Day 1 - Physical Exam

Your strength as a person lies in how well you can take care of yourself. This is the first investment that every person must make to lay the foundation of a successful life. But as a child in a Post-Apocalyptic setting, your forefathers usually never teach you this and is completely forgotten. Luckily, the foundation laid by the first Servicemen wouldn't allow such an important aspect of being alive to be easily neglected.

Even so, there's only so much a 13-year-old kid could even handle at this age. Physical Training used to be reserved for older teenagers serving in the Academy but as the dire circumstances of this hostile world have treated us, there's no more holding back. The amendment changed during one of the biggest losest in Polis history. When the city was struck by a hideous storm followed by an innumerable assault of antagonistic beings.

A lot of Servicemen died on that horrendous day, with the numbers lost setting back the political power the Grand City had attained at the time. And until recently, Polis finally managed to elevate its strength back to equal that of other Colonies. Thanks, of course, to the decreased age requirement a person must be before enrolling in the Academy, and the increased intensity a cadet must undergo before finally becoming a Serviceman.

Though, it was expected that not a lot of children would be able to handle such an endeavor. Nevertheless, it has allowed the institution to discover talent at a younger age and develop them earlier. It was even encouraged by the Grand Council by persuading parents to let their children test through the Academy first before allowing them to choose other advancements in life.

As expected, not a lot of cadets are here on their own accord, most dropping out on the first day. But the experience allows them to evaluate their lives and seek things that they want to achieve, thus helping the Grand City in the long run. There are, of course, those that seriously strive to become a Serviceman at such a young age. But because of either, physical or mental insufficiency, they are not able to succeed in their goal. Hope is not lost for these children, they are duly allowed to apply for the Academy again after they turn eighteen, that is if they haven't found a different calling in life.

Most of those who succeed at such a young age usually have a family background in the institution, like my father. I came from a lineage of men who served the Grand City as far back as 8 generations. My ancestor was one of the early men under the tutelage of Jack Wilhelm, the Savior of Polis, I can only imagine how proud he was. He found his wife in the same Academy and thus began the breeding of the next batch of Servicemen.

It was custom to find a woman of the same caliber and bear the children of the next generation, but that changed with me. My mother was a local farmer, tending to the field and crops, showing great skill in the field of agriculture. Father told me why he never married another Serviceman, perhaps he tried to break the fate of death and suffering most of our ancestors met. 

I've never met another family member from my father's side, and he would tell me the same. He explained that it was customary in our household to have a single child before deploying to the field as a Servicemen. This left my father in the care of the local orphanage, which accepted him until his parents returned from a mission and took him, then left him again when a new order arrived.

This continued for years until it was finally time for him to enter the Academy. I always wondered if this was the reason why he chose my mother so that I wouldn't be alone when he was gone. But that didn't come to last as my mother is now gone, the circumstances not yet found, and I am here in the same position as he was back then.

*Splash*

"One more! One more!", the cold water broke me out of my thoughts as I return to reality. After the initial assessment, we were now tested for our mental fortitude through Physical Training.

"Even 50 push-ups is too much for any kid at this age", as I try to push my palms on the rough ground, the prickly sensation coming from the tiny pebbles is making me question why I'm even here. Even though my father prepared me for this upcoming challenge, I didn't quite expect the situation and the atmosphere that we would be in.

"Forthy... seven... aghhh!", just three more, don't let up now. I won't be able to show my face to my father if he learns that I didn't even pass the first day. I can only explain it as the will to not get embarrassed that made me push through the next three movements.

"Ahhh... ahh...", I plop hard to the ground trying to catch my breath.

"What are you doing, cadet? If you are not done yet, proceed to the sit-ups. I want fifty of em'!" Following the shouts of the man in front of me, I lie on my back and start crunching my body.

"At least, this feels easier", I think to myself. Taking the opportunity to look around, it's not surprising seeing the other guys struggle to do this. Looking to my right, I see Kaori grimacing as she tries to do the thirty pushups that were required of them.

"Even when she's struggling, she still looks pretty," I mutter.

*Splash*

Suddenly losing vision of her, I cough, trying not to lose my breathing.

"Where are you looking at? This is no time to stare at others, focus on your job!" I glance at the man in front of me for a moment before shifting my eyes across his legs.

