Scattered among the stars, the federation was a large nation. To prevent such a country from collapsing, the leaders had built a cleaver and unbendable administration. The first part was the institution of a shared calendar and time. A revolution was the name used by citizens to symbolise the passing of a year. Based on the ellipse of Proxeron, capital of the federation, a revolution was four-hundred days long. The sequential divides were ten months of five weeks. If Camille’s homeworld was not following the conventional calendar, she had no problem adjusting.

Five days had passed since the skirmish between Lesskov and Sibelle. The trainees had reached the orarc, the last day of the week. They had long forgotten about the events, focused on their new routine. With the end of the first week, the weary trainees were allowed some rest. Their forty-first days at the base were not called the month of Hell for nothing. By resting, they meant no physical class. The kids still had to follow academic courses through the day while their older peers were playing around.

It was not common to work that much in the federation. Most people were only working about four days in the week, spending the rest training new skill or taking time with their family. If most students had a similar rhythm, they often worked more than the older generation. It was even more true for military schools where trainees would only get two days of leave per week. Of course, that last part didn’t include the fresh blood.

The night had already started to fall upon Erin IV. Camille was sitting in the canteen with her comrades, her holo-screen flying above her plate. Deaf to the chatting around her, she was reading lines after lines with her serious face on. Moving behind the opaque screen, a small black hand crushed the non-existent page. It disappeared with an audible pop.

- Mijuu to Camille! Mijuu to Camille! Is there anyone in this head?

Facing the smiling girl, her eyebrow relaxed. Everyone was looking at her with hints of amusement. She had no idea what was happening.

- Yeah! I was reading a bit.

- Your plate is still untouched. We have been there for ten minutes already, noted Ender. Sevos is already at his third.

- Don’t say that like I’m some kind of animal! Speak the boy his mouth full. Camille, can I take your pizza slice? I never manage to get one.

Lowering her gaze, Camille grabbed the boy dessert, dropping it on her tray.

- Hey! That’s my crème brulé.

- Crème brulé? Pizza? Your choice Sevos.

- Damn Weiss and their commercial skill, always stealing from the hungry. Give me the damn slice already, woman.

With a large smile, she completed her deal. Sevos jumping on the prized food, wolfing it down at the second it touched his plate. In front of him, Tavis had been staring at the girl for the last minute. The ginger was thinking deeply.

- What were you reading? He asked. You could have pierced the holo-screen with your stare.

- A few documents about the different MEA’s roles. Instructor Drayn recommended them when I asked.

- the strategy instructor? Questioned Sevos. That’s why we had to wait for you after the class? You already asked so much question! I thought the guy would die of hypoxia.

- I found his class remarkably interesting. He knows his subject so well and makes it so easy to get into. He even managed to involve everyone when he asks about our idea. It’s impossible to dislike that course.

- I was not expecting a girl to enjoy strategy classes, commented Tavis.

- What is this, Tavis? Frowned Mijuu. Can’t girls like strategy now?

- I didn’t mean that. I obviously mean a girl like her!

Camille broke eye contact with the boy while clenching her teeth. It was not the first time the half-vlin’ns was making that kind of comment. Many trainees took the girl for a broken doll, but only he dared to speak his mind to the teenager’s face. She didn’t mean to hate the boy. Tavis was brilliant, always interesting to listen to. However, when he dropped such comments, she wanted to punch him in the face.

- Come on! You were only talking about leaving this place when we met. Now, you act like you always wanted to be here. You even read about MEA when you have never piloted an MES! You flipped your jacket over.

- So what? Can’t I find something interesting?

- I didn’t say that. I find it surprising. He weaselled out. And what are those roles? Instructor Drayn doesn’t give me extras reading.

There are quite many of them, but I only read about the juggernaut and duellist yet.

- You plan on becoming one of those two? Asked Mijuu right away.

- Zat! No! I have nothing in common with them. The juggernaut is more like Sevos, big and clumsy. They make a lot of noise and draw attention for the rest of the squad. Their task is to protect other soldiers.

