Let Us Begin

(Back in the present.)

Sitting in the L shaped grey couches to the right and left sides of the train were the children that once filled the city square. Four days ago more than half of them boarded the large luxurious train, and so the journey began towards the unknown; after a recount, there were now five hundred and thirteen applicants, significantly more than last year's bunch. The commander sat on a large black chair surrounded by at least thirty monitors, and three very buff soldiers at her back, you could tell immediately that these three were significantly different than the ones from the square.

Sitting on a similar chair beside the Commander was a human realm warrior with silver eyes and pointy ears, this man wore grassy green robes that flowed like a wedding dress would onto the floors, his long hair matched the silver of his beautiful eyes as well as his overly pale skin and his pink lips were set in a smirk as he watched the human children enjoy themselves, not knowing that the meal they were eating would probably be their last. He was watching one child in particular very closely and that was a young girl currently walking towards the dining room with two other girls in tow.

This train wasn't the same as the transporter train that Kai had used to get to The Capital, this train was the definition of paradise, as soon as you enter your hit with a blast of cool refreshing air, marble floors and servants to serve your every need.

It had multiple floors, the first floor was the lounge room filled with a range of comfortable furniture, engaging decor and soft music, as well as dozens of bookshelves with every genre you could think of, the second floor was where the pool and water park, as well as the game room, was located, the third floor was where they currently were, eating the one thing that only the royal family was permitted to taste; monster meat. You could see tears fall on the faces of multiple people as the laughed and joked around, but a certain few knew exactly what was going on.

The atmosphere surrounding the children was opposite to when they were in the plaza, some contemplating whether to board the train or not, now they were thanking their families for forcing all those years of combat training. Kai who was sitting near the middle of the train looked out of the window beside him; and even though he'd tried it multiple times, he tried again to focus on the completely black window. Having been raised in a hunting village he wasn't used to not being able to feel nature, let alone see it, but that had been what the four days in the train were like, with anything a child could ever need, all except real sunlight and it was driving him crazy!

As he was about to give in to his desire to punch the black glass window he felt a tap on his elbow making him turn to find the most captivating eyes he's ever seen stare right back at him, not noticing the notepad in her hand, Kai continued to stare at her, thinking back to when he first saw her in the city square.

•••

"Alright, the sun has set and time is up!" the Commander had returned and was standing on the large staircase propped right in front of the entrance into the train "I know that there are some of you who do not want to show your backs to me but, as a fellow human let me give you this advice, there is no shame in fear, there is no shame in turning and leaving this square, because knowing when to give up is one of the greatest assets a human can have. To those who have decided to leave you will be guided back by my soldiers to the examiner's hall, there you will be given a choice go back home, or take the scholars exam which will allow you to work inside the castle alongside your King and Queen, for the betterment of your Kingdom"

That set everyone off into a loud murmur, as the commander watches hesitant faces start leaving towards the awaiting soldiers, one by one each child left either with their heads down or chins up remembering the Commanders words. Those with their heads held high weren't thinking of them leaving as running away, they thought of it as a choice in an occupation; in other words, they were choosing to serve their Kingdom in another way instead of physically putting their lives on the line by taking the scholar's test they could work alongside the King himself.

What they didn't know what that even by passing the test and becoming scholars, they would still be viewed as cowards who valued their lives more than the lives of their families and the human race.

Twenty minutes had passed and no one else moved, the soldier in charge of stocking in their journey throughout the test counted roughly five hundred to four hundred applicants left, significantly more than last year which greatly annoyed her because that meant she'd have to use even more of her resources. Not letting it show in her face though she stepped up once more on to the podium and her powerful voice rang through the silence

"This is your last chance, once you enter there will be no turning back," she said as she waited for a couple more minutes and when no one else moved to join the cowards that had run, she sighed and accepted that this years test wasn't going to go as quickly as she had hoped it would

"As of now, you are officially applicants of the Academy. Congratulations on taking the first step to saving humanity, your family, your friends and your Kingdom thank you." her hand landed heavily on her heart as she saluted, the soldiers surrounding the square as well as the ones positioned behind the Commander followed suit

"Let the 89th annual Academy Test begin"