"W-Wait... are you perhaps Aiden’s sister?" Aldrus asked in recognition.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Has that boy talked about me? Look at that, he’s gaining confidence," she chuckled.

"Yes, I’m his older sister, though not by much. Are you his friend?"

Aldrus grimaced before replying,

"I guess I am. We only met a week ago, but he sure is a nervous guy."

"Hahaha! Indeed he is. Take care of him, will you~? He gets avoided quite easily by others."

He nodded.

"Of course, I will."

Despite the eerie feeling her demeanor gave off, Aldrus was surprised to find that she wasn’t as bad as he’d imagined. Aiden was a scaredy-cat by nature, but the way he had described her had painted a completely different picture in his mind.

I’ll keep an eye on her either way.

Of course, he was not about to be charmed by a girl he’d just met. Even if she most likely turned out to be harmless, it would be nothing but foolish to outright ignore Aiden’s words...

***

After chatting for a little while longer, the five of them grew comfortable enough around each other, and soon after, Miss Leona called them outside.

Once there, all thirty students stood upon the moist grass field, with Miss Leona and Sir Zorum before them.

"Listen well, everyone. As you know, we are here to train you for this week. Originally, Sir Zorum was the one tasked with it, but I insisted on coming along as well."

Thank god...

"As you’ve begun to learn the basics of hand-to-hand combat and Holder skills, we’ve decided to make the most of these seven days. We’ll start with a morning warm-up routine, and after that, you’ll focus on a single thing." Miss Leona gestured toward the distant depths of the forest.

"We’ve prepared a field for a game of capture the flag."

Huh?

"It’s just like it sounds, however, the rules will be quite different. This is training, after all," she said, smiling and crossing her arms.

"You’ll be separated into six groups of five people. In this case, your team will consist of your assigned roommates."

So they didn’t choose those randomly, huh.

"Each group will be protecting a flag of a different color. You’ll have the entire day to prepare your base, and since there are five groups instead of two, the rules are simple: if you cross into another team’s territory, they are allowed to engage you in combat within standard safety regulations. Needless to say—any action that endangers safety will be severely punished, and your team will be disqualified."

She fixed her hair and continued,

"Secondly, if you are captured by an enemy team, you will be guarded and kept out of sight. If your team wishes to retrieve you, they must infiltrate enemy territory, find you, and bring you back. However, keep in mind that getting caught in the act might trigger another fight, and most likely a group one, so be careful."

We’ll need to move together, then...

"And lastly, the team that manages to collect the most enemy flags wins. Of course, if your flag is stolen and you fail to recover it before it reaches the enemy base, your team is eliminated."

With that, she concluded her explanation, and just as she did, everyone began whispering in excitement; a game was the last thing they expected from this training camp.

I really hope it’s as fun as they make it sound...

A few seconds later, Sir Zorum took a step forward and spoke,

"You’ll be provided with basic supplies to last the nights, but their management is entirely your responsibility. If your food is stolen or goes missing, you will have to replace it yourselves. If your team proves incapable, you will be removed from the exercise, and your team will be eliminated," he said flatly.

Then, as if he realized he hadn’t been harsh enough, he added,

"Everything counts. Just don’t kill each other."

Everything counts, huh... yeah... not sure about that being the priority here.

After answering a few questions and clarifying some details, Miss Leona handed each team a colored card taken from a box. Aldrus’s team ended up with the yellow one, which meant their flag was located about two kilometers east of the forest entrance.

Finally, with that settled, they were instructed to head to their respective territories and begin preparations.

***

The next morning—5 A.M.

Oriel woke Aldrus up; it was time for their morning training.

Getting out of bed, he yawned and swiftly got dressed. The others had already gone ahead.

Brushing his teeth, Aldrus hummed a cheerful tune, pleasantly surprised by how well he had slept. No one had disturbed him, and even though it had only been a few hours, it was enough to leave him feeling at his best.

Once ready, he followed the friendly caveman to the living room.

A large table stood at the center of the dark-wood cabin, its walls made almost entirely of pristine-looking windows. He sat beside Alice and Aiden, who were already waiting for him alongside the rest of the class. Most of them were already halfway through breakfast.

"Good morning, Alice. Den," he greeted them cheerfully.

"G-Good morning, Aldrus." Aiden nodded with a welcoming smile.

"Yu book quipe bappier tham ushal," Alice said through a mouthful of strawberry cake, her cheeks puffed like a hamster’s.

Hey, aren’t you a noble? Who taught you manners?

"Uh... yeah, let’s just say I slept well," Aldrus replied, looking away from her.

Alice tilted her head in confusion but didn’t press the matter further.

"Oh, and... you have cake on your lips," he added.

She froze for a second before hurriedly swallowing her food and bringing a handkerchief to her mouth.

"Ehem... Well, a-are you two ready for today? We’ll be enemies, you know?" she asked, shifting her gaze away in embarrassment.

"I-I’m not sure I can do much, but I’ll try my best!" Aiden exclaimed with childish resolve.

Aldrus fell silent for a moment before looking at them with a sincere smile.

"I’m feeling pretty good."

He had more than enough reasons to feel down, but somehow, he felt that this week could be an opportunity to better understand his powers and, hopefully, find his own strength.

As he ate in the company of his new and not-so-new friends, he closed his eyes and mentally prepared himself for the challenge ahead.