The following morning, the camp was alive with activity. Aiden awoke to the sound of orders being barked and the clang of weapons being readied. He felt the weight of the day pressing down on him before he even opened his eyes. Today was the day he would prove himself—or he would die trying.
He rose slowly, his body sore from the hard ground but his mind sharp. Around him, the camp bustled with purpose. People moved with an efficiency born of necessity, their faces hardened by survival. Aiden felt a pang of unease as he watched them. They were not mindless savages, but something far more dangerous: organized and united.
The woman with the scar from the previous day appeared at his side, her expression unreadable. "Get up," she said curtly. "They're waiting."
