Camille couldn’t hide the boredom taking over her. Staring at the ceiling, she had been counting the light covering it for the past ten minutes while one of the instructors was listing every trainees’ name and their linked barrack. The process was sluggish, lacking efficiency and the girl could have thought about ten different ways to make it interesting or at least faster. The worst part was her own name, Weiss would always come at the end of the list and she had to stay focused all the time and listen to the soft voice of instructor Kiel.

The vlin’ns had a patience made of marble, and she enunciated each name with the same liveliness, almost singing them. When her name finally came out, Camille almost missed it, but Gwen’s cheerful shriek brought her back to reality.

- We are together, Camille! I’m so glad!

- It seems we will have to stick together a bit longer, joined Ender who had also been named. Let’s try our best.

As one, they left the rank to join with their comrades in front of the heavy doors. The fifty were all different, an almost perfect mix, but no vlin’ns were present. A shame thought the girl, who found the race more pleasant than the others.

- Good morning trainees. As you should have understood, I will be your barrack referent for this month. You will call me Major Sibelle or instructor like you did with Lesskov.

Laying eyes on the infamous woman, Camille suppressed a shiver. She could totally see why Anil was talking like that about her. Proud would be the master word to describe Sibelle, she was towering over the trainees while laying disdainful gaze at them. She remembered Camille of an old dance professor, she once had. The embittered witch had left bad memories on the girl, and the two women shared the same crooked nose.

- Please, make sure to follow me and don’t lose your way. If you can’t manage that little, I doubt you will stay with us for long.

The woman childish remark left Camille unmoved. However, they still followed behind while trying to look presentable. Worried, she would turn on them and start punching like Lesskov had done before.

She took them to the east of the base, place reserved for the new trainees. The forty perfectly uniform barracks had been built in a rectangle, next to the facilities they would use during their training. Sibelle stopped in front of one labelled with a thirty-four, pointing it with her index, she turned back to the company.

- This will be your dorm. Please make sure to store your belonging near your bed and ensure nothing had been lost. Inside you will find bunk bed, one is allocated to you. There will also be showers where you will be able to wash at night and in the morning. On the wall at the back of the main dorm, notice the detailed agenda of your week and the related professor. Please be on time for your first classes.

At the second she finished talking, Sibelle turned around. Leaving the trainee hanging with their questions. They stared at each other in disarray before focusing on the door. One of them approached and the glass door splits open, giving them a first view on their new home. The entrance was just a small room separating in two doors, the front one leading to the dorm, while the other hided the bathroom.

At that moment, Camille realised that she would be living in a mixed dormitory with all the others. Just thinking about sharing a room with boys her age was heating up her cheeks, having to take her shower with them as well was furiously distressing for the young girl. Who could have thought about such an uncivilized idea? The militaristic heart of the school was hard to confront at first, like their elder they would need to adapt. For the moment, Camille wanted to avoid the awkward moment, but she would soon realize how impossible it was.

Following the steps of her comrade, she entered the dormitory. Bunk bed had been aligned in four rows, covering the room in its integrity. Each one was accompanied by a simple wardrobe where they could find some basic washing material which reassured her. The two girls easily found their bed as Anil had left their bags on them, accompanied by a note.

- Good luck girls! Read a smiling Camille. We need to thank Anil later!

Gwen, who had already monopolized the top bed, nodded her agreement. Above her clothes, Camille found another uniform her size and the reliquary card given by Lesskov during her anniversary. She sighted her relief when finding it, the boy had managed to sneak it past the base authority.

As they were discovering their place, everyone was living through anxiety and impatience as their new life was right on the corner. Once settled, Camille looked around to see who her new neighbours were. Ender was not far away, a good thing as the nog’lon had appeared nice and composed which changed from the others. The infamous valag was there too, accompanied with some of her kindred. Camille decided to lay low for a bit and pray for the bully to forget about her. However, some had another idea in mind, trying to impose themselves as strongest of the dorm their discovered the title had already been claim.

The valag’fend known under the name of KarinTedia was not the flimsy kind. If Camille had a first view of her personality, she was as shocked as the others during her swift and violent coronation. A nogl’on a bit smaller than Ender started to quarrel with the amber eyes’ girl. Everyone was watching their own business, pretending to not listen, but as soon as they jumped on each other they turned to witness the fight. Camille had no idea what started it, space she believed, as they were next to each other. Naturally Karin struck first, crunching his throat with the flat of her hand.

