"We've arrived!" the soldier said as he opened the carriage door. Then the sound of other carriage doors opening echoed around them.
Nier and Elir stepped out, followed by the children of Bial, into what seemed like an enormous fortress. They blinked, letting their eyes adjust to the bright sunlight.
Nier stood in the courtyard where the carriages had gathered, looking up at the tall buildings. He had never seen anything like it. At the front of the courtyard, before the main building, stood a statue: the same brave human soldier holding a bloody wing in his hand, lifting it high, with women and children behind him—only this statue was golden, and their joyful tears sparkled in the sunlight. The soldier's raised fist held a blue flag, with a golden-beaked bird at its center.
Nier's heart pounded as he gazed at the statue. Though the colors are different, it's the same statue… The one that made him want to join the army.
A man walked through the crowd until he stood on a platform in front of the statue. He spoke: "When you stand in the presence of the president, you will line up and prepare to salute!"
He shouted, "Line up!"
The children of Bial formed orderly rows. The commander, who appeared to be in his thirties, wore a gray uniform with a winged insignia on his chest. He stepped aside, allowing the President to climb onto the platform. The President wore a blue uniform decorated with multiple Iron Hand emblems and other medals. He stood patiently before them—firm, strong, yet kind. Then he began to speak:
"Welcome to the army fortress of Frata. I am President Arni. I know that none of you came here of your own accord. You did not come willingly. But I cannot help wondering: why do I see enthusiasm and passion on so many of your faces?"
The children's tense features eased as they listened to Arni's words.
He continued, "Why do I see a burning desire to rid yourselves of the shame that has befallen you? You can purify your hearts of your lineage and your blood. You were not born with the wings of the Lights. You were not born with their hatred, their malice, nor their Light. If half of you is Light, then the other half is human! Your other half belongs to Frata!"
Arni's voice grew stronger. "We were born on this land, and the god sent his soldiers to destroy us! Yet we remained! And we shall stay—with your help! This is our land!" He stomped his foot hard on the platform. "And here we will stay!"
He raised his right hand, forming a straight line from arm to elbow to cover his right eye, and said, "The Lights tried to blind us, but we looked them straight in the eye!"
His words ignited their spirits; excitement danced on their faces. Elir saw the sparks grow brighter in Nier's eyes. Arni finished his speech with, "I will leave you with Captain Boja of the Black Wings, who will oversee your training. I look forward to seeing the victors among you wearing Frata's wings upon your chests."
Captain Boja, bearing the winged insignia, saluted Arni. Once Arni departed, Boja watched the children, listening to their whispers.
His eyes fell on the blond boy in the center, whose eyes still blazed with passion. Boja took the platform and said, "Don't let President Arni's words fool you. That's how the Iron Hands usually are—optimistic."
He walked among the rows of children, and their bright expressions turned grim. "I don't know what he saw. I don't see Frata's protectors. What I see is what humanity saw when it defeated the Lights: dark, twisted souls… broken."
He approached the rows that included Azar's children. "Don't think your lives will be better by joining Frata's army. You're fleeing one hell only to enter another. Whatever you suffered in Bial won't compare to what you'll suffer here. Humans harbor hatred, resentment, and anger toward us, yet you risk your lives to save them from your kind."
Nier's eyes lit up when Boja said "us." He murmured, "Us? Is Captain Boja…?"
Elir rarely saw Nier this way. Boja was crushing all of Nier's dreams, yet Nier seemed unconcerned—his eyes still burned with excitement.
Boja continued, glancing at Azar's children, "Why are you here?"
One of them shouted angrily, "We were forced! It's not as if we—"
Boja cut him off. "No. Why are you still alive? Why haven't you killed yourselves by now?"
Their eyes widened in shock, tears forming. Arlo shouted, "What are you saying, man?! Haven't they suffered enough?!"
Boja fixed Arlo with a piercing gaze. "That's exactly what I'm saying. I know what life in Bial was like, so why didn't you end your lives?"
Arlo stared in disbelief. Does nobody care? Will no one give them a chance? Sadness crept onto the children's faces. All the hope they had carried for years began to wither.
From the moment they were old enough to understand, they had heard adults complain: "The army… The army will take our children… They'll take them far away from here, away from Bial…" Even though their parents said it with sadness, they seemed excited at the thought of escaping Bial. Some had prepared their bags days ago, barely sleeping, excited by the idea of Frata. But now…
Some still stood firm, unaffected by Arni's or Boja's words, but most of them felt their hopes crumble. Boja's voice broke through their thoughts:
"If you haven't ended your lives yet, then you haven't given up, right? You won't give up, no matter how harsh the training is—even if some of you die, right? You won't give up if humans mistreat and hate you, right? You won't give up because you're still alive, right?"
He focused on Azar's children. "You will not return to that pit of hell, even if you lose more limbs or your wounds and burns multiply. Even if you lose your lives—you will not go back to that pit of hell!"
A girl with a bandage over her left eye shouted, "Yes!!"
Boja looked at her briefly, then continued, "If you want humans to look at you as though you deserve life, do your job. Protect them from your kind. Let them sleep well, feeling safe."
Nier's eyes shone with renewed passion.
Boja added, "In the coming months, some of you will die, some will go back, and some will become soldiers of Frata. You will decide which group you fall into. Finish this training and join Frata's army!"
They moved through the corridors of the building a soldier led them to. It was isolated from the other tall structures. Carrying their small bags, they walked along halls bathed in white light.
