They stood in the courtyard, the recruits from Bial preparing for their final training after two months. Their stomachs still bore bandages from the stabbing exercise, exhaustion plain on their gaunt faces. Surprisingly, the last two months had been filled with more ordinary training—basic strength and cardio to build endurance. No more twelve-hour marches, no more stabbing. Now, a hundred remaining recruits stood before Boja for the final test.
Boja glanced at them. "Your final training will be to face each other as you would on the battlefield. Can you fight the people you've slept and eaten beside if your commander orders it?"
Their mouths fell open. They had eaten, drunk, and slept together every day. And now he wanted them to fight?
One recruit asked in terror, "Commander Boja… will you choose who we face?"
Boja smiled. "No. You will choose. You've spent months with those around you. You know them well. You know their weaknesses. You know how to defeat them."
Fear coursed through the group as they eyed one another. Boja continued, "You've come this far. But do you know who you'll truly be fighting? Your own blood, the Lights threatening humanity—your kind. Can you do it? Show us you can fight your comrades and win. Show us you'll put humans first! Begin!"
A sadness still lingered on Nier's face since the stabbing training. For two months, he ate, trained, and smiled, but Elir could tell something in him had changed. Elir remembered that day vividly:
They had barely reached the finish line, both out of strength. Nier kept repeating, "What about their name tags…" Elir said nothing, only held him tighter, afraid Nier would run back. Doesn't he want this so badly? Why do those name tags matter? They mean nothing… Elir couldn't understand him. They're just scraps of paper.
Nier collapsed the moment they crossed. He stared at the field behind them before passing out.
Now, during the final training, Elir stood watching Nier. He'd never given him the name tags earlier. Nier had been sad and withdrawn, but at least he'd stopped collecting tags, no longer trying to go back. Maybe he had thrown away the tags he had? No—Elir knew he wouldn't.
Elir reached into his pocket and handed Nier a small bag. Nier smiled in surprise. "What's this?" He opened it, and his expression changed. His eyes widened, overtaking his pale face. Tears fell onto the bag as he realized it was full of name tags—those from the stabbing training and every exercise since.
Elir said, "I didn't give them to you before so you wouldn't lose focus. I don't know why you want them, but you've made it to the end. Take them."
Nier gazed at Elir, tears forming. "You kept collecting them…" He hugged Elir tightly. "You… you're my best friend in the whole world, Elir."
Elir's face remained indifferent, but amid the murmuring soldiers, he could only hear his own heart pounding. Nier was his best friend too.
A pair of eyes watched them: Arlo. He'd thought about Elir often these past months. Why was this anger in his heart so strong? Elir never even looked at him. Am I nothing to him? Arlo stepped forward.
"Elir, I want to fight you," he said sternly.
Nier, anxious, asked, "Arlo… why?"
Arlo clenched his teeth. "I know you're not the reason Inini and Tariya got hurt, but I can't ignore this feeling—like everything I struggled for doesn't matter. I tried so hard to be a good person… but you…" He shook with rage. "You don't care about anyone. People like you shouldn't win! You shouldn't protect others, Elir. You belong back in Bial."
Elir was silent for a moment. "Ah… okay."
Arlo shouted, "I'm not weak anymore! I've trained for months in this hell, and I'm still here like you! This time, I'll win!"
Elir replied, "As you wish."
Arlo ground his teeth and stood ready. Nier touched Elir's shoulder. "Don't hurt him."
Elir didn't respond, so Nier said more firmly, "Don't hurt him, or I'll fight you myself!"
Elir gave Nier a tiny smile. "We haven't fought since… that time."
Nier smiled back and stepped away. Arlo seethed, seeing Elir smile at Nier. What did I do to deserve Elir's hatred? And why do I even care?
Elir stared at Arlo with burning eyes. Arlo was sure Elir truly hated him.
Elir said, "You struggled to be a good person. That's your problem. You're not a good person—why not accept it? Why not let your evil side out? Isn't that easier?"
Arlo's eyes burned as he lunged at Elir, yelling, "Shut your mouth!"
Meanwhile, Nier turned, examining the bag of name tags. He bumped into another recruit.
Nier laughed, "Ah, sorry, I wasn't looking!"
The recruit—Andra—glared at him. "Excuse me… do you want to fight me?"
Nier replied, "Really?"
Andra clarified, "Let me rephrase that: do you want to fight me so I can rip out your intestines with these hands?"
Nier unconsciously patted the bag at his waist, then grinned. "Just don't lose—my bag's already full!"
Fojta approached Inini. "Inini, fight me."
Inini seemed surprised as Fojta continued, "I know all your weaknesses. I know how to beat you. If you fight anyone else, they'll defeat you. Without Arlo, you wouldn't even be here. So fight me and let me beat you. Be useful for something other than men's pleasure!"
