Chapter 20
The Two-Month Period Begins
Nation: Great Void Nation (Ranked Second in the World)
Date: 1/6/670 – Void Calendar
Location: Night Watchers Headquarters, City No. 87
First Person POV – May Blackheart
It has been five days since I was officially accepted into the Night Watchers' two-month training program.
The experience has been structured. Exhausting. Unexpectedly efficient.
The first day was designated as mandatory recovery. Medical teams conducted full-body diagnostics, neural stability scans, and void resonance evaluations to confirm none of us had sustained hidden damage during the entrance examinations.
No one complained.
Surviving the exam did not guarantee we were intact.
On the second day, rankings were announced.
All twenty of us stood in the central assembly hall beneath the insignia of the Night Watchers. The emblem pulsed faintly against dark alloy walls.
We were no longer applicants.
We were assets under evaluation.
A holographic projection displayed the results in descending order.
When my name appeared, it read:
Rank Sixteen.
A ripple of whispers spread immediately.
"Sixteen? That's wrong." "She defeated Rokan." "Wasn't he ranked fifth?"
I did not react outwardly.
It was not an error.
The Night Watchers did not make clerical mistakes in matters of hierarchy.
If I was Rank Sixteen, then someone had placed me there intentionally.
A tall boy beside me tilted his head. Lean build. Braided dark hair. Amber eyes observing everything with quiet amusement.
"You don't look surprised," he said.
"I am not."
"You should be. Rokan was ranked fifth before you beat him."
"I defeated him under controlled conditions," I replied. "Rankings are not determined by a single outcome."
He gave a low chuckle.
"Fair enough. Kael Ardent. Rank Seven."
"May Blackheart."
A faint smile. "I know."
Across the hall stood a silver-haired girl with arms crossed, posture rigid.
Sera Veylan. Rank Three.
Despite her placement, she looked dissatisfied.
The top ten received instructor attention, tactical priority, and future assignment projections.
Rank Sixteen placed me within observation range—
—but outside direct scrutiny.
A calculated position.
By the third day, the structure became clear.
Mornings: physical conditioning and combat development.
Afternoons: void theory, beast classification, national history.
Evenings: independent study or supervised sparring.
Many recruits listened intently during academic sessions. A significant portion came from the slums. Their formal education was incomplete.
The Night Watchers were not merely building soldiers.
They were building controlled weapons.
Knowledge ensured discipline. Discipline ensured predictability.
For me, most foundational material was redundant. The Basic Knowledge Package installed long ago exceeded standard curriculum.
Still—
Repetition refined integration.
The most significant development occurred during combat training.
On the fifth day, we assembled in the same arena used during entrance examinations. Faint impact scars remained embedded in the reinforced flooring.
The air smelled of ozone and metal.
Our instructor entered precisely on schedule.
Ray Harrington
Nearly two meters tall. Broad shoulders. Built like reinforced alloy plating. Every movement was economical, deliberate.
He did not waste energy on expression.
"You survived the exam," he began, voice low and steady. "That does not impress me."
Silence.
"What will impress me," he continued, "is who survives my training."
A recruit near the back muttered, "That's comforting."
Harrington's gaze locked onto him instantly.
"If you prefer comfort, you may leave."
No one moved.
"Good," he said. "Pair up. Full-contact sparring. Void output limited to reinforcement thresholds. Anyone exceeding limit will sit out the next three sessions."
Kael turned toward me.
"Rank Sixteen," he said lightly. "Shall we?"
"Very well."
We stepped into the arena center.
"Begin," Harrington ordered.
Kael moved first.
His speed was refined—void reinforcement distributed efficiently through muscle groups without destabilizing structure. His opening strike targeted my ribs before shifting into a sweeping attempt at my legs.
Battle Instincts activated.
Two days prior, a new function had unlocked:
Automated Micro-Response Integration.
At Rank Eight, my Battle Instincts no longer relied solely on predictive modeling. My body now executed adjustments automatically—micro-corrections in stance, balance, and deflection occurring with minimal conscious delay.
I stepped back before the sweep completed and redirected his forward momentum with a controlled counterstrike to his shoulder.
He absorbed it and transitioned into a rapid series of upper-torso strikes.
"You're reading me," he said between movements.
"You are telegraphing."
He increased tempo.
I allowed automation to manage response timing.
Arms deflected. Feet adjusted. Weight shifted with mechanical precision.
When he overcommitted to a downward strike—
—I stepped inside his guard.
A measured palm strike connected with his abdomen.
Air left his lungs sharply.
Harrington raised a hand.
"Enough."
Kael straightened, exhaling.
"You barely look winded."
"I am regulating output."
Harrington approached.
"Blackheart," he said evenly, "you rely heavily on automated instinct."
"Yes, sir."
"That is efficient," he continued, "and dangerous. If you encounter a variable outside predictive range, you may hesitate."
"I will expand predictive range."
He studied me for several seconds.
"See that you do."
After training, we sat along the arena edge to cool down.
Sera approached, expression analytical.
"You are stronger than Rank Sixteen."
"Ranking is temporary."
She narrowed her eyes. "Most would demand reevaluation."
"I do not require validation."
Kael leaned back on his hands.
"That's because she's terrifying."
"I am pragmatic," I corrected.
Sera watched me a moment longer.
Not hostility.
Assessment.
Then she walked away.
Afternoon session focused on Void Beast classification.
Instructor Malen entered precisely on schedule.
Instructor Malen
Thin frame. Sharp features. Rectangular glasses that reflected holographic light.
He projected a rotating beast model into the center of the classroom.
"Understanding a Void Beast," he began, "is understanding how you die."
No one spoke.
Efficient teaching method.
The two-month period had begun.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
—I felt something resembling anticipation.
(AUTHOR'S NOTE:- I did whatever came to my mind so here a small chapter. Also this entire month in the novel just be world building and lore stuff with adaptations basically the filler but important training arc is starting right now.)