The colony's training grounds lay shrouded in fragile morning silence, broken only by the faint hum of workers beginning their daily labor. A thin veil of mist curled low across the dirt paths.
A scream split the stillness.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Isla stood beneath a massive boulder suspended above her head, its rough surface trembling as her arms quivered under its weight. Tears streamed down her face, cutting clean lines through the dust on her cheeks.
"I can't do this!"
"You have no choice," Valeria replied, her voice calm.
Isla's expression twisted between fear and disbelief. "I… I think I'm going to die this time," she whispered, each word breaking apart.
The hours dragged on.
Sweat slid down Ari's face and dropped into the dirt below, disappearing without sound. His arms trembled uncontrollably, and his vision blurred every time he blinked.
When I was human…
His eyes narrowed slightly against the harsh morning light.
I would've collapsed on the first day. I was weak. Scrawny. Always last in gym class. Always failing physical tests.
His jaw tightened as he steadied his breathing.
But here… I'm stronger.
Lancelot stayed quiet. His body shook under the strain, but he didn't speak. His breathing was shallow, controlled.
"My arms…" Isla muttered hoarsely. "They don't even feel like mine anymore… I can't feel anything… when is this going to end?!"
Her desperate gaze shifted between Ari and Lancelot.
"How are you two so calm? Isn't it painful?"
Ari turned his head slightly toward her.
"Of course it hurts. But if this is what it takes… I have no choice but to overcome it and get stronger."
Isla opened her mouth as if to argue, but the words never came. Only a shaky breath escaped her instead.
Night eventually fell over the colony. Still, none of them lowered their boulders. The darkness brought no relief, only colder air and deeper exhaustion. Their muscles trembled without pause. Fingers cramped. Shoulders burned.
By the second day, Isla finally faltered.
Her boulder crashed into the dirt with a heavy, final thud, sending a burst of dust into the cold air. She collapsed immediately after, dropping to her knees as sobs tore through her small frame.
Valeria did not move. She simply looked down at her.
"Pick it up."
"I can't!"
"Pick it up."
Silence stretched between them. Isla's whole body shook. For a moment, she didn't move at all she just stared at the ground.
Then, slowly, she forced herself upright again. Her hands found the boulder. With trembling arms and fractured breath, she lifted it back into place.
Ari's expression remained blank, his focus turned inward. He remembered being shoved aside just for speaking to Keiko. The sting of humiliation when his body failed him during simple exercises. The laughter that followed every mistake.
The frustration of trying harder and still falling short, as if his body refused to listen no matter how much he demanded it. Valeria's gaze shifted briefly toward him.
He's entered a state of complete focus. His body has stopped resisting the weight. Not bad.
Another day passed. At last, Valeria's voice cut through the exhausted silence.
"You may drop the boulders."
Stone hit dirt across the training grounds in near unison. Ari collapsed face-down, eyes half-lidded as grit pressed against his cheek. He didn't move. Even breathing felt like a decision he no longer wanted to make.
Beside him, Isla lifted her head slightly, trembling.
"Water…" she whispered.
Lancelot slowly rolled one shoulder, testing the stiffness in his body as tension finally began to release.
The polished mandibles sheathed at Valeria's side caught the morning sun. Light flashed across the metal whenever she shifted even slightly.
"Now then..." Valeria said. "The final stage of your training."
"Captain... I need to rest, please," Isla said.
Her eyelids trembled. Her shoulders shook with each uneven breath. One hand pressed against her leg as she tried to keep herself upright.
"On the battlefield, the enemy won't wait for you to recover."
Valeria let out a quiet sigh. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking back at them.
"...Still, I'll indulge you this once."
Isla slowly lifted her head.
"Pass this test, and you can rest afterward." Valeria's hand moved toward the polished mandibles at her side. "The only thing left now... is mandible combat."
"Mandibles are your primary weapons," Valeria said. "If you can't wield them properly, you won't survive a real fight. You need to learn precision. Control. Timing."
Isla lowered her head with a tired groan.
"And since you're already at your weakest..." Valeria continued, "...this is the perfect time to begin."
"How's that supposed to help with our mandible training?" Lancelot asked.
"Because when you're pushed to your limit, you stop relying on brute force," Valeria said. "You learn to fight on instinct. You learn to keep a clear head when your body's about to give out."
Lancelot exhaled sharply through his nose. And slowly stood up to his feet.
"Alright... Let's just get this over with. What do we have to do?"
"That's simple." Valeria smirked slightly. "All of you will draw your mandibles and attack me at once."
Her hand rested against the polished weapon at her side.
"I'll be using mine too." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And if even one of you manages to land a clean hit on me... Training ends there."
Lancelot stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"You want us to attack you in our state?"
