The first day had been brutal; Saelina was woefully unprepared for the life of a recruit, never mind one who wasn't human. She had been assigned kitchen duty, the evening before, and had slumped onto her bed and passed out, only to be assaulted by a familiar voice and memories that did not seem quite as they should be. She was woken in the early morning hours and told to run around the outside of the compound. If Laelith had not been there to encourage her, she might have found the crevice to be a suitable escape route.

After the morning run, she went through drills and exercises with the other recruits, trying her best to keep up, despite her lungs burning and her muscles cramping up in protest to the rough treatment. Whenever she fell behind, she was berated and mocked, though that part hardly bothered her, compared to the continual angry glares she got from the others as they were forced to do penalties because of her.

Are you finally coming to terms with your own weakness?

I don't think I ever disputed it.

The others have taken notice of it.

She scoffed in irritation.

If I am to be hated, it'll hardly be new.

Eventually, she was ordered to go to a part of the compound, which consisted of a rectangular building with no roof on. Inside was a huge open space with a sand floor, and several nyxis were standing along the edges. A knot was forming in her stomach and she was certain she would not like what was about to happen.

“We'll stop them if they go too far,” a low voice said, behind her.

She was about to feel relieved, until he continued.

“But you'll have to handle the rest, on your own.”

She breathed deeply and dipped her head, once, to signal her understanding. She had always dreaded pain; though she was no stranger to a good beating, her entire body felt sick and weak at the prospect. She had struggled to keep her stomach contents inside, when she had chosen to pierce herself on the icicle and that had been one short burst of movement only to let gravity do the rest. This time, she had to deliberately make herself walk out on to the sand and wait for someone to inflict pain upon her.

Only mortals seek out pain and misery to such a ridiculous degree.

And how far do you think I would get if I turned and ran?

You would at least be hurt, fighting your fate.

She found herself with nothing to say to refute his point and decided to stay quiet. She recognized some of the faces lining themselves up; it seemed the recruits would get their revenge sooner than she thought.

A short woman stepped onto the sand and the people around quieted down. She carried an eye patch over a big scar and her violet gaze was sharp and cold.

“We'll be doing hand-to-hand combat, today,” she declared, her voice carrying through the silence without difficulty.

“We have the honor of playing host to a dragon-bonded, here at the compound. I give her the courtesy of the first fight.”

Saelina had been warned that the nyxis placed great value on fighting skills and the first fight was genuinely considered something to be grateful for. Even so, she was certain they held no lofty opinions of her status or abilities.

She resolutely stepped forward, bowing her head in silent acknowledgment of the 'honor' she was receiving. The captain looked her up and down, clearly unimpressed with what she saw.

“Who would like to volunteer, showing their skill against one of the legendary chosen?”

There was a lot of quiet chatter as it seemed the soldiers were trying to determine who would get to take her on, first. One group, in particular, were conversing in rushed tones. Their supposed candidate was smirking at her and she resisted the urge to gulp. His companions alerted his attention to something behind her, and she suddenly saw the smirk fade, ever so slightly, though she did not look around to see why. More people seemed to be equally unnerved and for a long moment, the chatter continued.

Finally, the nyx whom she had noticed stepped forward, still eager. He was only slightly taller than her but far more muscular, though not a difficult achievement. His long, smooth hair was tied back and his light, brown eyes seemed bright with excitement.

“We have a challenger,” the captain informed.

“The first one to yield, loses. Yielding can be done by saying so, or tapping the ground. Magic use is strictly prohibited, as are weapons of any kind. Do you both understand these rules?”

His smile widened.

“Let her use magic. I won't need it, but I'll take any chance to make the fight more interesting.”

The officer looked at Saelina.

“Do you agree to have the use of magic available, only to yourself?”

Saelina knew she was supposed to say no, that the offer was an insult and accepting it was considered both cowardly and disgraceful. She looked straight at her opponent.

“I agree.”

You'll make no friends in this battle, red one.

Though the words seemed derisive, there was a note of approval in his voice.

If they want to hand me a better chance at winning, I'll take it.

There was a low rumbling in her mind, but not of disagreement.

“You have both been informed of the rules. You may begin your match.”

Saelina got into a fighting stance but had barely moved, before her opponent was upon her. She received a swift kick to the chest and flew backwards. She landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her. She struggled to summoned flames to her hands as her opponent jumped on top of her, ready to strike. Slamming her fire-coated palms against his chest, she saw his eyes widen, before he howled in agony and staggered back.