"Jack seems to be doing well, " I keep to myself. My eyes opened wide, he finished ahead of me, you can't underestimate any person at first glance. With no further thoughts, I focused on the job at hand and the reps went by in an instant. I stood up and looked at the Sergeant in front of me.

"Good, your next task is to hike that mountain to the north and be back here before the sun fully rises on the horizon. There'll be a person waiting for you on the summit, now go."

After one single exhale, I follow through on the designated track across the lumpy road. Looking at the dirt path, you can see marks and footsteps that were newly made just a few moments ago. Increasing my pace, I see the familiar sight of my new friend, Jack. I breathe deeper and run to his side.

"Hey, Jack, you were ahead of me." He didn't seem surprised as I greet him.

"Alteo, you did well for yourself, I knew you weren't just brains." You can see through his glasses the sweat and calmness that he manifests.

"Even during all that, you still wore those?" After I point out his spectacles, he answers.

"I need them, this isn't your usual eyeglass." He adjusts the frame slightly, which I knew was a habit that people who wear glasses would pick up on.

"Yeah? What else does it do?", I question him as we enter the steps into the forested mountain Its tall leaves and branches block the light of the waning full moon.

"Well, like this." I hear a click, not forgetting to lose my balance with every step that I take in the dark path. It took a moment before my eyes finally adapts to the blackness, I then say...

"What is it? I don't see anything?"

"Well, that's the thing, you don't but I do, this enhances scotopic vision." You can feel his chest expand after saying that.

"Wait? So you mean, Night Vision?" I look at him, but I can barely make out his expression, but I could tell that he has a surprised look on his face.

"Alteo, I'm amazed you know that. No one else would infer to that when I explain it to them." He looks ahead, there's a curvature up the mountain road.

"My father was Serviceman, he taught me a lot." We turn left, entering the surmountable twists that lead straight up the summit. It looks daunting from down here, but I already know of this.

"It's not as hard as it looks, just mentally challenging," I say.

"I know, I've been up here before." Without looking at each other, we continue our conversation up the mountain.

"What do you mean? I thought this place was restricted to the Academy only?" I ask him, focusing back on my breathing as the upward slope takes more toll on my body.

"That's the thing, I'm the same as you. My father was also a Serviceman." After every turn, I feel more energy enjoying the progress that we're making. It wouldn't take long before we reach the summit now.

"So, you're father was also a Serviceman, and, is he retired?" Is it possible that he's in the same situation as me? My family's circumstances might not be as uncommon as I initially thought.

"No, he's dead." I immediately turn my head.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Looking down as I say.

"Nope, he died serving the Grand City, I couldn't have been more proud." You can feel the sentiment when Jack slowly closes his eyes for a moment.

*Tap* Tap* Tap*

Like a gush of wind, he went between me and Jack. A man, unfamiliar to me, bumped into my left shoulder as he runs down the mountain.

"Ouch, who was that?" Jack rubs his right shoulder looking at the figure of the man running away from us. 

"Is he also a cadet? How is he so ahead of us." I look at Jack and ask him. He looks up front as I do too, being reminded of what we were here for.

"Who knows, but that was rude." Feeling the atmosphere between us break, we continue the trek up to the summit in silence.

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"..............."

A short woman stands at the top of Mt. Atlas with a solemn look on her face. Looking at the horizon and seeing only but darkness, she does not expect anymore company for some time after that man left to descend the slopy mountain. This allowed her to calm down once again and to think about the state at which the world will be befallen on to.

"The ever growing tensions among the Colonies and the decreasing amount of resources, I can feel nothing but grim in the near future." Lt. Frost mutters to herself as she reflects on the dire situation. She knows soon that the Grand City of Stadtholm will start it's offensive among it's neighbouring colonies. They have been focusing a huge amount of their resources to the development of their military infrastructure. 

Though the Delegation of Colonies has tried to halt the ever increasing ill intention of the Führer, this has only furthered his desire to gain more power and control. The meeting of Five years ago was the beginning of the tensions between the Colonies after the Tyrannical Leader of Stadtholm finally declared to everyone that they must bow down and plead their allegiance to his sovereignty.

"We don't know what his intentions are, but we can only prepare." That is another reason why the Academy has been so rigorous in it's procurement of new talent and developing them into the next protectors of Polis.

"Sigh", Lt. Frost closes her eyes, feeling helpless from the incoming conflict. She turns around, finally noticing that the next batch of Serviceman is right around the corner.