- Hey! I’m not big; I’m large. But I want to try one of those juggernaut things.

- I want to become a juggernaut too, uttered Ender, not surprising anyone. Gwen and Mijuu will probably become sniper or ranger, maybe?

- What is the difference? Inquired Gwen with attentive eyes.

- Rangers are more mobile. They act as scouts and mark targets for the sniper or the main unit.

- I like shooting better. I will be a sniper! Concluded the noble girl. Tavis, you want to become a duellist? That sound like you.

- I want to try, but you need to be strong in close-quarter combat. I still lack there. Osder would be a good duellist if she were not so valag.

- Speaking about her, she is eating alone again.

They all turned around, staring at the back of the girl. Every day she would take a tray to a corner of the canteen and eat by herself. The sight was quite pathetic, but Camille was not about to cry for her.

- Sevos?

The boy who had just left his chair stopped on his track. Turning to his friend, he faced intrigued gaze.

- Where are you going?

- I was going to tell her to come.

- Why would you do that? Frowned the nog’lon.

- It’s sad to see her alone. She often talks with us during shooting practice or stands not far during classes. She is trying to become friend with us, No? She is just too shy to ask. I wanted to help her a bit.

- Are we talking about the same Osder? The ogre who bullied Camille around? Did you though before saying this? And even if you did; Do you think Camille want her around?

- I didn’t think about that, he realised. Sorry, Camille.

Sevos sat back with a decomposed face. His heart pinched for the girl left behind by his group of friend. During that time, Camille’s gaze had wandered on the brunette. Her back hidden behind the numerous braid, she rested on her arms. Camille believed to understand the bully at first. She was not so sure, though. In the morning, while everyone was getting prepare, she liked to watch the valag. Karin always took the time to dry her hair carefully before tying them up. Each day, she switched hairstyle for a new one, sometimes trying a few before being pleased with the outcome. The bulky girl always left the dorm with a radiant smile. Camille found the detail trivial at first; She also enjoyed taking care of herself. However, existed a significant difference between the two girls. Karin was a batch of muscle, Camille, a soft butterfly. When she observed her, she could believe the roles reversed.

With Sevo’s spark of genius, Camille was thinking everything over. She remembered Karin’s attempt to apologise. Was she trying to befriend them? Just thinking about their last spare made her doubt. Karin was still punching her around, barely leaving time to breathe after each attack. The noble could frown upon every action or words she had ever taken. It could be the only way the valag knew for communicating. She was not even sure Karin knew her name. In short, Camille had no idea. Throwing her hand in the air, she abandoned her reflection for the moment. The black-haired girl had enough problem for herself.

- You are strange, Sevos, spoke Gwen out of nowhere. You look like a bully and sound stupid. I believed you were like Karin, but you are super kind.

The gorilla laughed with all teeth out. Not many people had complimented him in the past or insulted him to the face. Never the two had the same time.

- That sweet of you, Gwen, joked back the boy. It would help if you learned not to judge a book by the cover. It’s not compassionate, like when Tavis drop bombs on Camille for no reason.

The silver-headed girl and the ginger both looked at their feat with attention. If Sevos liked to pick at people, they knew he was not joking around this time. While their tall friend was continuing to instruct his fellow, Mijuu and Ender turned to their last friend. Camille had reopened her holo-screen and resumed her reading, eating her dessert at the same time.

- What are you planning to do after? We have mathematic for two hours. Are you going to stay here and read all of this?

Turning to the dark-skinned girl, Camille shook her head.

- No, I want to train obstacle run. I tried to go earlier. The second years were in training.

- You are so courageous. After our week, I would drop in my bed—confessed Mijuu.

- She needs to train. Her times are way too low. If she doesn’t improve them, she will never pass the month.

- Don’t be so negative, Ender!

- He is right, acknowledged Camille. Ender carried my bag for me during the run today. I couldn’t pass the first obstacle with it. I tried my best, but I keep losing my breath after two minutes.

