The sun leaned toward the horizon, painting the sky with hues of copper and ash.
On a small hill behind the training yard, Levan and Romo sat in silence, breathing in the stillness of dusk.
Romo tossed a small stone down the slope, then smiled faintly.
> “My father used to say: a sword isn’t a weapon…
It’s an extended intent.
He wielded it like an instrument—like he was playing music, not fighting.”
Levan looked out toward the horizon, the last light of the sun catching in his eyes.
> “Do you think you inherited his music?”
Romo smiled again, softer this time.
> “Maybe the shape…
But the echo hasn’t come.
I try to become him…
And fail—every time.”
He paused, then added:
> “Sometimes I feel like I’m chasing a shadow I was never meant to catch.”
Levan bowed his head, voice low:
> “I always wanted to become a knight.
Not to fight—
But to repay my mother for what she gave me.”
Romo, surprised, turned to him:
> “You always said she saved you.”
> “She was the only one who asked for nothing in return.”
A breeze stirred the trees gently.
Romo pulled out a small wooden charm from his pocket—carved with an ancient symbol.
> “My father gave me this.
He said it was a charm for resilience.
I thought it was just a piece of wood…
But it kept me company when I felt weak.”
Levan smiled quietly.
> “When I was little, I once fell into the mud…
I thought my mother would be angry,
But she only said:
‘Mud doesn’t shame you…
Shame comes if you choose to stay in it.’”
They both watched a flock of birds glide silently overhead.
Romo:
> “Even birds have a destination…
And us?
It’s like we’re sowing the ground before we even learn to fly.”
Levan (softly):
> “Maybe flying doesn’t need wings…
Just a promise in your chest.”
In the background, the academy bell rang, breaking the moment.
They stood quietly, and walked back—
Neither turning back,
Yet the weight of the moment lingered in their steps.
---
?? Pages 11–20: Return to the System
Their footsteps returned to the academy’s tiled floors,
Where orders echoed and cautious eyes never rested.
Romo (chuckling softly):
> “Back from dreams…
Into stone walls.”
Levan didn’t answer.
He only stared at the iron gate they’d passed through days ago—
As if it measured lifetimes, not distance.
Inside, trainees moved in lines.
Eyes met, spoke, and judged—without words.
---
?? Pages 21–30: Silent Instruction
In a rectangular stone hall, the instructor lectured at a carved energy-spectrum board.
> “Will is not power—
It is orientation.
Not what you possess…
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But how you move it.”
Levan sat at the back.
He didn’t write.
But he listened—
With a different kind of focus.
In his hand, he toyed with a frayed string—
Remnant of old cloth from his bag.
Ina, sitting nearby, noticed his distant gaze and whispered:
> “Don’t ask me why…
But you don’t feel like the rest of them.”
Levan (calmly):
> “Maybe because I stopped trying to be like them.”
Romo jumped into the conversation, laughing:
> “He doesn’t resemble me either—
Even though I’m clearly the most handsome here.”
They all smiled—
A rare, brief moment of warmth.
---
?? Pages 31–40: A New Announcement
A supervisor entered, handed a folded paper to the instructor, and left.
The instructor read in a dry voice:
> “Announcement:
Team 117 is summoned for a special meeting tomorrow morning.
Location: Sealed Operations Hall.”
A wave of whispers moved through the class.
Levan didn’t raise his eyes.
---
?? Pages 41–50: Quiet Readiness
That evening, the three sat in their shared quarters.
Romo practiced sword motions in front of a mirror.
Ina scanned miniature maps in silence.
Levan sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, staring at his shadow.
Ina (softly):
> “I don’t think this meeting is ordinary.”
Romo:
> “You mean they chose us?
Or… they’re ready to get rid of us?”
Levan:
> “They’ve been watching us since day one…
So what changed that made them speak now?”
---
?? Pages 51–60: Sleepless Night
The night was dim in the academy halls.
Blue lights flickered like shallow breaths.
Levan turned on his stone bed, eyes wide open.
