- Oliver -

  "But—" Isabe began a question but didn't finish. The girl raised her arm, looking at her gau. "It's my turn."

  Before Oliver could react, she got up from the table with surprising speed. He tried to call her but didn't have time; Isabe was already running toward the stairs, her footsteps eg through the base's corridors.

  Back at the chair, Katherine gave a slight smile and shrugged. "We'll have to find out which arena she's in." She raised the coffee cup to her lips for the first time sihey had arrived at the cafeteria.

  As soon as she tasted the first sip, Katherine frowned in disapproval aed the cup oable. "Ugh. Too sweet. Want to try?" She extehe cup toward Oliver.

  Moved by curiosity, he accepted. The aroma was inviting, an intriguing mixture of coffee and something fruity. Upon toug his tongue, he felt subtle notes of raspberry and coffee, but the dominant fvor was excessive sugar.

  "Raspberry?" Oliver ented, leaving the cup aside.

  Katherine ughed at his rea. "It was Isabe's idea," she expiurning her eyes to the holographiterfa her gau.

  Still with his pate saturated by the sweetness, Oliver got up quickly to fete water. Upourning, he found Katherine absorbed, watg one of the arenas projected in the hologram. "Did you find whie is hers?" he asked, sitting beside her.

  "Not yet. But there are some iing arenas. In most of them, the main strategy is to hinder oppos iher zones," she ented with a tone of curiosity. "I don't uand why they didn't do that in mine."

  "Are you serious?" Oliver asked, surprised by her observation.

  Katherine looked at him without uanding. "What do you mean?"

  "Do you think someone would try to sabotage a princess?" Oliver expined, raising an eyebrow.

  "Oh! True." She smiled, realizing the logic. "I wasn't listening to the broadcast, but the others must have heard that there rind princess ich."

  Determio find Isabe's arena, Oliver switched between the holographic els. While browsing through the first arenas, a se caught his attention.

  In one of the bat zones, a tall boy with a shaved head and wielding a war hammer was fag the robots with impressive ferocity. 'Kyle,' Oliver reized immediately.

  Kyle was still in the sed round, but his frontation against the training robots was an absolute massacre. With each powerful swing of his hammer, two robots exploded in a shower of sparks and debris.

  Oliver felt a chill. Kyle's speed and strength were unon. Oliver had grown a lot and was much more powerful thahey had their battle, yet he wondered if he could win.

  He zoomed in on Kyle's face, and again, his irises were red.

  Katherine observed Oliver's tense expression. "Isn't that Kyle?"

  "Yes, from House Castor," he replied without taking his eyes off the s.

  "The one who caused trouble with you... after my i?" Katherine asked, embarrassed to recall the problems she had caused.

  "That same one," Oliver replied, still focused.

  "Wait," Katherine said upon seeing the zoomed-in s. "Are his irises red?"

  "Yes, I'd seen him like that before," Oliver expined. "It's some kind to make him stronger and faster."

  "Aetherion," said Katherine, frowning. "It was an old drug but caused so many problems. I think it was distinued during the Third Wave." She looked at Oliver with renewed . "Have they found a safe way to use it?"

  "I don't know if it's safe, but at least he didn't die the st time he faced me," Oliver ented.

  "That could ge the course of the war," murmured Katherine. "I o inform John if he doesn't already know."

  She turned her attention tauyping a message frantically, while Oliver remained focused on Kyle's battle. Suddenly, a notification appeared in the er of his vision:

  | Left Eye of Learning| h Army Style [Learning …]| [10.51%]

  ‘ I learn by watg him?’ Oliver questioned himself. ‘Wait, he's using the h Army style. Maybe our levels are close, and I learn from that?’

  He waited a while for a response from Athena, but there was no information.

  ‘I know about your system, not your skills; I 't help you with that,’ Oliver heard Athena's soft voi his mind.

  ‘Alright,’ thought Oliver, resigned.

  "She's in Arena Five." Katherine's annou she boy back.

  Oliver was torween tinuing to watd wanting to support his friend, who was in another arena. In the end, he ged the el to watch Isabe's battle.

  ‘I o learn more styles to farm skills by watg other people,’ Oliver noted before switg els.

  Tuning into the new arena, he got a panoramic view of the bat zohey were finishing the first round, and Oliver had no doubt that Isabe would advao the stages.

  ‘Her biggest challenge will be to avoid being hindered by other recruits,’ Oliver thought.

  He was right; when they reached the sed round, a straudent began to alter the climate ihe arena, transf it into a greenhouse, increasing the temperature, and adding a heavy fog.

