[Written by: Akira, Unofficial Team Chronicler / Resident Complainer]
[Day - 1]
We're gonna die.
Reon stood in front of us this morning with a smile on his face and said, "Training starts today."
A smile, I swear. Like some friendly neighborhood executioner.
By noon, I knew this wasn't some weekend bootcamp. We were doing laps around the abandoned schoolyard—ten at first, then twenty. Then thirty. Kaito puked on lap fifteen. Toma tripped and kept running on bleeding knees.
Reon? Making jokes about how even a turtle would beat us!!
He ran faster than all of us, circled back, then started sparring drills solo with two broken mop sticks—at the same time. Just flipping and slicing air like he was in an anime, no even a cartoon is more realistic.
I saw Natsuki quietly mutter, "Is he even human?" I agree.
And we're still on day one.
I miss my bed.
[Day - 3]
My arms are noodles. My legs are regret.
Reon added "combat form training" today. Which basically means pretending old mops are swords and spears and trying to swing them without taking your own eye out.
Rin's terrifying with dual mop handles. Fast little demon. Even Reon admitted he was strong.
Jun got a splinter lodged so deep in his hand we had to pry it out with a fork.
Reon? Still not sweating. He sparred five of us back-to-back and still had time to correct my footwork.
When I said, "Why don't you follow your own advice, Mr. Prodigy? Your footwork isn't perfect too." he said:"Because if I do, you'll be lucky to not have any bones broken."
No comeback for that one...
[Day - 5]
Kaito got a lucky strike on Jun and started dancing.
Reon told him, "Celebrate after you can land one on me."
Then made Kaito spar him. Kaito now walks with a limp. Not permanent. Just humbling.
Mika's learning to redirect force. She tripped me with a spin and I swear I almost cried.
Also, the mop handles are getting worn out. Reon carved some makeshift wooden swords out of fallen branches last night. I watched him do it while we were collapsing on the floor.
Of course he whittles like a master craftsman too. Because why not?
[Day - 7]
Today we did reflex drills. Reon would tap our hands or shoulders with a stick and we had to block. Simple, right? Except his taps feel like mini-bombs.
He knocked Kaito flat with a "gentle" shoulder poke.
Also, sparring has leveled up. Now we get to fight each other, while he watches. Judging. Measuring.
"You're not soldiers yet," he said. "You're not ready."
Kaito whispered, "He sounds like my dad when he's mad."
Mika said, "No, he's worse. He's scary when he's calm."
[Day - 9]
Reon taught us breathing techniques today.
"Strength is wasted if your body doesn't know when to rest," he said.
We thought it'd be an easy day.
It wasn't.
We had to maintain stances for hours. Still. Focused. Breathing in rhythm. Rin passed out. Natsuki almost did too. My legs were on fire.
Then Reon showed us his stance—balanced, focused, calm. He looked like he could hold it forever.
No one said anything, but we all thought it:
We're training under a monster.
[Day - 13]
I saw Reon practicing alone before dawn today.
His movements were... clean. Not flashy. Just precise. No wasted motion. He didn't look like a kid swinging a stick. He looked like a knight from a storybook. He's been training for years, probably longer than he's known us.
I felt bad watching.
I also realized something.
We're not training to get strong. We're training not to die.
[Day - 17]
We sparred Reon today.
Worst mistake of my life.
He told us, "One at a time. Then all at once."
Toma went first—got disarmed in two moves.
Mika followed—she lasted maybe six.
Kaito did better, but Reon still swept his legs like a rug in a storm.
Then all of us at once. All eight.
He danced around us. Knocked Jun into Haru. Parried Rin's dual strikes like he'd seen them coming from yesterday. The stick in his hands wasn't a mop anymore. It was a warning.
"I'm not trying to win," he said when we finally sat gasping on the ground. "I'm trying to prepare you."
Somewhere between the bruises and the sweat, I realized something.
We don't need Reon to slow down.
We need to catch up.
[Day - 19]
We did group formations today.
Reon gave us formations named after chess patterns—"Pinch," "Cross-Corner," "L-Box."
He said, "The Trial is a battle of strategy as much as strength. You need to know how to move together."
We failed all of them.
But we failed as a unit. That's... progress?
Rin whispered, "At least he didn't call us pathetic."
Toma said, "No, he just looked like he wanted to."
[Day - 21]
We made a little progress.
Rin and Mika now train together. He's fast, she's precise. They bounce off each other like clockwork. Kaito figured out a nice guard stance with the mop-spear. I think Daigo's trying to mimic Reon's stance, and Jun... Jun just hits hard.
Even I landed a solid blow on Haru today. Not clean, but it counts.
Reon gave me the tiniest nod.
I will treasure it forever.
[Day - 25]
We ran fifty laps today. In the rain.
Reon ran sixty.
I yelled, "Why are you doing extra?!"
He looked back and said, "Because I'm not strong enough yet."
We all stopped.
Even Rin.
"Not strong enough," he said. Him.
The guy who can parry two attacks at once, outrun a pack of stray dogs, and knock a grown man off his feet with a mop.
If he's not strong enough, where does that leave the rest of us?
I don't know.
But I do know one thing.
We'll follow him to the end.
Even if we have to crawl.
[System Status – Updated]
[Piece: King][Team: 9/16][Skill: Royal Authority – Locked][Attributes: Respect – 91 | Fear – 2][Teammates: Kaito, Rin, Toma, Mika, Natsuki, Haru, Jun, Akira, Daigo]