Inini's jaw dropped. "That's… that's how you see me?"
Fojta didn't reply, waiting for an answer. Inini slowly stood, facing her.
Seeta stood in the middle of the courtyard, looking around as if searching for someone… but she wasn't there. Seeta recalled the last time she saw her:
Late at night, Seeta lay on her bed in a dark room with nine other girls. She sensed someone creeping toward her. She rolled over, nearly falling, and recognized the girl from the cafeteria—the one Seeta had shared food with.
Seeta relaxed and clutched her chest. "You startled me!"
The girl, exhausted, asked, "Can I sleep next to you?"
Seeta laughed, making space on the bed. "Sure!"
A smile lit the girl's face. "Thank you… I'm just really tired…"
She climbed in next to Seeta. Her body was ice-cold. Seeta studied her. She was only fifteen but so tiny and frail she looked younger. Seeta pulled the blanket around her.
"What's your name?" Seeta asked gently.
The girl snuggled closer. "Karo."
Seeta giggled. "That's a strange name."
In a sleepy voice, Karo said, "Azar gave it to me… took me at six years old… my father never named me…"
Pain crossed Seeta's features. "Six years old…"
Karo murmured, "And you? What's your name?"
"Seeta," she replied.
Karo's voice was fading. "Sister Seeta…"
Seeta smiled. Karo continued, "Listen… I don't think I'm going to make it…" Right then, Seeta felt something wet spreading across the bed and their clothes. Did she wet herself? She lifted the blanket and gasped at the pool of blood.
Nearly screaming, Seeta shook Karo, whose eyes had closed. "Karo! What's going on? Can you hear me? Karo!!" The other girls awoke to Seeta's cries. Seeta scooped Karo up and dashed into the corridor, tears streaming down her face. She had no idea how she got downstairs, but she reached the building's front courtyard, where she found Mika standing alone, smoking.
She rushed at him, shouting, but he hissed, "Girl, keep it down! You'll get me caught—I stole these—" He stopped mid-sentence at the sight of Seeta's blood-soaked clothes and the girl in her arms.
"Seeta, what happened?" Mika asked, alarmed.
Seeta sobbed, "I don't know; she's bleeding!"
Mika took Karo. "Don't worry, we'll get her to the hospital! They'll patch her up, and she'll be good as new!"
Seeta wept, rubbing her hands anxiously. Mika studied her a moment. She always surprises me. Is she strong and fierce, or is she helpless? Then he shouted, "Let's go!" and sprinted away.
Back in the training field, Seeta approached Mika and said, "Mika, fight me."
Mika blinked. "What?"
Seeta nodded. "I want to duel you."
Mika's face turned serious. "Why?"
Seeta answered sarcastically, "Because we have to duel, right?"
Mika said flatly, "No. I don't want to fight you." He began to walk away. "Fight another girl—you're stronger than all the others anyway."
Seeta grabbed his arm. "Please, Mika! I don't want to beat someone—"
Mika eyed her carefully. She always surprises me…
Most had chosen opponents. Only a girl and Ayk remained. She walked up to him, "Hi. I'm Riz… I guess we're the only ones left."
Ayk, leaning against a wall, said calmly, "Seems I was too slow."
Riz spoke softly, "I'm sorry… I'm scared. I don't want to fight you."
Ayk replied evenly, "No need to pretend. I've seen you fight and win over these months. You're hiding a knife under your clothes, right? You're just trying to trick me into letting my guard down."
Riz tensed. Ayk continued, "I won't hit a woman, so I won't fight you."
She snapped, "But we have to spar, or we won't qualify."
Ayk shrugged. "I didn't say I wouldn't spar. I said I won't fight you."
Riz laughed, baring her teeth, "What?"
Good, I chose well, she thought. He's a moral idiot. He'll fall for my trick easily! But Ayk seemed calm.
He repeated, "I won't hit a girl, no matter how rude she is."
Riz scoffed, drawing her fist back. "Who are you calling rude, you idiot? Let's see if you can keep that up after this!" She punched him in the face.
Ayk remained still. "I surrender."
Riz stared, baffled, as he turned and walked away. "What's with this stupid idiot?" she muttered.
Meanwhile, Inini and Fojta squared off. Inini tried to punch Fojta's face, but Fojta struck first, landing a blow to Inini's injured stomach. Inini dropped, clutching her torso. Fojta glowered down at her. "I've been watching. Everyone says your name. Everyone's kind to you. You were 'Third Floor,' but you were everyone's favorite—admired for your beauty, your smile, your softness. You even found someone who loves you enough to try and save you. You have all this!"
Fojta screamed, "All this just because you were born beautiful?!"