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"Alright, I'm first!" Jack raises both his arms up to the sky while I hold my knees gasping for air. We just had a friendly battle declaring who would reach the summit first.

"You're insane." I say to him. Looking at his posture, it doesn't even seem like he had a hard time. 

"Haha, it's only natural for I am the descendant of the great-", he pauses. that's when I noticed the silhoutte waiting right ahead of us.

"Hey, it's Lieutenant Frost! Come on, Alteo, let's go meet her." Excited as a rabbit, Jack runs to the Lieutenant waiting at the edge of the mountain cliff. I struggle right behind him, trying to regain my composure.

"Lieutenant Frost, Cadet Jack Wilhelm the Third reporting!" He raises his right hand above his eyebrow and the Lieutenant salutes to him back. 

"Cadet Alteo Amadeus, reporting!" I follow Jack's actions. The ashen-greyed hair Lieutenant looks at me and nods.

"Cadets, well done, though there was another person that got here before you guys did." Lt. Frosts looks behind us.

"Here are your chevrons. From today onwards you will be part of the Academy, of course, you still need to get back to camp in order to officialy pass. Now be on your way." The Lieutenant gives us salute, and we copy her back.

"Come on." Jack turns to me before returning to the mountain trail, I follow shortly after. Taking a quick look behind, I see Lt. Frost staring at us, though I couldn't make out what her face looks like. Returning my focus on the last task at hand, I descend from the summit.

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Watching the back of the two young men that just left, Frost looks down and clutches a fist between her chest. She then turns around, thinking once more while waiting for the next children that would face the future.

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"Man, I didn't expect Lieutenant Frost to be up there." Jack and I converse with one another as we make our way down to the base of the mountain in order to expunge the quiet air.

"How'd she even get up there so fast?" I ask.

"I don't know, probably ran just like we did?"

"It didn't seem to me she was sweating at all."

"Well, she is a Serviceman and our instructor, that's expect." Jack stares at the Moon up on the sky while I look at the path down below the mountain side.

"Look, some of the other guys are coming." I mention to Jack. He moves slightly behind me and positions himself beside the railing.

"Yeah, that's a surprising amount." We both gaze at the incoming cadets now approaching in front of us.

"Oh." It's Kaori, I see her. Noticing my presence, she stares right back at me as we pass each other. My eyes follow her and I stay fixated on her back, when Julia suddenly appears in my view glaring at me. I look on forward, being careful not to bump into the other cadets making their way up the slope. After clearing through the mass group of people, Jack returns to my side and stares at me.

"Someone you know?" He says, looking at me with his eyebrows raised. I analyze his reaction for a moment before looking forward again.

"Kinda."

"Oh, alright." We continue our way back to the camp without ever changing the status quo.

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The group of cadets running up Mt. Atlas after the two boys left has shown a form of silent camraderie for going through the same struggles together. Humans have always been social creatures ever since their inception, so it doesn't matter if each person knows each other or not. As long as they stay united striving under a single goal, they can gather strength to move forward. Behind the large group, two girls can be seen breaking apart and falling behind as one of them is visibly struggling on the challenge.

"Julia, are you alright? Wanna take a break?" Kaori slows down and waits until Julia catches up to her.

"Kaori, I'm fine, I just suck at running... haa... haa..." Seeing her friend out breath, they both pause as Kaori sits Julia down on the mountain road.

"You don't have to mind me, you can go on ahead, I'll catch up after a short break." Julia motions her worried friend while she slowly take deep breaths.

"It's okay, I'll wait for you." Kaori smiles at Julia while she says.

"Kaori, I love you!" Julia jumps in joy then hugs her beloved companion.

"Jeez, alright. You okay, now?" Kaori holds Julia on both her shoulders and examines her.

"For some reason, I feel energetic. Let's go." With a new burst of energy, Julia starts the journey up the blue mountains again. She is then followed by her friend, who is giggling behind her.

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"Alright, we made it." Once again, the two boys sprint their way to the finish line as an officer waits for their arrival.

"Damn it, you beat me again... haa." Losing again for the second time, I can only feel admiration to my new bespectacled friend. Jack shruggs at me while he smiles.

"Okay, that makes you Cadet 2, and you, Cadet 3. Good job, now you guys will wait here for the other cadets until sunrise." After showing the burly man the chevrons Lieutenant Frost gave to us, we move to the center of the courtyard where another kid is waiting like us.