The reprieve allowed her to regain her breath and stumble to her feet, keeping her eyes on the nyx, whose baleful gaze burned into hers. It dawned on her how much restraint Ezeas had shown, during their training and how expertly he had matched his skill level to hers. She would receive no such quarter, here. Her shoulder was pulsating with a dull ache.

Her opponent had regained his composure and charged, again. She reached out to grab him, but he dodged her hands and slammed his fist into her diaphragm, causing her to double over as pain exploded through her midsection. He proceeded to strike upwards with his other hand, connecting with her jaw and snapping her head back. Her vision blackened and she fell to the ground in a heap, trying to fight the overwhelming dizziness. The nyx came to stand above her and struck her in the back. She cried out and tried to roll away from him, but his foot quickly stopped her escape as it slammed down on her chest, eliciting another scream from her. Without thinking, she grabbed his ankle, willing pain into the flesh beneath her hands.

He shrieked and tore himself loose, before limping away to the other end of the arena. The jolt made pain flare from her injury through her entire arm and into her chest. Saelina knew she had to rise but she was unable to gather herself enough to stand. She rolled onto her stomach, to see where he had gone; he was fighting to put out embers on his pant leg, which had burned the cloth and the skin.

She started wondering whether it might not be better to stay down and let someone declare her loss. The agony she was experiencing was excruciating and the thought of enduring more filled her with fear.

You've known worse.

Is there anything you can do to help?

No.

She exhaled, trying to ignore her frustration as she fought to get on her feet, again. Her opponent seemed to be more wary of her but also more furious. She would have to be careful that he didn't kill her out of anger.

She took at deep breath and tried to calm her frantic heart; with great concentration, she filled herself with heat, let it consume her being. She could feel it shimmer above her skin, burning but not hurting. The nyx charged for the third time and she set herself ablaze; he had no time to register the change before he collided with her; they both tumbled to the ground, his body on top of hers, as the flames seared and scorched him. Something in his eyes snapped and he started punching her, wherever he could, his fists raining down as the both of them were engulfed in the fire. She tried to cover her head and curl herself up to limit the damage but it did little to mitigate the painful strikes, pelting her.

Saelina could not say how long they had stayed like that, only that someone seemed to pull the nyx off her and someone else pulled her to her feet.

She was vaguely aware that her fire had gone out and she was not walking on her own. In fact, it seemed like she was barely walking, at all.

“You certainly know how to leave an impression.”

She smiled when she recognized the cheerful voice, then groaned.

“I...don't feel...good.”

“You were on fire, of course you don't feel good.”

Saelina shook her head, instantly regretting the movement.

“No, the...the fire...doesn't hurt.”

She chuckled.

“It's...friendly fire.”

She started giggling, uncontrollably, almost maniacally. Laelith sighed.

“I'll take that as confirmation that you've got a concussion.”

“Di...Did I...win?”

Why were words so difficult to form?

“It was declared a draw. Ezeas tore the guy away from you and threw him across the arena.”

“W-where are we...going?”

“One of the infirmaries. You need medical attention.”

“Laelith?”

The nyx made a sound of affirmation that she was listening.

“I'm really...sorry.”

There was a moment of silence before she answered.

“I understand. You're not dealing with the easiest of circumstances and I try to keep that in mind. Still, I was hurt.”

Saelina's shame magnified.

“I'll make it up to you.”

“Saelina, I just saw one of my people beat you, while several others stood by, cheering. 'Understandable' doesn't even come close to justifying your distrust.”

She could not think of any rebuttal but the remorse did not abate; Laelith leaned in close, putting her mouth right in front of Saelina's ear.

“But if it'll help you feel better: I forgive you.”

Her voice was soft and filled with something, relief perhaps? Saelina smiled, grateful to her friend for things she could not even properly voice.

The light changed as did the atmosphere, making it clear they were inside. She looked around and saw several nyxis observing them as they walked past; she told Laelith to stop and tried to stand on her own. Something glinted out the corner of her eyes.

“Saelina!”

Before she could react, she was ripped backwards and her vision was blocked by a body as slender arms wrapped themselves around her. She could make out the handle of a throwing knife, deeply embedded into a wooden support beam at the very spot her head had been, only a moment ago.

“Whoops! Guess she no longer repels projectiles?”

A chill spread from the very core of Saelina as she recognized the acerbic tone; glancing over Laelith's shoulder, she met the cold, blue gaze of the last person she had ever hoped to meet, again.

I'm going to die here.

I won't let you.