- If you have never done any sports before, it not surprising. You will need time to improve, snip. I know you can do it! Encouraged Mijuu. Look, your aim improved a lot.

- Thanks to you, and I struggle with any moving target.

- You are not making it easy to cheer you up. Ender! Say something!

The nog’lon swallowed, thinking of a positive way to formulate his mind.

- It’s okay, Ender. I know what I must do.

Looking at the hour, Camille realised their break would soon finish. Stopping her reading, she quickly engulfed her plate. The group split apart right after, the five of them leaving for the bases lecture halls while Camille walked her way to the pit.

The trainee’s had various class. Those last could be separated into two different categories. Academic was composed of common subjects like mathematic, history and the like. Camille was top grading this part. Minor problem, it only valued for a quarter of the final grade, making her advantage slim. Her weakness was the military part of the school, also the more important during the first month. Along the first week, she had discovered four of the military subjects. Combat practice, shooting, obstacle run and strategy classes. She had trouble with most of them, and a few more would add up next week. MES practice and squad exercise, both using the military exoskeleton.

During their lunch break, the trainee discovered with surprise their weekly report. Feel with every grade and observation made by their favourite instructor. They had the nasty surprise of finding way more grades than expected. Camille’s academic was top notch with a conjoin average of eighty-seven. They were dropped down by Lesskov’s course, where she managed a small twenty-six. She ranked first among all the trainee, the second being Tavis with a close 83. Military was a different butter. Even the grading was not working the same. A thirty was worse twice more than a twenty, and the more you climbed, the hardest it became to improve. Mijuu, the marvellous sharpshooter, only scored sixty-three in shooting. The girl had yelled for half their lunch break about it

Gwen was close behind, and together they discovered the score was decomposed in every aspect of the discipline. Precision was important, so did handling and cleaning their gun. Among all the military courses, strategy class was the easiest to understand. It graded like academic, tests were composed on MCQ and redaction. Tavis scored first with a fifty-one. Camille and Ender followed with the same forty-seven.

Only a few grades were still blank. Everything relative to MESS and commanding. That last interested Camille as Drayn, the strategy instructor, graded it. They also had one for following orders. Everyone had the same for the moment. The last and most intriguing one, nicknamed dust in the report, was a mystery. Each one had a different score, Ender and Mijuu ranking first. Tavis was the lower, making him wince when they had compared.

For the moment, Camille rank displayed 1735. She needed to grow her mark to reach above the 1500th. Among her lowest score, the obstacle run was the easiest to raise. She had already gained quite the score, doubling her original score. Her dream was to reach above thirty by the end of next week. Her stamina would take time to grow, but she could enhance her time by adequately vaulting obstacles. The hook wall was her scourge. If climbing the rope was not enough, she never managed to block it at the top and could spend ten minutes trying.

Arriving at her destination, she looked at the pit, where they trained the obstacle run. The girl had not yet finished an entire loop, but many were like her. Only gifted student like Ender could cross the field in an hour. Each day, the pit changed to present a new course. For the trainee, only easy ones were loaded, composed of simple obstacle on a straight line. The hardest had nothing in common and depicted authentic environments with many roads to try.

Camille was about to load a map inside the start area when she realized the pit was already started. On the screen above her head, she could read the map’s name, Lurker. With wide eyes, she looked for information about it. The map was the largest she had seen so far, and the allowed time was four hours. No one was present inside; Someone had forgotten to turn the pit off after leaving—a common mistake among the young. Her arms crossed, Camille studied the map perplex before moving to the starting line. Her hand on the door, the veil of black sand scanned her. Her file displayed over the fluid with an empty time. No one had ever finished the run before her.

On the bottom right of her vision, the clock appeared. Camille took a long gulp of air and moved in position for the go, which came as a loud beep. The veil moved past her; she jumped forward, facing a ruin of a city. The girl recognised the dull building of BD base, the lifeless concrete covering every bit of dirt and the dust in the air. The sky was covered in threatening clouds, a hurricane not far away. Camille hesitated to retreat and load another map. The spectral aura over her new home, tightening her throat.

