Steel Shadows

From that day onward, the four boys changed.

They obeyed every order Karn gave without question.

Maybe it was fear.

Maybe it was respect.

Maybe it was something deeper — the realization that Karn wasn't just training their bodies... he was breaking and remaking their very souls.

But even Karn, for all his cruelty, wasn’t a monster.

He gave them two days.

Two days to rest.

Two days to let their wounds heal, both seen and unseen.

Two days to silently sit with the things they had faced in the maze — the fear, the helplessness, the overwhelming chaos.

The two days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the third day, Karn summoned them to the main training hall.

The vast steel room was colder than they remembered, the faint scent of sweat and blood still lingering in the air.

Standing beside Karn was Commander Arjun, his arms folded, his face as unreadable as stone.

Karn’s eyes swept over the four boys.

He immediately noticed it: they weren’t the same.

Their bodies stood straighter, their faces were more guarded, and more importantly — their eyes...

Their eyes constantly flickered toward each other, reading thoughts, anticipating moves.

Good, Karn thought. They are beginning to understand what it means to survive.

Commander Arjun took a step forward, his boots echoing across the silent hall.

He spoke with authority but also with a faint smile on his lips.

"You all have successfully completed the first phase of your training," Arjun said. "And now... the second phase begins."

Before he could continue, Delta — the youngest, still brimming with a spark of innocence despite everything — raised his hand slightly and asked:

"Wait, sir... you said second phase. How many phases are there to make us strong?"

There was a slight pause.

Karn turned his head slowly, his sharp gaze locking directly onto Delta.

For a moment, it felt like time froze.

"You want to become strong?" Karn asked quietly, almost too quiet to hear.

Delta swallowed but stood firm. "Yes, I do."

Karn stepped closer, stopping only inches away from Delta.

His voice was low, almost a whisper, but each word was a blade cutting deep.

"Before you become strong," Karn said, "you need to become a good person first. A person who knows how to show some manners when speaking to their elders."

There was a beat of silence.

Gamma, standing nearby, couldn’t help himself. He muttered under his breath — so soft it was almost inaudible:

"Look who's talking about manners..."

Karn's ears caught it, but he said nothing.

Only a faint smirk played at the corner of his mouth.

Commander Arjun chuckled, breaking the tension.

He stepped forward and said, "Well, it seems Karn has appointed me as your next opponent."

Alpha, always the sharp one, narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Karn finally spoke, voice steady, cold, and final.

"I will be teaching you five martial arts — the ones that suit your personalities, your strengths, and your weaknesses.

Every day, from sunrise to nightfall, you will practice with Commander Arjun.

No food breaks. No water breaks. No mercy."

There was a stunned silence.

Gamma, eyebrows knitting together, asked cautiously, "...But?"

Karn let a rare, almost wicked smile cross his lips.

"But," he said slowly, savoring the moment, "our dear hungry commander here will need a short break now and then to catch his breath.

During those times... you will train against each other."

The four boys exchanged quick glances, the unspoken question flashing between them:

How bad is this going to be?

"And one more thing," Karn added, his voice turning even more serious.

"Before the physical training begins each day... you will undergo psychological training at dawn. Mental exercises. Fear drills. Breaking limits.

I will tear down your minds... and rebuild them from the ground up."

Alpha nodded with fierce determination.

"Understood, Master.

But... you said you would teach us five martial arts. Which ones?"

Karn walked a slow, deliberate circle around them as he spoke.

"First, Krav Maga, from Israel — the art of survival. Brutal, efficient, no rules."

"Second, Judo, from Japan — to master balance, throws, and control."

"Third, Boxing — to sharpen your fists and footwork to a razor's edge."

"Fourth, Karate — to teach you discipline and devastating strikes."

"And fifth, Taekwondo, from Korea — for speed, agility, and explosive kicking power."

He stopped in front of them, his arms folded behind his back.

"You will master these.

Only when each of you can defeat Commander Arjun separately — and I mean truly defeat him — you will be deemed ready to pass the second phase."

Their faces were a mix of shock and excitement.