  No wonder, during the sed round, most of the recruits were eliminated.

  However, that was not the case for Isabe, who once again mao eliminate her oppos. With her Boon allowio increase her speed in any dire, she could fly between oppos, quickly eliminating them without risking being too far from her Pilr.

  Her third round was more straightforward; even against three mini-mechas, her ability to fly made it very easy to circle aivate them one by one.

  However, things got tricky when only four people remained in the final round.

  Oliver banged oable as the gate opened, presenting the mecha. "Damn. What bad luck."

  "Why?" Katherine asked; she could see it was a mecha specialized ih but didn't uand why that could be a problem for Isabe.

  "It's a Ghostfang," Oliver began to expin.

  Since he started studying more about mechas, especially with his new skills, he uood their characteristics just by gng at them.

  "It's one of the few mechas that biealth so well with brute power," Oliver ented.

  Designed for infiltration missions and precise attacks, the SH-09 Ghostfang bined advanced camoufge teology with powerful armament, including its imposing ons hiddeh its cloak.

  The Ghostfang had a sleek and aerodynamic silhouette, covered by a reinforced polymer cloak that not only helps to ceal it in urban and natural enviros but also disperses thermal energy, making it almost uable by infrared sensors. Its muted tones of green and e allow it to blend into enviros but also impose a threatening presence when revealed.

  "Okay, but she be faster than it," Katherine ented.

  Seeing the images, it seemed to be the same impression Isabe had. Using her Boon as soon as the match started, she tried to fly over a behind the mecha.

  "However, it has anti-mecha and anti-aircraft onry," Oliver said at the exaent the mecha pulled out an anti-aircraft on from us polymer cloak and fired directly at Isabe.

  The girl, who was accelerating toward the mecha, didn't have time to ge her trajectory. Isabe was hit directly and pushed against the crete wall of her zone.

  As the explosion subsided and allowed them to see the girl uhe debris, it was visible that her armor was in tatters. Soldiers quickly entered her zoo provide first aid, but Oliver could see her walking out of the arena.

  Katherine had both hands over her mouth, still shocked by the se.

  "It's better if we go to the dormitory," Oliver suggested, and Katherine nodded.

  --

  Oliver and Katherine were already in the room when Isabe was finally released from the infirmary. Although her armor had absorbed most of the impad the mecha's on had its power reduced for training, it was enough for her to lose.

  Isabe entered slowly, with her head down and tears in her eyes. Without saying a word, she sat on the edge of her bed and cried softly. Oliver and Katherine approached, sitting oher side of her, silent fort. The presence of friends was a balm in the cold and impersonal enviro of the base.

  For the three, the day had e to an end. They remained silent, each immersed in their own thoughts until fatigue led them to prepare for sleep.

  Isabe was the first to fall asleep, still uhe effect of the medications she had taken in the infirmary. Oliver and Katherine followed shortly after, their minds heavy with the day's emotions.

  The dormitory was much emptier than the night before. Many recruits had already left, especially those eliminated in the first round in their arenas, who didn't even wait for the official results.

  In the deep silence of the night, Oliver was awakened by a sudden noise. His eyes opened instantly, his heart beating rapidly, adrenaline c through his veins. To his surprise, he found himself with his hand stretched toward the ceiling, wielding his Energy Pistol.

  Shit. Again,’ he thought, getting up slowly from the bed.

  Sweat dripped down Oliver’s forehead. Since leaving the prison, he had difficulty dealing with sudden noises and trolling his armor. Several times, he had woken up with it activated and on in hand, a habit that hadn't caused problems until then, but he feared that one day, he might hurt someone.

  He promptly deactivated the armament and armor. Looking around the semi-lit room, he identified the source of the noise. Katherine was tossing and turnilessly on the bed in front of him.

  Each of them carried their own demons.

  Oliver approached and sat beside her. Katherine was sweating and g while sleepiing small moans of anguish. Unfortunately, he couldn't wake her; he khat interrupting a night terror could make it worse.

  He gently passed his hand over her forehead, wiping away the sweat. In a low and calm voice, he whispered, "You're safe; it's okay. No one will hurt you."

  It took a few minutes for Katherio calm down. During all that time, Oliver remained by her side, a silent presence against the nightmares that tormented her.

  When she finally settled, he got up auro his bed. His gaze met Isabe's, who seemed to have just woken up, watg him through the dim light. She gave a slight smile and nodded.

  Oliver returhe gesture before lying down again. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his mind.

  ‘Tomorrow begins the sed phase,’ he thought, reinf his determination before falling asleep.

  GCLopes