Outside—
A lone bird screeched…
Then silence.
Inside, Ina opened her eyes:
> “Levan…”
He didn’t respond.
He only stared at the ceiling.
> “Have you ever felt…
like what’s inside you doesn’t really belong to you?”
Levan (softly):
> “I’ve felt like I belong to nothing.
Not even to myself.”
Silence returned.
As if the walls listened—then fell asleep.
---
?? Pages 61–70: Morning of Decision
A cold morning.
Team 117 walked in silence toward the sealed operations hall.
The door opened on its own—
Sound vanished.
The hall was dim, rectangular, with a long table and four supervisors seated.
First Supervisor:
> “You’ve been labeled a stable team…
But you’re not like the others.”
Second Supervisor:
> “We don’t trust that yet—
That’s why you’ll be sent on a mission…
Outside the internal system.”
Romo (angered):
> “Mission? What kind?
We’re not even official combatants yet!”
Ina:
> “Why us?”
Third Supervisor:
> “Because we don’t understand you…
And this is our chance to try.”
---
?? Pages 71–80: The Special Mission
They were handed a single sealed file.
Label: C-7 – Edge of Station Six
Objective: Survey an isolated zone beyond training boundaries
Duration: 36 hours
Monitoring: Encrypted – No communication allowed during mission
Ina (reading, then whispering):
> “This isn’t training…
This is psychological evaluation.”
Levan (firmly):
> “Or a calculated attempt…
to break one of us.”
---
?? Pages 81–100: Quiet Ending
At the door, before they left, the last supervisor spoke:
> “No one will give you answers.
Only the edges…
will speak to you.”
The sun leaned toward the horizon, painting the sky with hues of copper and ash.
On a small hill behind the training yard, Levan and Romo sat in silence, breathing in the stillness of dusk.
Romo tossed a small stone down the slope, then smiled faintly.
> “My father used to say: a sword isn’t a weapon…
It’s an extended intent.
He wielded it like an instrument—like he was playing music, not fighting.”
Levan looked out toward the horizon, the last light of the sun catching in his eyes.
> “Do you think you inherited his music?”
Romo smiled again, softer this time.
> “Maybe the shape…
But the echo hasn’t come.
I try to become him…
And fail—every time.”
He paused, then added:
> “Sometimes I feel like I’m chasing a shadow I was never meant to catch.”
Levan bowed his head, voice low:
> “I always wanted to become a knight.
Not to fight—
But to repay my mother for what she gave me.”
Romo, surprised, turned to him:
> “You always said she saved you.”
> “She was the only one who asked for nothing in return.”
A breeze stirred the trees gently.
Romo pulled out a small wooden charm from his pocket—carved with an ancient symbol.
> “My father gave me this.
He said it was a charm for resilience.
I thought it was just a piece of wood…
But it kept me company when I felt weak.”
Levan smiled quietly.
> “When I was little, I once fell into the mud…
I thought my mother would be angry,
But she only said:
‘Mud doesn’t shame you…
Shame comes if you choose to stay in it.’”
They both watched a flock of birds glide silently overhead.
Romo:
> “Even birds have a destination…
And us?
It’s like we’re sowing the ground before we even learn to fly.”
Levan (softly):
> “Maybe flying doesn’t need wings…
Just a promise in your chest.”
In the background, the academy bell rang, breaking the moment.
They stood quietly, and walked back—
Neither turning back,
Yet the weight of the moment lingered in their steps.
---
?? Pages 11–20: Return to the System
Their footsteps returned to the academy’s tiled floors,
Where orders echoed and cautious eyes never rested.
Romo (chuckling softly):
> “Back from dreams…
Into stone walls.”
Levan didn’t answer.
He only stared at the iron gate they’d passed through days ago—
As if it measured lifetimes, not distance.
Inside, trainees moved in lines.
Eyes met, spoke, and judged—without words.
---
?? Pages 21–30: Silent Instruction
In a rectangular stone hall, the instructor lectured at a carved energy-spectrum board.
