The Boy's POV
Months had passed like years. The fire drills. The forced marches. The endless nights where the ground itself became my bed. But today was different. Today was final day.
The last test. The moment that would decide if I was truly B.A.M. or just another weakling to be sent home in shame.
We stood in formation at dawn, sweat already clinging to our skin though the sun had barely risen. General Soren himself paced before us, his boots crushing the dirt with measured weight. His eyes were like sharpened steel—unblinking, searching.
"Recruits!" His voice roared across the yard. "This is no game. After today, there will be no half-soldiers. Either you leave here as warriors of Blackwood… or you don't leave at all."
No one dared to move.
The test was brutal. A mock battlefield built inside the compound—trenches, barricades, gunfire blanks cracking in the air, smoke bombs burning our eyes. We had to advance, hold positions, drag wounded comrades, and face ambushes staged by veterans.
I ran, I fell, I crawled. My body screamed for rest, but something inside me burned hotter. Every step I saw Mother's face, her voice whispering Stay strong. Every time my muscles threatened to give up, I remembered Father's rejection. I swore I'd prove him wrong.
By midday, half of us had collapsed. Some were dragged away unconscious, others too broken to continue. But I pressed on. I carried a recruit twice my size on my back through smoke and fire, my legs threatening to buckle. I reached the flag at the center of the field and slammed it into the ground.
When the horn finally blew to end the test, I was shaking, drenched in sweat, but still standing.
General Soren strode up to me. His face was unreadable as he looked me over. For a terrifying moment, I thought he might dismiss me like the rest.
Then, slowly, he nodded. "You've earned the black mark," he said, signaling the insignia of B.A.M.
My chest swelled with pride. I dropped to one knee, not in weakness, but in loyalty.
The yard echoed with cheers and roars as the surviving recruits were declared soldiers. My name was called among them. I was no longer just a boy, no longer just the minister's son.
I was B.A.M.
And when I rose to my feet, I swore silently: This is only the beginning.
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