The second week went as fast as the first one.

Mahon could feel becoming stronger day after day under the hard exercises of Slander. He was not the only one and Wyrran had started to complain that he was better than some of the First White students and that he should be able to rank up.

Kali was not as expressive, but he was Wyrran’s duo and together, they had won most of their fights. The short man had started his training with difficulty, but with the help of Wyrran, he had learned and progressed faster than the others. And now, in a fighting contest, they would probably be ranked among the top of the First White badges.

On the contrary, Mahon and Zac had not won a single time in two weeks. It was gnawing on Zac with every defeat and Mahon knew the man wanted some kind of explanation. Why was Mahon so weak? How could he have been admitted in the school with such a physical condition?

Zac was the person he was the closest to and with whom he spent most of his time. Maybe Zac even considered him as a friend. Yet, Mahon was unintentionally dragging him in his downfall, and he was feeling bad about it. Usually, they liked to spend time with each other and talked a lot among their group. But when they entered the ring to fight and Mahon was ejected after mere seconds, he couldn’t unsee the spark of betrayal in Zac’s eyes.

It quickly went away, however, and at lunch, no one would be able to find it anymore. Exhausted and eating with the whole group, they didn’t want to bring up the matter, so they forgot about it until the next day. But Mahon knew he would have to talk about it with Zac at some point or else it would blow up.

The sentiment of uneasiness grew with each passing day and Mahon was not confident in how to go about it. Should he tell Zac who he was? Or should he just stay silent and risk losing his first and maybe only helping hand? The advice from the old Blue counselor also added to the mix. What did it mean to choose his friends wisely? Until now, Mahon had never chosen his friends. It had been them who had chosen him.

And above all, his recent experience prevented him from bonding too close with Zac. He knew what happened to his friends with a war raging on. He didn’t want that.

Damn you, counselor. You knew it would come to that.

Although the dilemma filled most of his Nightmare’s meditation sessions, he had not yet found a satisfying answer. But the longer he was stalling, the more likely Zac would take a decision in his stead…

“Hey Mahon, stop daydreaming! We’re moving.” Zac interrupted his train of thought.

The roommates went back from home less than an hour ago and the five guys were now leaving the house to join the banquet. They went to pick up the girls at their residence and the group of First Red went together to the banquet. Jorik was not with them, but it had already been the case last week, so they were not worried.

The discussions were going wild and everyone was having fun. Allen’s duo was a girl from the First Red named Delphyn and after two weeks of training together, they had grown close to each other. They were leading the little group, arm in arm, speaking and laughing louder than anyone else. After returning from their parent’s house, Mahon always found his roommates refreshed and spirited.

They would lose some of their enthusiasm after some Amentiae’s lessons and Slander’s training, but the banquet was the day they were the most cheerful. Even Mahon felt resourced and happy to meet everyone back after a lonely day of rest.

Upon arriving at the esplanade, they restrained themselves and entered the area in relative silence. They were a bit early and the tables were mostly empty. Jorik was nowhere in sight. They sat together and continued their lively exchanges, although more calmly.

“Zac, did your father hear about a Fada fanatic throwing a mess at a noble’s tavern?”

“No, I don’t remember something like that. Why?”

“Apparently the man was very, very drunk and made a fool of himself, so I thought it would be a fun story to hear. And Fada always adds a little magic, you know.”

They all chuckled at Allen’s explanation and then stayed silent for a few seconds before someone changed the topic.

“Hey, do you think they will say something interesting tonight?” Zac voiced what everyone had in mind.

“I think they will!” Allen answered. “They said that they had a system to rank up so they will have to tell us about it one day.”

“I hope so…” Wyrran sighed.

Mahon watched Zac, but the man did not show anything. If they could rank up in the following week, there was a good chance that Zac would do it and, given his level and intelligence, he would succeed. If that happened, then Mahon would have another duo, and he was not sure how that would turn out.

The tables were filling up as more and more students arrived. Mahon did not know the other students, as he rarely interacted with them. In fact, besides training, he never talked with anyone else, but it seemed to be the norm here. Different ranks were rarely seen together, except for the rare spots at the top where there were just too few students to stay alone forever.

The best table consisted of one Last Green, three First Black and eight of the twenty First Yellow. Except for this particular table, the students mostly spend time within their own rank. And more so with their table, which usually lived in the same residence or area.

As the last students sat, Jorik also showed up and walked to his seat at the First Red table. Despite the jovial atmosphere of the table, it was instantly broken once he arrived. The conversation stopped, and the roommates exchanged meaningful looks as if the conversation was due to later time.

