An angry girl with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a height of about 1.68 meters stormed into our barracks. She seemed slightly flushed, possibly due to something related to Aaron.
"Why are you here? The girls' area is on the other side," Charly explained to the girl.
Upon realizing that the person who had been chasing her led her here, the girl grew even more furious.
"Why am I here?! Ask him! He was spying on me while I was changing!" The girl pointed at Aaron, who was currently struggling to breathe as he was being pursued.
Marcos snapped out of his daze after hearing Aaron's response.
"I-I just followed my instincts! I never thought it would end up with me spying on a half-naked girl—"
"Shut up!" the girl interrupted Aaron. "You're just a pervert! I'll tell the higher-ups everything that happened here, and hopefully, they'll kick you out of the camp!"
Hearing her threats, Aaron couldn't help but tremble in fear. He came from a humble family with no significant background. Would they really expel him over this incident? He didn't want that, as it would mean losing the opportunity to earn money by serving as a soldier.
Marcos just wanted to wait quietly until they were called for the briefing. How did he end up getting involved in this mess?
"It must be these people's fault," Marcos muttered. Fortunately for him, there was too much noise for anyone to hear him, as the girl and Aaron continued arguing.
"It's not my fault that you were changing just as I happened to pass by!"
"That makes no sense! Did you hear yourself? You're just trying to come up with a damn excuse!"
Marcos was getting irritated with these two. Luckily, Charly was the first to try to calm them down.
"Stop yelling! Can't we try to resolve this peacefully? If a higher-up comes here and sees all this commotion, don't you think we'll all get into trouble?"
"You're already in trouble," a new voice suddenly spoke up. It probably belonged to a middle-aged person. Everyone turned toward the door, only to find a man standing there, looking coldly at them. He stood at 1.80 meters tall, with dark brown hair and a few white streaks. His black eyes surveyed everyone with an icy gaze. He wore the typical attire of an Illas commander: white clothing and gray leather boots. An aura of pure chill seemed to surround him, making everyone in the room shiver.
"Let me ask you: Why is there so much commotion on the very first day?" said Commander Victor. He had been taking a leisurely stroll through the camp when he heard this new group of recruits arguing. He couldn't allow such disorder to continue.
The girl saw a glimmer of hope. Wasn't this her chance to get rid of that pervert?
"Commander, I'm Amanda, and this incident happened because this pervert was spying on me while I was changing," Amanda pointed at Aaron, who was growing nervous.
"Will they kick me out of the camp?" Aaron's mind raced with all sorts of thoughts as he observed Commander Victor's expression. It shifted from a cold, almost expressionless look to one of anger.
"You know what—" Victor abruptly cut off his reprimand when he noticed Aaron's left wrist. It bore a black bracelet, indicating that he had awakened a gift. Then he glanced at Charly and Elliot, who appeared to have no black bracelets—meaning they were ordinary people. Victor's gaze finally landed on Marcos, who remained silent, lost in deep thoughts. Victor realized that Marcos also wore a black bracelet.
The barracks were abuzz with tension as Commander Victor confronted the situation. Amanda, the girl who had stormed in, accused Aaron of spying on her while she changed. The lack of evidence left Victor with a difficult decision.
"Any proof or witnesses?" Victor asked Amanda, his gaze unyielding.
Amanda hesitated, tears welling up. She understood the unspoken truth: without a gift, she received different treatment. Victor's verdict was swift: "Without evidence, this matter is closed. And aren't you currently in the men's barracks? If you don't leave promptly, I'll punish you."
Amanda left, defeated. Victor then turned to the four recruits who had caused the commotion. "Repeat this, and I won't save you again," he warned before exiting.
Aaron apologized, and after clarifications, Marcos and the others forgave him. They couldn't harbor anger forever, especially as roommates.
As the incident settled, all recruits gathered at the camp's center. Suddenly, a sound echoed from the sky. Heads turned upward, and there he was—a young man, around 25 or 26, descending gracefully. White-blond hair cascaded to his shoulders, azure eyes sparkled, and luxurious attire marked him as someone important.
"Welcome the third prince, Felipe Illas!" a soldier announced. Marcos marveled at the prince's flight abilities.
"I need to learn how to fly," Marcos vowed to himself1. The camp had just become more intriguing.