The young noble found herself at the edge of the base, building the size of tiny houses surrounded her. They were all identically destroy; she realized those were the barrack the trainees were using. The road in front of her was filled with debris and burned down vehicle. Camille knew everything was an illusion. The pit used lisp dust, a strange compound created by vlin’ns to simulate anything. Refusing to back down, Camille started to walk among the desolation. Right at the start, the details blew her away. Every wall had cracks, some with writing or painting washed away by rain and sun. All around the place, marking of combat could be found. The girl witnessed War in all its splendour, from the ordinary bullet’s impact to the melted metal left behind by plasma.

With a movement of the hand, she made the holo-screen appear. The remaining time was display above a map of the pit. A road had been annotated, followed by many notes. Someone took the time to list every obstacle between her and the end, followed by the best route to travel. Flags were distinctively visible, checkpoint she needed to cross. The first was not far, visible from her position as it was some old watchtower. Her comrade had classes for two hours. She had enough time to complete it.

The first row of barriers was relatively simple. An even number of cars and crumbled walls prevented Camille to run along the road. The teenager needed to climb above some, crawl under another and repeat that until she reached a large chasm. The first checkpoint was just behind, a tower missing the upper part. The five-meter large rupture prevented Camille to reach it. Leaning above the abyss, she stared into the inky depth. The missing bottom slashed down the girl thrill to jump. She concluded the map was created for MES pilots as only a genius could cross the distance.

Referring to the map, someone had tagged a point twenty meters to her left. Only a streetlamp could be seen there. Left above the chasm, the steel pipe created a fortune bridge for the foolish enough.

- No way I’m crossing with that!

Without hiding her annoyance, Camille opened the note and started to read. It was handwritten, shocking as most people would use the holo-screen keyboard. The writing was small and meticulous, girlish and elegant loop formed clear letter. Camille conjectured her elder to be noble or graciously cultivated like Tavis. The text in itself was short and exceedingly detailed. Every information the girl could ever need to cross a chasm was listed.

- Whatever the bridge is, it will break at some point. Lesskov love to do that! She read after a delay. Zat! Typical Lesskov

A tiny smile sprout on her lips. She had just spoken like Anil. She missed her guide joyfulness, she had made good friends, but all missed his unique taste of insanity. The new trainee had not crossed the boy or Koliane since her arrival. If eight days would have been short in her past life, she felt like the entrance ceremony was a year before. She hoped to see them again after the end of the month. The glider Anil was so found off intrigued her.

Jumping on a rock next to the makeshift bridge, she kicked it a few times. The steel complained a bit but held her weight to her displeasure. If the metal had felt, she would have called it a day. The road was only large enough for one of her foot, and once she started, she would not be able to go backward. She took a minute to ease her breathing before taking her first step above the shaft. One after the other, she crossed a quarter of the distance, slowly accelerating as she took confidence. That last shattered when a wind gust blew, another trap left by the mad instructor. An acute complaint rose from the slippery steel. Her body covered in a cold sweat, Camille didn’t dare to move a muscle.

- Come on, Camille! Ender would have already crossed it! She encouraged herself.

She managed another step, light as a feather. The metal remained silent for a few before his grumble returned louder. She was almost past the middle; the rod would soon collapse.

- Speed! I need speed!

With utmost attention, she moved back a bit. Leg flexed, she prepared herself to sprint. If she failed, the fall would be painful. The pit reacted to dangerous falls and protected students. Even with that, she would spend the night at the infirmary. Dropping her gaze to her necklace, she whispered a prayer to it.

- Give me some luck this time. I need it.

Camille lunged forward. The metal broke at the second she stepped past the three-meter mark. As the feeling of falling took over her, she pushed on her leg, jumping straight to the edge of the cliff. Her hand clutched on the hard rocks while her feet dangled in the air as no catch could be reached. Pulling on her tiny arm, she lifted herself, drawing strength from raw willpower. Once her upper half was secure, she rolled herself away from the gap, facing the sky. Her hight pitched laugh echoed across the ruined city.

