The next morning in Castle Loon was thick with haze, the artificial sky outside the campus domes glowing a dull grey. Inside the assassin academy, the mood was heavier than the weather.
Recruits moved like ghosts through the corridors, many still recovering from the second test. Bandages covered faces and limbs. Some limped. Others walked stiffly, their muscles aching from exhaustion and injury. The fear of the third test loomed over everyone's shoulders.
But hunger had no patience.
Xero walked slowly through the inner hall toward the central mess hall. He wore the academy's black trainee robes, his arm still wrapped from yesterday's wounds. He hadn't eaten since the end of Test One two days ago. His stomach twisted, growling in protest.
The dormitories behind him stretched long and wide like rows of concrete tombs. Every step away from them was a small victory.
He kept his head down.
The air smelled of oil and metal, always sharp from the academy's mechanical systems. His boots echoed on the steel floors. All around him, other recruits passed in silence, keeping to themselves. Everyone was tense.
Xero turned the corner into a smaller corridor that connected directly to the mess hall's east entrance.
That's when he felt it.
A hand slammed into his chest, forcing him backward.
He staggered, catching himself before he hit the wall. His eyes snapped up.
Standing in the narrow hallway were three older students—bigger, broader, and immediately intimidating. One stepped forward. His uniform wasn't the trainee black. It was a dark crimson shade—reserved for Year Three students.
"Hold up," the older boy said, grinning. "You're the little rat from the Blade Storm, right? The one that crawled through without even using magic?"
Xero stayed quiet. His eyes flicked toward the badge on the guy's shoulder. Year Three. Rank B. The boy's name was stitched beneath it: Krayn Ryi
He was taller by a head, with a brutal face and a wide jaw. His fists were thick, wrapped tightly in cloth, and his nose looked like it had been broken too many times to count.
Krayn sneered. "I watched you wobble through that test like a bug dodging boots. Pathetic."
Xero didn't reply.
Krayn's hand shot out again, this time gripping the front of Xero's robe and yanking him forward.
"You think surviving makes you tough, huh?" he snarled.
Xero winced but kept his voice level. "I didn't ask for your opinion."
That did it.
Krayn slammed him into the wall, hard. The impact rattled Xero's already sore bones. Pain burst through his back.
"You're new, so let me teach you a rule," Krayn said, pressing closer. "You don't talk back to seniors. You kneel. Or we make you."
His two friends chuckled darkly.
Xero tried to shove him off, but Krayn was too strong. A punch landed across Xero's face before he could brace for it. His head snapped to the side. The taste of blood filled his mouth.
Krayn pulled back for another strike.
"Hey!"
The shout echoed through the hallway like a thunderclap.
Everyone turned.
At the other end of the corridor stood a mountain of muscle. A recruit, yes—but huge, wide-shouldered, and unmistakably powerful. His arms bulged beneath his uniform sleeves. His skin was dark and smooth, his hair shaved close to his scalp, and his voice was deep.
Sonze.
Krayn laughed when he saw him. "Another rat?"
Sonze's face didn't change. "Back off him."
Krayn smirked. "Why don't you come make me?"
Sonze stepped forward. Calm. Solid. He didn't run. He didn't flinch.
Xero blinked, still dazed from the blow. His vision was fuzzy, but he could make out the giant's shape closing in.
Krayn dropped Xero to the ground and turned to face the new challenge. "You're going to regret this, fat boy."
Sonze cracked his neck. "I've been called worse."
And then Krayn charged.
He threw a fast punch, but Sonze was faster. His hand caught Krayn's wrist mid-swing and twisted. A loud crack echoed as Krayn's arm bent unnaturally. Krayn screamed, but Sonze didn't stop.
With a brutal slam, he shoved Krayn back into the wall. The older student crashed hard, gasping. One of his friends rushed forward, but Sonze swung his leg and swept him off the ground with a single kick.
The hallway roared with noise as the second friend fled.
Sonze leaned in toward Krayn, now gasping against the wall.
"Next time you touch someone weaker than you, I'll break more than your wrist."
Krayn spat blood but didn't move.
Sonze turned and walked over to Xero, who was trying to sit up.
"You okay?"
Xero nodded slowly, wiping the blood from his lips. "Yeah. Thanks."
Sonze offered a hand. Xero hesitated, then took it. The big guy pulled him up effortlessly.
"I'm Sonze. You?"
"Xero."
Sonze gave him a short nod. "Stick close. Bullies like him prey on new recruits who look alone."
Xero blinked. "Why help me?"
Sonze shrugged. "Because I've been the one on the ground before." Xero stared at him confused.
---
Later in the mess hall, Xero sat with Sonze at a corner table. The food was bland—gray rice, thick broth, and steamed protein cubes—but after everything, it tasted like gold.
The tension in the hall had lifted only slightly. Whispers still flew. People still stared at the bruises on Xero's face, at the mountain who now sat beside him.
"You're strong," Xero said finally.
Sonze chuckled. "You should see me in the weight chamber. I broke two of the school's machines."
Xero allowed himself a small smile. "Remind me not to fight you."
"Don't worry," Sonze replied. "You're not the one I want to fight."
Xero tilted his head. "Then who?"
Sonze looked toward the high table where a few instructors sat in silence.
"One day? The Grande Commander."
Xero blinked. "That's suicide."
"Maybe," Sonze said. "But until then, I'll settle for breaking the pride of punks like him."he said referring to Krayn.
---
As night approached, Xero sat alone outside the dorm block. His face was still sore, and his pride was bruised, but something inside felt different.
He wasn't alone anymore.
In a place where death waited at every corner, where silence could mean the next kill, having someone like Sonze nearby was more than luck—it was survival.
And even though tomorrow would bring the next test, and more pain, and more uncertainty…