> “Will is not power—
It is orientation.
Not what you possess…
But how you move it.”
Levan sat at the back.
He didn’t write.
But he listened—
With a different kind of focus.
In his hand, he toyed with a frayed string—
Remnant of old cloth from his bag.
Ina, sitting nearby, noticed his distant gaze and whispered:
> “Don’t ask me why…
But you don’t feel like the rest of them.”
Levan (calmly):
> “Maybe because I stopped trying to be like them.”
Romo jumped into the conversation, laughing:
> “He doesn’t resemble me either—
Even though I’m clearly the most handsome here.”
They all smiled—
A rare, brief moment of warmth.
---
?? Pages 31–40: A New Announcement
A supervisor entered, handed a folded paper to the instructor, and left.
The instructor read in a dry voice:
> “Announcement:
Team 117 is summoned for a special meeting tomorrow morning.
Location: Sealed Operations Hall.”
A wave of whispers moved through the class.
Levan didn’t raise his eyes.
---
?? Pages 41–50: Quiet Readiness
That evening, the three sat in their shared quarters.
Romo practiced sword motions in front of a mirror.
Ina scanned miniature maps in silence.
Levan sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, staring at his shadow.
Ina (softly):
> “I don’t think this meeting is ordinary.”
Romo:
> “You mean they chose us?
Or… they’re ready to get rid of us?”
Levan:
> “They’ve been watching us since day one…
So what changed that made them speak now?”
---
?? Pages 51–60: Sleepless Night
The night was dim in the academy halls.
Blue lights flickered like shallow breaths.
Levan turned on his stone bed, eyes wide open.
Outside—
A lone bird screeched…
Then silence.
Inside, Ina opened her eyes:
> “Levan…”
He didn’t respond.
He only stared at the ceiling.
> “Have you ever felt…
like what’s inside you doesn’t really belong to you?”
Levan (softly):
> “I’ve felt like I belong to nothing.
Not even to myself.”
Silence returned.
As if the walls listened—then fell asleep.
---
?? Pages 61–70: Morning of Decision
A cold morning.
Team 117 walked in silence toward the sealed operations hall.
The door opened on its own—
Sound vanished.
The hall was dim, rectangular, with a long table and four supervisors seated.
First Supervisor:
> “You’ve been labeled a stable team…
But you’re not like the others.”
Second Supervisor:
> “We don’t trust that yet—
That’s why you’ll be sent on a mission…
Outside the internal system.”
Romo (angered):
> “Mission? What kind?
We’re not even official combatants yet!”
Ina:
> “Why us?”
Third Supervisor:
> “Because we don’t understand you…
And this is our chance to try.”
---
?? Pages 71–80: The Special Mission
They were handed a single sealed file.
Label: C-7 – Edge of Station Six
Objective: Survey an isolated zone beyond training boundaries
Duration: 36 hours
Monitoring: Encrypted – No communication allowed during mission
Ina (reading, then whispering):
> “This isn’t training…
This is psychological evaluation.”
Levan (firmly):
> “Or a calculated attempt…
to break one of us.”
---
?? Pages 81–100: Quiet Ending
At the door, before they left, the last supervisor spoke:
> “No one will give you answers.
Only the edges…
will speak to you.”
In the hallway leading back to their wing, Romo paused.
> “Levan…
Do you feel ready?”
Levan stopped, looked forward, then replied:
> “No.
But readiness doesn’t come before the knock—
It comes after it.”
The three exchanged a brief glance—
Then disappeared…
Into the hallway’s shadow.
---
End of Chapter 9 – Before the Storm
In the hallway leading back to their wing, Romo paused.
> “Levan…
Do you feel ready?”
Levan stopped, looked forward, then replied:
> “No.
But readiness doesn’t come before the knock—
It comes after it.”
The three exchanged a brief glance—
Then disappeared…
Into the hallway’s shadow.
---
End of Chapter 9 – Before the Storm