- Take that Lesskov!

Overfilled with emotion, the girl threw a rock into the deep. Bouncing on her toes, she congratulated herself while laughing her stress out. She turned her head back to the rupture in the ground, ready to proceed when she caught something moving at the edge of her vision. Turned right away, the roof opposing her was as empty as before. As she dreamed?

She started to walk again, turning now and then to watch behind her. She could feel something watching her back. The silence that didn’t bother her earlier felt heavy; the wind on her sweat had turned chilly. Repeatedly rubbing her face, she accelerated her steps, only stopping when a poster caught her gaze on the wall.

Despite the malevolent phantasm, she took the time to study it. The paper had been washed away and reduce to shred. Her keen eyes could still manage to make sense of it. Over a dark background, She eluded the shape of an MEA. Camille had no problem recognising Dark Dominance from Kiel memory. Under the majestic steel golem, two words dominated the placard: Dominance Fall, his drop sign. A few more posters had been left on the wall. Each one pictured a different guardian and annotated with a short quote. She moved over each one, stopping to the before last.

- Rink’id Klin, she spoke with her half descent vlin’ns. The treacherous blades?

Despite her gap in the alien language, Camille was sure of her translation. A question still arose in her mind, why would a guardian use vlin’ns. By the look of it, Purple Madness was not standard. No guardian had common gear, but that one felt more vlin’ns to the inexperienced teenager. She took an internal note to ask Ender later and turned to the last one. The blue paper was empty, with one sentence written in the middle.

- We awoke.

As her lips formed the words, a hissing laugh resonated in her back. This time, Camille was sure the laughter was not her mind going crazy. Even though she turned around prepared to defend herself, Camille abandoned that idea right away. On the roof above her, leaning over the edge, a blue shape was staring at her. The metallic chuckle started over when the steel beast moved. Camille first meeting with Dead was written in her memory. The MEA was chilling on sight, and she couldn’t shake off the feeling that its eyes followed her everywhere. A hight pitched noise left her lips. This time, no doubt possible; She had caught Dead attention.

The roof started to crackle under him. Camille reacted just in time and threw herself to the side; Dead crashed in the poster-covered wall where she used to stand. She started running, a rabbit chased by a wolf. The MEA emerged from the rumble, his mad giggle reverberating through the ruins. twenty meters separated them, crossed in an instant by the monster. Taking a turn at the last moment, she heard the grinding of his claws as it tried to slow down.

- Come back!

The metallic voice of the monster was terrifying. A fairy tale’s wolf offering lies to eat her alive. Camille refused the offer and kept going. The beast would catch up, but she could work around that. Right in front of her, a demolished house was blocking the way. She dropped to the ground, sliding under the crumbled door. Dead collided with the wall right after; it held one.

With a furious snarl, the MEA tried to grab the girl with its arm. The claw flew right next to her head, slicing some of her hair. Camille fell on the ground, back against the opposite wall. In the gap, she could see two glowing orbits staring at her. Dead realised he would never reach her like that. Pulling out, he started to lift the rock to enter his massive body. Camille, her lungs burning, left her spot. She had trouble crossing the ruined building. Rocks and steel beam blocked her way. She had to squeeze herself between every obstacle, slowing her down. She could hear the wall broke behind her. The war machine rampaged through the collapsed edifice. She reached the end of the hallway, Dead still behind. Between the wall and a wood plank, a faint ray of light revealed her exit. Kicking and punching, she couldn’t manage to break the obstacle. Her eyes tumbled on a metal bar; Dead would be on her in ten seconds. Pegging her weapon between, she pushed the plank away from the wall. Camille managed to crawl outside; Dead broke the roof above her.