"He must be the guy earlier." Jack softly say on my left ear while placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, he was ahead of us like we were ahead of the other group. Let's go talk to him." After telling Jack my intentions, I went and faced the mysterious Cadet 1.

"Hey, you're the first one here." I raise my right hand, trying to get his attention, but he doesn't react. As I get closer, he opens his eyes and stares at me without moving his stature. Looking down at me, the guy is almost six feet tall, which was the reason we mistook him as man.

"Uh... hey?" I showed my hand again, but this time with a bit more hesitation, since the guy in front of me doesn't seem so friendly.

"Are you the Cadet 2?" The mysterious man spoke in a deep voice, I shook a bit from his presence.

"Umm, no, I'm Cadet 3. My friend, Jack, is Cadet 2." I point to Jack at my back then he looks and waves at me. The towering man looks at my friend for a moment then passes by me. He stop three meters away from Jack and looks down on him.

"What's your name?" His deep voice resounding again, declaring his presence.

"I'm Jack Wilhelm the Third, and you are?" Jack, unmoved by the man's aura, answers with confidence.

"Braun, of the Hauchman Family." Squinting his eyes, he glares at my friend.

"And you must be Cadet 1, we bumped into us earlier." Jack smiles, but you feel no intentions behind it.

"I will always be Cadet 1. I won't let anyone take it from me, not even a Wilhelm." After saying his piece, the man named Braun walks away and waits in a corner. We both stare at him before I went and checked on Jack.

"Jack, what was that?" I ask my friend, who is still looking at the person in question.

"Nothing, but I'm sure we'll see him again soon." He looks at me, answering with determination in his eyes.

"I see." Wondering to myself why he said such a thing, is there something special about being Cadet 1? I guess I can find out about it later.

*Piiiii*

A piercing sound, almost fatal enough to break the eardrums, but nevertheless grabs our attention. It looks like some of the cadets from the pack earlier have started arriving.

"Come on now! Hurry up! There is no time to waste! This is your only chance!" The officer at the gate shouts as he receives the cadets one by one, each person giving their chevron to him for confirmation.

"It looks like the guys earlier finally made it. Well, there's still enough time before sunrise, no need to hurry now." Jack says. I look around the pack and see if I can find Kaori, the blonde interest of mine.

"Hmm?" She's nowhere to be seen. "That's weird", I mutter.

"Huh? What's weird?" Jack looks at me as he asks.

"I don't see them...", I say quietly. Jack tilts his head slightly, confused as to what I'm referring to. A moment later, he realizes.

"Oh! You mean that girl earlier? So, you in fact, know her?" He questions me with interest.

"......", I didn't reply, I was busy finding out where she might be.

"They'll get here. Besides, the sun's not out ye-" Jack stops, and we both see the sky getting brighter.

"Well, they'll bound to be here soon. Only those who are actually qualified are allowed to enter the Academy, remember?" He reminded me of what Lieutenant Frost said earlier.

"You're right, I can't waste this opportunity just for one girl." I turn around, looking away from the gates. Jack stares at me, I stare at him.

"What?"

"You actually like this girl?" He says.

".........", I didn't know what to say, was it that obvious?

"Well, I know we just met yesterday. But, evaluate your chances, that's what my father always says. You may not meet her for another five years." Jack points at me while tilting his head. Still staring at him, I think about the circumstances. I don't even know if I like this girl yet, or what this feeling is. I can't throw away this opportunity right now, and who knows what my father would think? But...

"Alteo?" As Jack was about to touch me... "Wait! Alteo!" I swiftly turn and ran towards the gate. The officer, suprised by the commotion, turns his head and looks in our direction. But as I pass by him, he doesn't make an effort stop me, just...

"What the hell are you doing! Make sure to be back here before sunset, else your qualification is nullified!" The officer shouted to me from behind, but fully knowing the consequences, I don't stop. I make hase to the base of Mt. Atlas.

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"K-Kaori... go on ahead... please... haaa..." Two girls on their way down to the base of Mt. Atlas can be seen shoulder to shoulder. One of them visibly exhausted, while the other, struggles to keep her partner in hand.

"I can't do that. You're my friend." The blonde girl says.

"Wuu... Kaori, I love you!" Julia hugs her friend, not realizing that this is impending their advance. Her friend, not bothered by the fact say...

