The morning sun barely crept over the horizon when Ashen stood silently outside Lieutenant Grey's office. The hallway was empty, lined with faded crimson banners bearing the Blood Kingdom's seal, fluttering slightly in the draft. He took a breath and pushed the heavy door open.
Inside, Grey sat at his desk, surrounded by towers of paperwork. He didn't look up immediately. A moment passed before his cold eyes flicked toward the door, locking onto Ashen.
"You're early," Grey said.
Ashen stepped in and stood at attention, saluting. "Sir. I wanted to speak with you before the mission."
Grey raised an eyebrow, then leaned back in his chair. "Speak."
Ashen hesitated. His fists clenched slightly at his sides. "Throughout this trial… we've been fighting, moving, surviving—but we don't even know what we're up against. My unit and I—we're walking blind."
For a moment, the room fell into silence. The air seemed to thicken as Grey's expression darkened. His voice was low, almost like a whisper echoing through ash.
"You're fighting the last fragments of the Abyss," he said, "the leftovers of a horror that should never have existed."
Ashen's brows furrowed.
Grey leaned forward, tapping the edge of his desk. "The monsters you've seen so far… they're nothing. Merely shadows, things born from the leaking aura of beings we call Dream Eaters. These creatures exist outside our understanding. That one you saw in your nightmare? It wasn't ancient—it was young. That's the only reason you're alive."
Ashen felt a chill crawl down his spine. The thought of something worse lurking beyond that nightmare was unbearable.
"How do such things even come to exist?" he asked.
Grey paused. "No one knows. Some say Dream Eaters are born from the sins of the gods, mistakes carved into reality itself. But there's no proof. Only rumors."
Ashen stood silent, taking it all in. The unknown was worse than death itself.
Before he could ask more, the door opened.
The rest of Unit 9 filed in one by one, saluting the lieutenant. Kerr, Lin, Sera, Elira, and Raynar all stood in a row.
Grey stood. "Welcome, soldiers."
Elira glanced at Ashen, a curious glint in her eyes. "Why are you here already?"
Ashen gave a small shrug. "Just got here."
She raised an eyebrow, unconvinced but said nothing.
Grey pulled out a scroll and unfurled it across the table. It was a map of the Blood Kingdom, old and detailed. Raynar stepped closer, narrowing his eyes.
"What's this?" he asked.
"This," Grey replied, "is your mission."
They leaned in as Grey continued. "You'll be deployed far south, to a region called Athen. Your task is to assist in the evacuation of the remaining population. It's a relatively easy mission for new recruits. You'll be fine."
Kerr raised a hand innocently. "Sir, why would an army unit be needed for something like this? Isn't it more of a civil task?"
Grey's eyes narrowed, his voice sharpening. "This is the army. You follow orders. We are trained to lay down our lives without question, and if death comes, you leave your legacy to your comrades."
A heavy silence fell.
"But," he added after a moment, "since you're new, I'll explain—just this once. Does anyone here know what Athen is?"
Elira spoke up. "It's the agricultural hub of the empire. Around thirty percent of the kingdom's crops are grown there due to the fertile soil."
Grey nodded. "That's correct—at least, that used to be the case. The land has begun dying. The soil is failing. There's no saving it now. The kingdom has decided to abandon Athen. The population will be relocated to the capital, and their agricultural knowledge will be used to create a new foundation in the central provinces."
Sera's expression turned cold. She remained silent, but a flicker of suspicion danced in her eyes. As a princess, she knew her father wasn't the type to care about the commoners. Something about this mission wasn't sitting right with her. It was too clean, too considerate.
She clenched her fists beneath her cloak.
Grey handed them a folded letter sealed with the mark of the Blood Kingdom. "Present this when you arrive at the city gates. It will grant you passage and authority."
He stepped back, voice firm. "You depart tomorrow morning. This mission will take one to two weeks depending on travel. And one more thing—this will be your final mission as Unit 9."
The room fell still.
Raynar chuckled. "It's about time."
Grey shot him a glare, and he immediately shut up.
"As you all know," Grey continued, "you've been assigned to different departments following the trial. This mission is considered low risk, so you're allowed to complete it as a team. Afterward, you'll report to your respective posts."
Ashen had known this was coming, but hearing it spoken aloud hit differently. A strange weight settled in his chest.
Grey dismissed them.
One by one, they began leaving the room. Kerr and Lin walked out first.
"Man, this sucks," Kerr muttered, stretching. "Feels weird knowing we won't be in the same team anymore."
Lin smiled. "Doesn't matter where we go. We'll always be friends."
Elira glanced at Ashen, her expression solemn. She walked up to the others and said, "Then let's have a feast when we come back. One last celebration—as Unit 9."
Kerr's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Deal!"
He extended his hand. Lin and Elira joined in, smiling as their palms touched.
Ashen hesitated but eventually reached out, placing his hand on theirs.
Sera, silent all this time, looked at them… then at Raynar. He scoffed.
"This is stupid. I'm not a kid."
She didn't say anything, just kept staring.
With a sigh, Raynar finally stepped forward and added his hand.
In one motion, they lifted their hands into the air, forming a circle. Laughter filled the hall—genuine, warm, fleeting.
Unit 9 walked together through the corridor, smiling.
Raynar was the first to break from the group. His gaze had drifted toward a tall man standing at the far end of the hall.
The man was dressed in high-ranking military attire—sleek and dark, lined with silver. His skin was golden-tan, posture perfect, and his face was sharp like it had been carved by a sculptor. His eyes… they were jet black, cold like a winter night.
He stood still, unmoving, but his gaze was fixed on Ashen.
Elira's entire body tensed. She stepped closer to Ashen protectively.
Sera noticed too. Her cheerful mask dropped. Her eyes darkened with caution.
But they said nothing. Without a word, they walked past the man.
Ashen noticed the tension, felt the way the air had shifted. The people around him avoided looking at the man. Even soldiers kept their heads low.
Only Lin, cheerful and clueless, remained unaffected.
Ashen leaned toward Kerr. "Who is he?"
Kerr looked at him like he'd grown another head. "Wait… you don't know?"