Moments ago.
"Brooo, we're finally going to the military! I can't wait to kick some of those blue aliens' asses!" a buff, tanned, white-haired boy exclaimed with excitement, earning a few hateful glances in his direction.
But he didn't care. Nothing could ruin this for him. He had trained in the Ravenstein camp, survived years at the academy just for this.
A calmer and more slender boy, seated next to him, suddenly scoffed, shaking his head.
"You're the only one stupid enough to love war, Nate."
Nate shot him a wide grin. "It's what we've been waiting for, Lucas! I can't not be excited?"
Lucas sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Too bad not everyone shares your enthusiasm." He cast a glance around the room, his sharp eyes scanning the other gathered recruits, who had a gloomy aura surrounding them as though they were being sent to their deaths.
They were currently in a large auditorium-like room inside an airship headed for the military training camp. The academy students numbered in the millions, and they all couldn't fit into one airship. From a glance, it was clear there were only a few thousand present.
Each of the leaders of the divisions at the academy, along with their close subordinates.
"Bunch of pussies," Nate muttered, jerking his thumb toward the front row where ten individuals sat in tense silence.
But his gaze focused on three of them, seated one after another as though following an unspoken rank.
Their bodies were still and eyes straight ahead. Not a shred of fear. Not a shred of hesitation.
"Just look at them."
Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly, fixing his gaze on the three figures.
Zoey Starhaven.
Kael Stormrider.
Aurora Ravenstein.
"Not everyone is as talented, or as dumb, as you. Some of them actually understand what we're walking into."
"The military's not a place for flowers and cupcakes." Lucas's voice dropped. "We're getting sent to war. Tell me, how many of them do you think will make it back?"
Nate went quiet for a second, his eyes lingering on the faces in the front row.
"Brooding about it won't make it any better. It's not like we have a choice. It'd be better if they made the best of it. At least then they'd have a better chance of surviving."
"Are you really Nate?" Lucas asked, bewildered. To think Nate actually said something intelligent.
"What? You're jealous you can't be as smart as me?" Nate said with a grin.
"The way you think never ceases to amaze me…"
"Thanks," Nate said, missing, or ignoring, the sarcasm entirely.
Lucas shook his head, deciding to change the topic.
"But before they even worry about surviving war," Lucas continued, "they'll have to survive training camp."
The military training camp.
It was unlike anything any of them had experienced before. Its sheer scale dwarfed the Ravenstein training grounds and even the academy where they had spent the last three years.
It was a sprawling location designed to mold the next generation of soldiers for Eldoralth's united military force.
Recruits poured in from every domain across Eldoralth, each coming from different races.
And in such a space, with the different races gathered together, the tension and competition could not be imagined.
"Right!" Nate's eyes lit up again. "Before we kick those blue aliens' asses, I'm gonna put those arrogant, prideful pricks in their place!"
Lucas arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure you know what you're talking about?"
"What?" Nate flexed his arm, as if that answered the question. "If he's done it, why can't I?"
Lucas gave him a long, unimpressed stare. "Now who's the arrogant one? Are you seriously comparing yourself to him?"
Nate grinned, unbothered. "Why can't I?"
Lucas just stared at him, like he was studying some rare, exotic idiot.
Nate was currently comparing himself to the same person who had defeated the strongest youths of the different races. The same boy who could behead every single person in this room before they could even blink.
"Ah, I can't wait to see him!" Nate said suddenly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"I'm sure you're not the only one with that sentiment," Lucas replied dryly, gesturing toward the front row.
Nate followed his gaze, spotting the wide and expectant smile on Aurora's face. His grin only widened.
"Yeah, but I'm the only one who's gonna walk up to him and say, 'What's up,' like we're old friends."
Lucas snorted. "Right. And then you'll be the only one picking your teeth off the floor."
Nate laughed, clapping Lucas on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward. "C'mon, man. Atticus is chilled. Let's hope all that fame didn't get to his head…"
"Just prepare your mind for anything… We won't be well-liked by the other races, considering we come from the same family as him."
"Bah. I prefer it that way. I'd love to see their hate-filled eyes when I pummel their stupid faces."
Lucas just chuckled, shaking his head, as the door to the hall sounded open, calling them to attention.
Gazes snapped toward the entrance, landing on a man clad in the midnight-black uniform of the military.
His movements were sharp, the stillness of a seasoned soldier radiating off him with every step. He walked with the authority of someone who'd seen too much and survived it all, his expression unreadable as he reached the podium and faced the gathered recruits.
The room fell into a heavy silence, whispers and murmurs dying off as every recruit looked at the man. His gaze swept over them, cold, assessing, and entirely unimpressed, as though he had done this more times than he could count.
"My name is Sergeant Darnell," he began. "I'm supposed to stand here, give you a rousing speech, and uplift your spirits."
"But I'm in no business of lying, especially to younglings like yourselves." His voice grew louder, colder.
"Where you're going, the training camp, it's going to be the hardest, most hellish place you've ever experienced. The academy cannot compare. Everything you've experienced until now cannot compare."
The majority of the recruits shifted uncomfortably. They couldn't be blamed. Many of them were already scared at the fact that they would meet the other races and join the war. And now, this random man was basically intensifying their fears.