Lucien appeared from the recruit's medical trailer. The chaos of the camp greeted him.
The Fifth Division's command post may have been the nastiest one, but to Lucien, it represented his first home. It was a place of belonging and purpose.
Jason shoved into him with a playful nudge. "Ready to start week two, warrior?" he asked. Lucien gave a smile back.
Rylen waited in the briefing room, notepad tightly in his hand. Fifty prospects packed the chamber. They were talking until he began speaking.
A hologram opened: a map of the training grounds, a grid pointing out the final arena, fifty green dots illustrated each.
"Everyone, I need your attention now!," Rylen said. "Week two has officially started: six days of intensive combat training and on day 7 you will be fighting real monsters.
The arena will be filled with one hundred monsters. The beasts will consist of ninety Level 5, ten Level 4. You need at least ten points to advance to the next week. If you neutralize a Level 5 monster you´ll get one point. Level 4 equals five points. There is no exception. Fail to reach ten points, you're out."
The recruits started to mumble. Rylen clicked on the program for Week 2.
"Days one through six will test your raw capacity: strength, speed, durability, stamina, combat skills, and mental control. On day six you will be meditating with Emiluna.
Day 1 — Strength
He sled pushed over a 1000 feet in total. Lucien tried to push a thousand-pound load. He grunted and pushed it forward. The sled moved slowly. He crossed the timing gate at 1 minute and thirty seconds and pushed it back.
PASSED. Jason and Rylen gave a thumbs-up.
Day 2 — Speed
A 440-yard sprint. The starting signal blasted. Lucien exploded forward. He crossed the line first. The radar that measured his speed flashed an impossible number: 105 mph. The recruits were stunned. Rylen offered a nod of approval.
Day 3 — Durability
All the recruits stood upright against a straight wall while some Ex-Nightguard officers struck them with an iron baton in their stomachs. Blows landed.
Lucien tried to give it his all. Others dropped after seconds. After thirty hits the instructors called it quits. Rylen recorded the final result: durability just above average.
Day 4 — Stamina
Plank and wall-sit. Lucien held the plank position for nearly six minutes and the wall-sit for seven minutes and 15 seconds. It was just above average.
Day 5 — Combat Skills
Next up was sparring with a wooden sword. Each round lasted three minutes. When a recruit hits his opponent they´ll get a point and if a recruit gets hit they´ll get a minus point.
Lucien faced Kagetsu Fushikado. He was short and lean. Kagetsu did seem precise and brutal in timing. Lucien would rely on his reflexes.
At the end, he lost on points: 1–6. Rylen's note:
Below average combat skills and technique. He does have raw potential. Lucien made a private vow to practice on his footwork and parries.
Day 6 — Mental Control
Emiluna guided each group of recruits that came in. She helped them with different breathing techniques.
Dogs barked outside; Cars crossed the skyline like a distant heartbeat.
Lucien tried to still the voice in his head. It did not go silent.
Tears slowly began to slip out of his eyes as power and remorse warred inside him. He was the last to open his eyes. Emiluna rested a hand on his shoulder.
The night before the final day, Lucien sat alone by a campfire and rewound the second week in his mind.
The sled. The 440-yard sprint. The hits he had taken on day three. The loss in sparring against Kagetsu. He thought of Emiluna´s soft hand resting on his shoulder.
He thought of the bench. He thought of the voice that he heard in the seam of sky that had named him the vessel of the God of Vengeance.
Dawn — Day 7
Lucien couldn´t sleep.
Before sunrise, he already laced his boots. The arena would be full of monsters. Ninety Level 5, ten Level 4. Ten points to move on to Week 3.
Evening - Day 7
Emiluna squeezed his shoulder. Jason tried to make him laugh. Rylen's voice broke through: "Staging in ten minutes."
At the staging area recruits checked gear and murmured different strategies.
A few Nightguard members offered tips: aim for the legs, move as a group when possible, and conserve as much stamina. Lucien listened and tried to turn the advice into something usable.
He pictured the monsters inside of his head: not to prove that he mattered to others, but to make himself whole enough to stand in the worst of nights.
When the gun fired and teams of recruits ran into the arena, Lucien stepped alone into the dark.
The first monster roar echoed.
He was still an unofficial member. His position in the Nightguard Corps was not ensured.
But after six days of brutal training and small accomplishments. He did not doubt that he would try with everything he had. He was Lucien.