Chapter 10: Inspection
The brown-haired boy had the same dream as the night before, where six mighty beings and their armies clashed together in steely determination. Nico could almost feel the palpable bloodlust rolling off the warriors in fearsome waves. The ferociousness of the combatants shocked him.
Now that he had experienced the dream for a second time, a few questions appeared in the boy's mind. First, what were the Ancient Laws? Were they a group of laws put in place to constrain the mighty beings and keep them in check?
Second, what did the being clad in red robes mean when they uttered the word Fate? Were they talking about its cycle and that everything must have a beginning and end? Or… were they specifically speaking about his fate or someone else's? Nico was unsure.
He had gleaned from the dream the second time round - without being blinded with sheer awe at the strength on display - that the alabaster being had broken some sort of rule which earned him the ire of the five other beings. That much was obvious.
Nico had a guess at the identity of the seven mighty beings he had witnessed in his dream but didn't dare utter the thought out loud. It was ridiculous and far-fetched, but the only conclusion he could come to.
Recalling the scythe that was embroidered on Beverly's clergy uniform, and the same scythe that the being clad in crimson - or the Ancestor as Beverly had called him - used, Nico's heart trembled.
'It can't be… why are 'they' in my dream? Isn't this too much?' he thought pensively.
This nightmare - Nico felt it was more appropriate to call it that - was a vision. Of that, he was certain.
However, he didn't know if it was a vision of the past or the future.
There were so many questions. Yet so few answers.
Nico awoke gasping in the middle of the night again. A sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead.
After listening to the crimson being's declaration another time, an uneasy feeling took root in the brown-haired boy's stomach.
'Looks like I need to visit the Oracle. He may be the only one who could help me decipher the contents of this nightmare.'
Nico spent a few minutes calming himself down before closing his eyes again and falling asleep. Strangely, the nightmare didn't repeat itself. It only appeared during his first period of rest.
Soon, night retreated, and the sun rose from the east. Little beams of dawn's orange glow sneaked through a tiny gap in the curtains and illuminated the interior of the hut.
"WAKE UP! RISE AND SHINE!"
A loud bellow carried into the air, streaming into the huts. The trainees groaned in their sleep but didn't get up. They were still in the throes of deep sleep.
"I SAID WAKE UP! RISE AND SHINE!"
The volume of the voice rose an octave higher. This time, the trainees scrambled out of bed, thoroughly awoken by the loud noise. Bleary-eyed at having not gotten enough rest, Nico and the rest of his peers shuffled out of the huts.
Standing in front of them with a condescending grin on his face was William. His white hair fluttered lightly in the breeze.
'It seems he really enjoys making us suffer.' the brown-haired boy thought bitterly.
"Too slow! I expect you to be scrambling out of bed the moment you hear my voice…" the Instructor scolded. "Now, since you finally got up, it's time for the morning inspection."
Several trainees paled. If they knew there was going to be an inspection, they would have cleaned up their huts. Cries of protest rang out.
"Silence!" William boomed as he raised his hands to stop the onslaught of curses aimed at him. "You should always expect the unexpected. Besides, what would happen if you're out fighting your enemies and they launch a sudden ambush when you're resting? If you're not organised, not only could you not fight back, you'd also be putting your friends or squad mates at risk."
Nico nodded. That made sense. However, since everyone had rushed out to investigate what was going on - him included - the state of their cabins was less than orderly. Looking at his two roommates who stood beside him, with their hair a mess, the boy sighed.
He just hoped that their hut was tidier than the other youths.
"I will begin with Hut number 1. Inhabitants of the first hut, please follow me." the Instructor motioned towards the cabin furthest to the right. A group of five trainees split off from the crowd and followed the white-haired man. Sullen expressions on their faces.
A couple of minutes later, William came out of the hut with an expressionless face. The students behind him hung their heads in shame. A grim air surrounded the rest of the trainees.
"Hut number two!"
The same process repeated itself. Five rookies separated from the large throng and entered their accommodation with the Instructor. This time was no different. Soon, William exited the cabin with five disappointed cadets.
"Hut number three!" Looking at the clipboard in his hands, the white-haired man called out. Nico, Leon, and Henry felt balls of anxiety sink into their stomachs. Sweat slid down their foreheads.
They followed the instructor into their cabin.
William's gaze swept through the room. The beds were a mess, and they had the covers sprawled all over the place. He would not penalise them on that too heavily, since this was the first inspection and they barely had any time to clean up.
The instructor's gaze paused on the table in the middle. On the wooden bench, little crumbs dotted its surface. Two chairs stood out from the rest, being further out from the table than the others. Evidently, the three trainees didn't see it fit to tuck their chairs in, William thought.
A golden aegis lay sprawled on one bunk.
Once he had finished inspecting everything, the white-haired man turned around. He stared at the trio. "I'm rating your cabin six out of ten. Tomorrow morning, I want this place spotless. Do you understand?" The Instructor's voice boomed.
"Yes, Sir!" Nico, Henry, and Leon merely nodded like obedient little lambs. They were too afraid of William to say anything otherwise.
The Instructor hummed in satisfaction after hearing the trainees calling him 'sir'. That always stroked his ego.
"Once I'm done with the inspection of the other huts, we'll be going to the cafeteria for breakfast. I suggest you three freshen up quickly. We have a long day of training ahead of us." the Instructor grinned.
The thought of the pain the trainees would feel caused him no end of glee.
Another chorus of 'Yes, Sir!' rang out before William left their hut, humming a merry tune to himself as he went to inspect the rest of the cabins.
Henry let out the breath he'd been holding. "Man, that guy is scary. That wicked scar doesn't help either." The raven-haired boy shivered.
Leon just let out a helpless sigh before going to get his things so he could freshen up.
Once the burly boy was out of earshot, Nico whispered into Henry's ears. "Hey, do you know why Leon doesn't talk much?"
"Eh? What do you mean?" The green-eyed boy questioned curiously.
"Well, since the time we arrived here, I haven't heard that guy speak at all."
"Ohh…" Henry nodded in enlightenment. "I think it'll take a bit of time for him to trust us. It was only after pestering him for more than half an hour when you weren't here did I hear him say a sentence with over two words in it. Plus…" The boy leaned in closer to Nico and whispered in his ears. "I think he's a little wary of you. A person who just suddenly stood up for him for no reason. He probably thinks you have an ulterior motive. We just need to give it some time and I'm sure he'll open up."
Nico nodded solemnly.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone