After the welcome ceremony, they were given a few hours of respite before beginning their first physical training session at noon.
Between now and the physical training session, they were allowed free time.
Caedus immediately shuffled out of the auditorium while most of the cadets hung around speaking to each other in groups. Caedus could feel a few dozen pairs of eyes staring at him as he made his way towards the Black Steel barracks.
A few minutes passed by in silence while Caedus dealt with the embarrassment of everyone staring at him.
'Fuck Umbra, I am going to give him a piece of my mind when I see him.' Thinking about how he wasn't given a heads-up about how close he was cutting it made him grit his teeth.
"That was embarrassing as hell." Caedus sighed to himself. Being from Earth, he really wasn't used to crowds yet.
As Caedus made his way to the Black Steel barracks, he heard footsteps on the pavement behind him. He turned around and saw a blonde-haired man in the same uniform as himself running towards him.
"Yo! Slow down!" The golden-haired young man shouted.
Caedus paused his trek and just waited for him to catch up.
'Now what?'
By the time the young man got close enough to Caedus, he was able to read the name tag and cadet number on the cadet's chest.
In silver letters it read - PAILIN 0007-.
"How can I help you, Cadet Pailin?" Caedus spoke formally to the panting, golden-haired man.
Pailin straightened his posture, taking a deep breath before putting on a bright smile and extending his hand to Caedus. "Just call me Eric, Eric Pailin. And you are?"
Eric's golden eyes drifted to Caedus' name tag.
"Caedus Violetshade, nice to meet you, Eric, but can I help you?"
"Nah, I was just on my way to the barracks to take a nap before our physical training, and I saw you headed out immediately and decided to catch up and get to know you."
"Uh, ok?" Caedus wasn't really sure what to say, so he just turned around and began his journey again to look for the Black Steel barracks.
"So Violetshade, huh? I haven't heard of that name before. Is one of your parents a low-level noble in a different city? Is that why you are late?" Eric quickly got into step and matched Caedus's pace, beginning his interrogation.
Trying not to be rude but still being distracted by the search for his barracks, Caedus answered truthfully. "I am not a noble. And I am late cause I thought check-in was at 7 a.m."
"Oh? Are you not? So you're a special admission? How rich are your parents?"
"I'm an orphan." Caedus looked in the corner of his eye without turning his head to see the awkward look on Eric's face. 'Hehe priceless.'
*cough cough*
Eric seemed very expressive, not wanting to hide his emotions, or he just couldn't. But he had an extremely awkward look on his face.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know." Eric coughed.
Caedus chuckled out loud before looking at Eric, "It's fine, man, they died when I was a kid.
"Still… I guess that leads to my next question: how did you get into the Initiative?" Eric seemed eager to change the subject quickly.
"Hmm, I was sponsored." Caedus paused in his steps and this time did a full turn with his body while looking around.
"Oh, by who?"
"The Corvane Family. Hey, where the hell are the Black Steel barracks? No one told me where they were."
Caedus stopped his turning around to look Eric in the face. Eric had a shocked expression. "Did you say the Corvane family?"
"Yeah. What's up?" Caedus slightly frowned. Was the family hated or something?
"Weird, they have never really been interested in the military…." Eric put his hand to his chin before shaking his head. "Also, Black Steel barracks are back the other way."
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The next few hours Caedus ended up spending with Eric Pailin, and he learned a few things about the golden man.
He was very social, wasn't afraid to express his thoughts and feelings, and genuinely seemed curious about Caedus and did so without malice.
He was the definition of a bold, care-free person similar to the protagonists Caedus used to read about.
While Caedus himself could be considered care free as well, he lacked the easy and bright confidence Eric had.
The two eventually found themselves sitting outside the Black Steel barracks in their physical training uniform on a long stone bench overlooking one of the training courtyards.
Cadets moved past laughing with friends, or nervously preparing themselves for the coming training session. The energy around Obsidian Gate felt alive.
Eric leaned back against the bench with his arms stretched over the backrest. "Honestly, I thought military training would feel a lot more depressing."
"You've been here for two days." Caedus snorted. "Give it time."
Eric laughed loudly. "Fair point."
For a brief moment silence settled between them comfortably.
"So," Eric suddenly spoke again, "what do you think your soul ability is going to be?"
Caedus blinked. "I have no idea."
Eric shoved his thumb into his chest. "My father is the Divine General of the Kingdom and it's best fire wielder. I plan on passing him so my powers better be related to fire."
"Is that a high rank?" Caedus asked curiously.
"..."
"..."
Seeing his bragging went by without seeming too impressive Eric sighed loudly before laughing hard, earning him strange looks from passing cadets.
