Honor of Kings-Chapter 12: Its Way of Performance

"Sir...?" Dunn stepped forward to alert Corporal Levitt, but the corporal raised a hand, signaling him to stop. With the students present, it was best to keep any news—good or bad—hidden from them. However, the tone in Dunn's voice suggested trouble.

The students were currently engaged in a grueling 500-meter race, running six laps, and they were only on the first one, panting heavily and pushing themselves to keep going.

Levitt urged them to continue, calling over two more soldiers to supervise. "Make sure they don't stop until they've completed all six laps," he instructed. "And as soon as they finish, they'll start another round—no rest."

This was nothing short of a merciless challenge set before them.

With a sense of urgency, the Corporal followed Dunn back into the tent. Katie, noticing the tense atmosphere following Dunn's sudden approach, sensed something was amiss.

***

"So they're dead?" Levitt remarked coolly, glancing at the lifeless bodies of the five students. He noticed a blue mark on their wrists, and their skin had turned an ashen hue.

Ms. Airi seized him by the collar, her anger palpable as she yelled and screamed, as if she were mourning her own children. He let out a deep sigh, gathering his composure before grasping her wrist and gently pushing her away. Straightening his military uniform, he resumed his stance.

"Call Dr. Westwood here now," commanded Levitt. Donald nodded immediately and rushed out of the tent toward the main one.

A few moments later, he returned with Dr. Westwood, the scientist responsible for the serum, who possessed a wealth of expertise on the subject.

Dr. Westwood approached the bodies after the Corporal gestured toward them with a calm demeanor. He knelt down, scrutinizing the students with a discerning eye. After a thorough examination, a smirk emerged on his face.

"They are Half dead. They will be back to life soon." he declared, indicating that the serum had indeed taken effect.

The serum operated through a remarkable process. Once injected, it initiated a fusion of red blood cells and white blood cells, effectively creating a new class of extraordinary cells. This transformation laid the groundwork for surpassing human limits. However, this process came with significant consequences; during the reconstruction phase, the individual could not remain alive in the conventional sense. Their bodies underwent a radical metamorphosis, resulting in a state that could only be described as 'half dead.'

Yet, crucially, this serum did bring them back to life after the restructuring was complete. After a few days—or sometimes even longer, depending on the individual's physiology—they might awaken with newfound strengths. The duration of this transformation varied considerably, influenced by each person's unique biological makeup. The potential for enhanced strength, speed, abilities, metabodies, and resilience was immense, representing a new frontier of human evolution.

Dunn, Donald, and the teachers were unaware of this, as were even the doctors who had administered the serum, creating an atmosphere thick with tension previously.

Only Corporal Levitt and Dr. Westwood, present at that moment, understood the true nature of the process.

"Do you understand now?" Levitt asked Ms. Airi, his tone laced with annoyance.

The mood in the tent shifted gradually from tension to confusion. Corporal Levitt quickly took command, striving to restore order to the chaotic situation.

"Dr. Westwood," he instructed, "monitor the five students closely and provide updates on their condition. Dunn and the teachers, it's imperative that this information remains confidential from the students if we wish to avoid inciting another wave of tension—have I counted correctly? Four times today?"

Dunn lowered his head momentarily, then took a deep breath. "I'll lead the doctors and teachers to the administration premises, Sir."

Levitt nodded, and Dunn promptly gestured for the group to follow. Ms. Airi chose to remain with the students, and the Corporal allowed her to do so while the others quietly filed out of the tent behind Dunn.

Once they departed, Corporal Levitt turned to Donald. "Prepare eight students for tomorrow."

Ms. Airi shot him a bewildered glance, struggling to comprehend how he could maintain such an indifferent demeanor while planning to add more students to the already affected list. It was still uncertain whether the serum would indeed successfully restructure them and restore their vitality.

Ignoring her gaze, Levitt continued, "Also, redirect the soldiers currently overseeing the students back to their assigned positions. I want Senior Private Arundel in charge of their training. They are not to take a break until nightfall."

Was he attempting to kill them? What kind of grueling regimen was he enforcing?

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Donald hesitated, then quietly voiced a concern.

"Sir, don't you think it's premature for the students to receive the serums? They require more physical conditioning; these students nearly perished."

Levitt replied coolly, "But they didn't, did they? This indicates they possess a robust constitution. Ensure the others are even fitter than they are; if possible, one might even endure the effects of dying."

Donald, accustomed to his superior's cold demeanor, remained stoic and set about fulfilling the orders given.

Moments later, the camp buzzed with activity as everyone diligently attended to their tasks. The students were already on their fifth lap, and Ms. Arundel had begun devising the next set of exercises to follow upon completion.

***

The sun, a molten coin, sank into the inky ocean of the west, relinquishing its fiery grip on the day. Crimson hues bled across the clouds, painting the sky in breathtaking strokes of orange that faded into a bruised purple, deepening with each passing moment. Long shadows, once sharp and defined, softened and stretched, becoming ethereal dancers across the landscape. The air grew cooler, a gentle sigh whispering through the tall grasses and trees.

Fireflies emerged, tiny sparks of living light performing their nightly ballet, blinking on and off in the gathering gloom. The distant hoot of an owl punctuated the silence, a solitary yet comforting sound. Stars, initially hesitant pinpricks, began to shine one by one until the heavens blazed with a celestial tapestry of diamonds scattered across velvet.

The moon, a luminous pearl rising majestically in the east, cast a silvery glow upon the world, transforming the familiar into something magical and mysterious. Yet, alongside the moon, a pitch-black sun also rose in the night sky, a phenomenon that had persisted for the past decade. Though it was no longer shocking, it remained an intriguing sight, an oddity that added to the strangeness of the evening.

The sounds of the night shifted as well—the chirping of crickets replaced the earlier birdsong, creating a rhythmic chorus that accompanied the rustling leaves in the night breeze. The air, thick with the scent of honeysuckle and petrichor, felt cool and refreshing against the skin. In the quiet hush of the approaching night, a profound sense of peace settled over everything, a palpable stillness broken only by the gentle, ever-present hum of the earth itself.

The students, exhausted from their grueling ordeal throughout the day, began to falter, their bodies succumbing to fatigue. One by one, they collapsed to the ground, weak and unable to respond, their bodies rejecting every command to move. Their clothes were drenched in sweat.

Over thirty students had succumbed, tongues lolling out, their eyes darkened beneath the weight of fatigue, yet a check confirmed they were still alive. Sky and Finnian were among those who had fainted, the rotund boy and his friend having lost consciousness nearly nine hours prior.

All of them remained sprawled on the sandy field.

Katie, who had fainted twice, was currently conscious but visibly drained.

Arundel, noticing their plight, offered them permission to return to their rooms for the night's rest.

"You're dismissed," she said, her voice firm yet gentle. However, the students remained motionless, too exhausted to respond or move.

Seeing them unable to budge, she shook her head and turned back toward the main tent, leaving them behind in the dimming light.