The Institute was beautiful this time of year, Cresana thought as she settled on the edge of the roof to watch the sunrise. Her friend, Evrity, perched next to her, silently scanning the grounds in an automatic fashion. 'Always on alert,' Cresana thought, and she realized that their relentless training was beginning to take root. Cresana had noticed this in herself; when she ventured into the neighboring town of Arkesk during market day, and the crowds swallowed her and her classmates in bustle and business, she felt herself tense, her hand flicking reflexively to the hilt of her knife tucked surreptitiously into the waistband of her pants, her sense sharpening to scan the faces around her and gain an orientation of the market square. She had first noticed this about six months ago, and it had only gotten stronger with time.

'A Blade is always on alert, threats are omnipresent and we must not only identify threats but anticipate them.' The words of Evaluator Termedy came to mind. Cresana gave a rueful half smile on the roof. Of all the Evaluators, she liked Termedy the least, but it seemed Termedy's ruthless tactics had their merits.

'Don't tell me you like the sunrise that much,' scoffed Evrity, regarding her with a sidelong gaze. Evrity was the most unamused person Cresana had ever met, and she generally disliked any show of joy in others. This was one of the reasons Cresana and Evrity got along so well. Although she didn't think of herself as joyless, Cresana knew that she had a seriousness about her that few of her other classmates did. Many of her peers had been selected from their villages and homes for their strength, quickness, or shrewdness, and to be selected was a great honor. They were grateful for The Institute, star struck by the idea of fighting alongside Grisha, and were generally imbecilic. Cresana and Evrity, however, along with a handful of others in their ranks, had been bred to become Blades. Their bloodlines demanded it. The Institute was an annoyance to Cresana and Evrity. Useful in its training but agonizing in its slow progress towards their destinies. It was this ingrained sense of progression towards the inevitable that bonded Cresana and Evrity.

'Even you can't deny, Evrity, that winter at The Institute has its beauty,' Cresana replied.

Evrity shrugged. 'I suppose. It's damn cold though.'

And it was cold. The mists of their breath, the blanket of calf-high snow, and the icicled trees belied the cold. Cresana loved the cold. In her home, it had gotten chilly in the autumns and winters, but rarely had she seen snow. She found the snow lovely. She also appreciated the snow for its conduciveness to tracking. Assailants, prey, targets... they were all easier to find in the snow.

'It is that,' Cresana agreed. The girls lapsed into silence, their hands tucked underneath their armpits for warmth, their breathing slow and steady, and they watched the sun peak above the horizon, throwing rays of light across The Institute grounds. Across the dormitories, Cresana could see evidence of her classmates stirring. Several chimneys began to smoke, and she smelled the enticing whiff of fresh coffee. The bath house windows were already steaming up as The Institute's pupils bathed and readied for another day of combat drills, endurance training, war games, and smithing.

A day at The Institute consisted of ten to twelve hours of rigorous training, and it demanded of its pupils a specific type of spiritual strength. Withstanding grueling physical tasks was the least of The Institute's trials. The Evaluators, the cadre of instructors who lived full-time at The Institute, were known for their propensity to seek subtler but enduring ways to break their students. Cresana could remember many instructional lessons wherein The Evaluators exacted elaborate psychological 'trials', as they called them.

Light deprivation was Cresana's most horrible trial. To be robbed of her sight felt brought bile up in her throat. Cresana's eyes, above and beyond her other sense, were her greatest weapon. She knew she should learn to hone her other senses to compensate, and she recognized this as the ultimate purpose of her light deprivation trials, but a small part of her refused to accept the lesson as taught. Evaluator Termedy knew this, and as such subjected Cresana to extended light deprivation trials during combat training as often as possible. This was the root of Cresana's intense hatred for Termedy. As a small and personal act of rebellion, Cresana loved to see beautiful sights, like sunrise at The Institute on a clear winter's day.

'The satisfaction of sight will avail you nothing, Militova,' Termedy would rasp as Cresana's sight deprivation hood would slip over her eyes. Blades were expected to forsake pleasures in favor of duty. This was one of the reasons The Evaluators exacted such a toll on their pupils. But Cresana wondered if this was a rich irony, because The Evaluators certainly seemed to enjoy their roles and power more than The Blades' Code allowed.

Cresana allowed herself to smile absentmindedly at the stunning sight of daybreak over The Institute's frozen grounds. 'If they can have their pleasure, I'll have mine,' she thought defiantly.