Hopefully, this banquet would not just be a remake of the last one or else it would certainly become boring to assist. As if to answer their prayers, professor Rym approached the lectern with a serious face. She gestured to the students to be quiet. Shortly after, she obtained the silence she wanted and started her speech.

“Hello everyone, I hope you’re enjoying your time at our school and that you’re learning and training as you expected. I have an important announcement to make tonight so I will need your full attention.”

Professor Yordar and instructor Slander were waiting a step behind her, and for the announcement to require the two men, it indeed seemed important.

“In six weeks from now you will be able to challenge another student in a duel and upon winning switch your badge with him.”

Immediately, the students went into an uproar and heated discussions popped up everywhere.

“I will ask you to remain calm and quiet as I’m obviously not done.”

In one sentence, she silenced the assembly. She smiled, satisfied with their reaction, before continuing.

“I will explain to you some of the rules behind the duels and what will change in the following weeks. First of all, about challenging other students. You cannot duel someone below your rank. You cannot reject a challenge unless you have already dueled in the previous two weeks.”

She scrutinized the students while continuing.

“I hope you understand that we made these rules specifically to prevent stronger students from bullying weaker ones. We will watch you closely and any abuse will be severely punished.”

She paused again and took the time to drink from a glass of water. She placed it back near the lectern with excruciating slow gestures before pursuing.

“Once you challenge someone and the conditions are met, you can’t go back and the duel will proceed. A duel is made of two parts. The first one is a strategy duel and I will soon let professor Yordar explain the specific rules. The second is a sword duel and professor Lorsan will soon describe the details.”

She gestured to both professors at her sides while explaining.

“You are declared the winner of the duel if and only if you win the two parts. In that case, you will switch badges and move out your bags to your new residence if it’s needed. To save time, if you do not manage to win the strategy duel, there will be no sword duel. I reckon that these rules are simple enough that you have no question. But if you do, I will ask you to keep them until professors Yordar and Lorsan have spoken.”

She made way for the two men to take her place at the lectern and it was Yordar who spoke first.

“Thanks, professor Rym. As previously mentioned, the first part of the challenge is a strategy duel. Officers are soldiers that are well versed in strategy and tactics. It's a fundamental part of being an officer. As a future one, if you can’t beat someone in strategy, then why should you take his rank even if you’re a stronger fighter than him?”

“You will soon learn about tactics and full-scale strategy. In a strategy duel, you will have to rely on these teachings to order an army against your opponent in a simulation. Different scenarios have different winning conditions and I will tell you about them when the time is right.”

“Meanwhile, you will not stay idle during the following six weeks and your knowledge will be tested so that you can take an educated guess at your level and the other students' ones. At the opening of the duels you will know who you can defy and who is way out of your league.”

Yordar then stepped back and let professor Lorsan, Slander, speak. The students instinctively prepared for a deluge, but Slander’s manner of speech was more refined behind the lectern than on the training field.

“If you prove yourself worthy of challenging your opponent physically, you will do so in a sword fight. You will battle with blunted swords and I will be the referee. Once I judge that you have either killed or incapacitated your opponent, then you will be declared the winner. In order to prepare you for the duel and to gauge your own strength, as well as that of your comrades, you will soon go through a series of physical tests. Any questions?”

Although the way he spoke was different, he was still concise and straight to the point. No question arose from the students, as the main points were rather straightforward and they knew they would get detailed information once in lessons with the two professors. Rym went back behind the lectern and declared the dinner open. Immediately, the tables erupted in discussions about the announcement while waiters went back and forth to bring food to the different groups.

On the First Red table, Jorik hastily stood up and followed Rym into the inside of the building. His face did not betray any emotions, but the man so wanted to leave First Red rank that they could easily guess why he went after the professor. In fact, Wyrran promptly expressed what Jorik left for.

“Six weeks?! Ah Fada, it’s so long!”

“But we know almost nothing about strategy and sword fighting yet, so it seems fair enough to me.” Kali answered.

Wyrran loudly sighed, but deep inside, he knew his roommate was right.

“Oh, it’s exciting!” Allen joined the discussion. “Sword fights and strategy simulations? I want to try!”

“Hey, don’t worry about that, Allen. They said they would test us in both subjects soon enough.” Zac repeated what both professors had shared.

“I know… But when will it be? They said soon but there are six weeks before the duels open… I’m sure Yordar will take forever before something happens!”

“Slander will probably test us this week, though...”

Mahon’s words triggered a wave of horrified looks around the table.