Just as Caedus was looking at him confused and Eric was wiping tears away from laughing too hard a shadow stood over the sitting pair.
Six sillhettes were blocking the sun, grabbing their attention.
"Eric, you missed our meeting." After Caedus's eyes adjusted he saw 3 men and 3 women, all with imposing auras staring at Eric with irritation in their eyes.
"I was just hanging with my new friend Caedus." Eric lazily said, thumping his hand against Caedus's shoulder. "Go on, introduce yourselves to him, don't be assholes."
Eric stood up to face them and gestured to Caedus to do the same. No that the sun wasn't behind the 6 cadets he could see them more clearly.
They all glanced at the woman in the middle, as if they were waiting for her approval. She had dark blue eyes and striking black hair, by far she was the most beautiful woman Caedus had seen since coming to Iridia. She was almost as tall as Caedus with a slender body that didn't betray her efforts of physical training. Her jaw was set in determination and she held herself with an air of purpose.
'My goodness, she's beautiful.' Caedus thought to himself.
Caedus reached out his hand. "I am Caedus Violetshade, cadet 1001. Nice to meet you."
The woman glanced with irritation one more time at Eric before smilingly gently and reaching out to shake his hand. "I am Iris Steelheart, cadet 0001, pleasure to meet you Caedus Violetshade."
'Her voice is even beautiful.'
To her right was a silver-haired young woman, stepped forward, her eyes cold and calculating. Despite her icy demeanor, her movements were fluid and precise, showcasing the discipline she'd mastered. "Keira Frostblade, cadet 0005."
"Doran Blackthorn, cadet 0002." To the end of the group a brooding young man with dark hair and even darker eyes, stepped forward. His proud and cold gaze swept over Caedus, as if he was inspecting him, before shaking his hand also. Despite his lacking presence, the tension in the air seemed to follow him like a shadow.
"Hello! I am Mira Windson, cadet 0003, let's get along!" Mira, with her fiery red hair and bright green eyes, smiled confidently as she excitedly looked at her friends trying to urge them to be nice to Caedus. Her movements were graceful, yet purposeful, displaying a quiet confidence earned from her relentless determination which reminded Caedus of his grandfather, a skilled hunter.
Caedus flashed a smile at her before moving onto the next two.
"I am Jared Everheart, cadet 0004" Jared Everhart, a lanky young man with messy brown hair and a cheerful grin, stepped forward. His awkward frame contrasted with the muscular builds of many of the other Caedus had seen, but there was an undeniable presence about him.
"Ragnar Stormrune, 0006." A massive figure stepped forward next. Towering over the rest, Ragnar's large, muscular frame spoke of a strength that made even the hardest of fighters take notice. His short dark blue hair and warrior-like presence only added to the imposing image he cast.
'Big as hell.' Caedus thought. Ragnar's hands were so large he almost mistook them for bear paws.
Iris Steelheart then spoke after Ragnar finished shaking his hand. "Eric, lets have our meeting now. Since you didn't show up."
Eric sighed. "Fine, can Caedus come though? He is funny."
This earned a weird look from Iris. "No. Sorry Caedus, but we have things to discuss before training." She waved at her group to follow. Eric mouthed 'sorry, I'll see you later' before following the group of 6.
Caedus just gave Eric a shooing motion before taking his seat back on the bench.
Not much happened in the next few minutes. Caedus just observed his surroundings and the nervous expressions of people around him. Suddenly, just as Caedus was wondering when they will start, a loud horn blew through the training grounds making some cover their ears in an attempt to stop the pain.
Nearly 50 people ran into the training grounds where physical training uniforms with 'Instructor' written in large letters on their chest and backs of their shirts.
"First Division!" A booming voice came from the front Instructor. "I am Captain Woods! These other instructors and I will be conducting your hell for the next few months!"
The reaction from the cadets was immediate. Everyone tense up, even Caedus who was originally sitting had stood up and held still.
"We will begin with a light warm up! Before strength training!" Captain Woods shouted. "Now! In a counter clockwise direction around the training grounds, begin running!"
At first no one moved, as if they were waiting for more instructions. A collective thought formed over the cadets head. 'How many laps?'
"Did you not hear me? Get moving!"
In response to this 50 of the instructors ran forward and started screaming in the cadets face pointing in the direction they should run.
A few seconds later every single one of the cadets had finally picked up their feet and began to run. Some had instructors at their heels still screaming at them while they ran in fear, trying to get away from them.
Captain Woods' booming voice was heard once more. "Welcome to Hell!" His laughed boomed over the screaming instructors.