The recruits stood in a wide circle around Kaizlan and the prisoner. The air was thick with silence—so heavy that even the fall of dew on the soil could be heard.
The prisoner lunged suddenly, his freed hands clawing for the wooden sword. Kaizlan blocked the first strike, but the man's strength sent tremors through his arms. Even with his legs bound, the prisoner attacked with wild fury, as if every second was a fight for his existence.
Kaizlan stumbled back two steps, the sword wavering in his grip. From behind, Raun barked:
— "Balance your stance! Do not let fear lead you."
Tightening his hold, Kaizlan raised the weapon with all the strength he had and struck the prisoner's side. The thud of wood against bone echoed, staggering the man but not dropping him. With sudden ferocity, the prisoner lunged forward and clamped his hand around Kaizlan's throat.
Gasps broke out among the recruits, but Raun stood still. He did not intervene.
Kaizlan felt his breath choking, the world narrowing as the man's grip tightened. In the prisoner's eyes there was no cold gleam of a murderer—only the desperate fire of someone refusing to be erased.
Acting on instinct, Kaizlan drove his knee hard into the man's stomach. The grip loosened. Kaizlan swung the sword down on his shoulder, the impact heavy enough to topple him to the ground.
The prisoner lay gasping on the dirt, chest heaving.
No one moved. The sound of his fall carried with it the collapse of any illusion that combat was ever simple.
Raun stepped forward slowly, his voice deep and unwavering:
— "Remember this. Even the weakest—even the chained—will search for a moment to kill you. If you do not end the fight, it will be ended for you."
He turned his gaze toward Torn.
— "You're next."
All eyes shifted to the broad-shouldered recruit. Torn forced a strained smile, muttering under his breath:
— "So… yesterday was only the prologue."
As he stepped toward the circle, it was clear to everyone that what awaited them was no longer ordinary training, but a series of trials meant to break hearts before they broke bodies.