Crimsonveil — Dorm Corridor |
That Same Night
The halls were quiet. Cold torches flickered.
Elarion sat on the edge of his narrow bed, a cloth in his hand, wiping the dust from his wrists and arms.
The twins hadn't followed him.
Yet.
He knew they would.
The moment Bon had looked at him without hate—that still, calculating look that meant, "I've chosen you." Elarion had seen it before.
In war.
In death.
He finished cleaning the cloth, folded it with exact corners, and placed it beside his dagger beneath the mattress.
He didn't sleep.
He didn't plan to.
His thoughts drifted—not to the fight.
But to the way Herua stood beside him.
To the way Bon didn't ask for another round.
To the way Bour had laughed, even after losing.
> "So it begins," he whispered to the stone ceiling above.
His mismatched eyes didn't blink.
> "They're circling me already."
A pause.
Then, coldly:
> "I'll use them well."
A final thought passed through his mind, heavy but clean.
> "No one betrayed me yet. That means… this time, I'll decide who dies."
---
The next morning:-
Crimsonveil — Dorms | Early Morning
Six Months Left Until the Bloodgate Trial
Elarion opened his eyes before the bells rang.
He hadn't really slept.
He rarely did.
The dormitory was dim, dust-filtered sunlight leaking in through the high windows. Rows of empty beds surrounded him. Most of the other trainees were still curled in restless sleep, whimpering into their pillows or clenching fists even in dreams.
But not him.
Elarion sat up without a sound, ran a hand through his silver-white hair, and reached for his blade.
Same as every morning.
No hesitation. No delay.
He dressed silently, like a shadow slipping into skin.
When he stepped into the hallway, the torches had only just flickered to life.
---
Crimsonveil — Observation Room | Same Morning
Far above the training quarters, a narrow room faced the outer yard.
Three men stood inside.
Two seated on the bench—Marcus and other instructor, both dressed in black formal coats, their swords strapped across their backs.
And one standing at the window.
Instructor Holst.
The air was quiet, heavy with something unspoken.
Elarion was visible through the glass below. A lone figure stepping into the practice field before dawn, blade in hand, posture already aligned.
> "He's up again," Marcus said, voice low.
> "When is he not?" Instructor Dan muttered, rubbing a scar on his jaw. "Every damn morning. Same time. Like the sun follows him."
Marcus leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
> "He's faster now. Fluid. I watched him spar with those twins yesterday. He didn't flinch once. Not even when Bour went for his throat."
Dan let out a low whistle. "He doesn't spar. He assesses. He studies you like a puzzle—and when he's done, you're on the ground."
Instructor Holst didn't speak.
Not yet.
His arms were folded behind his back, gaze fixed on the boy below. Not admiring. Not worried.
Just... watching.
Marcus frowned slightly, looking toward him.
> "Instructor... you've trained hundreds. What is he?"
Holst finally blinked.
And said, flatly:
> "A child."
Dan scoffed. "That's not a child. That's a walking blade."
> "Exactly."
The silence hung.
> "Is that why you assigned the twins to keep near him?" Marcus asked.
Holst turned slowly, raising an eyebrow.
> "I didn't assign them."
Pause.
> "They chose him."
Marcus and Dan exchanged glances.
> "But... he doesn't talk to them."
> "He doesn't have to," Holst replied. "They're orbiting. And they'll stay there—unless he tells them to leave. And he won't. Because whether he says it or not, he already knows."
> "Knows what?" Dan asked.
Holst returned to the window.
> "That loyalty is louder when it's silent."
---
Crimsonveil — Training Yard | Moments Later
The blade sliced through the morning air like a whisper.
Elarion moved alone, sword in hand, every motion fluid. Deliberate. Controlled.
He didn't know who was watching.
He didn't care.
But deep in his bones, he could feel it:
> The stillness before the next storm.
> Six months.
> Then Bloodgate.
And when the time came...
> He would not enter it alone
---
"This is the last day of gamma trial and then they will be sent to Bloodgate trial, Are you still not going to say what exactly happens there??"
Marcus asked Holst knowing that nobody except Crimsonveil's know this fact. What exactly is Bloodgate trial and the Death valley trial....
Holst remain silent.
Marcus sighed knowing he won't get any answer from him.
He just prayed it isn't something too cruel for all children here.
---
But he doesn't know that this is where they will be reforged into blades and, no body will know this.
----