Gasping for air, he managed to stay up. More, he dashed forward and aimed his fist at the girl’s face. Karin dodged with a sneer and started to pummel his ribs after each missed attack. Pain showed on his face as he understood how out skill he was. Punching his way closer, he rammed the girl, tackling her to the ground as her luck left out. Rolling together between the lines of beds, they exchanged blow for blow under their comrade cheers. Violence was escalating and the battle turned one sided when Karin broke free. Changing her stance, the girl flew jab from afar; Piercing his guard again and again until he couldn’t stand anymore.

He fell on his knees, but Karin wouldn’t stop. Camille guessed she would continue until he fell unconscious. Someone had to spot her, but she was too terrified to try. Ender came to the same conclusion and had no such issue. Making the most of her distraction, managed to grab and lift her away. Shoving her toward the other side of the room, he put a stop to the execution.

- Let me finish him! She yelled with fury. I will get that bloody arsehole!

- Drop it! If an instructor saw that, you would be punished and all of us with you! He retaliated with a dark gaze. You already demolished him anyway.

She moved close to the boy, her burning eyes on his. Every bit of her body was ready to strike, but at the last second, she chose to abort and backed down a step.

- Well, if he had not gone on my nerves, maybe his lovely face would be intact. That goes for you too! You don’t scare me and if you ever piss me off, I will make you regret it.

Ender raised a brow before turning his back on the girl. Another slight she would remember, but couldn’t punish. If she was a hot head, she could also see if an opponent was worthy of fear or not and Ender was not among those, she would fight unprepared.

With the brawl finish, everyone tried to return to whatever they were doing prior, but lots of lost gaze ended on either Karin or Ender. That last was pissed off but when he saw the smile Camille was giving him, it swiftly vanished.

- They don’t understand… They are supposed to help each other. We are on the same side! On a battlefield we would all be dead.

- Have you seen a battlefield before?

- I have lived among soldier for all my life. Even at peace, there is always a place for soldiers to die. Near the border, pirates infested rocks or planet that refused to follow the federation.

- It must be terrible…

- Worse than anything you can imagine.

Camille could portray him on a spaceship, watching his family descend on a world to protect the precarious peace of the federation. She understood where his strength was coming from, no recruit could compare to him and as simply as that, she started to respect him.

A few minutes later a ringing shook the building, the first class would soon start. They all rushed to the screen where their first course was displayed. The first day was used to test the applicant, unluckily for them, they started with physical test.

- We got Lesskov as PE teacher! We are so fucked!

Most of the trainees gnashed their teeth when hearing it. The man had already brought to himself a terrible reputation and many feared what would unfold in the upcoming minutes. Camille was among them, her first meeting with the man had been displeasing, the second strange and she had a bad feeling for the third.

After a short observation on the map of the base, they left together toward the training ground. Apprehension was building up during a stressfully silent walk. When the thirty four barrack arrived at the tracks reserved for the trainees, Lesskov was already waiting.

Some other barracks were also present, each one with a different and more friendly instructors. The fifty stood in rank like he had taught before, an effort to avoid the man’s wrath and a good one as he answered the try with a pleased nod.

- Good but not perfect, he complimented. As you should be remembering, I’m Alexandr Lesskov and your PE instructor for the next month. My goal is to make you run a marathon without breaking a sweat, a difficult goal for some of you, but a possible one. Today, you are in luck as I just have some basic testing to evaluate your physical abilities. Nothing fancy and far easier than your daily program.

Finishing his sentences, he moved in a salute. Camille, like all her comrades, copied him a hurry. Lesskov watched the young struggle to do the simple gesture, not without amusement.

- Again, good, but imperfect. When you will meet with your professor, always start the courses in rank and with a salute. Basic respect that you should display toward anyone with a higher rank than you. Anyway, this is not the point of this course, let’s begin the test.

Basic tests in Lesskov’s eye and Camille’s were immensely different. If it started with some classic exercises like pushups, it rapidly evolved into more complex one. The man would always ask them to give everything and only stop when they could no longer move a muscle. Camille tried her best, if she lasted reasonably enough at the beginning, her time quickly dropped down until she was almost every time the first to stop. Gwen was following a bit behind, only always managed to outmatch her. Each time she stopped, Lesskov would turn despicable eyes to her as if he was each time more disappointed in the poor effort of the new trainee.

Soon, the man terrible reputation made surface again and he started to had punishment for those who could not reach a low but still difficult threshold. Camille could not match any and every time had to do more while all her comrade waited for her.

The first class was not even finished, she could already feel every fibre of her body cry of pain. At that moment, she would have given anything to just rest, but she knew the man would find a way to punish it. Lesskov was writing every result on a holo-screen coming out of his bionic arm. If the relic abilities were impressive, Camille would have preferred never discovering them.

