When you wake up alone in an infirmary, the good thing is, no one is there to see you cry in pain or smile like an idiot because you managed to punch someone. At the moment her eyes popped open, Camille stood on her bed. Her heart calmed down as her memory recollected her last moment of consciousness and played them back. She could still feel the warmth of Karin’s skin on her knuckles and picturing her moment of triumph made her smile with all teeth out.

The dark-haired girl had not lost many times in her life, and if unlike her little sister, she would not have thrown a tantrum over it, she had always made sure everyone understood her discontent. This time was different, if it was indeed a defeat, it tasted like victory. All the bruise over her body were witness of her triumph over the barrack bully.

A few hours had passed since her combat practice course and if a whirring in her head reminded Camille of her wound, most had turned numb. In the mirror next to her, she could see the terrible bruise had been reduced to little red spot on her skin. The base medical team had done a remarkable job fixing her up.

- You seem quite happy for someone who just passed out.

Camille violently turned her head toward the door, her master was standing there with an amused smile on her lips. Her red eyes had returned to the calm sea of fire, she first saw; All anger had long sunk away.

- Master? What are you doing here? Camille asked hastily.

- Making sure my student is alright. Should I have left you alone with trainee Osder?

- I would rather not…

Her teacher crossed the room, sitting on the same bed she was using. If Camille felt a bit uncomfortable about it, she left nothing to show. The vlin’ns was even more impressing up close, Kiel was almost the size of a human adult and her bare arms, like all her body, were thin and muscular. If she had described herself as the strongest vlin’ns in the galaxy, Camille would have believed her.

- You don’t appreciate your comrade much it seems.

- Who? Karin? She is childish and violent! No one can love someone like that!

- Childish… as someone who attack from behind?

Camille lowered her gaze. She had not expected the woman to witness that part of the fight.

- You say that like you are on her side…

- That’s not true. I don’t take a side as you are both to blame. Osder, believe she had the right to wound weaker being as she was taught, and you give her the perfect reason to do so. You could have stayed on the ground, but you choose to keep fighting, which I commend you for. It takes a great deal of courage to stand against a foe we know stronger.

- They were nothing like this... confessed Camille. I just wanted her to shut her mouth.

Kiel laugh was like a chime. She had not expected the young noble to brave an accomplished warrior for something so trivial.

- Weiss, you hit her behind the knee. It’s reckless, and only an idiot not knowing what she is doing like you could have pulled it out. However, it’s much better than silencing her. Valag’fend have important nerves there, it is like kicking a man in his genitals, you should avoid attacking that part of her in the future.

- I don’t plan on fighting Karin again.

Kiel smile faded into a sorry look. Camille realized right away that something was not right. Has she said something strange? They stared at each other in silence, Camille eyes widening as she understood what her master was about to say.

- You are not about to make me fight her again?

- I’m not about, I already did.

Camille heart leaped to her throat. She had not planned to take on the girl again when she attacked her from behind. In the young trainee’s mind, Karin was already plotting her vengeance. Shaking in anger somewhere while waiting for Camille to point her noise out. She had planned on using Ender as a shield until her parent came to her rescue, but the nog’lon couldn’t protect her during tomorrow class. Karin would make her pay twice or even more her insolence. Turning a pleading face to her master, she tried to avoid the grim fate.

- Master! It’s impossible! She will murder me!

- Where is gone the courageous girl that punched a valag in the face?

- She never existed! I just wanted her to stop, it sounded like a good idea at the beginning.

- And what keep you from doing it again?

- Everything! Fighting? Running? Shooting? I can’t do any of them without looking ridiculous! Weak, pathetic and useless, that’s how they all see me! They could all beat me up without trying, but they don’t even need to because I’m too afraid to even challenge them. I should be far away, with nobles doing some stupid things, like talking about boys. I’m not like you, I don’t belong in this place.

Camille vented out her sorrow. By comparing herself with the other, always the same conclusion came to her, she was no match for them. She couldn’t even pinpoint if the joy she felt when punching Karin was real or not. She was proud of her achievement but by relativising, everything was going haywire. Kiel was not agreeing with her student, with the same composure as before she spoke her mind out.

