The sound of sirens echoed through the building where Frata's children were sleeping at one in the morning. On this day, the soldiers' knocks on the room doors merged with the sirens. The children had spent a long day familiarizing themselves with the buildings and army bases before finally going to sleep at 10:00 PM. But now, here they were, forced awake by soldiers shouting at them to get dressed and head out to the square.
Commander Boja stood before the seven hundred boys and girls from Bial, all of them half-asleep in the castle's square. They muttered among themselves, eyes half-closed.
Elir knew that if he looked at Nier now, he would see his clenched fists and sleepy eyes blazing with enthusiasm. This is what he's wanted all along…
Boja continued to pace among the children. Mika murmured to Ayk, "What's with his energy? It's one in the morning…"
Boja said, "Today, you will begin your first test to join Frata!"
Some of them shouted in protest. Mika exclaimed, "Now?! Couldn't this wait till morning?!"
Boja turned to him with a frightening look, and silence fell over the square. This was the presence of Commander Boja—whom all the Black Wings in the army feared.
Boja went on, "Move your weak bodies. Put everything you have into this exercise…" He began to lead them but paused to add, "Because if you fall now… there is no second chance!"
One of Azar's girls, suffering from severe burns, collapsed on her left side on the rough plateau. Those around her stood in shock as Inini shouted, "Tariya!"
They never imagined Boja's "training" would be a march across the hills surrounding the castle. It was deadly out there, beyond the castle walls, high in the hills. Bial was no different from Frata when it came to the cold night air. Some Bial children were used to climbing the town's hills at night to drink and stay away from adults; they knew how to maneuver the slopes. But two hours had passed, and some had already fallen from exhaustion.
Arlo stopped to find Tariya—Inini's friend—unconscious at his feet. Inini murmured worriedly, "Arlo…"
Arlo gently touched her face. "Don't worry. I'll carry her until she wakes up. I won't let her last two hours of effort go to waste."
Inini looked at him for a moment before saying gratefully, "Thank you, Arlo."
Arlo hoisted Tariya onto his back and said, "Tariya—and you—won't ever return to that place again."
The number of fallen increased as the sun began to rise on their path. Most of these were Azar's children, with burned, wounded, and underfed bodies.
Three hours had passed. The sun rose at four in the morning in Frata, just like Bial. Nier panted, walking behind Elir at the front of the group following Boja. Catching his breath, Nier laughed and said, "I don't know what this training is, man… but I can't—"
Elir cut him off angrily, "Can't what? You're the one who brought me here! Are you giving up now?"
Nier smiled at him, slapped his own knees as he stood up straighter, and said, "Of course not, you idiot! Man, you get angry so easily."
Elir's voice still carried anger. "This is what you wanted, so I won't let anyone stop you—not even you!"
Nier laughed as he panted, trying to keep up with Elir, who strode ahead. Elir's voice always sounded furious, as if anger was the only emotion he could express. It was comical to Nier—until a heavy thud cut his laughter short. Someone had fallen.
He might have heard that noise several times in the past three hours, but he had told himself it was just a tree falling, or maybe a soldier at the distant castle dropping a heavy box. Again and again, he tried to convince himself it wasn't a person. Then he saw it with his own eyes—someone's body, too weak to take another step.
Nier stared at that face for several long seconds. He… his dream… it's over. Nier felt a pang in his heart. Elir, noticing Nier's horror, prepared to repeat his earlier warning: "I won't let anyone stop you—not even you!"
They stood there, frozen, until Boja's voice called from ahead. Boja looked at the group's exhausted faces and asked, "Do you know who walked those hills before you?"
Everyone turned to look at him—Elir and Nier in front, Mika and Ayk behind them, and so on.
Boja continued, "Humans who lived here three hundred years ago were led through these hills by Nieth's Light soldiers. They carried their belongings and their children—everything they had—believing those soldiers were guiding them to safety. Soldiers of the god they all worshipped. No matter how far, no matter how many hours, no matter how weary their legs, no matter how their children screamed, they kept walking. They walked… until they reached the end of their march at their final resting place."
Shock rippled through the group, fear etched on their faces. Mika asked, trembling, "What do you mean…?"
Boja's voice was thick with anger. "Everyone in that village followed those flying Lights on bare feet—until the Lights killed them, right at the spot where they thought they'd finally be safe."
Then, in a terrifying voice, he added, "Will completing this march atone for your ancestors' sins? Will suffering humans' hardships make it right? No. But if you want to join the army that protects humans…" He raised his voice. "…you must honor them—honor the hours they marched, honor the ones who fell!"
Boja knew his words would break their hearts, not inspire them. He moved on, continuing the march alone. The rest stood there, paralyzed by despair. They had no will to move.
Elir got to his feet and said, "Nier… let's go."
But Nier stood still, head bowed. Elir called him again, "Nier!"
