That morning, the square at the Doshin headquarters was especially lively. There were seventeen new recruits dressed in their new orange and black uniform robes, huddled into groups chatting away.
Lloyd was among them, and this time he was with one of those groups, chatting as they expressed their excitement at joining the Doshin.
To some of them, it was a lifelong dream come true, and to others, it was a chance to lift their families out of the gutter, however minuscule that chance might be.
The large wooden door leading to the inner compound flung open, and from it a large group of guards stepped out. At the head of the group was a tall, dark-haired man with a well-defined beard of the same shade.
The new recruits formed a single-file line without instruction and immediately bowed.
The group of guards also formed their own line behind the bearded man, facing the recruits.
"So you all are the new recruits," the man said, his voice heavy and overbearing. "Congratulations on your qualification."
"My name is Kento Nishimura, the Head of the Doshin and the First Guard."
"Whether your success was a fluke or not will be revealed in the coming days, so don't slack off just because you've made your way in," he continued.
Silence took over as he walked to the end of the line, and one by one he began staring at the recruits, his face only inches from theirs.
Most would look away or nervously try to maintain eye contact, only to fail. Some even turned their heads away completely.
Then he locked eyes with Lloyd.
To him, Nishimura's stare felt all-consuming, as though there was something hidden beyond those eyes. Yet he found himself staring back without even a hint of fear.
"You," Nishimura said, snapping him back to reality. "I like the look in your eye. What is your name?"
"It's Kageto Shirobane, sir," Lloyd replied as Nishimura stepped away from him.
"Tell me, why did you choose to join the Doshin?" he asked.
"I admire the work they've done in keeping order and peace in this town, sir," he replied.
"Anything else?" he asked. "Perhaps an ideological pursuit. One that drives you."
"My pursuit is justice," Lloyd replied. "Where else is it personified if not here?"
"I like that answer," he said with a smirk, "but you will find that pursuit far more difficult to achieve than it seems."
"What do you think could prevent my pursuit, sir?" Lloyd asked, his expression blank.
"Circumstance," he replied. "In the face of such a variable, the fine line between justice and order becomes much clearer."
His smirk vanished as he said,
"But will you be able to see that line, Kageto?"
"I'm curious to find out."
Lloyd didn't respond. Instead, he watched as Nishimura stepped back to face the entire line once more.
"I've observed you all, and I see promise in some of you," he said. "My duty as your leader is to ensure that promise can blossom."
He turned slightly toward the line of guards behind him and said, "You will all be assigned to a mentor who will guide you in the ways of being a guard until you are deemed ready to serve on your own."
"The guard assigned to you will also be updating me on your performance and whether you are worth keeping in the Doshin, so stay sharp," he continued.
He then turned to the guards and said, "Think of them more as partners than hindrances, but if you are completely unable to work with them because of any form of incompetence, then you are free to bring your complaint to me."
"Sir!!"
He turned back to the recruits and said, "Your mentors have already been assigned, so after we break from here they will come and find you themselves. So don't wander off."
"Any questions?"
No one spoke up, so he said, "If not, then let's break from here. Find your mentors and join them in whatever duties they have today."
He turned to leave, and one guard followed him. Once they had passed through the wooden door into the inner compound, both lines broke apart as the mentors searched for their new apprentices.
Lloyd, along with most of the others, simply stood still as the guards walked up and asked them whether they were so-and-so.
He noticed one particularly chatty guard spending more time with each recruit he approached than the others. He walked up to almost all of them before immediately turning back and heading straight toward Lloyd.
"So you're Kageto Shirobane," he said. "I'm your mentor, Makoto Watanabe, but you can just call me Makoto. It's nice to meet you."
"You too," Lloyd replied.
"You were pretty amazing back there, standing up to the First Guard like that," he said.
"Is that what it looked like?" Lloyd asked, confused. "I thought I was just answering some questions."
"Those questions were meant to intimidate you into submission," he replied. "You weren't supposed to fire back with answers that quickly. It shows that you're bold."
"Is that right?" Lloyd said with a nervous smile.
"Wait," he said after a sudden realization. "If you knew who I was already, then how come you didn't just come up to me directly? Why talk to the rest of the recruits first?"
"I was just introducing myself," he answered. "I don't want to be a stranger."
"Oh, I'm sorry for asking," Lloyd said, embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it," he said. "Let's go. You and I are on patrol in the northwest district of the town today. Grab a snare pole and let's head out."
He nodded and went to fetch two of them from the corner of the square where they were piled.
When he came back, he handed one to Makoto.
"You brought me one too? Thanks."
The two then started walking out of the compound and into the busy streets outside.
For a time, there was silence until Lloyd asked,
"The First Guard... just what did he mean by what he told me?"
"Oh, you mean when he asked you about your goal?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah."
"I don't think he meant anything sinister by it," he replied. "The streets around here are more crooked than they seem in a place like this, so I'm sure he was just telling you to adapt quickly."
"What do you mean by crooked?" Lloyd asked.
"I mean that the crimes you can clearly see in broad daylight are the least of our problems," he replied. "There is much more out there."
"Don't you worry, though," he continued. "We'll make a change so that this place can turn out for the better."
"I want you to join me out there, Kageto," he said as he held out his fist. "I could use a man I can trust."
Lloyd met it with his own.
"You can count on me."