After walking several kilometers, the group finally reached the barracks. This time, the gate was not the monumental barrier Kale had come to expect.

  It was only about twenty feet tall, made of simple reinforced metal. In the center of the gate was a clean, stenciled sign reading: 0600 UNIT. There was only one building inside the gate—neither huge nor tiny—and the perimeter wall was surrounded by a thick, silent forest.

  Kale looked at the 0600 Unit. He talked to himself, his voice barely a whisper. “I thought the barracks should be much bigger than this, surrounded by endless soldiers and massive buildings. I never expected this one building… maybe I shouldn’t even call it a building. It’s more like a wooden lodge,” he thought, confusion heavy in his chest.

  Izume opened the gate, and Nymeria was the first to step inside. She turned around to face Kale, who was still standing outside the perimeter, a soft, almost imperceptible smile on her face.

  “You will be welcomed as a guest for tonight. Congratulations, Kale. Just don’t forget to report to me tomorrow morning at 5:00 sharp. From tomorrow onward, you will officially be a new member of the Special Forces. My name is Nymeria, and I am the Captain of this Unit, and the one who will be in charge of your training. Our goal is to unlock your full potential to serve as a Military Special Forces soldier. Thank you.”

  She turned and began walking toward the lodge. Kale was still standing outside the gate, lost in the strange reality of the moment. Suddenly, Izuna pushed him from behind.

  “Yo, let’s go, new partner!”

  “Oh, yeah, coming,” Kale replied, still nervous about the quiet, forested surroundings.

  “Heh heh!” Izuna grabbed Kale’s bag and started running toward the lodge. “Yo, brother, quick!”

  “Yeah, yeah, coming!” Kale rushed to catch up to the energetic Izuna.

  The door was already open. They stepped inside, and Kale looked around. He saw five more people—two women and three men—wearing simple, comfortable clothing. They were busy preparing dinner.

  “Yo, we’re back!” Izuna shouted. “Hey everyone, buddy, welcome our new crew member, Kale!”

  Everyone in the room looked at Kale, who was still standing beside Izuna, the latter carrying his bag with a big, energetic smile.

  “So you’re the new member we were just talking about. I thought you would come tomorrow morning, but this is interesting. You came tonight.” A young woman said, her hands still cutting vegetables on a large table. “We’re all excited to see you here. Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Nesha, and I’m this unit’s Vice Captain,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am. My name is Kale,” he replied, feeling a faint sense of professional duty.

  “Izuna, go put his bag in the room and show him around, and help him put his things in order, okay?”

  “Yes, Madam!” Izuna replied with a big smile and a thumbs-up.

  “Hey, wait!” Kale protested, but Izuna was already hoisting him up with the bag and heading toward the upper floor.

  Izuna kicked open a room door and roughly deposited Kale inside, then gently put the bag down on the floor. “Hey, you bastard! That wasn’t polite at all, and it wasn’t necessary to carry me like a bag, either!” Kale said, annoyed.

  “Sorry, sorry, I guess I got too excited again,” Izuna replied.

  “Anyway, thanks for putting my bag down gently,” Kale conceded in a calmer voice, getting up from the floor.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “Yep, no problem!” Izuna replied with another smile and a shining tooth. “Anyway, don’t disturb me for a while. I need to arrange my things first.”

  “Okay,” Izuna replied, then walked to stand beside the window, looking up toward the bright moon.

  Kale took out his sister’s picture frame and carefully placed it on top of the small dresser. He began taking out his things and placing them in perfect order.

  Izuna had been looking at the moon, but he looked back at Kale. “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Kale replied. “It is indeed beautiful.”

  Suddenly, Izuna’s eyes caught sight of the picture. His pupils shrank, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

  Kale noticed that Izuna’s face looked frightened and his eyes were wide with shock. “Is there anything wrong, Izuna?” Kale asked.

  “No, it’s nothing,” Izuna replied in a calm voice, though Kale detected a flicker of something close to hatred in his tone. “By the way, who is that little girl in the picture?” he asked.

  “Ah, she’s my little sister, Celeya.”

  “Oh, I see. She looks innocent and kind, just like a fairy,” Izuna said.

