Alden stared at the dark ceiling, his stomach growling, the sound echoing through the silent room. The walls seemed to close in on him, though he knew it was just the effect of the unquenchable hunger gnawing at him. He had lost track of how many days he had been in the dark room, but he could feel his sanity slipping away.
Sweat rolled down his face from the scorching heat of the sun. His breathing grew heavier, his eyes felt heavy and fuzzy. Finally, he gave in to whatever would come next.
A loud bang echoed as the metal door swung open, and light streamed into the bleak room. Two figures stormed in, instinctively covering their noses against the overwhelming stench. They moved quickly, ignoring the foul smell, freeing him from the shackles that bound his arms and feet. They lifted him onto their shoulders, dragging him down the hall.
Alden opened his eyes, seeing only the dim glow of candles lighting the hall. His legs dragged on the ground due to his immobility, and the chains on his wrists ached.
"H-how long?" he rasped, struggling to speak through his parched throat. The figures didn't answer immediately. After a few minutes, one of them said in a low voice, which sounded like a woman's, "Two months."
"Hey," the other figure said with a hint of panic, "You're not supposed to say anything, remember?" The woman nodded and fell silent. The three of them remained quiet after that.
In a poorly lit room, Cassian sat, trying to suppress the anger bubbling inside him. He glared at the four people standing in front of his desk, but one person irritated him more than the rest. He rubbed his temples in exasperation, struggling to calm his rising frustration.
"Boldieus," he said, his voice low but menacing. The large bald man, with a scar running from his head to his cheek, felt his blood run cold. "What were my orders?"
"T-Train the c-children," Boldieus stammered, his voice trembling with fear.
"How many days were they supposed to be in isolation?" Cassian asked.
"T-Two weeks," Boldieus replied.
"So why am I dragging one out of his cell?" Cassian demanded. "Why am I hearing he stayed there for two months?"
Boldieus stared at the ground as sweat poured profusely down his face. With each passing second, the pressure mounted, making his body feel heavier. He began coughing violently, blood trickling from his nose and mouth.
"Captain!" Anna shouted, grabbing Cassian's arm and breaking his focus. "Please stop," she pleaded.
Cassian moved toward Boldieus, locking eyes with him. "The next time you defy orders, I'll remind you who gave you that scar." With that, he stormed out of the room.
Alden could hear the screams echoing through the trees as he sprinted toward the forest. The sound of swords slicing through flesh, accompanied by desperate pleas for mercy, was terrifyingly close, almost as if it were chasing him. He squeezed his eyes shut as he pushed through the branches and leaves. Suddenly, something caught his leg, sending him crashing to the ground. As he turned, he saw a dead body clutching at his leg, dragging him closer.
Alden jerked from his bed, sweat pouring profusely down his face, his heart beating furiously against his chest. He looked around for the water, but his vision was so blurry all he could make out was the brown table.
"Here," a voice said, passing him the cup of water.
"Thanks," he said. "You're the one from yesterday, right?"
"Ummm," she said, hesitance in her voice. "It has actually been three weeks since we pulled you out. Immediately after you reached the infirmary, you were already asleep."
Alden held his head, trying to compose his thoughts.
"Thanks, by the way," he said.
She shook her head slowly. "It's not me you should thank. All I did was follow orders."
Before he could reply, the door opened. A tall man with black hair walked in, his movements slow but intentional. His eyes held a sense of danger, but he had a smile, almost as if he could kill you while smiling.
The girl immediately stood up from her chair and slightly bowed as a sign of respect, but he waved her away, showing no interest in the figure that stood behind him. He walked over to the boy and grabbed his face, turning it left and right, which made his smile deepen.
"You look perfect. Training starts tomorrow," that's all he said as he walked away, giving no explanation or details.
The girl sighed in relief, not realizing that she had been holding her breath.
"Who is he?" Alden asked, but before she could answer the question, the door burst open as the boy rushed in.
"Rose!" he screamed as he darted toward her. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, inspecting her. She knocked him in the head, causing him to flinch in pain.
"Why did you do that?" he asked, scratching his head. She made eye contact with him, signaling Alden's presence in the room.
"Ahh," he said, realizing his mistake and covering his mouth, even though the words had already spilled out.
Alden let out a chuckle, surprising them. "You're siblings, right?" he asked.
They didn't answer, but their faces said it all.
"You know, I had siblings too," he said, causing his mood to darken.
Rose, noticing this, changed the topic. "Now you know my name, there is no need to hide it. This is my younger brother Matthineus, but I call him Matt for short."
"What's yours?" she asked.
"Alden," he said. "But you can call me Al for short."
"Who was that?" Alden asked, curiosity clear in his voice.
"That's Master Savo," she said. "He is what people call a partial member of 'Shade'. He only comes when there are new recruits to train them. Rumor says that he is the one who trained Master Cassian."
"Ahh," Matt said out loud, taking the two of them by surprise.
"What is it?" Rose said.
"I forgot to tell you we are supposed to have a meeting with Master Cassian in about," he checked his watch, "20 seconds."
She looked at him in disbelief, and without saying a word, took Matt by the collar and dashed out of the room.
Alden lay back on the bed and drifted back into sleep.
"Alden!! Alden!! Run, don't look back!" his mother shouted as she faded into the darkness.
Alden opened his eyes to the dark room, his head throbbing with pain. He looked at the window, and it was already dark, as the moon's light illuminated the room.
Alden got up from his bed, walked toward the mirror, and washed his face. As he cleaned his face with his sleeve and looked into the mirror, he noticed a small string of light coming from the door.
Alden walked toward the door and slowly opened it. He looked around for any signs of guards, but there were none, so he slipped out of the door and started running through the hall.
As he kept running, his suspicion grew—there were no signs of guards. As he made his final turn, he found a metal door slightly open. As he stepped out, he felt a wave of excitement. Maybe it was because he had been confined for so long, but he felt giddy inside.
As he walked through the forest, he took a deep breath, savoring the scent of the air.
"I see you are enjoying the scenery," Savo said, causing Alden to turn around in shock. "No need to be alarmed. After all, I'm the one who let you out," he said as his smile widened.
"I was going to train you tomorrow, but I need to assess your strength first before I can decide to train you."
As he said that, he brought out a wooden sword and tossed it to Alden. "All I need you to do is land a single hit on me."
Alden looked at the wooden sword, thinking to himself whether or not he should pick it up. Savo, noticing this, went through his pocket and brought out a ring.
"Maybe this will motivate you," he said, waving the ring in the air. When Alden saw this, his blood went cold.
"You know what this is, right?" Savo asked.
"A familiar gem," Alden said.
"And you know this isn't just any familiar gem, right?" Savo asked again. Embedded in the gem was a dove holding a pen and sitting on top of a book.
This wasn't just any gem—it was his family's gem, and embedded on it was his family's crest. Alden could feel all the anger he had bottled up all this time burst open. He ran at Savo, swinging his sword, but every time he swung it, Savo dodged.
"Lesson one," Savo said as he dodged effortlessly. "Don't let your anger control you; you must control it," he said as he kneed Alden in the stomach and hit him with a backfist, causing him to fly backward and hit his body against a tree, which made him pass out.
Savo walked over to the unconscious Alden and rubbed his head. "You still have a long way to go," he said before turning around. "You can come out now," he said. As he said that, Rose and Matt stepped out of the bushes.