Commander Arjun just smiled darkly, already imagining how much they were going to suffer.

"And how many phases are there total?" Beta asked cautiously.

Karn's expression hardened immediately.

"There are three phases," he said.

"You don't need to know about the third one... not yet."

There was something heavy in his tone.

Something that told them — if the first two were hell...

then the third would be something beyond anything they could imagine.

Without another word, Karn turned and walked away, his voice echoing behind him:

"Training begins tomorrow.

Rest while you still can."

The steel doors slammed shut behind him, leaving the four boys standing there — hearts pounding, minds racing.

A new war was about to begin.

And Karn would be watching every step of it.

The Next Morning

The loud, blaring sound of a siren ripped through the barracks at 4:00 AM sharp.

Delta jolted awake, heart hammering against his ribs.

Gamma cursed under his breath.

Alpha and Beta were already on their feet, pulling on their uniforms in practiced, mechanical motions.

Before they could even fully get ready, Karn’s voice echoed from the overhead speakers — cold, merciless.

"Main psychological hall. Five minutes.

Or don’t bother showing your faces again."

No one wasted a second.

They sprinted through the dimly lit hallways, their boots slamming against the cold concrete floors.

When they reached the psychological hall, a strange sight awaited them.

The hall was massive but empty, except for Karn standing alone in the center — holding nothing but a simple stopwatch.

The walls were covered with mirrors, reflections bouncing endlessly.

Karn didn’t speak for a long moment.

He simply let them stand there, sweating under his gaze.

Then he said, "Today's first lesson... Fear."

He pointed toward the far end of the room, where four small, enclosed boxes stood.

Steel cages. Just big enough for a person to crouch inside.

"You will each be locked in," Karn said, casually spinning the stopwatch around his fingers.

"No light. No sound. No company.

Only you... and your mind."

Delta hesitated, a flicker of panic crossing his face.

Karn saw it immediately.

"You want to survive the world outside?" Karn asked softly.

"First survive the world inside your own head."

One by one, they stepped toward the cages.

As the doors slammed shut behind them with heavy metallic thuds, Karn clicked the stopwatch.

And smiled.

The real training had finally begun.

Inside the cages, time lost all meaning.

The moment the steel doors slammed shut, the world outside ceased to exist.

No light.

No sound.

No movement.

Only the cold, suffocating embrace of darkness.

At first, they all tried to stay calm.

Alpha closed his eyes, breathing deeply, recalling Karn’s advice from their earliest lessons — "Control your breathing. Control your fear."

But minutes crawled by like hours, and soon even Alpha’s iron will began to waver.

The darkness wasn't just around him.

It felt like it was inside him, clawing at his mind.

Memories he had buried long ago — failures, humiliations, moments of weakness — resurfaced, battering him from within.

You are not good enough.

You will never be strong enough.

Alpha gritted his teeth, pressing his forehead against the cold steel.

No, he told himself.

I am not that boy anymore. Karn is making me something greater.

Beta, meanwhile, was losing his battle faster.

He hated small spaces.

Always had.

Trapped inside the cage, his breath quickened.

His heart thudded against his ribs like a drum.

The air felt thinner with every passing second.

Sweat trickled down his face despite the freezing temperature.

He slammed a fist weakly against the cage wall, but the dull sound it made only deepened his sense of isolation.

Talk to yourself. Stay awake. Stay sharp.

He remembered Karn saying that once.

But it was hard.

So hard.

Beta squeezed his eyes shut, whispering to himself.

"I am Beta.

I am not afraid.

I am not afraid."

But the darkness laughed back at him, silent and cruel.

Gamma faced a different enemy.

Boredom.

Or at least, that’s what he told himself at first.

Gamma had always been the most rebellious — the most restless.

Sitting still was like slow death.

At first, he tried to imagine songs in his head, jokes, anything to pass the time.

But the silence swallowed even his thoughts.

He began to hear things —

Faint whispers.

Imaginary footsteps outside the cage.

The sound of someone breathing right behind him.

He knew it wasn’t real.

And yet, a part of him turned, straining to see something — anything — in the blackness.

His mind began to race.

