As soon as the instructor left, Sapphire got up, Lucian by his side, and started gathering the others . Kealor was already kneeling down beside Kira who was sitting down, dusting her hair, while Nirro stood beside them.
The children looked around, clueless about what to do next . Then, they saw Sapphire, Lucian, and another boy approaching. "Are you okay?" Sapphire asked Nirro, who tilted his head in response.
"And the others?" Sapphire inquired, Nirro shifted aside, revealing Kealor helping Kira up. Sapphire smiled and walked over, Lucian frowning but following behind.
"Did the instructor say anything?" Kealor asked. "He did,". Sapphire cleared his throat and addressed the group.
The children hesitated, unsure if Sapphire was telling the truth. But the brunette boy nodded, walking towards them with a friendly nod. "He's telling the truth," he said.
Sapphire led the way to the dining hall. The doors opened, and the sounds of shuffling feet and hunger eating at them. They lined up, received their food, and settled down to eat.
They all settled down to eat. Though it was good, it was rationed. By the time they were done and about to leave, they were served with a bowl of soup.
The soup was murky, with a pungent odor. Kealor whispered, "What is this?" A woman soon walked to the table and glared, her aura thickening.
"Drink up, you will need it," she said, her voice cold.
"Are you sure we can drink this, I want to skip" A girl whispered to another, but it was heard by the woman. With a flick of her hand, the girl was gasping while her hand was grabbing at something the others couldn't see.
"From what I recall, your opinion wasn't needed, you eat what I serve and get out of my sight" she said, as the force around the girl's neck tightened the more. "Do I make myself clear?" She continued, and her aura extended throughout the dining hall. so thick that the children felt like they were being suffocated, quickly nodding their heads, the woman retracted her aura and released the girl, who crashed back onto the chair. "Now drink up and Get lost" The woman said and walked away.
The children hurriedly drank, gagging on the slimy texture.
Kira felt her face scrunch up, but she swallowed. Kealor groaned, "Ugh, I don't feel so good". his hands over his mouth, his head tilted backward, his face looking sickly.
Sapphire stood up, wobbling slightly. "Come on, let's go," he said, walking out of the dining hall .
They reached their sleeping area, and another set of training clothes lay on their beds . After washing up, Kira struggled with the complex folds and layers. A taller girl with dull yellow hair came to her aid, teaching her how to wear it.
Fully clothed, they returned to the training grounds. The instructor appeared, and the children lined up.
"Beginning with the basics," he said, the mark on the children's hand glowed subtly and felt themselves become stiff all over, and he muttered, "Now that's taken care of".
Heaps of buckets materialized beside him,
"Each of you, pick one bucket. There is a stream down that path and there are two drums at the extreme of the healers tent. Do well to fill it up. Remember I don't take laziness, short cuts and most of all failure. I will return before dusk"
The instructor vanished, leaving the children to face the challenge. The path was rocky, with steep slopes and winding trees. Kira grabbed a bucket, her hands trembling slightly as she followed the others to the stream.
As they descended carefully down the mountain's edge, their buckets clanged against each other as they struggled to navigate the terrain. Some sustain wounds before reaching their destination.
The stream's icy water numbed their hands. The return journey was brutal, buckets heavy, and the drums seemed massive.
The sun beat down, scotching their flesh, sweat dripping from their faces. Sapphire and Lucian struggled, helped by others. Some fell, bruised and exhausted but had to go back down to fill their buckets again.
The sun had begun to set and children hurried to finish filling with the instructor's words echoing in their head.
As soon as the sun had set, the last of them had poured out the water from their buckets, finally filling the drums. "You can go back," the instructor said, appearing out of nowhere and leaving swiftly.
The children stumbled back, being given ointment and salve for their injuries . They crashed into bed, exhausted, without taking off their training clothes.
Before dawn, the children awoke to another grueling day. The routine was the same: running, training, water duty, and barely any rest.
Kira struggled through squats, push-ups, and leg raises, her muscles screaming. Afterward, she still had to fetch water to fill the drum. Exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she collapsed onto her bed.
Days blurred together. Sleep was scarce, and breaks were nonexistent. Fatigue gnawed at them, making even eating a chore. The constant soup had numbed their taste buds.
Their bodies ached, and some fell behind. The drums seemed to grow larger, mocking them with their size. Kira stumbled, her foot catching on a root. Her bucket tipped, spilling water onto the ground.
Tears pricked at her eyes, but she refused to give up. Her hands were raw, her body sore, but she pushed on.
But there is only so much one can do before it becomes unbearable.
"Again!" the instructor barked, forcing them to restart. Kira stumbled, her legs trembling beneath her. "Again!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the training grounds.
Resentment simmered in the children's eyes, directed at Kira, who'd caused most of the restarts. She lost count of how many times she'd fallen, how many times she'd gotten back up.
On her final stand, voices died out and Kira's body gave in. Her eyes closed, and she crashed to the ground, her muscles screaming in relief.