The bus moved throughout the entirety of the Dawn Walls, rolling through every section as it picked up more and more students. Along the way, they witnessed several spectacles—things that would stay burned into their minds for a long time.
One moment, in particular, refused to leave them.
A boy had tried to run away.
He'd begged to not go to the Academy—if nothing else, he wanted to attend the same one as his sister. But neither happened. The moment he broke away, he was shut down immediately. A Dawn Guard restrained him with ease, gripping his arm like he was about to snap it in two.
The boy screamed.
Only when his sister fell to her knees and begged—crying and screaming for them to stop—did the guards finally relent.
Surprisingly, they complied.
The boy was allowed onto the bus.
He was placed in the same branch as them.
The boy walked toward the back, his steps stiff, and sat beside Nico—the boy with black hair.
"That's him, all right," Riven thought quietly.
His chest tightened.
I'm sorry, sir…
I could only protect one of your children.
Only one of them had been accepted into the same branch as him.
Thinking about it hurt Riven to his core.
That man's final, dying wish had been for Riven to protect both of his children—Luka and Kira. Riven had promised to do his best, even knowing there was a chance it would be impossible.
At least one of them was here.
That had to count for something.
Riven turned around, forcing himself to act natural. He raised his hand, offering a handshake.
"Hey—"
Nothing.
"Leave me alone."
Luka's voice was cold. Sharp. Distant.
It was rude—but anyone who knew even a fraction of this boy's life wouldn't blame him.
He had lost his father.
Then, only months later, he was torn away from his widowed mother… and now from his sister as well.
Anyone would become cold after that.
Riven lowered his hand.
Not now, he decided. Later.
If he was going to fulfill that dying wish, the two of them didn't need to be best friends—but they needed to be on good terms.
Six hours later, the bus reached the front exit of the Dawn Walls.
Four buses lined up side by side as Dawn Guards entered each one, checking everything. Bags were searched. Seats were lifted. Floors inspected.
Riven found it amusing.
They'll never find what's hidden.
Both he and Jordan stored their dirt bikes inside their inventory spaces—the last gift their parents had given them before the Academy. Neither of them was willing to part with that.
Once everyone reboarded, the walls finally began to open.
The massive gates parted slowly, drawing every student's attention.
This was it.
Their first time outside the walls.
They leaned forward, eyes wide, expecting some kind of spectacle.
"What…?"
Nothing.
Just endless plains of grass stretching for miles and miles.
"I can see you're all confused," a man said, catching their attention. He was one of the Academy staff assigned to oversee them. Each bus had three members to keep watch.
"You see, the walls aren't actually close to any civilization. The nearest one is about five hundred miles away—give or take."
"Five hundred?!" the students exclaimed in unison.
"Yes. Five hundred miles. That's why your families avoid getting themselves—or you—kicked out of the walls. Because if they do… you probably won't make it there."
"Why wouldn't we?" a student asked nervously.
The man turned and pointed.
"Look outside. You'll get your answer."
Everyone turned their heads.
A massive hyena-like beast was tearing into a rabbit, devouring it alive—bones cracking, flesh ripping apart.
"That poor rabbit…" a girl whispered.
"Don't feel bad," the man said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He pointed again—this time to a pile of bones nearby.
A human skeleton.
Blood still soaked the ground.
"That beast was eating that man when we passed through earlier. Don't let appearances fool you. Every beast out here is deadly."
Speakers crackled overhead.
The sound of bones crunching echoed through the bus.
Students covered their ears. Others turned away, gagging.
"NO!"
A woman shouted—another staff member.
"Look. And listen. If you want to survive in this world—if you want to become something great—you need to witness this now. If you don't, you'll be the rabbit."
The words hit hard.
One by one, students forced their eyes open.
They watched.
The horror burned itself into their memories.
When the bus finally passed the scene, many sat frozen—hands over mouths, faces pale, stomachs churning.
"I'm gonna have nightmares about that," Riven muttered.
"Same," Jordan said quietly.
Joey nodded. "Definitely."
An hour later, many students began to fall asleep—unsurprising, given the ten-hour journey ahead.
But something felt… off.
Riven noticed it first.
Rows near the front fell asleep in order. One after another.
Moving backward.
Toward them.
His vision blurred.
Then—
⸻
[SYSTEM: You are being affected by a gas.]
