Kiyokazu Lazar Pov –
I passed doors and stepped into a room. As I descended down the stairs, I looked around.
In the minute or two that I had been away, the mood of the people had shifted completely. Voices echoed through the room—some hushed, some louder—coming from my right, left, and all around.
"What happened here?"
Small groups were formed while I wasn't been here. There were many groups of two or three people that talked to each other simultaneously. The biggest one being not so far on the right with five of them talking.
It seems that people have already found their groups in which they want to be.
"Oh, right. They never said who should go after me there. Should I just send anyone?"
Somewhere in the middle of the left side of the room, as I thought. I noticed Kieran who was talking to the guy he had clashed with earlier. Although his arms were crossed, he wasn't looking at him with full hostility. It was more a mixture of good and bad views at the same time. Something like a rivalry look.
The man he was speaking to—self-confidence still radiated from him. It seems the effect their bodies had have vanished.
It's great that he found someone else to talk to, although I don't know if that one is a great idea for him.
I was somewhere in the middle of the room, when a guy with a black hair stood in front of me blocking my path.
He was looking around my age, I'd guess seventeen at max.
"Who's next?" he asked without an introduction, his voice carrying some serious tone within.
I briefly looked onto his body, from down to up, then at his purple-colored eyes where my look stayed for a few seconds.
"You." I replied fast, without thinking about anything.
Without saying anything else, he stepped right next to me straight-headed towards the door of the room.
I looked at him as he climbed the stairs and vanished between doors, leaving the room.
"He looks strong."
His purple-colored eyes stuck in my memory.
"His eyes. They are specific, just like Luiz's."
They look unsettling and impressive at the same time.
I turned around, continuing walking to my bed when…
I felt a touch on my right shoulder.
"!"
I turned around as quickly as I could.
The guy with a short dark blue haired color stood. He was my height, maybe a couple of centimeters shorter than me but I would never feel the difference.
"Hello, I don't want to disturb you," he said politely, placing his hand by his side.
"Hello?"
"I would like to meet you." He said raising his arm towards me, his palm open.
"I am Link Morello."
I looked at his hand, then at his face.
"I don't see any danger coming from him."
I took it. Then our hands shook.
"I am Lazar Kiyokazu, nice to meet you Link." I replied politely as well, not wanting to create another scene like with brown-haired guy earlier.
While holding his hand, he pulled me towards him, and then put one arm around my left shoulder.
"Come with me" he said, slowly stepping towards some bed, few people being around it.
It was the biggest group in the room.
"Guys." He said, grabbing their attention. While pointing with his hand to my body.
"This is Lazar Kiyokazu. Meet him."
They all looked at me, some carried serious faces, while some didn't make any faces. But they were careful about me, I could feel that.
They were examining me, from up and down.
Link lowered his hand from my shoulder and stepped aside. Letting them come near to me.
They swirled around me, it felt like I was surrounded by a group of delinquents. One of them came closer, clearly being taller than others.
A strong sense of unease was slowly building within me as he approached.
"Have I gotten myself into another problem?"
I swallowed. At the same time, I slowly clenched my fist, bracing myself for something that might happens.
Once he was one step away from me, he leaned closer and tapped my back two times. Then raised his hand for a handshake.
"I am Sass." He said. Hard smile forming on his face.
His forearms were huge—almost twice the size of mine.
I took his hand. Not wanting to be rude.
"…"
Grip…
"Ughh…"
His grip strength was way stronger than Link's. It forced me to make a face.
"Y-yeah, n-ice to meet you Sass. I am Lazar Kiyokazu."
He glanced down.
"Did I squeezed your hand too hard? I'm sorry." He apologized looking at our hands still being in a handshake.
As he said it, he let go of my hand, allowing me to shake hands with the others.
Immediately after he let go, I shook hands with another person on my right, not wasting a second. Then with a third, until there was no one left to shake hands with.
"Lazar has just finished the interview, he'll tell us how it went," Link said out of nowhere, yet again coming closer and hugging me with one of his arm.
I looked at him sideways.
"I never agreed that I will do it."
"Really?" Sass said lifting his arm towards me again.
"…"
I looked at his arm, remembering his grip strength from earlier.
Luckily for me, another one stepped in front of him, blocking his hand.
"Was it hard?"
"Were they strict?"
"Did they asked you to do something?"
"How long did it last?"
"…"
All of them started bombarding me with questions the moment Link said that I just came from the interview. I didn't know whose question to answer first since they just kept asking more and more questions.
"Be quiet all of you." Link said. "Look at Lazar he cannot answer twenty questions all at once. Go one by one"
As Link said that, they went quiet.
"I guess he is the leader of this group."
"Fine, I will tell you what I could."
"Can I go first then?" the second in line from left to right asked.
I nodded.
"Were they strict?"
"They looked very serious, but they didn't make any strict demands."
"Did they asked you to do something?" other added. "Like something physical or something like that?"
"No."
"You see that it isn't as bad as other's describe it." one of them said, taking their attention.
"But he said-"
They started arguing within each other. It started with talk that grew louder, but soon they started to grab each other. I took two steps behind, stepping away from the conflicts.
"Bla-bla-bla,"
"But he said-"
I turned around and started walking towards my bed.
"What a weird group this is…"
"Hey Lazar." Link called from behind.
I looked at him. He was the only one who wasn't keeping the others company.
"Let's get through these two months together and move forward, shall we?"
I nodded, continuing towards my bed.
When I got to my bed. Luiz was, as I expected laying there. His hands were behind his head, resting on my pillow. His eyes were closed, but I had a feeling that he wasn't sleeping, just resting.
"It looks like you've already gotten used to my bed. As if it's were your own." I said.
"Oh, you're back." He replied, opening his left eye.
"Yeah, the look is good from here, I can see everything that I want."
He rose up in a sitting position.
"How was it out there?"
"Good, I guess? It went smoothly."
"Did the one with pen wrote something in the clipboard?"
"No, he didn't write anything."
"Strange." He placed his palm on his chin. "He started writing for me as soon as I entered that room."
Well, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you've come back.
I didn't answer, instead I sat on bed nearby.
"You came back way quicker than I expected."
"It didn't took that long, they asked three questions, I answered and left."
"I see"
"What happened to the people though? Why are they so talkative now?"
"I don't know. Maybe they are bored or something."
As he said that, I looked towards the middle of the room. The person with purple eyes that I just sent to interview came back. His fists tightened.
He came into the room and went to his bed immediately, locking his gaze at the ground as he walked. He looked a bit strange, maybe nervous. As if something happened to him while he was out there.
Suddenly he got up from his bed and went towards the other side of the room. To where Link and his group were.
I couldn't hear what he said from this distance but he moved his hands while doing so, and Link left the room soon after they finished talking.
I am sure that he told him that he was next for interview.
"Did something catch your eye?" Luiz asked.
"Yeah, I'm looking at that group over there." I answered still looking at Link's group.
"Oh" He made a sound, bringing his look as well "Those guys?"
"You know them?"
"No. But I've sized them up by now, they don't seem like that big of a threat. A small fry."
"Huh?"
"They all stick together in those small groups as if that's going to protect them." He said with a sharp voice, almost nervous.
"Is it that I am hearing hatred in your voice Luiz?"
"They were among the first to look at me in that way... I'm just returning the favor back."
He went back to the lying position as he finished that, He lay there for a few moments before opening his eyes, His expression was unreadable, but it gave me not so good vibes.
"I will go back to my bed now Lazar." he said getting up from the bed
"Okay"
"See you later."
I nodded.
With that, our conversation ended, and he went to his bed.
I lay onto my bed yet again, this time I had the whole bed to myself. I didn't had to worry about the space.
It's almost funny how much time he's spent with me even though it's the first time we've met.
