"I would have never thought I'd find the young killer this quickly."
Alphael froze. His heartbeat spiked so sharply it almost drowned out the boy's voice.
"Ho—how could you know?"
The frail boy sighed through his nose.
"Word travels fast. People don't seem to like you much — funny, since you only just got here."
Alphael opened his mouth, but the boy continued.
"Relax. I wasn't there. I don't know what really happened. So I'll keep my judgment to myself… for now."
He scratched the back of his neck and let out a half-hearted chuckle.
"Oh, right — I'm Fionn, by the way."
Alphael's eyes dropped to the ground.
"Right. I'm… Alphael."
He hesitated, then added, "I didn't see you when I came here. Or during… the incident. Were you in another group?"
His shoulders felt heavier as he spoke.
Fionn frowned.
"Would you stop making that face already? What's done is done. After all from what I heard he tried killing you first, so fair play."
He turned slightly, the corners of his lips curling faintly.
"And for your question — no. I wasn't in another group. I was born here."
Alphael's head snapped up, confusion flickering across his face.
"What? So… you're an Axi? One of them?"
Fionn gave a crooked smile.
"I guess you could say that. But in reality, I'm just like you. A dirty Vangen."
Alphael stumbled a step backwards.
"Then—"
Fionn folded his arms, his grin fading.
"My parents were transported here too. A long time ago. I've never even seen the so called home they came from."
He tilted his head up, staring at the cloudy sky.
"Is it better than this place?"
Alphael's voice came out quiet.
"Much better. Anything's better than this dump. No monsters trying to eat you alive. And definitely no crappy Axi."
Fionn's eyes softened for a heartbeat.
"So you live in peace there, huh? That's what my dad always said."
Alphael hesitated.
"…Yeah. You could say that."
He looked back at Fionn.
"So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your fellow Axi?"
Fionn's expression soured.
"As I said — I'm human, too. As you might imagine, the Axi don't take too kindly to us Vangen breeding. But who are they to complain? They get more soldiers and they'll be more than happy to use them."
"And what's with this Vangen thing!? You guys keep saying that!"
Fionn turned, staring down the long street lined with tents.
"Well, you're just full of questions. It's a slur. Did you think it sounded like a compliment? Since you even had to ask despite your experiences, I'm guessing Earth doesn't have those, huh?"
Alphael said nothing. His silence was broken only by the sudden, commanding voice of Llywelyn.
"Up and at 'em, Vangen! Your training begins shortly!"
Like startled animals hearing their master's whistle, the survivors stumbled from their tents and lined up. Whispering filled the air — then died instantly.
"Silence!" Llywelyn's voice was iron. "Single file lines. Now."
Alphael muttered under his breath.
"Scumbag."
He and Fionn joined the line, surrounded by soldiers on all sides. Llywelyn gave a sharp gesture.
"Distribute the bandanas."
A wave of motion rippled through the ranks as the Axi soldiers handed out two types of cloth — black and brown.
When the soldiers reached them, Alphael found both fabrics shoved into his hands.
One was black, pristine, and stitched with a white emblem — a watchtower guarded by two blades. Simple, but it radiated cold authority.
The other was brown, frayed and filthy, smeared with old blood. The smell of it was even worse than the slums he walked through.
"Wear them at all times, Vangen!" the soldier barked before turning away.
Alphael stared down at the rags in his hands.
Fionn's voice came quietly beside him.
"Gotta make sure the public can tell us apart somehow."
"Of course they do," Alphael said bitterly, tying the black one to one arm, the brown to the other.
"Is that why the Axi only have the black one? As members of its military."
Fionn nodded. "I knew you weren't a total idiot. And you can imagine what the brown one means."
When the last Vangen received their rags, the line began to move again. The group marched along the side of the base, toward an open field in the distance.
But before they reached it, a disturbance erupted near the front.
A man pushed through the line, shoving people aside in a frenzy. His face was twisted, veins standing out like cords.
"Wait… that's the guy who got hit first back in the forest," Alphael whispered.
The man broke free from the line, leapt forward, and swung a jagged rock over his head.
"I'll kill you, bastard!"
The rock came crashing down — straight toward Commander Llywelyn.
The commander slowly turned his head behind, only seeing the angry man with the corner of his eye.
The blow landed with a clang that made everyone flinch. Instead of blood, sparks flew into the air.
Alphael covered his ears. "Was that metal being hit?"
Llywelyn turned his head slowly. His face was now hidden behind a steel mask that was identical to a crusader's helm, the insignia of Matslava painted all over it's steel visage.
The attacker staggered back, terror freezing him in place.
"W—what the hell are you?! You're not human!"
The soldiers didn't move. They just watched — grinning faintly.
Llywelyn's voice rasped from behind the mask.
"Of course not. I've made that quite clear have I not? We are Axi —"
He stepped forward — and drove his arm straight through the man's stomach.
The sound that followed was a hideous mixture of cracking bones and flesh squelching.
"…And you," Llywelyn finished, withdrawing his blood-soaked hand, "are a pitiful Vangen."
The man's body hit the dirt with a dull thud.
Alphael's breath hitched. His mind screamed run, but his body refused to move. Cold sweat slid down his spine.
"Move out!" Llywelyn barked, his glove being cleaned by the handkerchief of another soldier.
"We've got a training ground to reach. And we're late."
The soldiers resumed marching as if nothing had happened. The Vangen hesitated only a moment before obeying, stepping around the corpse like it was a puddle.
In their defence, it was quickly becoming one.
Alphael lingered near the back with Fionn. When they passed the body, he finally saw it up close — the man's ribs crushed outward, his insides torn to pulp.
An unsightly scene.
Fionn's voice was quiet, flat.
"Now you see why I don't resist. That's just one of the many reasons."
Alphael covered his mouth, forcing bile down his throat. His steps quickened, his eyes locked on the dirt.
If he wasn't careful, he'd end up the same way.
"I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't stay here!"