- We will now do the endurance test. See that track? Make five turns and try to come back as fast as you can.

Camille, who had already burned all her juice advised the dirt ring. Five turn would take her an eternity to complete, and if she failed, the man would give her more to do. Stretching her legs, she started to run. One step after the other, she held on while breathing fire. When the final circle was complete, legs had been reduced to pulp. Without a second thought, she dropped on the floor, trying to catch her breath. She barely had the time to do so before the major feet appeared at the corner of her sight.

- What are you doing on the ground, trainee Weiss?

- Breathing… Can’t… you… tell?

- Well, I definitely can. But comes the question, why do it on the ground? You definitely need to recover, trainee. Two more laps should help you out.

- Two? Impossible! I’ll die!

- Then three should do the trick, trainee Weiss.

The girl swallowed a sob and tried to stand up. Her left leg failed on her and she almost collapsed only to be caught by the man who pulled her back up. A few laughs echoed behind her and her instructor’s opal eyes turned to the giggling valag.

- Start running Weiss. And you, give me your name.

- KarinTedia Orsder, sir.

- Trainee Osder, are you perhaps laughing because one of your comrades, his spitting her lungs out in front if you?

- No… I mean…

- Don’t lie to me.

The bully felt cold sweat as the man turned from disappointment to anger. Even if Lesskov was just a puny human, the tough girl had never seen one that spine-chilling. For the first time, Karin lowered her head before answering.

- Sorry, instructor.

- Start running too, only stop when Weiss does. He condemned before turning to the rest of them. So many smiles on your faces. Watching the big bully get punished is pleasing? Maybe less than watching her fight with one of your comrades while you do nothing? Not a single one to make up for the others, three laps for everyone it will be.

Many complained, but they all started to run behind the girl, catching up fast as Camille was barely able to lift her feet off the ground. She watched them move past her, seemingly angry to have another row of exercise to do when they were all so tired. If Camille felt sorry for them, she was not to blame for their misfortune, her comrades had another idea in mind. As she was fully focused on keeping breathing, she barely noticed the one who tripped her up. She fell down hand first, hurting herself on the rocky ground of the track.

- Come on Weiss! You are not supposed to sleep on the ground!

Camille could only endure her comrade mockery and try to keep her face up. If she started to cry now, they would never hear the end of it. She forced herself to continue and starting walking while removing the pebble from her hand. Her gaze crossed Lesskov, but the man only stared in silence as she kept trying to run. In the end she only got the time to do two laps before the rigging signalling the end of the courses liberated her.

- Osder, Weiss, you can stop.

The valag even if in better shape, was still in sweat after all the running she had done. She turned a dark glare at the girl, bad omen igniting again the fear the girl had for the bully. As everyone was leaving toward their next courses, she followed at the back while sobbing her sorrow out. Camille would have given anything to leave the place, her worst nightmare enjoyable in comparison.

- Are you okay?

Ender soft voice came to the rescue. Next to him Gwen was trying to smile too, but was a bit weary to keep her natural joy.

- Mostly… Just wounded and tired…

- That doesn’t sound like okay to me. Don’t mind them, they are kids who think playing with people is funny. You are stronger than that.

- I would love to believe you…

- It’s not in me that you need to believe, but in yourself.

- Whoa! You speak well Ender, commented Gwen. Don’t worry Camille, we are here with you.

Camille nodded with a smile on her face, enjoying her friends trying to cheer her up. Not everyone wanted her gone after her failure in the first class, maybe she could even demonstrate herself in the next.

The class left the training track for a more comfortable building. If the outside was alike everything else, once past the door, they found themselves in a room with tatami mats as floor. All around the room, sphere the size of a fist where flying. Camille couldn’t tell what they were made off and even had trouble to catch a glimpse of them because of the erratic movement they were following. In the middle they found Kiel, the vlin’ns who had the boring task of enumerating every trainee.

The vlin’ns was moving, dancing some would have said, in the middle of the orbs. Avoiding them all with sharp and nimble movement, far above humanly possible. Camille could only watch mouth wide open the display of strength. The noble girl had farsighted a valag or nog’lon as combat instructor, both race contesting for the place of strongest fighter. Her new master was far above her expectation.

As the pace accelerated, the woman started to use her arms to deflect the orbs. The trainees lost clear sight of her movement, only hearing the crackle when her hands collided with them. Near the group, a single sphere had kept static for the whole fight. Starting to shake, the vicious ball waited for Kiel to turn around before rushing, perfectly in her blind spot. A few gasps slipped from the trainees, Seeing the master already defeated. That last became a blur, flying between the orbs, she landed just in front of the vicious one. Camille felt her hair rise on her head as Kiel struck a single blow, crackling it before it exploded in a wave of dust and debris ender the audience amazed eyes. The next second all the other stopped, returning behind the master in a perfect circle.

Finally, Kiel opened her limpid red eyes and turned to watch her new students.

- Why are you still standing? Take a seat, please.

While speaking so, she lowered to sit on her knees. The trainees imitated Kiel and drew a semi-circle in front of her before waiting for her next move. The vlin’ns gaze moved on her trainees, spending a long ten seconds over each one before going to the next. When Camille turn came, she met her with apprehension. As Kiel’s ruby eyes crossed her, she felt a bridge build between them. She was using her race gift, the psyck, to take a glimpse at the girl’s heart. She could have fought off the invading presence like many of her comrade did, a part of her was screaming it, but she struggled to prevent the urge.

Pain, joy and fear, every sentiment she had felt the past days felt under her master gaze. Her aspiration and the deepest wish of her heart revealed themselves to the fantastic presence. Although, for every facet she allowed to visit, she could glimpse back at Kiel. A palace of prismatic serenity would have described her mind, wall build by the perfect control she had over her mind and body. Even there, Camille manages to find flaws, crack in the marble leading to darker times.

Down below, she found a knot of fear born as death grasp closed on her master. A dark shadow walking away with a bloody axe, the fear one met during his last moment and the courage to not give up. Kiel’s lips moved into a smile as she drew the girl to different memory. A cliff giving on the sea, lost in the deep and comfortable silence, she had used to shield her from her past. Camille could see herself in a mirror, only Kiel had faced ten times worse than her.

- I live by the name Kiel Ad Ordlys, once knight of the vlin’ns empire and now Lieutenant of the federation. In this place you will learn to master your body and sharpen your mind, together, fuse into the strongest weapon you will ever need, yourself.

She nimbly jumped to her feet and walked toward them, some tried to get up, but she stopped them right away.

- Don’t act by military procedure, this place is a dojo I built. Between those walls, no one is a soldier, but students and a master. Some of you, may already know martial arts. I see a few valag, are you all proficient in Gintela?

The girls nodded at the same time, only Karin rolled her eyes as she was asking the evident.

- What is Gintela? Asked a sul’doth girl. Could you explain?

- Of course! Don’t be so worried and just ask, I don’t bite unlike Major Lesskov. She joked while pointing two valag. Can you make us a demonstration?

Both valag smiled with all teeth, showing their strength in front of everyone was a gift for them. Facing each other in the middle of the room, they raised their guard to protect their head. Camille had seen such move in boxing match that Jasper would some time watch during the time the girls were supposed to do their homework. It was also the only time anything violent could be seen on their TV.

- Bow before fighting.

The two exchanged a gaze before shily bowing to each other and resuming their stance. Camille noted a small difference between them, one leaned toward her opponent as if she was about to rush forward while the other stood defensively. Her intuition was right, and at the moment Kiel allowed them to fight, the first sprinted toward her opponent.

The second took a step back, throwing a punch that collided with her opponent’s guard in a loud crack. To Camille’s surprise, the girl barely reacted and kept pushing her way under a flurry of blows. Each time she tried to attack; her opponent took a shot at her head. The match seemed already finished, then the retreating valag hit against the wall, and everyone understood what had been going on. Avoiding the final defence of her opponent, the first valag unleashed a hook but only met air. The other had fled to her side with an arrogant smile, which vanished when an elbow crushed her belly. Wide open, the next hit threw her on the ground.

The winner was about to push on, but an arm stopped her. She turned a frustrated gaze to their master before lowering her guard, her opponent could still get back up.

- Now, bow again to thank you opponent.

- Even me? Asked the standing girl. I’m the winner…

- Of course, winning has no importance here. The goal of this place is to teach. Always show respect for those who helped you learn and stop seeing other as rival like you did before. This fight was amazing and showed well to your comrade the basic of the Gintela, the valag’fend boxing like some call it.

- Of course, a vlin’ns would say that. Mutter Karin sat a bit behind Camille. It was sloppy at best! And she thinks herself as a master.

- Please sit with me trainees. Now that we had a short sight of our trained combatant, let’s see who have never struck a blow in his life. Don’t be shy and raise your hand.