Well, it's not like that I mind that at all. I'm actually glad to have someone with me right now in this moment after what happened....
I can't stop him either even if it bothered me.
"His face…" I thought about it.
"I should be very careful with him."
"I shouldn't be this relaxed around him. After all I don't know him."
"Luiz Takami..." I put a hand over my mouth.
"It seems that you will be the first friend I've made in a long time…"
As time went by, there was less and less of us who were left for the interview. It seems that they sped the procedure since people came in and out very fast. I used that time to glance at other people that were in this room. Taking a better picture of them.
They all looked the same age as me. Maybe one or two years older or younger.
Among the crowd, many people stood out from the rest clearly. Some of them did it on purpose, while some didn't even tried to. Like Luiz. But none of them showed any signs of weaknesses that I could find just by looking at them. They all looked strong in their own way. Even those with more "soften" look managed to give a strong aura that shouldn't be judged.
That thought alone led me to wonder something: how do they see me?
I mean, none of them looked at me, even when our gazes meet they would just ignore it. As if it doesn't matter.
The only time they even bothered to spare a glance at me was when Kieran or Luiz was nearby, and even then, they were the ones everyone looked at most, not me. Did I make such a bad first impression that I've become insignificant to them?
It's not like that I want them to stare at me either, with or without concern. Like how they do at Luiz.
After that "incident" that I had with brown-haired guy, everyone could see what I could offer.
Who knows what could've happen if Luiz didn't stepped in, those two haven't come once since they left.
Would they bother themselves to save me from him? Or would they just let him do as he wished?
I sighed.
Well, there is no point in thinking about that. Luiz alone answered all of those questions.
I'm more wondering whether others see me merely as a pawn of Luiz's or Kieran's — or something of that sort. After all, I—who am not as strong as them—somehow ended up being in a group with two people who have attracted by far the most attention in the room. And who continue to attract it.
But that option slowly faded away, anyone who would gave it a proper thought wouldn't look at me just as Luiz's pawn, not after all the time he's spent with me here. They could see us talking to each other.
I could pretend that he asked me for something in return. But is that a good decision to make?
I could destroy our already "built" friendship with that sentence if he takes it the wrong way—which would be really bad for me if it happens.
It wouldn't be good for me to create even more negative surroundings around me. It's not like there's enough of it already.
I side-eyed at brown-haired for a sec. Then back.
"Friends huh?"
Flashback –
"Huh? Friendships? Why are you asking me that now?"
"I want to know dad."
"Ehhh."
"It's hard to explain it son."
"How so?"
"Well, the concept of friendship is a bit complex. And it's something I don't know how to explain very well. Besides, I'm not the right person to ask such question."
"Why?"
"Because it's unexplainable. If we lived in some bigger village that had a lot of young people your age and a school you wouldn't ask me this question."
"But, Lazar, what I can tell you with certainty is that you should never take them lightly."
"Mom answered differently dad"
"What? You asked her this too?"
"Yes"
"And? What did she said?"
"Mom said that I should care deeply for my friends. To never betray them, to value them, to help them when they are in troubles. And in general to always be there for them."
"Ahahaha"
"That sounds just like something that Maya would said."
"She ended up giving me a whole lecture about it."
"Well. If she already talked to you about it. It would be better for you to take her advices, but remember to never take them lightly, those are some of the things you can't take lightly."
"I understand father, but can I know why I should not take them lightly?"
"You will understand it when you get older. My smart little pea."
Present –
Doom!
A loud thump sounded in the room, throwing me completely off my rhythm.
The giant doors swung back and forth from the force of the impact, and a loud commanding voice was heard.
"EVERYONE GET UP!"
I got up from my bed instantly looking around the room where the voice came from.
In the middle of the room a man stood. The one with the beard - Darius, who previously spoke to us. I looked directly at him, not taking my eyes off him for even a single second.
He was massive, an absolute unit of a man. He was easily over 190cm in height.
