Dinner that night was a tense affair. The atmosphere in the dining hall was heavy, and the usual chatter was muted as everyone tried to process what had happened during the training session. Flint sat at the far end of the table, staring at his plate, his face a mix of guilt and frustration. The other kids kept stealing glances at him, their expressions a blend of fear and respect, but no one dared to say a word.

  433, on the other hand, had already put the incident behind him. He ate in silence, his thoughts distant, reflecting on the harsh realities of their training. Even after turning fifteen, he remained alone among the group, an outsider in every sense. The friendships and alliances that formed between the others seemed to exclude him, not out of malice, but simply because he had never tried to belong.

  As he was lost in his thoughts, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. 433 turned to see Mira standing next to him. She was a very average-looking girl—short brown hair, dark eyes that seemed to absorb the dim light around them, and a frame that was neither too slim nor too strong. She didn’t stand out in the way that Vera or Flint did, and she wasn't particularly gifted in the feminine areas either, but there was a quiet determination in her gaze that made her presence hard to ignore.

  "Hey," she said, her voice soft but steady. "Are you okay? You didn't seem fazed at all by what happened today."

  433 studied her for a moment, unsure how to respond. He wasn’t used to anyone approaching him, much less talking to him like this. "I'm fine," he said simply, his tone flat. "I've seen worse."

  Mira nodded as if she expected that answer. "Yeah, I figured," she said, glancing down at her hands. "Still, it’s hard to get used to seeing someone like Vera laid out like that." She paused, then looked back up at him with a small, sad smile. "I guess you really are different from the rest of us, huh?"

  433 didn't respond right away. He wasn’t sure if she meant it as a compliment or a subtle jab, but he shrugged it off either way. "We're all different here," he said finally, turning back to his meal. "It’s just a matter of how much you let it show."

  Mira's smile widened just a bit, and she nodded in agreement. "True," she said. "Anyway, I just thought I'd check-in. Let me know if you ever want to talk... or spar, I guess."

  She gave him a small wave before turning to walk back to her seat, leaving 433 staring at his plate. For the first time in a long while, he felt a flicker of something unfamiliar—connection. He quickly pushed the feeling aside, reminding himself that attachments were dangerous in a place like this.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Flint, ever the charismatic figure among the Awakened, couldn't stay quiet for long. He cleared his throat and stood up, his presence immediately commanding attention despite the heavy atmosphere. "Today’s training was a big shock to us all," he began, his voice steady yet carrying a hint of remorse. "But we have to move on. The... damage... I did to Vera today," he hesitated slightly, his eyes flicking to the spot where she usually sat, "it will be a regular occurrence for all of us when we finally have to take down the filthy Awakened of the other nations."

  The room fell silent as Flint's words sank in. There was a moment of hesitation, a flicker of doubt in the eyes of the other kids as they remembered the brutality they had witnessed just hours earlier. Then, slowly but surely, the tension began to lift. One by one, they nodded in agreement, their faces hardening with determination.

  "Yeah! Flint is right," someone called out, breaking the silence. "We have to be strong!"

  "That's right! We can't let something like this scare us!" another voice chimed in, followed by murmurs of approval.

  The dining hall buzzed with new energy, a collective resolve to push through the horrors of their training. It was as if Flint's words had lit a fire within them, turning their fear into something else—into purpose. They started talking among themselves, the earlier awkwardness replaced by a strange kind of camaraderie, the kind that only seemed to grow stronger in the face of hardship.

  433 watched all this unfold from his spot at the edge of the group. He could see the way Flint’s words influenced them and how quickly their fear turned to resolve. 'They're so eager to latch onto something,' he thought, a hint of frustration mingling with his usual detachment. To him, it was almost like they were grasping at any excuse to forget the brutal reality of their situation.

  As the others rallied around Flint’s words, 433 couldn’t shake the image of Vera's broken body from his mind. For them, it was a rallying cry, a reason to keep fighting. But for him, it was a reminder of just how far they were willing to go.

  ***

  James and a woman in her mid-forties stood over Vera’s unconscious body, lying still on a stretcher in the dimly lit infirmary. Her face was pale, her breath shallow, and the blood that had pooled around her head was now cleaned, but the damage was clearly visible.

  James crossed his arms, looking down at her with a stern expression. "So, Ava," he said, his voice calm but demanding, "do you think you can fully heal her?"

  The woman, Ava, with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor, adjusted her medical gloves and replied, "Yes, she’ll be as good as new. She’ll need intensive treatment, but I expect her to be ready to go before tomorrow morning." Her tone was matter-of-fact, and she was confident in her abilities despite the severity of Vera’s condition.

  "Good," James said with a slight nod, already turning on his heel to leave. "I’ll leave you to get started then. Make sure she's in top shape. She’s still one of the strongest candidates we have." Without waiting for a response, he strode out of the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway as he left Vera’s fate in Ava's capable hands.

  Ava glanced back at Vera, a hint of curiosity in her eyes as she muttered to herself, "You’re a tough one, aren’t you? Let’s see if you’re as strong as they think you are." She then got to work.