About half of the students had never practiced martial art before, it reassured Camille, who was afraid to be among the worst again. Their master was pleased by the disparity in her class, creating an opportunity for everyone to learn something. As her students had shown interest is their strongest pear combat capacity, Kiel decided to start of with the basic of their martial art, which were easy to understand for beginner.

She started off by explaining the basic guard and after correcting a bit those in difficulties made them learn the most basic punch one could do, a jab. Once she had confirmed that everyone had understood the basic, she ordered them to find a partner to spare. The only restriction, beginner and experienced had to be mixed. Camille turned to Ender, but the boy had already been claimed by Gwen. The girl had grabbed his arm at the second their master had spoken.

Camille looked around for another match, each time she was about to ask another student took her place. Not a minute had past, and only a few were still alone, mostly valag as the tall girls where scaring the beginners. She turned to the closest one, the murderous smile on Karin’s face froze the blood in her vein.

- What? The maggot can’t find a partner?

Camille swore under her breath, the only thing that had followed her on Erin was her damn luck. Everyone else had already found a partner at that time and the tall brunette was already closing on her while tying her hair in a unique long braid. Once free, her hand moved in a guard slightly different from the one they had just learned.

- Ready maggot?

- Are we not supposed to bow?

Karin answered with a sneer as Camille felt a shock on her forehead. She had come at her out of the blue, benefiting from the noble lack of attention to get a free hit. Of course, the valag was not in need of cheap trick to win, however, watching her opponent angry face amused her.

Camille glared back and tried to raise a guard. Karin accepted the challenge and started her next attack, her palm flew toward the girl who hide behind her hand, closing her eyes of fear. Her own fingers collided with her, followed by a violent pain as she rolled on the ground. Her hand reached for her right cheekbones where the skin had already turned into a painful blue. Camille had not even seen the attack coming.

- If you drop your guard, it’s not going to work, maggot. Now stop wasting my time and get up!

Camille’s gaze moved back to her opponent, the world around her was still spinning but Karin’s infuriating jiggle kept her from abandoning. Pushing on her shaking arms, she got back on her feet and raised her guard while looking for a way to close the girl’s mouth. For all the time she had spent hiding behind a couch, watching people fight instead of doing her homework, she had to remember something. Camille put upside down her memory, in search of some magic trick to win, or she could improvise something.

Taking a long breath, she prepared herself. She needed to dodge one attack and throw a counter, it had to take the brawny girl by surprise. Karin started to close the gap, pivoting before launching her assault. Camille’s eyes stayed open, and she stepped out of the way at the last moment. Time came to a stop as the two girls were standing eyeballs against eyeballs, Camille’s arm ready to strike. The blow was weak, not enough to impair the beast. Karin swirled herself to the ground, where her fist collided with Camille’s knee, taking a grunt of pain from the girl. Falling at the same height, a final punch dropped the beginner back on the ground. This time Karin was not laughing.

- Useless git, what do you think you are doing?

Tasting blood in her mouth, Camille saw the girl turn around. Pushed by frustration, she lifted her elbow, and with a ragging roar hit the back of her opponent’s knee. If vengeance was sweet, the pain spreading through Karin legs turned into rage. Preventing her fall, she turned around and crushed the twitching worm under her boots.

Camille’s head slammed on the tatami; A feint drop of blood dripping from the shadow of her hair. Karin realised right away something was not right, the girl was not moving at all. Shaking her with all her strength, she found her knocked out.

- Hey! Don’t fuck with me!

- Trainee Osder! What are you doing!

Anxiety on the face, she turned to her master who was rushing toward them. The woman had been busy surveying the other valag and had only left the two girls without surveillance for a minute, yet it was already too much.

- Trainee Weiss? Are you okay? What have you done?

- Nothing! I mean… I didn’t want to… She stroked my knee! It was just a reflex!

Kiel, who was observing her student bruised body turned a terrifying gaze to the young valag. Karin regretted the woman calm nature as she spoke.

- Of course, it had to be you. All of your kindred are gently fighting their partner like I ordered, but you decide to demolish this poor girl.

Kiel lifted the sleeping trainee in her arm and turned to her other student.

- Continue to spare while I’m bringing Weiss to the infirmary. If anyone else is on the ground when I come back, his partner will regret Lesskov childish punishment. Her murderous gaze turned to Karin. I’m disappointed, not surprise, at least your mother had the decency to not hit people on the ground.

Karin jaw dropped to the unexpected notion of her mother. Kiel left right away with the injured girl, leaving the bully in dismay. Realizing many gazes were on her, she turned an angry glare at them, driving them back to their training, and leaving her alone in her corner of the room.