Zephan;

I stare at the young men on the field, all with fire burning in their eyes and swords held high in training.

It may be night, but this is when I like to train.

I never thought I would be doing this. After Zethar left, Aunt Selthia suddenly charged me with the responsibility of training our men. Especially the recruits. She even asked Koda to help me.

I don’t know why she gave that order. It’s not like we’re going to war anytime soon, but... the timing, and the fact that she even gave this order at all... says otherwise.

Yet... I have no reason to disobey her. I’ll certainly ask questions later, but for now... For now, I will do as I’m told.

Because I know whatever decision she makes, she makes with the interest of our people at heart.

"Your stance is weak." I correct one of the boys in the front row, and Commander Serion instantly finds the boy I’m talking about.

Serion is one of our strongest soldiers. An experienced commander, and quite frankly, the only one aside from Lioran and Aunt Selthia that Zethar seems to enjoy duelling with truly.

Commander Serion walks up to the boy immediately, tapping the inside of the boy’s ankle with the flat side of his blade.

"Again," Serion Orders, and the boy nods, lifting his sword and repositioning himself.

Around him, the rest of the men continue their drills. Iron striking iron in an almost melodic rhythm, as movement flows the way it should, and I nod in approval.

I look back at Koda, who’s watching from the side with his arms folded behind him.

The boys may not say it, but I can see that Koda’s presence alone intimidates them. They’re all trying not to make mistakes, and it’s funny because Koda hasn’t even given any commands yet.

They’re just scared of his aura... and they should be. Koda may be kind-hearted, but when it comes to combat... hmm.

I smile and turn back to the men. Observing every swing and move. There is nothing out of place. Nothing that requires my intervention. At least not with Commander Serion here.

I watch him weave through the boys. Giving silent orders and correcting stances. Then my gaze drifts from him, as I commend a boy nearby for his perfect defence.

A boy close to Serion stumbles forward, and Serion rushes over to correct him. However, in the mere second that it takes me to blink my eyes, what I see next causes everything in me to freeze over.

In just the blink of an eye, the boy’s head has left his shoulders.

My eyes widen as I stare at the stump that’s now in place of where the boy’s head was.

For a single... confused moment, the world does not react.

The body remains standing. His sword is still raised...

And then, the head hits the ground with a wet, final thud... just before the body collapses to the ground.

I look behind him, and horror consumes me whole when I see Serion standing with his blade extended, and blood sliding down the edge of it in a slow, nightmarish line.

No one understands what just happened... Not immediately.

The silence that consumes us all is a testament to that. But then it shatters, as realisation dawns.

Someone screams, and that’s all it takes for an uproar of chaos to follow.

A boy staggers back, slipping in blood that should not be there in the first place. Swords rise in confusion as the clean rhythm of training dissolves into something jagged and uncoordinated.

I watch in horror as the soldiers recoil from their own commander.

"Commander Serion—?" I breathe, unable to believe what I just saw.

Serion, however, does not respond to me. Instead, his sword lowers slightly, then lifts again— Like he doesn’t quite know what to do with the sword in his hands.

His gaze stays locked on the decapitated body on the floor, and I see fear... and confusion bleed into his eyes.

"I—" He mutters, but his voice cracks.

His free hand flies to his head, fingers digging into his hair as his entire body starts trembling. Koda rushes over to me, shoving me partly behind him, as I stare at Serion.

"Serion, what the hell did you just do!?" I demand, and Serion’s trembling worsens.

"I didn’t— I–I didn’t— mean—" He keeps muttering to himself as he takes a step back.

...Then another.

Blood drips from his blade, pattering softly against the grass as though none of this matters.

"I didn’t mean to—" He cries, and his voice breaks completely this time... collapsing into something raw and unsteady.

And just when I try to move towards him, he turns. He turns and faces the other young boys, who are still huddled together in horror... glaring at him like a figure from a collective nightmare.

His sword swings again, and my heart falls.

"Serion, no!" I scream, but it’s too late.

A soldier barely manages to raise his weapon in time, causing the impact of Serion’s strike to throw him backwards with enough force that his feet leave the ground.

Another boy turns to run, but Serion’s movement is faster. He impales the boy from behind, and I lose it.

I push past Koda, who is still watching, and the moment Serion sees me from the corner of his eye, he screams.

"Stay back, Alpha!" I pause when I realise that it is not a command... But a plea.

"I don’t know what’s happening!" he yells further with fear breaking his usually authoritative voice.

"I can’t—stop—" He adds as his arm jerks violently.

Koda marches up to me and whispers.

"We can’t let any more of the boys get injured or killed. Order them to leave. Now." He growls, and just as I’m about to speak, Serion dashes for the boys.

I watch in disbelief as the soldiers scatter now— any remaining structure gone.

What was once a controlled training ground is now... chaos. The men and boys are stumbling over each other, shouting, trying to put distance between them and something they do not understand.

Ordering them to leave won’t be enough. We need to subdue him.

"Koda!" I call, already moving, and when I look behind me, I see Koda didn’t need a speech to understand.

We close the distance at the same time.

"Everyone leave!" I command, with my voice cutting through the panic hard enough to force obedience.

The boys don’t hesitate. They scatter in relief of finally being ordered to leave. Without my command, they couldn’t. Despite the danger...

Serion’s head snaps toward Koda and me, and for a split second... I see relief flood his face. But then, he looks down at the bloody sword in his hands, and he looks back up at me in horror.