  “You’re right, she is innocent and kind. She cares a lot about me and she’s the only one left for me in this world that I have to protect at all costs,” Kale said, clutching his fist with a serious tone. “So tell me the truth, Izuna. Why did you look worried while looking at my sister’s picture?” Kale asked.

  “You’re lucky to have such a caring little sister,” Izuna replied with a soft smile. “Well, it was just… when I saw your sister’s silver hair and blue eyes, I just remembered someone from the past with the same hair and eyes. He was a frightening, ruthless killer, and the biggest wanted criminal in this current era. We don't even know his name, but the government calls him the ‘Silver Blue Eye of the Dark List.’”

  “Oh, I see. What is the Dark List?”

  “Seriously, you don’t know what the Dark List is? It’s the most brutal, ruthless, and most powerful criminal organization in this world. They have been ruling this world from the shadows,” Izuna explained to Kale.

  “Oh, is that so?” Kale wasn't interested in the organization, but he was intensely focused on the silver-haired, blue-eyed man.

  “It cannot be Aling, right? No, there are many silver-haired people in this world. It cannot be my brother,” Kale thought to himself.

  “Let’s leave that matter for now,” Izuna said with a cheerful smile. “We’ll come to know his name one day, yeah, hehe.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Kale replied, forcing a smile.

  Just then, a female voice called from the bottom of the staircase. “Hey! Dinner is ready!”

  “Coming!” Izuna yelled back.

  Kale walked towards the door but stopped after a few steps. “Aren’t you coming, Izuna?”

  “Have you forgotten that your Captain gave us both punishment a few hours ago? But you go ahead. You’re new, and you’re like a guest for tonight, so go ahead. I’ll wait here,” Izuna replied with a smile.

  Kale felt a pang of pity for Izuna. “I’m sorry, it’s all because of me you got punished,” Kale thought.

  “I’m going, then.”

  “Yep!” Izuna gave him a big thumbs-up.

  Kale walked down the staircase and saw seven people already waiting at the table. Nymeria was also waiting.

  “Go and call Izuna as well,” Nymeria said. “I forgive you both for today.”

  “Yess, ma’am!” Kale rushed back toward the staircase to call Izuna. He reached the room and found Izuna sitting on the floor, whining dramatically about not getting any dinner. Kale smiled humbly to himself. “Damn, I remember Celeya doing this, too. Izuna and Celeya are very similar—same energy: tough from the outside but really sensitive from the inside,” Kale thought.

  “Hey, Izuna, Miss Nymeria asked me to call you for dinner,” Kale said.

  “What?!” Tears instantly flowed down Izuna’s face, and he clutched his fist. “My Lady Nymeria isn’t that bad of a person after all!” Izuna got up instantly and rushed toward the staircase.

  He hoisted Kale onto his shoulder. “Hey, Izzy man!” Kale said in a panic.

  “Haha, don’t worry!” Izuna replied. Then he mistakenly slipped on the staircase.

  “Ahhhhh!” Both Kale and Izuna screamed while falling down.

  BAM! A loud noise echoed through the room as both of them landed head first on the floor.

  “What an idiot!” Andy said, who was sitting at the table alongside the six others. “Seriously, Izuna, are you going to kill your new member, you moron?”

  “Ouch, ouch, ouch…” Izuna was sitting on the floor, holding a huge, potato-shaped bump on his head.

  Kale was lying on the floor, stars twinkling around his head. He saw angels singing and carrying him to the other shore.

  “You should go and check him, Helare,” Adriel said in a calm voice.

  “Oh, yeah! I forgot I’m the doctor here.” Helare got up from the table and rushed toward Kale, checking on him for a few minutes.

  “He’s alright. He just hit his head pretty hard and lost consciousness. He’ll be fine by tomorrow morning. Right now, we should let him sleep. His body is totally exhausted, and he must be very tired. We shouldn’t disturb him,” Helare said with a soft smile.

  After checking on Kale, she looked at Izuna with a soft, sweet smile, her eyes closed. “Izuna, you should carry Kale back to your room, okay?”

  “Big sis Helare!” Izuna replied instantly, knowing that when Helare was angry, she closed her eyes and smiled softly.

  Izuna carried Kale on his back and instantly rushed back toward their room.