Nier said, "Commander Boja… he's marched this path many times. Every training, he leads at the front… and he still hasn't atoned for any sins."
Mika and Ayk looked at Nier, confused. Elir demanded, "What do you mean, Nier?"
Nier dropped to his knees, grabbing the small pocket flap on the fallen boy's uniform and tearing it free. Each uniform's chest pocket held a paper name tag. Nier took the tag, then turned in the opposite direction of the march.
Elir shouted, "Nier! Where are you going?"
Ayk said, "Nier, what are you doing?"
Without turning around, Nier said, "I'm sorry. I can't just pretend it was a falling tree or a dropped box anymore."
Elir yelled angrily, "Didn't you hear me before?! I said I won't let anyone stop you—even if it's you!"
Nier stopped and turned to him calmly. "Don't worry. I'll finish this training. I'll finish everything. But there's something I have to do. Go on if you want."
Elir growled, seething, but followed Nier in the opposite direction. Mika glanced at his brother, then said, "Let's go!"
Nier and Elir retraced their steps in silence, except for the sounds of Nier's knees scraping the ground and the tearing of fabric. Then footsteps again. Each time, Elir paused so Nier could collect another name tag from someone who had collapsed.
Eventually, they reached Arlo, Inini, and Tariya. Arlo's legs had given out; he was on his knees, Tariya still on his shoulders, unconscious. Inini cried out, "Arlo! Are you all right?"
Arlo, panting and drenched in sweat, replied, "Don't worry…"
Nier looked from Arlo to Tariya, trying to understand. He asked quietly, "What are you doing?"
Arlo said, "I couldn't leave her."
Nier glanced at the pile of fabric in his hand. "Why?"
Arlo was puzzled. "What?"
Inini explained quickly, "I asked him to help her. She's my friend."
Nier sighed, "Ah… so… they weren't your friends, then."
Inini and Arlo stared at him in surprise. Arlo, annoyed, grabbed Nier by the collar. "Wait—if you have something to say, say it to me!"
Elir gripped Arlo's arm, fury contorting his face. He glanced at Nier's sad expression. Arlo, carrying that girl on his shoulders, was as if telling Nier, It's not enough… All your sorrow isn't enough.
Nier's legs still hurt from going back and forth to gather name tags. But with Tariya on his shoulders, Arlo seemed to say, It's not enough.
Elir snarled at Arlo, anger in every syllable, "Get your hands off Nier!"
Arlo shouted, "What's wrong with you two? What did I do to both of you?!"
Nier pulled away and kept walking. "You did nothing. I'm sorry. But…" He paused, turning back to Arlo. "You can't carry her the whole way. So when you leave her behind, can you bring me her name tag?"
Arlo and Inini stared at him in confusion and dread. His words were ordinary, his tone and face calm, yet they inspired such fear. Why does it feel like he hates us more and more? they both wondered.
Elir and Nier continued on, leaving Arlo and Inini with Tariya, stunned.
Mika, his lips cracked and face sunken, leaned against a tree. "What is this, Ayk? Seven hours already… they're trying to kill us all! How long did those humans walk?"
Ayk, who was hiding his own fatigue, said, "Don't disrespect them, Mika!"
Mika groaned, "I'm not! I'm just tired…"
Ayk extended a hand to Mika. "I know. But let's go."
Mika frowned, took his brother's hand, and kept moving. The others slowed, the scorching sun burning their heads.
Seeta fell to her knees—already bruised from multiple falls. Her hands trembled, then she pounded them on the ground in frustration and tears. "My body won't move! I'm weak! I can't catch up to him. Stand up! Stand up, you weakling! Why did he cut your hair? Why did he help you, if you're just going to fail now? Stand up!"
She heard a voice from the other side of the road. A girl with an eye patch leaned against a tree, gasping as if a fire blazed in her lungs. She tried to step forward again, but her vision blurred—she began seeing apparitions.
She muttered, "Azar… what are you doing… no… go away…" She envisioned Azar standing there with a hot iron rod, sneering, "Oh, what a shame. You're such an obedient girl. Why couldn't you have been born beautiful?"
The girl screamed and backed away. "No, no, go away!" Her legs nearly gave out over a small plateau, but a weak, cracked hand caught hers in time.
Dazed, the girl looked up to see Seeta standing there, tears threatening to spill but a determined look in her eyes. "Come on!" Seeta said.
The girl clung to Seeta's hand, rising to her feet. "Thank you."
Seeta wiped her tears. "We're still far behind everyone, but let's go."
The girl stared at Seeta's face for a moment. "You're very beautiful."
Seeta blinked, confused. "What?"
Still watching Seeta, the girl, Fojta—said, "I haven't seen you at Azar's before."
Seeta's face darkened. "That's why I'm here. I'll never work for that filthy man!"
Fojta murmured, "Ah…" and resumed walking, Seeta following close behind.