Chapter 1 - Episode 6 - The Recruits' Arena

When Finde regained consciousness, the world was a blurred whirlwind of lights and sounds.He was kneeling in a dusty square.
Around him, market stalls.
Overlapping voices.
Unfamiliar smells.

Spices.
Fabrics.
Fruits he had never seen before.
Freshly hammered metal.
And that milky light that dazzled him.

He tried to stand.
His legs gave way.
He vomited.

“Breathe, kid.”
The voice was deep. Familiar.
“It's always like this the first few times.”

Finde looked up.
Gladyo was smiling at him.

Calm.
Steady.

“Where are we?”
Finde asked.

“Miltor. The only city on the planet Castore.”
Gladyo helped him to his feet.

Finde stared at him, bewildered.
“Are you telling me my feet are walking on another planet?”

Gladyo laughed.
“Yes, kid.
Castore is a small planet very far from yours, covered in rock and sand…
Swept by dry winds and the milky light of Galeo, its star.”

Finde looked up.
He immediately realized he was gazing at an alien sky.
He could make out the small, bright point of Galeo, but also the silhouettes of four other planets.
He turned back to Gladyo, his eyes filled with wonder.

Gladyo smiled, amused.
“What did you think? That I was joking about who we were?”

Finde looked around.
White limestone buildings stretched in every direction.
Flat roofs covered with dry wood.
All around them, the clamor of hundreds of different beings filled the air.

Hybrids.
Robotic beings.
Creatures from other systems.
Together, they made that city a miracle in the desert.

Gladyo continued.
“Miltor was originally founded as an outpost for Castorian veterans, too wounded in body and mind to continue fighting up on Gommhon.
Over time, it became a crossroads for merchants, artisans, and warriors. A living city.
The last breath of civilization on a world now swallowed by the darkness of the Black Singularity.”

Finde stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Gommhon? Singularity?”

Gladyo sighed.
“You're right, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Don't worry. Soon enough, everything will become clearer.”

Marcise interrupted them.
“Squad leader, it's getting late…”

They made their way through crowded streets and squares.
For Finde, every step felt like a punch to the stomach.
The air was dense.
Hot.
Heavy as lead.
He was short of breath.
Gladyo, meanwhile, walked as though nothing were wrong.

“The air is thinner than on your planet”
he explained.
“And gravity is stronger. You'll get used to it.”

Finde nodded without really understanding.
The wound on his face throbbed.
The nausea barely allowed him to breathe.
At last, they passed through the city's main gate.

The clamor died away abruptly.

Before them lay an endless expanse of whitish-gray desert.
It stretched as far as the eye could see.
The silence was broken only by occasional gusts of hot wind.

Gladyo pointed toward a distant spot.
“There… that's where we need to go.”

Then he turned to Marcise and Guyo.
“You two go ahead.
Tell Beatrix I'm on my way.
I'll take Finde to Oku and catch up with you.”

Marcise chuckled.
“He'll never take him anyway.”
He and Guyo touched their bracelets and vanished into thin air.

Finde and Gladyo set off across the desert.
Finde's skin burned beneath that merciless light.
There was no saliva left in his mouth.
Every breath hurt.
After twenty minutes, they reached a vast elliptical area.

“Here we are! This is the Arena!”
Gladyo said.

Racks filled with weapons.
Agility courses.
Sand swept up by the wind.
Around thirty boys and girls were training to the point of exhaustion.
None of them appeared to be older than sixteen.

Gladyo gestured toward them with his chin.
“They're all apprentices.”

Finde's attention, however, had been captured by the burly figure watching the recruits train.
Arms crossed.
Motionless as a statue.

“Ah! That's Oku!” Gladyo shouted.
“Hey! Oku! Over here!”

Oku turned toward them, then started walking over.
With every step, his figure became clearer.
Wood-colored skin, broad shoulders, a massive torso.
One blind eye, crossed by a scar that split his face.
A warrior from another age.
A survivor.

“Gladyo!”
His voice was as rough as gravel.
“What brings you to the Arena?”

“Let me introduce you to Finde.”
Gladyo placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
“I'd like you to teach him how to handle a weapon.”

Oku studied him in silence.
Then he snorted.
“Where did you pick him up?”

“On a White Planet.”

Oku's good eye widened.
“Have you lost your mind?”

Gladyo smiled, scratching his head.
“Maybe… but I'd like him to have a chance at becoming a warrior.”

Oku shook his head.
“He'd die here before he even picked up a sword.”

Finde clenched his fists.
“Hey, I'm standing right here…
If you've got something to say, say it to me.”

Oku studied him again.
Then he laughed quietly.
“Courage isn't enough, brat. Here, you need to survive!
The universe is full of orphans because of the Gozhul. Don't think you're special.”

Gladyo stepped in.
“He did kill one, though… With a kitchen knife.”

Silence.

Oku stared at him again.
Now he seemed intrigued.
“Well… if Beatrix approves…”

Gladyo grunted in disapproval.
“Come on, Oku!! You know she'd never do that!!
I'll take full responsibility.”

Oku snorted.
Then he looked Finde in the eyes.
“Listen carefully, runt: there's no mercy here.
You'll wreck your hands, your muscles, and your pride.
That's assuming you manage to survive.”

Finde didn't look away.
“Today I buried my family.
Your threats aren't going to scare me.”

A faint smile crossed Oku's face.
“At least you've got some backbone…
Say your goodbyes. I'll be waiting under the portico.”

He turned and walked away without another word.

Gladyo remained beside Finde for another moment.
“Time doesn't pass here the way it does elsewhere, Finde.
For some, training lasts months. For others, years…
…for some, it never ends.”

“Do you think I can make it?”
Finde asked.

Gladyo placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Only you can answer that question.”

He raised his bracelet in front of his eyes.
Touched the screen.
“Good luck, kid…
I'll come back to see you as soon as I can.”

He vanished.

Finde was left alone, in the middle of Castore's desert.
Before him stood the Arena.

He inhaled.
Exhaled.

And began walking toward his destiny.