In the next training, Omega excelled. She trains harder and harder.
She punches the punching bag at the ring and notices her knuckles are red and swollen. Alpha moves toward her.
"You're weak. You have no muscle. You're never gonna win, not like that," he mocks her.
"That's good to know," Omega replied.
Alpha comes closer. "Yeah, you have to use your whole body. Keep tension here," then he gently gripped the waist of Omega guiding her to the correct position.
Okay.
"And go on offense. You're fast, so you could win if you attack first. You get inside, you jab to the throat," Alpha instructed.
"Alpha!" a man called.
"Keep working," he said to Omega and walked away.
Eventually, Ron shows up as well, eager to get away from Clark and Charise, two other transfers from Eruditus who are dating. Mega watches in the distance as they kiss in public, something that is not permitted in the Abnegatus.
In training the next day, Alpha announces that since there is an outnumber of transfer initiates, Mega won't be fighting.
Hemera is paired with Lysandra Lappin, whose nickname is "the Tank."
Lysandra Lappin, Eos Michael Lucas, and Allesandro Byrne are a group of nasty Candidus transfers. Eos is the leader and is cruel and competitive.
Hemera hates the three of them, and she lets them know it, she insists that she's doing them a favor by telling them so, reminding them that they're not God's gift to the world.
Clark and Aion are first up, and they spar for a long time until Aion asks when it's supposed to end.
Alpha says that conceding is allowed, but Hades contradicts him, saying the fight only ends when one of them gets knocked out.
Mega realizes that Alpha and Hades are two different kinds of Domitare, the honorable kind and the ruthless kind. After that, Aion manages to knock Clark out, as predicted by their size.
The fight between Lysandra and Hemera gets bloody, but Hemera does not fall unconscious, therefore Hades makes it continue.
"Come on, Hem," Omega utters.
Hemera falls and grunts while defending herself from Lysandra's attacks. Eventually Hemera just surrenders, which is obviously against Hades rules.
"Stop... Stop!" Hemera pleaded. "I'm done. I'm done."
"You need to stop?" Hades asks. Hemera looked into him with a begging face while blood dripped from her nose.
"Okay. Let me give you a hand," he stretched out his hand to Hemera, then she thanked him.
"All right, let's everyone take a break!" Hades commanded.
As punishment, he marches the initiates out to the Abyssus.
"You feelin' a little better?" he asks Hemera.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hemera replied.
They crossed the bridge at the Abysuss but at the center, Hades pushes Hemera down the bridge making her hang over the edge for five minutes.
"Whoa!" Hemera shouted. Everyone was shocked.
"Grab the rail. Or don't," Hades holds the hands of Hemera and then loosens them. Hemera cries.
"You've got three options. Hang there and I'll forget your cowardice. Fall and die. Or give up. But if you give up, you're out."
"Come on, Hem!" Mega cheered her up.
She has trouble about a minute and a half in, but her new friends help her rally. After five minutes, they helped her up.
"Domitare never give up," Hades announces.
The next day, they ride on a train. Hemera informs Mega that they'll be going on a field trip to the city fence the next day to learn about Domitare's job.
"As Domitare, we fight to protect every life inside the fence, without fail. That's why we train you the way we do. To teach you not to give up. And to find out who has what it takes," Alpha says, "Even though it's been quiet there for years, that could change at any moment. So we have to be ready for everything," he added.
"Whoo!" a man shouted
They approach the fence, and Omega driven by her curiosity asks a lot about the fence.
"What's out there?" Omega asks looking at the vast land of farms.
"Monsters," Hemera replied.
"Amicus farms," Ron answers.
"No, I know. But beyond that?" Omega asks again.
"Places that never recovered from the war," Ron answers.
"Do you know?" Omega asks again.
"Let's just say they built their fence for a reason," Alpha responds.
Training consists of target practice once more - but this time, with knives.
"You're kinda good at this," Hemera praises Omega after throwing the knives at its target board.
After a bit of practice, everyone manages to hit the target at least once except Aion.
"That was pathetic," Hades utters.
"It slipped," Aion says.
As punishment, Hades insists that he must go get his knife from the target area while the others are still throwing it.
"Well, go get it!" Hades shouted at Aion.
Aion refuses, "What, while they're throwing?"
"Are you afraid?" Hades mockingly asks.
"Of getting stabbed by an airborne knife? Yeah," Aion answers.
Hades grows even angrier and tells him to stand in front of the target while Alpha throws knives at him until he learns not to flinch.
"Everybody stop," Hades insisted. "Stand in front of the target," he added.
"Alpha, gimme a hand here," Hades said. "You're gonna stand there where he throws those knives. And if I see you flinch, you're out," he commanded.
"One thing you will learn here is that orders are not optional," he says.
Alpha gets the airborne knives and positions himself to throw the knives at Aion and Omega interrupts them.
"Stop," she insisted. "Anyone can stand in front of a target. It doesn't prove anything," she added.
Mega talks back to Hades, and then takes Aion's place instead.
"Then it should be easy for you to take his place," he commanded. Omega takes Aion's place and stands at the target.
"Same rules apply," Hades added. Omega sighs deeply.
Alpha tries to goad her into giving up while he throws the knives, but when she won't, he throws a knife that nicks her ear.
"Oh, come on, Alpha," Hades says. Then Alpha throws the knife and lands on the wall beside Omega's left face.
"You can get closer than that," Hades added.
"You want me to give her a little trim?" Alpha utters.
"Yeah, maybe just a little off the top," he replies. Then Alpha nods. Then he throws the knife and lands above Omega's head. Then he throws another and lands on Omega's right ear causing her to have a cut on it, then blood drops.
Mega is pretty sure Alpha cut her on purpose, but she didn't flinch. The punishment is over, and Hades is pleased with her.
"Points for bravery, Pawn. Not as many as you just lost for opening your mouth," Hades insisted in frustration.
"Now watch yourself. We train soldiers, not rebels, he whispers, but we are done for today. Get out," he warns her.
She confronts Alpha about it afterward, and he admits that he did nick her intentionally.
"You all right?" Alpha asks.
"You cut me," Omega replies.
Then he tells Mega that if he wanted to hurt her, he would have already, and disappears.
"I meant to," he added.
"You meant to?" she replied in an angry tone.
"You think he was gonna let you off without a scratch? You'd still standing there if I hadn't hit you," Alpha answers.
"So am I supposed to thank you?" she answers in frustration.
"You're supposed to be smart. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have," he says and left her frustrated and alone.