[POV Samo]
Today is a day off. Thank the gods—because last night was something else. Too bad the girl at the reception was wrong. My so-called "teammates" were already back in their dorms.
Bastards.
The training field is empty—makes sense, the sun hasn't even peeked over the horizon yet. And here I am, swinging Fäste like a madman. I couldn't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see the girl's face.
"Fuuu..." I exhaled, trying to clear my mind. I slammed the blade down with all my strength. Sweat already drenched my shirt from the relentless repetition.
As the sun crept higher, the others started showing up. Within the hour, the air was thick with the clash of steel, barking orders, and kicked-up dust.
That's when I saw Oliver approaching, slipping on his reinforced gauntlets with a relaxed grin on his face.
"Morning, Samo! What's the word?" he greeted, cheerful as ever.
"The word?" I scoffed. "What kind of teammates ditch half their squad without notice?" I kept swinging my blade, not even looking at him.
His smile vanished. Confusion took its place.
"What? But Merino said he told you guys the patrol was over." He scratched his chin, genuinely puzzled.
"Bullshit. We spent hours looking for you, just to find out you were all tucked in, sleeping like babies."
"My bad," he said, stretching. "How about we spar to ease the tension?"
That got my attention. I grinned.
"Alright then."
I wrapped Fäste in a white cloth—my other wrap was still with the girl—and cracked my fingers and neck. Then we began.
Minutes later...
"Victory!" I declared. Oliver lay flat on his back, arms outstretched, breathless and covered in dirt.
"You bastard," he gasped. "Where the hell does that strength come from?"
I laughed, unbothered.
Suddenly, something caught my eye—a small crowd gathered in the distance, as if watching a play. Curiosity piqued, I moved closer.
What I saw made my stomach turn.
Merino, supposedly training with another cadet, was beating the guy senseless. The poor bastard was unconscious, limp on the ground. It wasn't training—it was a beating. Blood covered Merino's knuckles, but it wasn't his own. A streak of crimson dripped from his forehead.
"How... dare... you scratch me," he growled between punches.
I was stunned. "Why the hell isn't anyone stopping this?"
I pushed through the spectators, ignoring their protests. This had to stop.
He didn't even see me coming. Without hesitation, I kicked Merino hard—sending him flying a few meters.
"Who—? You bastard!" he snarled, rising just as I grabbed his collar.
"Have you lost your damn mind, Merino?! You were about to kill that guy—"
He cut me off with a brutal headbutt. My nose cracked, and blood poured down my lips.
"Shit..." I murmured, hand on my face, eyes stinging from the impact. But then—something changed.
A red Aura surged from his body. The crowd gasped. He had awakened.
"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" he growled, walking toward me. "Now I'll kill you instead."
He feinted toward me—I didn't react in time.
Just before his fist landed, a voice boomed through the crowd:
"What's going on here?!"
Saved by the bell.
It was Instructor Grant.
He surveyed the scene. One cadet unconscious. My nose gushing blood. Merino radiating Aura.
"He interrupted my training, sir," Merino spat, pointing at me. "He attacked me while I was sparring."
Grant's eyes remained calm—too calm. Like he already knew what really happened.
"You were going to kill him, you lunatic," I snapped. "That wasn't training. It was torture."
A long silence.
"What's rule number 19, Samo?" Grant asked.
I blinked. "Wh—what?"
"I'll ask only once more. Rule 19, cadet."
My heart pounded. Time slowed.
"...Do not interrupt your partner's training, Instructor."
"That's right," he said. "As long as he breathes—it's training. And you're in the wrong."
Whispers. Stifled laughter. Quiet as knives behind my back.
Thoughts flooded my mind.
"Did I do the right thing?"
"Is this the knight's life I always wanted?"
"Maybe I should've let him do whatever he wanted."
"Come to my office, Samo." Grant turned and walked off, his steps heavy, final.
I obeyed. Grabbed Fäste and, beneath stares and muttered ridicule, climbed to the third floor. Grant was seated behind his desk, the sunlight casting his silhouette in divine judgment.
"Sit down, boy," he ordered.
I did. He sighed before speaking.
"I understand your outrage, Samo."
My eyes rose to meet his.
"Do you really, sir?" I asked, serious.
"You tried to do the right thing. Don't get me wrong—your instinct was good. But the rules are clear."
"This rule holds until someone dies, Instructor. And after death, there's no coming back. I don't regret what I did. I'll take whatever punishment you see fit—but put me on a new team. If you don't, one of us will end up killing the other."
The light outside seemed to dim unnaturally, as if the sun itself was retreating.
Grant stared at me, taken aback.
"You've been warned. You're suspended from leave for a month. You'll work in the kitchen. Dismissed."
"With your permission," I said and walked out.
That day, I didn't leave my quarters. Not even for meals. When I finally fell asleep—
"So, you've returned, Samo,"
The Hydra's voice echoed as I found myself once more in that dark, cold world.
"Can you hear me?"
The voice was strange—an exact copy of mine, like hearing my thoughts aloud.
The beast stood before me, lounging calmly. The side heads slept. Only the central one spoke.
"Yes... I hear you," I said. Her eyes widened in shock.
"At last. Since our birth, this is the first time we meet face to face."
She rose. The side heads stirred, whispering in a tongue I didn't recognize.
"Where am I?" I asked, voice calm, wrapped in a deep sense of peace.
"This is our home. A world of darkness."
Her voice was heavy—like it carried centuries.
"I don't understand..."
It truly was strange—a void where I floated freely. Yet the Hydra walked upon something solid.
"Iriy, it's called. A place forged by the human soul, ruled by the beast within. Inside you..."
She stepped closer, the central head mere inches from mine. I felt her hot breath cover me. Her golden eyes bore into mine.
"This is our home."
And then she vanished. Everything faded. Only the darkness remained—thick and silent. I allowed myself to drift within it, at peace.
"I see now," I whispered. "This is where I belong. This is our home."
And in that moment—that was all I ever wanted.
A place of my own.
Quiet.
Free.
And without even noticing,
I had awakened.