– The Boy's POV
The final bell of the season rang through the halls of the Blackwood School of Loyals. Servants packed trunks, carriages lined the marble courtyard, and one by one the students left through the golden gates.
Higher-numbered students left first.
No ceremony. No trumpets. Just a simple call:
"99979 – Escort!"
My servant walked beside me, carrying my trunk. I saw the way the others glanced at me—some with pity, others with smirks, a few with quiet respect after what happened in the dining hall weeks ago.
At the far end of the courtyard, the carriages of the elite families waited like thrones on wheels. Banners marked their ranks.
#1205, the senator's daughter, left in a convoy of three carriages, soldiers riding alongside. She sneered at me from the window.
#10011, the commander's son, rode off with his family's BAM escort, their flags whipping in the wind. He didn't look at me, but I felt his silence like a blade.
When my number was called, only one plain carriage rolled forward. Two horses. No escort.
But before I stepped in, the fort gates thundered open.
A black convoy rolled in. BAM guards in full armor. At its center, a tall figure stepped out.
It was General Soren Vask.
Gasps echoed across the courtyard. No one expected the BAM Commander himself to arrive on departure day. Students whispered, servants trembled.
He walked straight past the high-rank children, ignoring their bows and stares, until he stopped in front of me.
"99979," he said in his gravel voice. "Your carriage is dismissed. You'll ride with me."
The courtyard froze. Even the senator's daughter's smirk faltered.
I swallowed, nodded, and climbed into his convoy.
Inside, Soren said nothing for a long time. His cold eyes stayed fixed out the window. Only after the convoy began moving did he speak:
"Your father hates me for letting you join BAM. He will hate me more when he sees you return in this convoy. But loyalty is not built on comfort. It is built on fire. And you… are already burning."
I didn't answer. My hands tightened on my knees.
Summer break had begun.
But I knew this was no vacation.
It was the start of something greater—
And far more dangerous.
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