What if Karn forgot us?

What if he locked us here forever?

The thought bloomed like poison ivy, spreading fast, wrapping around his heart.

His hands trembled.

And then there was Delta.

The youngest.

The most fragile.

At first, Delta tried to be brave.

He curled up in the corner of the cage, knees hugged tight against his chest, breathing softly.

But as minutes dragged into hours, terror gnawed at the edges of his mind.

He saw things — horrible, twisted visions — flashing behind his closed eyelids.

He heard voices whispering his name, calling him back to memories he didn’t want to remember.

Memories of being weak.

Of being powerless.

Of people laughing, mocking.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he furiously blinked them away.

No crying, he told himself.

Karn is watching.

Somewhere deep inside, a spark of defiance flickered to life.

If I cry, he wins.

If I break, they win.

And so Delta stayed curled up, trembling, battling demons no one else could see.

Outside the cages, Karn stood silently.

He didn't check the time. He didn’t pace. He didn’t speak.

He just watched.

Commander Arjun eventually approached, his arms folded.

"You're cruel," Arjun said quietly.

Karn didn’t look away from the cages.

"They must learn that the real enemy isn't outside those walls," he said.

"It's inside them."

Arjun nodded, his face grim.

He understood.

Still, even he felt a knot tighten in his gut watching the silent suffering.

Hours passed.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

The air in the psychological hall grew colder.

The fluorescent lights above buzzed faintly, the only sound breaking the dead silence.

Then, finally, Karn clicked the stopwatch.

Exactly eight hours.

He stepped forward, his boots making sharp echoes against the floor.

He unlocked Alpha’s cage first.

The door creaked open.

Alpha stumbled out, blinking against the sudden brightness, his face pale but determined.

No complaints.

No anger.

Just silent resilience.

Good, Karn thought.

He’s close.

Next was Beta.

The moment the cage opened, Beta staggered out gasping for air, falling to his knees.

Karn said nothing.

Only watched.

Beta clenched his fists against the floor, forcing himself up, swaying but upright.

Better, Karn thought.

Not broken yet.

Gamma was next.

He nearly fell out of the cage, blinking wildly, disoriented.

He looked around suspiciously, as if still expecting ghosts from the darkness to grab him.

When he saw Karn’s face, a strange smile tugged at Gamma’s lips — a mixture of exhaustion, anger, and grim humor.

Still fighting.

Still alive.

And then Delta.

Karn opened the last cage.

Delta didn't move at first.

For a terrifying second, it seemed like he had passed out.

But then, slowly, painfully, Delta crawled out onto the floor.

He sat there, breathing heavily, his face soaked with sweat, but his eyes — his eyes were burning.

No tears.

Only fire.

Karn crouched down, meeting Delta’s gaze.

"You didn't cry," Karn said.

Delta shook his head, jaw tight.

"You wanted to," Karn said again, almost gently.

Delta nodded once.

"But you didn’t."

Karn placed a hand on Delta’s head — just for a brief second — and ruffled his hair roughly.

A small, rare gesture.

Delta’s lips twitched — the ghost of a smile.

Karn stood up and addressed all four of them.

"You all survived," he said simply. "But survival is not enough."

He paced slowly in front of them.

"Fear will never leave you," Karn said. "You can't kill it. You can't outrun it.

You can only learn to live with it.

To use it.

To make it your ally instead of your master."

The boys listened silently, the words etching themselves deep into their minds.

Karn's eyes hardened again.

"Tomorrow, the real training begins. Martial arts. Combat. Survival."

He smiled — a cold, wolfish smile.

"And after that... psychological phase two."

The boys stiffened.

There’s more?

"Today," Karn said, "you rest. Tomorrow, you bleed."

Without another word, he turned and walked away, the heavy doors swinging shut behind him.

The four sat there for a long time after Karn left.

No one spoke.

No one needed to.

They understood each other now.

They had faced something worse than pain.

Worse than fear.

And they had survived.

Something inside each of them had changed forever.

They were no longer just boys.

They were becoming warriors.

And Karn would make sure they became something even greater.

Or they would die trying.