Running alongside the chasm, Camille got some time to breathe. The MEA weight played in her favour. The soft sand started to crumble, pushing him to withdraw to the nearby roof. To her right, she could see the beast run next to her. If not terrifying, she found the sight stunning. Dead’s shape turned blurry by moments as he flew in the middle of the azure fire of his jump jets. His lithe movements were matching the perfection of a gifted ballerina. Turned away from the gaze catching monster, Camille took him by surprise. The dark-haired girl had found a way to cross back. Above the empty, a tower was leaning against another building. A five-meter-high jump stood between the tower and the ground below, but Camille was ready to do anything to flee. Dead jumped behind her; his prey would not escape. In her legs rose a tremor. The extra weight was too much for the old spear. Both accelerated, playing against a new foe. Under her step, the ground fell apart. She had almost reached the end when everything collapsed, completing the note’s prophecy. Breath cut, she jumped. A shock threw her off; her body rolled in the sand. Dead was not so lucky, and she watched him fall in the crack.

The girl stood up, making a mistake. She could have run but took the time to watch if she triumphed over the fiend. The blue arm swung at the edge. Dead had pulled himself up. Camille realised she was out of nowhere. Dead would catch up in no time. Thinking quick, she jumped on the ground and rolled herself under an abandoned car. Hand on the mouth, she tried her best not to make any noise.

Dead snorted when he escaped the deadly trap. With his petrifying laugh, he started to come along her way.

- Hidden? That was not the game! Rumbled the MEA. I can play hide and seek too. Come out! Come out! Whenever you are!

The MEA stomped his feet next to her. She could hear the ventilation of his reactor, the grinding of steel on the concrete. Dead was displeased by the change of rules, and after a long snarl, he left the girl alone. When she could no longer hear the heavy footstep, Camille allowed herself to breathe.

From her hideout, she could see the start of the map. Fifty meters separated them. If Dead were near, she would never cross it. The creature was too fast in straight lines. But now it had wandered away, trying to find her. Taking out her necklace, she holds it against herself. Would the shard protect her against itself? She wanted to believe in the lucky charm power. A silently as possible, she extracted herself from the car. Knelt, she started to cross the distance. Only the sound of her footsteps was audible. A perfect silence covered the place, and she could feel every bridle of her pulsing chest. At only ten meters from the exit, she saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

- Got you!

A car flew away; The MEA had hidden behind. Without thinking, she raced toward the door. Dead had another idea in mind. A loud sound, followed by wind, pushed her off. The door was at a meter, Dead in front of it. The mad laugh resonated through Camille, shaking her bones and making her heart waver.

- I won! The metallic voice Sang. Loser!

A silent cry left the girl mouth as Dead extended its claw-full hand toward her. He stopped, turning his head to watch above his shoulder. Camille heard a loud bang; A bullet glanced on his head. By the time Camille realised what had append, Dead had already moved. Surrounding her, the metal beast shielded her with its arm.

- Get away from her, scrap-head!

When Camille heard Lesskov’s voice, she flew the embrace to rush behind her instructor. Lesskov dropped the gun and grabbed her by the shoulder right away. His blue eyes were moving in panic, assessing every part of the girl to make sure she was okay.

- Are you hurt? Show me your wound.

Camille almost refuted his first question, only realising her left sleeve dripped with blood. Her knees had also seen better days. Her skin was to the naked air, covered with a putrid blend of scratch and clotting blood. The robust fabric had not endured the chase. Her injuries seemed scary at first. Lesskov knew they were merely flesh wounds. Once confirmed, he let out a long breath before taking away the cold sweat dripping on his face. Camille had never seen or imagine the broad man like that. Getting back up, he ran his hand among his hair, his gaze missing on the horizon as he quelled the last terror of his shaking heart. The girl was safe.

- Never do that again, Camille. Never! It is also true for you, Dead!

The girl was not ready to be called by her first name. The scary instructor always referred to them using their name. The artificial distance with the trainees could keep up with the hurricane growling within him. Her mouth drawn into a straight line, Camille waited for the man to continue. Although Dead was still scaring her, Lesskov cryonic stare was much worse.

- I did nothing wrong, Dad! The MEA complained. New-little sister and I only played catch!