- You should have seen your face when you woke up. The girl that you describe, she would not have worn this smile. She would have hidden under her sheet and cry for someone to take her away. Maybe Camille Weiss is not made for this place, or perhaps she just needs to find another her. I will do everything to help you answer this question, just like I will try to help your comrades find their way.

Closing her words, she got up, about to leave the trainee alone. Camille hesitated a bit before reaching for her, grabbing the back of her shirt. Kiel burning eyes turned to the blushing girl, asking her to speak.

- How-How did you beat the shadow? Stammered Camille.

- The shadow… It has a name; My kind calls it Shir, on your side it was called Dark Dominance.

Sliding her finger under her collar, she took out a small pendant. Camille eyes widen as the woman displayed a chip of pitch-black steel, similar to hers in every aspect. The young girl realised Blue’s gift was out from the beginning and her master had all the time to witness it. Looking at her watch, Kiel sat back on a chair next to her.

- We still have time before your next courses, going back to weapon practice for ten minutes bear no meaning. I can use them to tell you my last day as a vlin’ns knight if you want to hear it. I hope it will help you answer your questions.

- Please, whispered the trainee.

Kiel became more distant as memory returned to her. Her soft voice started to depict the battlefield, the ruins of a continent, on the same planet they were now standing. A battle that was never ending and the one fighting it. They were four of them, young vlin’ns taken from their home and threw in a conflict they had never heard about. A hell where demons were rampaging.

- I was fourteen at that time, I had been in battle for two years already. I was no warrior, but a shepherd, suppose to control the pack of homunculi. I was leading them toward some federation’s position, a day most singular where I should not have met any human. Give an order and retreat with my comrades like nothing.

A bit of grieve dampened her thin face. She could remember them, but their name had long faded into history.

- Some scrambled message came from the radio and the high command sent back the enemy were closing on our position. Right after, on the general com, came two words… A simple message with some much meaning.

- What was it?

- Dominance fall.

The two words felt with power. Even after years, Kiel restored them with the same meaning they held during the war. The room around Camille fell unexpectedly dark and a displeasing pressure began to crush the girl.

- Every guardian had a drop sign; This is the most iconic. When he dropped on the battlefield, he wanted everyone to know. Far away a thunderous horn roared and just like that we were paralyzed with dread. We had heard rumours, tales. Nothing compared to the real monsters of the federation. We hid inside a building before sending the pack to its death. We could hear the echoes of battle as it took out of all of them, I could not even breath correctly anymore and almost threw up when the horn blew a block away from us.

The bridge between them started to build again. Camille shared the same fear, crippling her stomach and making her hands shake like crazy. In the faded memory, Kiel vision turned to one of her comrades, hidden behind a vlin’ns MEA, the only one she could remember. Talkan was the lucky one with a working shield, all shepherds were not given such expense. Dark Dominance was walking next to them, they could hear the heavy footstep and they all held their breath.

- A rock, they were thousands of them in this ruin of a building. But this one dislocated because of the horn and felt on the shield. A little spark pushed it away, but it was too much already. The wall exploded and he was vaporised in front of me.

Camille could smell the plasma, the melting metal and burning flesh. Her hears ringed when the horn roared as Dark Dominance breached the wall. The MEA was huge, shields his size covered two of his arms creating a rampart between him and the vlin’ns weapon. Perfectly black, only two lights could be seen, the nozzles of his plasma chain gun already turned toward her friend. The burning carcass fell on the ground, legs and head had vanished. The third vlin’ns yelled something inaudible and took out a sword, rushing at the monster. Kiel followed behind; her blaster shot bouncing on the dark metal like pebbles. In front of her eyes, he was dismembered. Behind the two shields had been hidden another set of arms, wilding shotgun, and axe.

- I reached for my knife, still better than my pistol. He crashed into me with his shield, trying to blast me with a shotgun shell. My last friend was still alive and jumped on him from the back. He took the shot, die to protect me. His weapons were out of ammunition, I believe…

The black MEA turned back to the desperate vlin’ns, Kiel desperately tried to stab it at the head, a weak point, but the energy blade couldn’t breach it. Pushed back, she saw the axe move toward her chest. Reacting at the last instant, she smashed her arm between her and the weapon, deviating it a little.

