in the middle, separating the two hallways leading to the classrooms and lecture halls. Some of the other soldiers were huddled nearby, some reading silently, others whispering nervously.
I slowed my steps. There was a large wooden board on the wall on which announcements were posted. Orders. Events. Sometimes, bad news.
In the center, freshly posted, was a single sheet of paper, thick, the ink still fresh. I stopped next to Andrew without saying a word, and began to read it silently, which included the following.
-Notice to all current cadets-
The Imperial Command has officially sanctioned the next RANKING EXAMINATION.
All participants will undergo a five stages assessment, designed to test abilities, knowledge, and viability.
The first phase will begin in five days. It is a written exam, and will cover the following areas:
History of the Empire.
Military tactics.
Field treatment and medical fundamentals.
Geographical Knowledge - Allied and Enemy Territories.
Empire law.
The average GPU is 80, unfortunately who score less than this in the program will be automatically disqualified.
Details of the second phase will be revealed after the completion of the first phase.
-Prepare well and good luck to everyone-
I read it twice slowly. The message was clear enough and the thing that caught my attention the most, was the elimination of the people who got less than 80, this is serious.
Andrew said quietly beside me, his arms crossed: "Looks like things are starting to get serious." His tone was calm.
Sophia leaned forward slightly, her eyes sharp as she scanned the lines again and said, "So that's how they want to eliminate us. Whatever, but less than 80, that's very difficult."
I nodded. "They want to reduce our numbers quickly."
Andrew looked around. "Everyone is already nervous. You can tell. Half of them didn't give a damn about studying and only cared about training."
After seeing the reaction of them, I really can tell.
Sophia turned to me with a smile. "Do you want us to study together?"
I paused and put my hand to my chin. "Why not, I need a little help with history."
I looked at the paper again. I have a feeling that this exam is more than a written exam. History, tactics, medicine, geography, law. It's all important. All that will determine who stays and who goes. But only five days for this.
That's surprising and I don't think we have enough time, but let's try our best.
Andrew struggled with the basics of medicine. Sophia struggled with tactics. And I wasn't very good at geography. We weren't bad - we just had gaps. But together... maybe we could cover them.
That was our last day of classes. From now on, we only had three hours of training every morning. The rest of the day was ours to study.
We needed a plan.
The next morning, the library was quiet. The air smelled like old paper and polished wood. We found a wooden table between two huge bookshelves, and there were clean red carpets under our feet. Above us, the ceiling stretched high, and along the right wall, a second floor had been built, covering only half of the first floor. It was designed as a balcony, with additional shelves at the top.
I stood in front of Andrew and Sophia. I said in a calm tone. "We will divide the hours into periods, forty-five minutes of high concentration, fifteen minutes for questions. No distractions."
I looked at Sophia. "Please help us with medicine." Then I looked at Andrew. "You too, Andrew. I want your help with geography."
Andrew leaned back in his chair and cracked his knuckles. "Finally. And you're teaching us the tactics, right?"
"That's the plan," I replied.
He nodded quickly. "Great. It's good to cover each other's weaknesses."
Sophia gave a slight smile. "That's why studying together is so much better."
And so, we began. Day after day, page after page. Sophia took the lead in medicine, correcting our mistakes with quiet patience. Andrew was fast and smart in geography. He even drew maps from memory just to test me. When it came to tactics, I took over.
I drew lines on paper, moved coins to show locations, flipped the same scenario five different ways and explained in theory. Sophia had told me before that she never understood tactics. But now, in the middle of our second day, she suddenly sat up straighter and said.
"...wait. This is actually simple."
I looked at her, arms folded, leaning back in my chair. "It was never complicated. People are just explaining it the wrong way."
She stared at the paper in amazement. "I always felt like I was guessing. This is different."
We continued to study. Every day. For hours. The fear of getting below 80 haunted all of us. It wasn't just about passing, it was about staying in the program. Anyone who got below that average in any subject would be disqualified. It's that simple.