Even if we were fully rested, we still wouldn't stand a chance against her.
Ari took a slow step back. His eyes stayed fixed on Valeria's stance. Her posture barely changed, yet the grip around his mandibles tightened.
Isla's hands trembled as she unsheathed her mandibles. Her grip looked unsteady.
"I-I don't think I can do this..."
Before anyone else could speak, Lancelot rushed forward. His feet pushed hard against the ground as he charged straight at Valeria. He raised both mandibles overhead, then leapt, bringing them down in a heavy swing.
Valeria didn't flinch. Her eyes followed his movement from the moment he stepped in. With a quick flick of her wrist, she unsheathed one mandible and blocked the strike cleanly. Metal rang through the training ground the instant the blades collided.
The impact shot through Lancelot's arms. The force pushed him backward, his feet scraping against the ground before he managed to steady himself again.
Before Lancelot could react, Valeria was already in front of him. In a single motion, she slashed upward. Lancelot's eyes widened. He barely managed to raise his own mandibles in time.
Metal clashed sharply. The impact threw his balance off completely and sent him flying backward.
"Ahh!!"
His body crashed into a pile of small boulders. Pain shot through his shoulders the moment he hit the ground. He slid across the dirt with a groan, leaving a shallow trail behind him before finally coming to a stop.
Isla, standing a few paces away, froze in place. Valeria slowly turned toward her. A small squeak escaped Isla's throat.
"If you won't attack..." Valeria said calmly, "...then I will."
Isla's body trembled. Her mandibles felt heavy in her shaking hands. Her breathing turned uneven as she forced herself to move. Then, with a frightened cry, she swung.
Her eyes were squeezed shut.
Valeria let out a quiet sigh. With a small shift in her footing, she stepped aside effortlessly, the swing missing her completely. Isla's eyes opened slightly.
Too late.
Before she could even process what happened, Valeria spun midair and drove a sharp kick into her chest.
"Gaah!"
The impact slammed Isla into the ground. Pain rattled through her limbs as she rolled across the dirt. Loose stones and rough soil scraped against her exoskeleton.
Sweat ran down the side of Ari's face. His eyes stayed locked on Valeria as Isla struggled to recover in the dirt.
I've seen her strength before... but standing against her like this is completely different. She's fast... too fast. No... she's even stronger than she was back then.
Images flashed through his mind. Valeria holding off Aixen inside the chambers. Valeria clashing against General Ivan during the war. Ari slowly exhaled.
All I did was plan everything out... but she was the strength that carried us through that battle.
The muscles in his arms felt tense.
There's no way I'm beating her head-on. I have to think. I can't rely on strength and speed alone.
Ari adjusted his stance, lowering himself slightly, mandibles raised.
If I charge straight at her, I'll get knocked out before I can even land a hit.
"Don't disappoint me," Valeria said as she turned toward him.
Ari moved instantly. He darted forward in a zigzag pattern, kicking off the dirt with each step as he shifted left, then right. His body stayed low. His legs bent sharply to absorb the uneven terrain while loose dirt scattered beneath his feet.
Valeria's eyes followed every movement carefully.
"At least you're thinking."
Ari used the momentum from his movement to launch himself toward Valeria's head. Valeria immediately raised one of her mandibles. A sharp clang burst through the clearing the instant their weapons collided.
Without hesitation, she swung her left mandible toward him. At the very last moment, Ari twisted his body instead of trying to block.
The blade sliced through the air beside him. A gust rushed past his face as he spun away and rolled across the ground before landing lightly on his feet. He pushed forward again and slashed at Valeria.
For the first time, her eyes widened slightly. She dodged. The next instant, her mandible came swinging back toward him. Ari raised both weapons and blocked.
The impact forced him backward several steps. Dirt shifted beneath his feet, but he quickly steadied himself and lowered into a stance again. Valeria looked at him for a brief moment.
"...Not bad."
Ari lunged forward again with his mandibles raised. He dropped low, then twisted his body, putting all his strength into a downward slash.
Valeria met the attack instantly. Metal clashed violently. The force sent Ari stumbling backward as dirt scattered beneath his feet.
I can do this... I just need to keep pushing her back, Ari thought as he steadied himself.
Valeria lowered her mandibles slightly.
"What you showed just now wasn't bad," she said. "But it's nowhere near enough to take on someone at the Corporal rank."
Her eyes locked onto his.
"...Honestly, it's disappointing."
Ari's grip tightened.
"I'll show you the difference between you and me."
What does she mean? Ari thought, caught off guard by her sudden statement.
Then suddenly, she vanished from his sight. Ari's eyes widened. In the next instant, Valeria appeared beside him. Her mandibles swung toward him. Ari barely managed to block in time.
The impact rattled through his arms and forced him staggering backward.
