Zaren and William sat on a worn bench in the noisy orphanage canteen, eating their thin cabbage stew. They talked about their dream: becoming Orions.
Suddenly, a loud voice boomed through the room. A messenger, a Peon (a low-level worker), stood in the doorway. "Listen up!" he shouted. "All nineteen-year-olds! Come with me now if you want to try joining the Orions!"
Zaren and William froze, spoons halfway to their mouths. Their eyes met. This was it!
"GO!" William yelled, jumping up. Zaren was right behind him. They scrambled towards the door where the Peon stood.
"Not that way, you fools!" the Peon laughed, pointing outside. "This way! To the main courtyard!"
Laughing with pure joy, Zaren and William sprinted towards the courtyard. Dozens of other nineteen-year-olds were rushing there too.
In the courtyard stood a man who made everyone stop talking. He wore armor with a special mark – a Cadet Orion, the middle rank. Power seemed to push out from him like heat from a fire. People just stared, nervous and quiet.
Zaren felt his heart pound. He's strong, Zaren thought, excitement buzzing inside him. I'll be stronger than him someday.
William saw the fire in Zaren's eyes. He grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Come on, let's get closer."
Zaren nodded, and they pushed through the crowd towards the front.
The Cadet Orion spoke, his voice clear and strong. "If you want to join, fill out this form." He pointed to a table where helpers handed out papers. "Give it back to the collector when you're done."
Zaren and William quickly grabbed forms. They wrote down their names and orphanage information. Hands shaking with excitement, they handed their forms to the collector.
The Cadet Orion spoke again. "Everyone who gave me a form, report to the Kingdom Guild tomorrow morning. There, we will test your abilities, your magic power, and how much energy you can hold." He paused, a small, challenging smile on his face. "And I will be fighting all of you. Me against everyone. One versus all."
A wave of shock went through the crowd. Murmurs turned into gasps.
"What the hell?!" William whispered, his eyes wide. "Is he crazy?"
Zaren just stared at the Cadet Orion. He's a mid-rank Orion. He must be incredibly powerful to say something like that. This is real.
The Cadet Orion stepped down from the small platform and walked away. The crowd buzzed with noise – some excited, many terrified.
Zaren turned to William, a fierce light in his eyes. "Our journey," he said, his voice tight with determination, "begins now."
---
Meanwhile: The King's Palace
High in his shining palace, King Theron of Emberfall looked out over his kingdom. The sun was setting, painting the city in orange and purple. He placed a hand on the cool stone balcony.
"The soil of this kingdom," he murmured to himself, a thoughtful look on his face. "It whispers... I wonder what comes next?" A small, knowing smile touched his lips before he turned and walked back into his grand rooms.
---
At the Guild Grounds: Armen Johnson
The Cadet Orion who had spoken at the orphanage walked through the training grounds of the Kingdom Guild. His name was Armen Johnson. His hair was fiery red, and his eyes glowed like hot coals. He wore heavy red gauntlets on his hands that seemed to shimmer with heat.
Beside him walked his assistant, Cardos Valnus, dressed in a neat black uniform.
Armen looked towards the orphanage district, barely visible in the distance. "Tomorrow is the test, Cardos," he said.
"Yes, Sir Armen," Cardos replied.
"Do you know, Cardos," Armen continued, his voice softer now, "I was an orphan boy once too? Just like them. I dreamed of being an Orion – a high rank Orion." He looked down at his red gauntlets, clenching a fist. A tiny flame flickered over his knuckles. "I haven't reached the highest rank. I stopped at Cadet, the mid-rank. Good, but not the best."
He looked back towards the orphanage. "That's why I was so happy going there today. I wanted to give every orphan boy a real chance to become an Orion. They should never be able to say, 'Armen Johnson didn't give us a shot.'" His fiery eyes burned with a new intensity. "My dream now, Cardos, is to train one of them... to become the highest rank Orion. A Primarch Orion."
Cardos smiled, genuine respect in his eyes. "Yes, sir. A noble dream."
Armen nodded, the flames in his eyes settling. Together, the Cadet Orion with the fire in his soul and his assistant in black walked towards the palace to report to the King, ready for the test that would change many lives tomorrow.
(Chapter 2 Fin)