One afternoon, while we were revising in the same library, Yuri walked by. He stopped by our table, his arms behind his back as usual. His face was calm, with a hint of humor.
"Oh, you three are working hard," he said.
We stood and gave our respects, then sat down and I nodded. "We don't have a choice."
Yuri stepped toward me, lowering his voice. "Do you know why the passing grade is 80?"
We all looked at him.
"It's not just about skill," he said, "it's about minimizing numbers. We saw that most of you don't care about studying at all, we only want those who can handle the pressure, learn quickly, and take the load. Also, the upcoming missions won't be easy. Some will wish to quit in the future."
He took one last look at us and walked away, leaving the silence behind. It was really their goal to minimize our numbers.
The following days passed quickly. Finally, the day of the exam came.
The hall was packed. The cadets stood side by side in front of the entrance. The sun outside was scorching, but inside it was cooler, and the stone walls were the reason why.
Sophia stood next to me, her fingers clenching her papers. She said quietly: "I'm not sure about the tactics."
I looked at her, my voice calm. "You'll be fine, trust yourself and remember everything we've learned together."
Sophia nodded as if relieved.
Andrew came in, smiling. "Come on. Let's get it over with."
The exam took hours. We crammed everything into those pages. The questions ranged from memory to logic, from real experience to written theory. When it was over, I felt like a burden had been lifted.
We met outside and their faces were relieved, I guess they felt just like me.
Two days later. The results were displayed on the board in the main hall.
We arrived early. The board was surrounded by cadets, some silent, others cursing in secret. Some leaned against the wall with blank faces. Some sat on the floor with their heads in their hands. But others were smiling, even laughing.
We made our way forward.
I quickly scrolled through the list.
Sophia Vila - passed.
Andrew Celgius - Passed.
Roy Celgius - Passed.
Andrew let out a deep breath. "We made it."
Sophia smiled, calm and proud. I nodded slightly. A slight smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. We had made it through the first half.
We turned to leave, the hall still buzzing with conflicting voices.
On my way, I saw Crimzo sitting in the corner of the hall reading a small book. Reading a book in such a situation, in a room full of people, what a weird guy. I looked at his name, he passed. After looking away, my eyes met with the man I had met earlier, Oliver I think, he looked at me with a smile on his face, I turned away and continued on my path.
After I walked out of the hall the girl Kylie was waiting outside and when she saw me, she raised her hand slightly "Roy, how are you, it's been a long time, did you make it?"
Andrew and Sophia looked at each other, I'm sure they're wondering what's going on right now... But as I said before, I'll talk to her from time to time, making friends is good for us in the future.
I nodded, "I passed, how about you."
She grinned. "Yes, I made it, I'm waiting here for my friends to come, I think they all made it too."
I replied. "I'm glad to hear that, good luck in the next stages..."
"Thank you, you too." She said smiling.
We left then, and Andrew couldn't wait a second, he said chuckling. "Hey Roy, who is that girl, you never told me you made friends here."
I replied in a calm tone. "It's a long story... I'll tell you later, let's go to class."
The old program was back, and class started early in the morning. But when we entered our next class, the change was shocking.
Where once there were more than 250 of us, there were now only 188. The seats were empty. There was silence in the classroom. The room felt wider... colder. And that was just the beginning.
After starting the class with our instructor, Yuri came in and went to the desk, interrupting the class and saying, "I'm happy to see you all succeeding here, your numbers are still large, and this promises me a bright future. Now, after finishing the first stage, we're going to start with more hands-on lessons than notes. The program is still the same, but now we have more work to do." He put his hands on the desk and said loudly. "Stay tuned for the next stage, it could happen soon or at any moment, I don't want you to be caught off guard. So, get ready."
Everybody raised their hands in respect. "Yes sir."
I can't wait to see what happens next, it makes me nervous on one hand, but on the other hand it also makes me enthusiastic.