She disappeared... how?
His breathing grew uneven.
Just like Captain Aixen.
Ari quickly stepped back, trying to create distance. Valeria closed it immediately. Her mandibles flashed through the air in a relentless flurry of slashes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound echoed across the training grounds as Ari struggled to keep up. She then spun and drove a roundhouse kick straight into his face. The impact slammed Ari into the ground. He rolled several times across the dirt before finally stopping.
"Damn..." Ari groaned.
Pain throbbed across his cheek. Blood dripped slowly from his nose onto the dirt below. His vision shook slightly as he forced himself back up.
Is the difference between us really this vast?
His breathing felt heavier now.
I can barely follow her movements... and I'm barely reacting in time.
Lancelot slowly opened his eyes. His vision blurred for a moment before he spotted Ari still standing across from Valeria.
Come on... legs, move...
He gritted his teeth and forced himself back onto his feet. Then he charged again, rushing in from Valeria's right side. Ari noticed immediately and moved in from the left at the same time.
A few steps behind them, Isla trembled as she tightened her grip on her mandibles.
"I...I can still fight," she muttered under her breath.
Despite the shaking in her legs, she pushed herself forward and swung from behind. Valeria met Lancelot's attack effortlessly. Their mandibles clashed sharply. At the same time, she shifted slightly to the side, letting Ari's swing pass harmlessly beside her.
Isla's strike came from behind. Valeria blocked it with a controlled push of her mandible. The impact sent Isla sliding across the dirt with a startled cry. Valeria immediately turned and parried another one of Lancelot's swings with a small twist of her wrist.
"Damn... she's tough." Lancelot adjusted his footing as he steadied his breathing. "How are you holding up, Ari?" he asked.
Ari kept his focus on Valeria.
"I've been worse," he replied.
Sweat dripped from his jaw onto the dirt below.
At this rate, we're definitely going to lose.
His grip tightened around his mandibles as Valeria calmly faced all three of them.
Even while holding back, every swing she throws out feels dangerous.
Ari glanced briefly at Isla and Lancelot before looking back at Valeria.
What am I supposed to do? Wait... that's it.
Ari's eyes shifted toward Lancelot. Lancelot looked back at him. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. Then they nodded.
Ari moved first. He dropped low and lunged straight toward Valeria's legs. Valeria's eyes immediately tracked downward. Her stance shifted slightly as she prepared to intercept him.
Then Ari suddenly pulled back. A small look of surprise crossed Valeria's face. At that exact moment, Lancelot descended from above. He brought both mandibles down in a heavy arc.
Valeria twisted sharply on her heel to avoid the strike. But as she turned, Ari was already moving. Through the corner of her vision, she caught him lunging in at the same time.
Valeria reacted instantly and slashed toward him. Ari managed to deflect the attack, but the impact knocked one of his mandibles from his hand. The weapon spun through the air and stabbed into the dirt nearby.
I'm not done yet...
Ari pushed forward anyway. He reached out and felt something. His body froze. His fingers pressed into something soft. Without thinking, he squeezed instinctively.
No way...
A cold shiver shot down his spine.
Is this...
Valeria's expression darkened immediately. Ari's face turned bright red.
"W-Wait, Captain, I didn't..."
Before he could finish, Valeria's fist slammed directly into his face. The impact launched him backward. His arms flailed wildly while his feet scraped through the dirt. Dust burst into the air the moment he crashed onto the ground.
Then silence.
Isla, still flat on her back, stared at Ari in disbelief. A faint blush spread across her face.
"...Did he just...?"
Lancelot froze mid-step. Slowly, he lowered his mandibles while staring at Ari lying in the dirt. For a moment, nobody spoke. Valeria exhaled slowly through her nose and rubbed the side of her temple. A faint tint of red lingered across her cheeks.
"...Training is over."
Ari twitched slightly on the ground. Dirt clung to parts of his exoskeleton, and pain throbbed through his arms from blocking Valeria's attacks over and over.
Nearby, Isla let out a long breath and rolled onto her side.
"Finally..." she murmured. "It's over."
Lancelot brushed dirt from his armor and let out a tired chuckle.
"That was... a really weird way to end this," he said.
Valeria turned away from them with her arms crossed tightly. Her posture looked stiffer than usual.
"Rest up," she said. "Three days. No excuses."
Isla groaned softly and pressed a hand against her chest.
"Three days? What's that supposed to mean?"
Lancelot shrugged.
"No idea." He glanced toward Ari. "But at least we survived."
Ari slowly rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky above him. Only one thought kept repeating in his head.
I can't believe I grabbed them...
His face slowly turned red again.
They were so soft...
His hands curled into fists beside him.
But... I did it.
A small grin spread across his face despite the pain.
I actually landed a hit.