Commander Raun was not content with single combat.
After a brief rest, he gave the order to divide the recruits into small squads—five in each rank, each man with a wooden shield and a blunted sword, advancing together.
His voice was sharp as he addressed them:
"War is not fought alone. A lone sword may fall, but a wall that holds together will stand.
Today you will learn to fight shoulder to shoulder."
⸻
Kaizlan was placed in the front rank with four others:
Serin Orvan, steady and sharp-eyed.
Torn, a hulking farmer, slow of step but strong of arm.
Milo, a thin youth whose grip trembled each time he raised his blade.
And finally, Eiron Levara, who stood smiling, as though the very thought of fighting in formation was beneath him.
The task was simple: advance as one body, hold against the "enemy trainees" Raun had chosen, and push forward step by step.
But the execution was far from simple.
⸻
When the clash began, Milo faltered in the middle—his shield rose too late, and would have been struck through if Torn had not dragged the attacker aside with a heavy lunge.
Serin alone held her ground with precision, her shield steady, her strikes short and effective.
Eiron, however, broke from the line.
He left his shoulder unguarded, dropped his shield aside, and cut his foe down with a swift side strike. The man fell—but in that same moment, Eiron left a gap that nearly tore the formation apart.
Kaizlan shouted, voice tight with anger:
"Stay in the line!"
Eiron glanced back at him with a cold smile, but he did not return.
Instead, he pressed on alone, as if proving that the "wolf" had no need of a pack.
⸻
The skirmish dragged on, dust rising, cries echoing.
The rank wavered more than once, yet through Serin's steadiness and Torn's raw strength, they held until the end.
When Raun finally gave the order to stop, sweat was dripping from every face.
He studied their line for a long moment before speaking:
"Whoever leaves a gap in the wall… kills his brothers before he kills his enemy."
He named no one, yet all eyes turned toward Eiron.
Eiron only smiled, as though the commander's words had nothing to do with him.
⸻
As Kaizlan caught his breath, a new weight pressed upon him.
It was not single combat that unnerved him now, but the burden of keeping the wall unbroken—of ensuring no one fell because of him, or because of the one beside him.
For the first time, he realized survival was not only the sword in his hand… but the trust he carried in those who stood at his side.