- You need to learn to shut up, Dead! By god’s Hell, how Kaly can trust you with her life? He swore. What were you doing here, Camille?

- I wanted to train, she mumbled. To improve my time.

- A Sunday? At 9? You? Camille, are you alright in your head?

As adrenaline flew away, awkwardness took over her. She had no idea how to respond to the man. Lesskov did not sound like an instructor at all, more like a worried parent. His total disregard for the elephant in the room also astonished the girl. The armour had even called him dad.

- What? Don’t you believe me?

Lesskov shook his head. His stubborn mind focused on something the girl couldn’t put a form on.

- That’s not what I meant, but you are right. If I had not seen you, I would not believe it. You never sparked with zeal to train. I even expected you to abandon everything after the first day or at the second your tiny noble’s pride ran out.

- But I didn’t! She protested.

- Yes, and now you are training, which made no sense. You should be winning to our superior and asking to be released or slacking off in your room like you used to do. What are you trying to prove?

- I don’t understand!! Why everyone found it so strange that I’m trying to learn and improve. What are you implying? That I should abandon?

- I don’t play games, Camille. I mean precisely what I say. You have been rolled into the mud all week. The noble girl thinking herself so mighty should have already shattered in pieces. Somehow, you manage to stand in front of me with the same annoying stare as the day we met. I need to know why.

- Because that girl is dead! She yelled at him. She is rotting in the dust of this planet. Frail, pathetic and useless, that’s her, that’s me. At least I’m trying to do better. Not because I want to! Kiel, Ender, Mijuu, and even that idiot of Sevos are trying to help me. And the other would have never become anything because she was the annoying brat you enjoy so much to remind me of. I almost died a minute ago! That armour keeps looking at me and can talk! And everything you find to ask is an explanation for why I’m trying my best? You are a terrible person Lesskov! And that’s why no one like you!

Lesskov gaze froze on her. Even though she expected him to turn his cold eyes, a slight flame lighted in the barren look. His face turned to a large smile; the next second, he was laughing out loud.

- By god’s Hell, that’s why? I thought you were making some childish duel of ego. You feel indebted to commoners? The daughter of Verin and Amidia Weiss is actually a human! I misread you, Camille Weiss, and she was right again. You have a far better heart than I believed. His last word ended in a silence. And I’m far worse than you can imagine.

The man walked to the lie-down MEA. With his metal hand, he started to pat the giant beast on the head.

- First, I want to apologise. You didn’t deserve all this yelling nonsense. Secondly, I have another question that you can choose to answer or not. Have you abandoned the idea of leaving this place?

- Abandoned? She repeated. If I could, I would right away. But will it append? I doubt it.

- I can answer that question. Sleeping over the hard reality is healthier than clouding oneself in soft illusions. Not for the present, only the future.

- Please, the girl asked.

Expending his hand, Lesskov made a holo-screen appear. With a few movements, he sends it toward the girl. Camille could see her picture; it was her enlistment file. Lesskov highlighted a single line, killing any last hope.

- Volunteered at Earth pacific ring military base, rode the girl with a shaking voice. Of course, he had given up on me.

Her eyes became wet, and she had to snort her pain back in.

- You can cry. You should.

I refuse, she answered back. I knew it all along. I have seen Verin move mountains in an hour. He can make people rich in a day or drown them in shame with a single word. If he had tried, I would have been out of this before meeting Anil. I knew it from the moment Jasper came to my room and helped me pack. I refused to accept the truth.

With a move of the hand, she removed the last drop in her eyes. Puffing her chest, she tried to stand right like a soldier would have done.

- Major Lesskov, can I leave?

He answered with a simple node. Dead left out a sad squeak as the girl turned around.

- Weiss! Stopped the man. If you feel like it, pay a visit to Dead. Bring the key card if you still have it.

- Of course, instructor.

The man could hear the repressed sob in her voice. He didn’t speak any more words and let her leave, knowing she needed time to leek the gash in her chest.

- Dad. New-little sister is especially strong. She sounds like Mother.

- More than she should.