Commander Valerius stood by the large window, looking out at the rainy forest. The sky was dark gray, and the trees were just black shapes against the gloom.
"Good," he said to the instructor standing beside him. "The weather is harsh. They need to learn to survive in this. It will make them stronger."
The instructor nodded silently.
The commander turned from the window and walked toward a large, comfortable-looking couch. He let out a tired sigh and sat down heavily.
But the couch didn't feel right. It was lumpy. And warm.
He looked down.
A young man with messy black hair was lying on his stomach, right where the commander had sat. It was Jin.
"Stand up, Commander," Jin mumbled, his voice muffled by the couch cushions. "You're breaking my back."
Commander Valerius didn't move. He just stared down at the boy, his expression unchanging. Jin kept struggling underneath him like a trapped fish.
The commander looked at the instructor. "You know," he said, his voice dangerously calm. "I think I'm seeing things now. I'm seeing Jin, who I know for a fact I asked to stay in the forest for the whole week."
The instructor looked like he wanted to disappear. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
"Commander... stand up... please," Jin wheezed.
The instructor finally spoke up "uh sir ... I think he's actually laying there"
Comander Valerius looked very well at Jin as if making sure he's real
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" the commander finally roared, grabbing Jin by the collar and yanking him up.
"Aaaaaa!" Jin yelped. "I just saw the rain coming and decided to come here! It's cold out there!"
"And since when do you decide!" the commander shouted, shaking him. "You were supposed to be in the forest! If anything happens to the students and the eagle doesn't see it, you are supposed to be there! Roaming! Not camping on my couch!"
"But that's a lot of work," Jin complained, his voice whiny. "I'm not even getting paid for this."
"Listen, Jin," the commander said, his voice dropping to a low growl. "You lift your ass now and go back straight to the forest before I start creating new curses just for you."
He let go of Jin and sighed, running a hand through his hair. He spoke loudly to himself, as if talking to the ceiling. "Then the nobles blame me when their children learn creative curses from me. It's not my fault their kids are driving me crazy."
He stood up completely, letting Jin fall back onto the couch.
"You dictator," Jin muttered, getting to his feet. "All I want is to be a traveler. Why do I have to protect them? Shit, it's always 'Jin this, Jin that...'"
He turned to leave, still complaining under his breath. He didn't see the commander's foot swing back.
WHACK.
A swift kick landed squarely on Jin's ass, sending him stumbling toward the door.
"To the forest," Commander Valerius said, his voice flat and final. "NOW."
---
The rain fell hard in the small clearing.
Jared ignored everyone else. He looked straight at Ivan, his eyes full of hate.
"You can't run from me forever, fucker," he growled.
Ivan put on a smirk. He had to look cool. He had to look like he wasn't scared. "Running from you, Jared?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I get it, you don't know how to count. We are four. You guys are three. You really won't be able to win this. We outnumber you guys"
Lyraena, who was standing beside him, laughed. "Four?" she teased, nudging him with her elbow. "Sorry, Ivan. You're alone in this."
Jared's sneer widened. "Look at that. Even the bitch you're relying on threw you away."
The air went cold.
Lyraena's body went tense. Her playful expression vanished. "Who are you calling a bitch?" she asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
Ivan stepped forward, his own smirk gone. "Hey, Jared," he said, his voice low. "Say that again, and I'll cut your tongue out."
"Really now?" Jared taunted, enjoying the reaction. "Then yes, she's a bi—"
He never finished the word.
He had to dive to the side as Lyraena's entire bow flew through the air, spinning like a boomerang, aimed right at his face. She hadn't shot an arrow. She had thrown the whole weapon.
As he dodged, she was already moving.
"Jomana!" she yelled.
Jomana didn't need to be told twice. She shoved Leonardo out of her way and sprinted forward with Lyraena. They moved together, a blur of motion in the rain, both of them charging straight at Jared.
Seth and Victor immediately moved to protect their leader. Seth swung his heavy club at Lyraena. But just as it was about to hit, Jomana pulled her back. In the same motion, Jomana spun and delivered a sharp, powerful kick to Seth's ribs.
There was a wet, cracking sound. Seth knelt on the ground, gasping for air, his face pale with pain.
Lyraena and Jomana stepped back, creating space. They stood side-by-side, perfectly in sync.
Lyraena looked down at the kneeling Seth. "Seth, right?" she asked, her voice cold. "What's wrong? Why are you kneeling to me ? I'm not the empress."
A strange, quiet moment passed. Then Ivan spoke, his voice almost a whisper.
"Not yet."
Everyone looked at him. Lyraena. Jomana.Leonardo. even Jared and his friends . Ivan felt his face get hot. He hadn't meant to say that out loud.
"Uh," he said quickly, trying to cover his mistake. "They aren't finished yet! Be careful!"
He and Leonardo immediately rushed to the girls' side. Even though they were tired, they stood with them, forming a line of four.
Ivan looked at Jared, who was now furious. The fight was about to begin for real.
"Alright, Jared," Ivan said, raising his crude spear. "Let's settle this."
jared grabbed Lyraena's bow and break it into half , making it as two swords "alright, I'm gonna break your bones"