It was a cool morning in the outskirts of the Warangal city. The military academy stood strong on the outskirts, soldiers patrolling the walls. The sun rays struck the walls, glistening them in a golden hue.
Inside the Academy, sounds of grunts and groans echoed as the cadets of the first batch ran in the training field with sandbags strapped to their backs. The first batch of Warangal officially began a few days prior after the second test was over.
Kartik, Sarvesh, and Shyam passed the second test and were selected into a different batch in the military academy.
Kartik put down the sandbags, finishing the 50 laps as instructed by the drill instructor. He huffed heavily and collapsed on the ground; the others were yet to finish. Kartik was always first in the physical test, with Sarvesh lagging close behind, while Shyam was usually at dead last.
"The training is harsh," murmured Kartik.