His muscles were extremely developed and defined. His body is so developed and built that no matter where I looked I could see his muscles. He wore the same clothes as everyone here, black-colored t-shirt which was tight to his body and a pair of white pants.
At the end of his right sleeve some strip of green color was there, with something being on there which I could not see.
"WATCH HERE AND WARM UP WELL!" His voice commanded.
He started with stretching his legs first. Then arms, starting a warm up which everyone did with him, including me.
"KEEP DOING THIS UNTIL I SAY IT'S OVER!" He shouted, straightening up in the process.
I swallowed.
"WOOAHHH!"
A grip like iron closed on my shoulder and I was in the air before I even understood what was happening.
I hit the floor with my head. Before I'd made it back to my hands and knees, something slammed into my back and pressed me flat. Three more impacts followed in quick succession before they stopped.
"Auggh—"
"What happened?" I heard a Luiz's voice, somewhere close.
"GET OFF ME, YOU WORMS!" another familiar voice cut in, after who I felt a hits onto my left leg that pushed me.
We all got up from the ground, around me there were all familiar faces: Luiz, Kieran, The guy who talked with Kieran, and brown-haired one.
Ahead of us Darius stood, with his arms crossed. His body became even larger than it looked from afar.
"He's like a troll…"
I felt uncomfortable when he looked at me with those eyes.
"STRAIGHTEN UP!"
We immediately stood up and stood next to each other. Forming a line.
"Since you five brats have decided that attacking each other is a good way to use your time" his voice dropped slightly, which somehow made it even more unsettling, not less.
„let me show you what happens when that choice is made."
Beside me, Kieran raised his right arm partway.
"But sir we were just-"
"SILENCE. I AM SPEAKING!"
He lowered his arm immediately.
"…"
"Any act of hostility within this building will be severely punished."
He looked at each other of us in turn.
"A soldier who lifts a hand on other ally soldier is nothing but a Mere. Pitiful. Traitor. One soldier is enough to change the entire course of a battle, if one does it there is always a chance that others might do it as well."
"And traitors are sentenced to death. A judgement isn't needed for that"
DUM. DUM. DUM.
My heart beat faster with every second of his speech.
"What is about to happen to us!?"
"Now, I have a question for all of you. DO YOU WANT TO BECOME TRAITORS OR SOLDIERS?"
DUM. DUM. DUM.
"S-soldier, sir!" I managed to say it somehow. But weakly.
His eyes landed onto me.
"I can't hear you. Say it again"
"I-"
"I want to become a soldier as well!" Luiz interfered loud and clear.
"Me too sir!" Kieran added.
"I wouldn't really want to be called a traitor" the spiked-haired one said.
"Hah, I don't want to die over something stupid like that." said the brown-haired man, his voice being considerably gentler than when he spoke with us.
"What about the rest of you?" He glanced at the other people in the room.
"Do you plan to follow the path of a soldier as them?
"Of course that we will!" Link and his group shouted. Stepping closer.
"Count me in!" another one said from the other side of room.
"Yeah!"
The room filled with confidence of the voices of people.
"SILENCE!"
"All right, soldiers. Very well then—from this moment on, you have earned my respect. Make sure you don't lose it. My name is Darius Virvit and from now on I am in charge of you all. I have high expectations of each and every one of you and I hope that you will not disappoint me."
"Now that you've decided what you want, it's time to serve your punishment."
"EVERYONE ON THE GROUND, NOW! THIRTY SIT-UPS!"
"YOU FIVE WILL DO FIFTY"
"AFTER SIT-UPS YOU WILL HAVE THIRTY SECONDS PAUSE, AFTER PAUSE EVERYONE WILL DO FIFTEEN PUSH-UPS."
He turned towards us.
"OF COURSE YOU WILL DO TWICE AS THEM. YOU WILL DO THIRTY."
"NO COMPLAINTS."
"ON THE GROUND. START!"