One soldier with an Iron Hand emblem on his chest pointed to another female soldier and said, "Commander Ghida will guide the girls to their rooms. As for the boys… follow me."
A girl with an eye patch muttered as she passed Inini, "I wonder how they'll divide us into floors here."
Inini asked, puzzled, "What? Are you talking to me?"
The girl didn't respond and kept walking, following Commander Ghida. Inini stared after her until Arlo called, "Inini…" She turned to him, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow!"
Inini smiled again, then turned left with the other girls behind Commander Ghida. The boys followed the soldier to the right, climbing stairs leading to the boys' rooms. The soldier began assigning them to rooms across six floors, each floor containing six rooms.
Nier and Elir entered their room on the sixth floor with eight other people. It was a long room with ten iron beds lined up against the walls—five on the right and five on the left. Nier placed his belongings on a nearby bed. Another boy set his things on the bed next to Nier's but froze when Elir loomed over him, holding his own belongings and glaring. The young man, intimidated by Elir's cold stare, quickly grabbed his things and moved to a bed on the far side, leaving Elir to place his belongings beside Nier.
The soldier said, "Put your things down, change into your uniform, and then go out for breakfast."
Mika flopped onto a bed and said, "Hey, soldier… can I skip breakfast? I want to sleep."
The soldier replied sharply, stepping toward Mika, "Don't address a human soldier so casually—you call me 'Commander.' And never argue an order given by a commander. Did you hear me?"
Mika, wearing an angry but sarcastic grin, remained on the bed. "Tell me, human commander… do the girls call you that too when you're with them? Is that what helps you perform?"
The soldier's face flared with anger. He drew his white bone-like weapon and aimed it at Mika. Tension spread across the boys' faces.
Ayk quickly stepped in front of Mika, bowing to the soldier. "Please accept my apology, Commander! Forgive him… he didn't mean it…"
But these words only angered the soldier further. He waved his weapon above Ayk's head. "Are you telling me what to do, you filthy light-blooded?!"
Panic flashed across Mika's face. He stood and grabbed the soldier's hand. "Listen, man, your problem isn't with him! Don't touch him!"
Ayk looked at Mika, pleading silently. Stop—this is only making things worse. Every time someone spoke, the situation got more intense. Mika, you idiot…
Nier quickly stepped forward, breaking the tension. "Commander, don't touch this boy."
The soldier glared at Nier, shifting his anger to a malicious grin. "It seems you all need some discipline."
Mika and Ayk glanced at Nier in confusion. Nier gestured to Elir, signaling him to stay put. Even without looking at Elir, Nier could sense his rising fury—Elir was about to move.
Feigning alarm, Nier clutched his chest. "Ah… good thing you didn't touch him! He's the boy all the men in Bial go to, you know, for… well, you know what I mean. He's infected with who-knows-what diseases. No one dares to touch him! Actually… can you find him another room?"
The soldier's angry look shifted into horror. He stepped back, wiping his hand furiously. "Really??"
Mika's eyes went wide. "HAAAA??"
Nier, still pretending to fret, said, "If you touched him, you'd better wash your hands immediately. Who knows what you might catch?"
Mika shouted again, "What???!"
Ayk stifled laughter while still bowed before the commander. The soldier, visibly panicked, stared at the hand Mika had gripped, then hurried to exit the room.
Nier called after him, "You should change your pants, too, if he touched them!"
The moment the soldier left, everyone burst into laughter. Ayk finally straightened, laughing, while Mika's face turned red with rage.
Nier grinned like a fool. Mika marched over to him, clutching his shirt. "What did you say, you filthy bastard?! Men come to me?? Oh, I'll enjoy killing you, blondie!"
The others roared louder, and Mika's embarrassed face grew more flushed. Ayk patted him on the head. "You idiot! He saved you. And me. You should thank him."
Ayk nodded at Nier in gratitude. Mika stormed off to sit on a bed, still fuming. "You couldn't have said something else?!"
Nier wore a satisfied smile as he returned to his bed. Meanwhile, Elir's face was clouded by anger—an anger that always arose whenever Nier got involved in things that didn't concern him. He always brings trouble to himself! Elir thought.
Mika shouted, "If any of you spread that rumor outside this room, I'll kill you!"
Ayk grabbed his belongings and moved away, teasing, "I don't want to catch any diseases!"
Mika yelled, "Ayk, you bastard, shut up! I'll kick you in the head!"
A few minutes later, they were all dressed in uniform, ready to head downstairs. While talking among themselves, Mika—still seated with his arms folded—looked at Nier.
"You, blondie!"
Nier asked, "Me?"
Mika, faking anger, said, "Yes, you! What's your name?"
Nier smiled. "I'm Nier. And you?"
Ignoring the question, Mika said curtly, "That girl in the carriage with short hair—do you know her?"
"Seeta?" Nier replied. "Yes, we met a few days ago."
Mika nodded. "Do you like her?"
Nier was taken aback. "What?"
He waved his hands, nervously laughing, "No, no, we're just friends!"
Mika nodded. "Good, because I'm going to marry her, so stay away from her."
Nier laughed, scratching his head. "All right!"
Mika kept eyeing Nier, who stood awkwardly. He continued in the same gruff tone, "What are you waiting for, me to thank you? Fine—thank you!!"
Standing up, he muttered under his breath, "You bastard," as he finished dressing. Nier looked at Elir, chuckling, and everyone headed out of the room.