Pain pierced Camille belly as she revived the woman’s death. She could feel her hand trying to stop the flow of blood as the other reached for her sidearm, rising it toward the monster.

- And at that moment, he stopped. I had him in the middle of my sight, ready to shoot and he just looked down on me. The horn blew again, and I dropped my gun as it was pointless. He had won. I waited for my death, but he left without finishing me.

Kiel lifted her shirt a bit, revealing a scar going from her left hips to her navel. No one could have survived such wound, not without immediate help.

- But you didn’t die!

- Obviously. Anyone else would have agonised in a pull of blood. I was not anyone, and I used the psyck to cauterise the wound. After that I abandoned my MEA and walked aimlessly on the battlefield, crying every tear of my body. I remember hearing voices, and someone came to save me. I woke up just like you did, in a hospital in front of a human nurse who tried to calm me down. A month and a half-had past, the war had ended without me.

She laughed again as the embarrassing memory was shared with her students. She could see Kiel running across the hospital while looking for a way out until she bumped into a tall guy with frozen eyes.

- I met Lesskov that day, he spoke the most terrible vlin’ns I had ever heard. I knew he was a soldier by his uniform. I was scared to death, and he just asked me why a little girl like me was running around. I never bet Dark Dominance, I fought his memory and it’s thanks to Lesskov and Blue that I did.

- But your parent… Your vlin’ns parent, did they know you are still alive?

- Probably not, I don’t want them to. I am a knight and the only one my family will ever have because they sold me to have the title. I was arrogant and vicious, a terrible child and they believed I would never do anything with my life. They lost a dead weight and were awarded a new name Ad Ordlys.

- That’s terrible! How could they do that?

- Vlin’ns are cruel, just like valag, sul’doth, nog or even human. We are all the same, but we are also capable of the better. Lesskov and Blue helped an annoying little vlin’ns afraid of human to become the woman I am now. Nursed me back to health and made me fight my demon, just like you and Osder will do.

A smile a bit sad popped over Kiel’s face.

- I was too harsh with the girl, I still need to train my patience.

- What have you done?

- Nothing, I yelled at her a bit when I saw you on the ground. In reality, I was angry at myself for leaving you alone to get beaten up, especially after psylinking with you.

As she spoke the bridge collapsed, throwing off the girl. Camille looked around, displease to have left free access to her mind again. She was supposed to be compose, but always ended up failing to contain the unique woman.

- You did it again…

Kiel eyebrows rise as she smiles.

- I have done nothing this time. I was surprised when you accepted me at the beginning of the course and with the ease you had to communicate, but right now, I was not using my link. You are the one doing it.

- Human can’t use the psyck, spoke the girl as if Kiel was an idiot.

- And normal human girls don’t have their eyes shining blue when they psylink with a vlin’ns.

Camille turned her head to the glass, just to see the last iridescent shard in her eyes die off before returning to their original colour.

- What does it mean?

- That your deep space mutation is more than just a bit of colour in your eyes. Psylink is the weakest psyck one can use, but for a human it still excellent to have.

She stopped as the ringing signifying the end of the courses. Kiel left her seat and started to move toward the door.

- Your next course is in ten minutes trainee. You should hurry up, if you don’t want to miss it too.

- My next courses?

- You have an academic test in the main building. You are with Reg, just tell him you were in the infirmary and he will not annoy you. He is super sweet.

Camille realized she had been in the infirmary for hours; she had no clue how much time had passed since she fell unconscious but outside, the night was slowly fading in. Jumping to her feet, she rushed behind her master. All her muscles felt a bit numb, but it was far better than the previous pain. After a quick salute, she left the smiling woman, rushing for the next course of her schedule. Because she had no clue where it was, she had to rush back to her dorm before running all the way back to the centre of the base.

When she finally reached the lecture hall, her comrades and quite a few other barracks had finished setting up, the lecture had already started.