"Haha... I love you too." Kaori smiles meekly. Aware of the weak stamina that her friend has, stayed with her in all the procedures of the exam, thus falling behind.

"I should've trained my stamina, like you said... *sniff*." Julia, feeling the burden she has placed on Kaori for not listening to her advice, starts crying.

"It's alright, don't cry, we'll still make it." She tells a white lie. It's only a matter of time before the sun rises over the horizon.

"*Sniff*, okay. I'll do my best." Julia regains some courage and starts to push more. As they near the base of the mountain, Kaori notices something from the distance.

"Who is that?" Julia, following her friend's gaze, sees the same thing.

"That might be..." Kaori looks at the figure, feeling hope swell in her heart.

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"Haa... haa... I'm almost there." Running for some minutes now in very high pace, I can feel my legs starting to get tired. I look on to the base of the Mt. Atlas and scan where Kaori might be.

"There!" I see two figures making their way hastily to the base of the mountain.

"Hey, hurry up! It's almost sunrise!" I called out to them.

"Over here! Please help my friend!" Kaori shouts back, her clear voice echoing through the forest. After reaching the base of the mountain, I immediately went straight to Julia and carried her on my back.

"W-Whoa! W-What are you doing?" She frantically said. 

"We'll talk later, you can still make it to camp before sunset." After a quick response, we make our way down the mountain. As if to help me in this endeavor, I can feel Kaori pushing from behind me, allowing me to take wider steps ahead.

"Don't worry Julia. We can do this!"

"Kaori, hahaha. This is unbelievable." Hearing Julia laugh, I share the same sentiment, because she's not as light as I thought. Negative thoughts peer in my mind, imagining situations where we might not make it in time. But I grind my teeth and take one step at a time.  After a few minutes of decent pace, we start to see the gates to the camp.

"There! I see the camp! We might actually make it!" Julia rejoices.

"Haa... Haa..." I start to breath from my mouth.

"H-Hey, are you alright?" I hear from my back. But I didn't have the spare oxygen to answer Julia's question.

"Haa... Haa..." I continue puffing.

"M-Maybe you should just put me down." As she tries to get down, I gripped her legs harder.

"Gah! W-What?" Surprised by my actions, she wraps her arounds me reactively.

"D-Don't... we can't stop now..." I tell her.

"That's right Julia... Haa..." Kaori pants.

"K-Kaori? Not you too... Why are you guys doing this?" There's a lot of reasons that came up to my mind as to why I made this decision, but I don't tell her.

"Haa... L-Like I said, you're my friend..." Hearing Kaori answer instead, I feel a slight relief.

"But what if you guys fail because of me?" Julia tightens her grip around my neck.

"Gah... Haa..." After a few more minutes, we're only a yards away. But at that point, I'm starting to lose my conciousness. Seeing the fields start to turn yellow, I gather the strength to push my legs forward. I see the other cadets looking and cheering at us, but we might not make it. That's when I spot one person heading this way, my hazy vision not registering who it is.

"Alteo! Come on, you're almost there!" Jack runs to my side and encourages me.

"Here, my lady. Can you take my hand?" He asks Julia.

"B-But... Agh!" Suddenly losing my legs, I drop to my knees. Julia falls down but is caught by Jack before she hit the ground.

"T-Thanks." I hear Julia say as I maintain my breathing.

"I'm sorry, but we have no time to waste."

"Ahh!" Seeing Jack carry Julia on his back, he looks at me.

"Come on, you can do this." I stare at him and I nod. Taken that as my answer, he heads forth to the gates, as the horizon starts to turn orange.

"Kaori, you can go on ahead. I just need a minute." Feeling that I might not make it, I turn around. But instead of a response, she pulls my hand forward and starts running. With a sudden jerk reaction, I reactively gather my steps and follow her.

"......", she didn't say anything, but I feel her grabbing on to my wrists tightly. It wasn't as climactic as I imagined when I made this decision, but we made it to the camp just barely before the sun is fully visible in the distance. Grabbing my knees right by the gates, I can feel the officer from earlier staring at me.

"It's sunrise, now get in, we'll have a debriefing." He turns around and joins the other officers at the front. It looks like the Lieutenant is there too, I wonder when she made it back.

"Thank you." I look to my right, but before I could see her face, Kaori was already walking away. Gazing at her lusterous hair, I return to my line and wait for our results on the Physical Exam.