The one week of rest passed in a blur.
Kiah spent most of it in the gym like Eden requested, wanting to catch up with the rest of the Initiates somehow. If she wasn't exercising, she was holed up in Killan's workshop, absorbing whatever knowledge she could from the old Sentinel.
The rest of her time was often spent with Naya in the cafeteria. Kiah had learned to tolerate the bubbly girl's nonstop chatter, and — though she'd never admit it — sometimes even looked forward to their meals together.
Naya's sunny attitude was a rare comfort in this gloomy world.
While Kira and Wayne were also present, she kept her distance. Getting too attached to these people was not ideal since her stay here was only temporary. She had bigger goals. Goals that didn't involve bonding with people she might never see again.
Meanwhile, the glares and whispers from higher Initiates only grew worse. But she ignored them.
Today, training officially began.
And as she stood in the massive indoor arena, surrounded by seventy-four Initiates in identical black uniforms, a weight started to settle in her gut.
She had followed Eden's prep rigorously, almost dying from exhaustion each session. But she prayed it had all been worth it. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of so many people and confirm their nasty rumours.
The arena was a wide rectangular space, enclosed by smooth, concrete-gray alloy walls. Overhead lights cast the room white. The floor was solid matte metal, sectioned into large panels with noticeable seams.
There were no seats. Everyone stood.
A man stepped onto the raised platform at the front of the room, his presence silencing the chatter. He was broad-shouldered, middle-aged, with burnt orange hair and a sharp, no-nonsense expression. His hands were clasped behind his back.
His gaze swept the room like a blade.
"Good day, everyone," he began, voice clipped and calm. "Some of you already know who I am. For those who don't, I'm Warden Gregory, and I'll be overseeing your physical exercises."
He let that sink in for a beat before continuing.
"This won't be easy. I won't sugarcoat anything. Your bodies will ache, your egos will be bruised, and many of you will want to quit. Better work hard."
He turned slightly, scanning their faces. Kiah felt the intensity of his eyes even from across the room.
"This program is called The Crucible. It's a brutal course designed to weed out the weak and forge the stronge. It will be broken into four phases, each building physical, mental, and tactical resilience."
A low mechanical hum began to echo.
"But since this is your first day…" A cruel smile flickered on his face. "Let's start with something simple. The obstacle simulator."
A loud buzz sounded, and part of the floor behind him began to shift. Steel plates slid open, and from the depths rose a sprawling obstacle course that stretched across the entire training chamber.
Kiah's breath hitched.
It was huge.
'This is a military standard.'
There were tire runs, low crawl, wall climb, monkey bars, rope climb, balance beam, trench jump, cargo net climb, tunnel crawl, and finally over-under logs.
After that, there was a brief simulation explaining how each course was passed.
Then,
A glowing board lit up behind the course.
Timer: 00:02:00
'Are we expected to finish all this in two minutes?'
"You have two minutes to finish the ten-course obstacle," Warden Gregory announced, confirming her thoughts. "Now, can I have volunteers?"
The room erupted in murmurs and exchanged glances. After some brief contemplation, four people stepped forward. Three boys and a girl.
Kiah immediately recognized them as part of the arrogant bunch that had been trash-talking her group all week. The four of them scored quite high on the scoreboard and had specially reserved a seat at the front of the cafeteria to cement their position.
"Good. Take your positions," the Warden ordered. "Begin."
A sharp buzzer rang out, and the timer started.
The four took off immediately.
First was the tire run, and it was meant to test agility and coordination. They had to weave through a set of tires without getting stuck or losing momentum. One misstep could send them tumbling. But surprisingly, all five manoeuvred through with relative ease, a talk boy taking the lead.
Then came the low crawl. Thirty-five feet long of barbed wire stretched over a pit of sleek slime. The moment they dropped to the ground, pained groans followed. The wire tore at their backs, drawing blood. It slowed them down considerably.
They gritted their teeth and pushed on, scrambling over the wall next. One after another, they vaulted over, then hit the rope climb and scaled it like it was second nature.
Watching them, Kiah grudgingly understood why they acted so smug. They were actually good.
They reached the balance beam next and were halfway across when the timer blared.
"Splendid. Excellent job on your first try. This batch has quite a few promising individuals."
Though none of them had completed the full course, the four returned to the crowd with confident grins, soaking in the attention.
"Who wants to go next?"
The room went silent.
No one wanted to go up after that spectacular performance.
Warden Gregory's eyes narrowed at everyone.
Kiah stood stiffly next to her group, her head kept low. She didn't want to accidentally jam eyes with the Warden and bring his attention to herself. If she had her way, she'd rather the day ended before it got to her turn. She wasn't ready for public humiliation.
But of course, luck was not on her side.
Warden Gregory's sharp gaze swept the crowd, then paused right on their group.
"You're the lot from Rustpoint, yes?" he asked, pointing directly at them at the back.
The four of them froze.
He took their silence as an answer.
He raised his hand, flicking two fingers as he beckoned to them.
"Step up. You're next."
Kiah felt her heart lurch as her stomach dropped. Her shoulders sagged in dismay.
Everyone turned to them, and a few snickers echoed.
Reluctantly, they made their way forward, passing the big four, who threw them smug looks.
The four of them stood in front of the obstacle course.
Wayne shot them a determined look.
"Let's prove them wrong."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Kira added, cracking her knuckles.
Naya gave a nervous laugh.
"I don't think I'll make it past the low crawl."
The other two gave her a flat look before their gazes shifted to Kiah, silently hoping for something encouraging.
She just shrugged.
"Don't look at me. I'm terrible at sports."
She could barely do fifty jumping jacks. How was she supposed to climb over a wall?
Kira groaned and looked up at the ceiling. "We're going to be the laughingstock for the entire month."
"Aren't we already?" Wayne scowled.
And then the buzzer went off.
The four of them launched forward — Kira and Wayne leading, while Kiah and Naya lagged slightly behind.
Only seconds in, Naya tripped over a tire and face-planted hard on the floor. A ripple of laughter echoed through the room, but Warden Gregory's cold stare snapped the crowd into silence.
Kiah clenched her jaw, tuning out the world as she focused on the tires. One misstep, and she'd follow Naya's fate. Instead, she zeroed in on the gaps in the middle of each tire, forcing her legs to move in sync with the pattern. It slowed her down, but at least she didn't fall.
By the time she made it to the low crawl, Wayne and Kira were already halfway through. Naya was just behind her.
Kiah dropped flat onto the greenish, slime-slicked ground.
The crawl was worse than she imagined. Her elbows kept sliding as she tried to pull herself forward. It was difficult for her to get a grip without her face nearly smacking into the muck.
Above her, the barbs weren't helping matters. Any wrong move and the tiny sharp ends dug into her skin. She gritted her teeth to muffle the groans.
'I can't show weakness. I won't let them win,' she chanted as she went through the hazardous crawl.
By now, her muscles ached, and the cuts on her back stung. But she kept going.
When she finally emerged, she was out of breath and covered in slime. Her knees wobbled slightly underneath her as she struggled to stand.
Her next obstacle loomed ahead. A thirty-foot-high solid wall with minimal holds. And she was soaked in slime from head to toe.
Kiah stared at it.
'How am I supposed to climb that?'