Chapter 2 #2
He’d kissed her cheek and would ruffle my hair, calling me his “little apprentice.” His eyes had been proud that day, proud of both of us.
Back then, he believed in her teaching me.
A time when his gaze had been full of light, not this hollow shadow.
Part of me believes he didn’t want me to go to the healing academy because it reminded him too much of Mom.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. He looked tired now.
Diminished. Like the battles of the past had never ended, just carved their marks deeper into him until there was nothing left but this weary shell.
“You will face challenges and hardships this year,” the Commander continued.
“Come, Fourfold Rite, you are going to be tested. Some of you are going to receive power, whether it be body augmentation, elemental magic, conjuring and manipulation…” His voice dropped slightly.
“…or, if fate chooses you, the rarest of gifts: power from a god or goddess.”
My eyes flicked back to Aiden. He’d already been chosen.
My father got word from Commander Dagon when it happened.
I snuck into my father’s office to read that Aiden had been selected by the Moon God himself.
That his power came straight from divinity.
That cold, celestial magic made him the strongest, most ruthless student Arcanna had ever seen.
Of course, figures.
“We will now separate you into four units,” Commander Dagon announced, snapping my focus back to the stage. “Fifty students per unit.” Each unit was named after a god or goddess, more symbolism meant to remind us of who was watching.
Or judging.
“First squad, Ares, the God of War. Sam Finch. Josephine Dark…” I tuned him out after that, my gaze drifting over the sea of cadets assembled before us.
The sun hovered high above the training grounds, casting golden light across leather armor and nervous faces.
White clouds drifted lazily overhead, and for a moment, everything felt oddly peaceful.
Too peaceful.
It was strange to think that beyond these towering, enchanted walls, war was still raging.
Somewhere out there, people were dying. My father had spoken to me about it before, and from what I’d gathered, during some of his meetings, the greatest threat came from the Blood Assassins—ruthless killers who took prisoners when it suited them or slaughtered without a second glance when it didn’t.
Their kingdom lay along the eastern border of Solthera, a wasteland that stretched on for miles.
“Drake Barrows,” the commander called, snapping me from my thoughts at the moment my gaze landed on Alaric in the crowd.
Aiden’s younger brother. One of my oldest friends.
He stood with a relaxed ease that didn’t match the tension in the courtyard.
As if this were just another afternoon and not the beginning of something that could ruin us.
His buzzed, light brown hair caught the sunlight; the clean cut leaving the firm lines of his face unobstructed.
He carried the same sun-warmed tan as Aiden, the same broad brow and defined jaw, but where his brother’s features were carved sharp as steel, Alaric’s were softened by expression.
Less severe. Less guarded. His soft blue eyes found mine with a flicker of surprise.
They had always given him away, clear and honest, incapable of hiding concern even when he tried.
I gave him a small smile and a subtle wave.
His eyebrows rose slightly, and something like worry flashed across his face.
He knew me; knew I wasn’t built for this. He’d always been the one hovering nearby when I tripped or pushed too hard during sparring when we were younger. But he smiled anyway and returned the gesture. Gods, I’d missed him.
“Second squad Athena, Goddess of Knowledge and War. Arya Stone…” I stifled a yawn, shifting on my feet.
“Ugh, this process is so long,” I whispered to Gia beside me. She nodded; her mouth pulled into a half-smile.
“I hope we’re in the same unit.”
“I’m sure we will be,” I said, trying to sound confident.
“We both tested high on the entrance exams, remember?” She gave another nod, but my attention was already drifting.
I glanced back toward the stage and found Aiden staring directly at me.
I suddenly became very aware of how sweaty my palms were.
There was something about the way he looked at people, like he saw straight through them.
The sunlight seemed to avoid him entirely, as if it even thought better of getting too close. His lips moved.
“Pay attention, Ruin.” That nickname. I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw the back of my skull. He’d called me that since we were kids. All because I once knocked over a statue in the courtyard of his father’s home, causing both our fathers to yell at us.
Jerk.
I hadn’t realized how long I’d been zoned out until I caught the tail end of the commander listing names for the next group.
“Third unit: Apollo…” he announced, my heart skipped.
“…Luna Grass, Gianna Mintz, Jackson Windward, Rynlee—” he paused for a beat.
“Rynlee Yarrows.” The pause said everything.
Apparently, everyone agreed I didn’t belong here.
Commander Dagon glanced at my father, whose firm nod served as confirmation.
Like, yes, she’s supposed to be here. Yes, she’ll survive. Yes, this is happening.
I barely registered the rest of the names: Clive Fellowes, Sofia Ashbluff, Ryan Bozzelli, because I was already looking at the stage again.
Three, third year students were positioned beside Aiden now; all dressed in the same sleeveless black leather.
One of them, a woman, stood ramrod straight, shoulders squared as if she were used to the world fighting her.
Shoulder-length dark hair framed her heart-shaped face; she was actually quite beautiful.
She crossed her arms and stared over us first years as if we were something to test. Something to break.
She leaned in and murmured a few words in Aiden’s ear.
He smiled. Then he whispered something back.
Ugh. Typical. Always flirting.
I narrowed my gaze, only to catch him looking at me again.
Like he knew I’d been staring. “Pay attention,” I mouthed to him, smirking.
His only reply was a subtle tap on the patch over his right pec.
The crest of Apollo. The realization hit me like a sucker punch.
I was in his unit. My smirk vanished. My stomach sank.
Of course. Of course, the gods would subject me to this fate.
“As for the last squad, we have Jake Simmons, Becky Darrow…” My attention drifted again, my gaze snagging on a pair of stone pillars at the far end of the courtyard.
A coiled whip hung neatly from a hook between them, the leather dark and worn from years of use.
The pillars themselves were cold and gray, their surfaces pitted from age and weather, as if they’d stood watch over countless generations before me.
Carved deep into the stone were the words:
A sword turned on a comrade is a blade turned on us all.
The phrase carried an ominous weight, even without context.
I remembered reading briefly about it in the academy’s handbook, how it was more than a motto, it was a vow.
After the Fourfold Rite, we weren’t simply cadets anymore.
We were bound as one unit, and to turn on each other was considered the gravest betrayal imaginable.
Still, the words lodged in my chest like a splinter.
I’d seen enough to know people didn’t always follow vows.
Sometimes survival made liars of everyone.
The thought caused my stomach to tighten, though I pushed it down.
The last thing I needed was to imagine enemies where there weren’t any.
But I couldn’t shake the quiet warning the inscription seemed to whisper, as if it already knew more about our fates than we did.
“All names have been called for the four units: Aries, Athena, Apollo, and Hera,” Commander Dagon announced. Pulling my gaze back to him, “Find your unit leader and gather. They’ll go over the rules of the school.”
“Apollo’s, you’re with me,” Aiden shouted as he stepped down from the stage, his voice low but commanding. We moved about, forming a loose cluster around him.
“Athena’s over here!” the black-haired woman announced, her sharp green eyes briefly catching mine before she turned her attention back to her own group. I focused on Aiden, who was already pacing in front of us, akin to a wolf sizing up its prey.