Crimsonveil — Final Day of Gamma Training
6 months Before the Bloodgate Trial
Age: 6
The last trial ended in silence.
No screams.
No roars.
Just the slow, tired sound of boots on blood-soaked stone.
Elarion stood still at the center of the training ring, chest rising and falling, but evenly. His blade was cracked. His knuckles red. There was a thin gash under his eye.
It didn't matter.
Behind him, the final beast—a steel-horned lizard bred for violence—lay lifeless.
All the instructors watched from the upper scaffold. Silent. Stern.
No cheers were given in Gamma-9.
Only marks. Grades. Survivors.
He glanced sideways.
To his left, Herua leaned on one leg, arms crossed, blood running from his forearm—but grinning anyway.
To his right, Bour sat in the dust, panting hard, hands on his knees. Bon stood behind him, quietly binding his own shoulder with a strip of fabric torn from his tunic.
The four of them had finished the trial together.
> Unplanned.
> Unspoken.
But together.
---
Crimsonveil — Inner Hall | Later That Night
All trainees were lined up.
Rows of bloodstained, half-healed boys in uniform stood stiffly beneath the glow of amber lanterns. Their eyes were dull. Their hands trembling behind their backs. Some leaned to stay upright.
They had survived.
That was all that mattered.
Instructor Holst stood before them at the top of the steps.
Behind him was the Trial Commander, a man from the capital with long silver robes and emotionless eyes. He held a scroll, reading the names one by one.
> "Elarion, Child Of Crimsonveil."
"Herua, Orphan from Barracks ."
"Bour, Bon. Bastards of the Border."
"Passed. Elite track."
The hall didn't erupt in sound.
But it shifted.
A heavy silence rippled—children glancing, whispering behind cupped hands.
They saw now.
Who had risen.
And who had been left behind.
Elarion stepped forward to receive the trial insignia. A small mark, carved into a black coin, meant to hang around the neck.
He didn't bow.
He didn't look at the instructors.
He just took it, and turned away.
Behind him, Herua chuckled under his breath.
Bour muttered something about "damn cold bastards," and Bon just nodded once, lips twitching at the corner.
---
Crimsonveil — Courtyard Roof | Midnight
That night, the fortress was silent.
But four small figures sat on the highest rooftop—shoulders brushing, faces turned to the stars.
Elarion didn't remember sitting down.
He didn't remember why he didn't walk away when Herua climbed up beside him.
Or when the twins followed, pretending they "just wanted a view."
No one said much.
Not about the trial.
Not about what would come next.
Just four boys, bruised and sleepless, watching the wind pull at the clouds.
Finally, Herua spoke.
> "Just one more day here, then trial ends. And next is Bloodgate."
> "Yeah." Bour cracked his knuckles. "They say most don't make it out."
> "Then don't die," Bon said softly.
They all looked at Elarion.
He didn't answer for a long time.
Then, eyes still fixed on the sky, he said:
> "They'll try."
> "But I won't."
And in that moment, no one doubted it.
Not even the stars above.
---