She kicked Inini's abdomen again, and Inini cried out in agony. Nearby, Arlo spotted her in trouble, but Elir slammed him in the face, knocking him down.
"Don't lose focus," Elir warned.
Arlo knelt, clutching his bloody nose. How is he so strong?!
Elir said, "Don't lose focus. I don't want you coming back for another fight after you lose. This is the last time."
Arlo, seething with rage, lunged. "You bastard! I hate people like you!"
Elir dodged and rammed a fist into Arlo's side. "Why do you think you're better than me?" Arlo drove his head into Elir's stomach. Elir gripped Arlo's shoulders, raised his knee, and smashed it into Arlo's chest.
"Eh? People like me?" Elir said casually.
Arlo's heart pounded. He toppled onto his back, gasping for breath. Elir walked off without another word. Arlo lay there, watching Elir's retreating form through half-closed eyes.
Nier glanced at Elir. "You finished already?"
Andra cut in. "Huh? Isn't that insulting, Nier? You took your eyes off our fight! That hurts my feelings."
Andra looped an arm around Nier's neck, trying to throw him. "You want to save your friend, right? I don't mind taking on two weaklings."
Elir, not even turning back, said, "Save him from what? You're no threat to him."
Andra scowled as Nier laughed, slipping free. "So you're distracted now?" he teased. "That hurts my feelings!" With sudden speed, Nier lunged, slamming his head into Andra's stomach, then hopping up to strike Andra's chin. Andra lost his balance and fell.
He muttered, "Who fights like that, you skinny bastard?"
Nier grinned. "Man, that was fun. I look forward to fighting you again."
Elir watched Nier sprint over. He hadn't seen Nier this lively in a while. I really can't figure him out sometimes.
Seeta, her face bruised and dusty, faced off against Mika. He wouldn't attack, but anger simmered in his eyes. Mika shouted, "Why aren't you fighting me, Seeta?! Didn't you say you wanted to fight me? What's wrong—are you giving up?"
Seeta stood unsteadily. "I don't know what happened to her, Mika!"
Mika snarled, throwing another punch at her face. "If you're not here, then you've already lost, Seeta! But you're still here, so fight!!"
Seeta's body trembled under the blow. She almost fell, but Mika grabbed her, then slammed her down again. "Is that why you challenged me—to lose?!" he demanded.
Seeta's eyes clouded with sadness. Mika said helplessly, "Why didn't you pick someone else, Seeta?!"
She didn't answer. She just stood before him. Mika shouted, "You know why that girl came to you? She trusted you! She thought you were strong and kind! She wanted to be like you! Damn it, if I start bleeding, I'd come to you too! But this… this person in front of me now—this isn't Seeta!!"
He began walking away, but Seeta yelled, "Hey, you!"
Mika paused without turning. She said, "Don't act like you know me! I didn't even know your name until that day. So don't pretend to understand me!"
Mika answered, "You're right. I don't know you. I thought you were someone else—someone stronger than the girl I see now. I was wrong."
He started to leave, but suddenly he felt a hard kick to his back. He fell forward and turned to see Seeta standing ready to fight.
"You… you annoy me," she hissed. "Now I want to beat you!"
Mika sprang up with a happy grin. "That's what I'm talking about! My future wife!"
Seeta landed several quick punches to his face. "In your dreams, pervert!"
Mika took the last blow, letting his head loll aside while blood dribbled from his mouth. He spat a tooth, then grinned at her. "My turn."
Seeta braced herself, fists raised, but Mika kicked her leg, knocking her down. Then he aimed another punch at her face. Her body tumbled, and before she hit the ground, he caught her and laid her down gently. Sadness filled Mika's eyes.
"Should I have let you win?" he asked softly.
Seeta, drifting toward unconsciousness, murmured, "No… not after you hyped me up like this…"
Among the courtyard's duels, Fojta stood over Inini after another kick. Inini struggled to her feet.
Inini said, "Hey… do you know the biggest difference between us and First Floor girls like you, Fojta?"
Fojta sneered, "Other than your beauty?"
"Yes… other than our beauty." Inini's anger flared. "Our older sisters taught us how to defend ourselves from the drunks and thugs you serve on the first floor."
Inini lunged, landing a punch to Fojta's face. Fojta's head snapped back, but she slowly straightened, laughing despite her bloody nose.
"Wait a second, you idiot… on the first floor, we learn on our own." She tackled Inini to the ground. "No older sisters in fancy clothes or nice perfume to teach us. We learn in the streets!"
She rained more blows until Inini blacked out. Fojta glanced at Arlo, also lying unconscious nearby.
"Looks like your knight fell too," Fojta muttered. "You can both stay together in that pit of hell."