The metallic sound of doors opening echoed like a funeral bell. Kael, still marked by the aura trial, stood up. Despite the aches, he moved forward with the other survivors. There were far fewer of them than before. Many had died, others had quit or been evacuated. Those who remained had hollow eyes, but a flicker of determination still burned within them.
The room they were led to resembled a military hangar, vast and cold. Inside, a series of weights were aligned with surgical precision, ranging from five kilos to two hundred. In front of them, a red line had been drawn exactly one hundred meters away. A voice boomed through the loudspeakers: "Cross the line with the weights in under three minutes. Failure means elimination."
Kael clenched his teeth. His body already screamed, but he had no right to falter. The first weight was easy. The next, less so. With every step, his muscles tightened, his arms burned. He reached the hundred-kilo mark with difficulty. Then came the ultimate challenge: two hundred kilos. His hands trembled, his legs threatened to collapse.
He screamed inwardly, remembering his nightly training, the mocking stares, the contempt in the eyes of those who had rejected him. He lifted. And walked. Every meter crossed was a victory. The countdown ticked. Thirty seconds. Twenty. Ten... He passed the line just in time, his knees ready to give way.
Around him, others had fallen. Some wept, others screamed in frustration. Instructors were pulling out the exhausted candidates. Kael, however, remained standing. Barely. But he had made it.
Rest was an unattainable luxury. A new series of orders dropped: "One thousand push-ups. One thousand sit-ups. One thousand squats. Then a ten-kilometer run. No breaks between exercises. Good luck."
A murmur of despair ran through the ranks. Kael fell to his knees but forced himself back into position. The push-ups began. Every movement was torture. Sweat poured from his forehead, his breath turned ragged. He counted under his breath between gasps.
The ground seemed to melt beneath him. But he didn't stop. Not even when his arms trembled like leaves, not even when his body begged for mercy. One thousand. He moved on to the sit-ups. Then the squats. Blood pounded in his temples. There was nothing left around him. Just him, his pain, and the promise not to fail.
The run was a nightmare. Ten kilometers on a rugged floor, with burning muscles. Kael's lungs ached with every breath. But he ran. For his past. For his survival. For revenge. He crossed the finish line, legs buckling, and collapsed to his knees. He had made it.
A soldier grabbed him by the shoulder and led him to a rest zone. Kael dragged himself to the public bath. He entered a humid, steam-filled room where several candidates washed in silence. He let his clothes fall and stepped into the hot water with a groan of agony.
The heat hit him, briefly relieving his muscles. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment of peace. But through the mist, he saw a figure. Motionless. Upright. Calm. It was the boy who hadn't flinched under Sareth's deadly aura.
Intrigued, Kael slowly approached. When he saw the stranger's face, he froze, eyes wide. A wave of shock surged through him.
"…Declan?!"
The boy opened his eyes slowly. His gaze, icy and piercing, met Kael's. Then, after a moment, he smiled. A faint, familiar smile.
"Kael. Took you long enough to recognize me," he murmured.
Kael couldn't believe it. This calm boy who had withstood Sareth's oppressive aura without blinking… was his former classmate. His friend. The only Altaris who had once defended him.
"How… How is this possible? You were here this whole time? You haven't changed… well, you have, but…"
Declan slowly nodded, staring at the water.
"After the attack… everything changed. I was taken far from Velmeria. Trained. Hardened. Transformed. You disappeared. Everyone thought you were dead. And now… here you are."
Kael felt a mix of emotions surge through him. Relief. Joy. Pain. Nostalgia. He sat down across from Declan, never breaking eye contact.
"You knew I was here?" he asked.
"No. Not until I saw you collapse under Sareth's aura. That's when I recognized you. And I hoped you'd hold on."
Kael lowered his head. He remembered that crushing sensation. That weight on his shoulders. And now, he was learning that Declan, his long-lost friend, had returned to his life.
"I'm glad you're here," he whispered. "Really."
Declan looked up at the ceiling, his gaze lost in the mist.
"This world's become hell, Kael. But maybe… we can still do something about it. Together."
A soothing silence settled. In the depths of the bath, two souls scarred by war, time, and loss found a fragment of their past again. And maybe… a reason to fight.
Kael closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. He was no longer alone.
And tomorrow, the trials would continue. But this time, he had found more than an ally.
He had found a brother-in-arms.