Everyone returned to the lodges. The sprawling courtyard had transformed into a sea of recruits loudly comparing assignments. Operation crests flashed everywhere in the evening light.
There were gold fortresses for those bound for Citadel, and silver shields for the defenders remaining with Aegis.
It was pretty funny how the Barracks authorities claimed there was no hierarchy between both assignments yet they made one crest from a more valuable stone than the other.
Some Awakeners wore their assignments proudly on their jackets before they had even reached their rooms, while others stood in quiet circles, turning the metal pins over in their palms as if a second glance might magically change the military's decision.
Tavrik walked confidently beside Lancet, having already pinned his silver Aegis crest dangerously close to his shoulder.