[SYSTEM: +1 Resistance to Sleeping Toxin.]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
The notifications continued to appear—
But it was already too late.
The gas had taken effect.
The gas had taken effect.
"What the he—" the boy muttered, but he fell asleep before he could finish the sentence.
A LOUD BELL RANG, like a gunshot exploding in the air.
The sound jolted the students awake.
Riven snapped his eyes open, only to be met with a blinding flash of light. He quickly raised his arm, shielding his eyes before they burned. When his vision finally adjusted, confusion set in almost immediately.
He wasn't on the bus anymore.
He wasn't even sitting.
Riven was lying on a wide patch of grass, the scent of earth heavy in the air. Tall trees surrounded the area, their branches stretching high into the sky. All around him, students were waking up—hundreds… no, thousands of them. Far more than had ever fit on the bus.
They stirred groggily, like people waking up after a long night out, bodies sluggish and minds slow.
Riven ignored most of them.
He was searching for only two people.
"Riven!"
He heard his name—twice.
The voices came from somewhere deeper within the crowd. He pushed his way through the students as they continued calling out to him. When he finally reached them, relief washed over him.
One boy had brown hair.
The other, golden.
"Right here," Riven said, lifting his arm and waving.
They hurried over.
"Okay… good," Jordan sighed. "For a second, I thought they actually put you in another branch."
"Yeah, but—" Riven glanced around, unease creeping in. "What now?"
"Whoa—look!" a student shouted.
Everyone turned.
In the distance stood something that looked like a city—massive structures rising beyond the forest line.
"Cool, but what do we do?" a female student asked nervously. "Do we wait for an instructor to appear, or—?"
No one answered.
Some students began moving toward the city, curiosity outweighing caution. Others chose to stay in the forest, convinced that a teacher or instructor would show up to guide them.
Riven was one of the ones who wanted to wait.
Jordan grabbed his arm.
"Why are we following them?" Riven asked.
Jordan looked at him like the answer should've been obvious.
"Riven, think about it for two seconds. Who do you think brought us here in the first place?" he said. "And then placed us where we have a clear view of a city?"
Riven's eyes widened.
"The Academy," he realized.
"Exactly."
The group exited the forest and made their way toward the city. When they reached what appeared to be the entrance, a man with Orange brown hair stood waiting for them.
His face told a story of countless battles—hard, worn, and unforgiving. He wore a camouflage uniform that screamed military presence. This was not a man to be tested.
"ATTENTION!"
The man's voice boomed across the crowd, so loud that several students instinctively covered their ears.
"I am Second Lieutenant Fevner," he shouted. "I will be the one giving you the breakdown of what to expect—and what you will be seeing—while you are at our military base."
"Military base?" some students whispered aloud.
"You heard me," Fevner snapped, his tone sharp and commanding. "Your academy is funded directly by the military and the government. Some of you will be joining us in arms. But if you do not meet our standards, we will make sure you never touch a weapon—or have any military contact—ever again. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!" the students yelled in unison.
"Now," Fevner continued, "I'll give credit where it's due. You've all passed the first step of your exam."
Cheers began to rise.
"Quiet!"
The joy died instantly.
"Every student who remained in the forest has already failed the exam," he said coldly. "Their rankings will drop—no matter how well they perform in the next phase."
A heavy silence fell over the crowd.
More students emerged from the forest moments later. Fevner's expression darkened as he looked them over, disappointment clear in his eyes.
"You do not rely on others in battle," he barked. "You do not wait for someone to save you when you're in a sticky situation. The first person you rely on is yourself. Trust your instincts—not someone else to pull your ass out of danger. Do I make myself understood?"
"Yes, sir!" they shouted again.
"Now," Fevner said, gesturing toward the crowd, "as you may have noticed, some of your uniforms are different."
Jordan looked down. He hadn't realized it before, but some students had bright gold markings on their uniforms instead of orange.
"This does not mean one of you is stronger than another," Fevner continued. "These colors indicate who among you are Wallborn and who are not. This is how we keep track of you—and how we identify you as privates."
Privates.
They weren't even officially in the military yet, and he was already calling them that.
"Now follow me," Fevner ordered. "We'll be taking a detailed walk through the city."
Without another word, the man turned and began walking.
The students followed.