Razalea moved swiftly through the darkened streets, the echoes of the earlier encounter still lingering in her mind. She had slipped past their grasp, but her thoughts were tangled. The academy. Their offer. She wanted nothing to do with it, yet somehow, she felt like something was pulling her in. She brushed it off as intrigue, but the scent of anything academy related still disgusted her, she had forgotten why and had tried her best not to blanche at the scent of the academy uniforms when facing Dyker and Rein. One can't exactly go around offending their captors now can they.

A sudden commotion ahead made her slow her pace. The muffled sounds of a scuffle, followed by a sharp yelp. She narrowed her eyes, slipping into the shadows as she approached the source. A small, frail figure was pressed against the cold stone wall of an alleyway. The boy couldn't have been older than twelve, his too-big robes hanging awkwardly off his thin frame. A group of guards loomed over him, their stances rigid, their voices dripping with more hostility than authority.

"You thought you could sneak in?" one of them sneered. "The academy doesn't take children."

"I-I'm old enough," the boy stammered, but his trembling hands betrayed him. "I swear it!" Razalea caught the way his fists clenched and the way his jaw set despite his fear.

"Lying is a punishable offense," another guard said, cracking his knuckles. "And attempting to falsify enrollment? That calls for a harsher lesson." The boy's eyes widened in panic as one of the guards grabbed his collar and yanked him upward. She watched as they used one of those torture crystals reserved for interrogations on the boy and heard his quiet gasp of pain unable to scream due to the indescribable pain. She herself had never felt it but Hyrus had made her aware of it's existence in one of their many musings. Something hot curled in Razalea's chest. She knew the El'Grazhia academy's rules were strict, but this? This was unnecessary.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she moved.

She was a blur—quick, decisive. The first guard barely had time to react before she hooked her foot behind his leg and sent him crashing down. A second later, she twisted, knocking the other away from the boy with a sharp jab to his ribs. The boy dropped to the ground with a thump, scrambling backward. The remaining guards spun toward her, recognition flashing in their eyes. "You!" Razalea exhaled sharply. Great. They clearly was on that mission with Dyker, the one that ended with her caught instead of the real perpetrators. A sharp voice cut through the tension. "Stand down."

Dyker. Oh bloody hell. Why did she have to draw attention now, and beside him, Rein, the girl with the sharp eyes. More figures appeared from the shadows, each one standing with the bearing of academy elites. This many people and they still could not catch the real masterminds?

At this very moment they had drawn a lot of attention to themselves, she didn't realize how close the academy gates were to the alley. Plenty of onlookers had seen her by now ,despite the fade of daylight but her face was still somewhat hidden due to her hood.

Razalea's instincts told her to bolt, but she stood her ground, her pulse hammering. They couldn't force her to enlist in some academy, she had things to do and the last thing she needed was to die at some over glorified survival test. What was the point even if she did pass, surely they didn't think she would lay down her life to serve those disgusting royals and nobles. Dyker glanced at the groaning guards before leveling his gaze at her. "Interfering with academy discipline moments after running away? Not a wise move."

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Razalea crossed her arms. "And beating a kid half to death is?"

"He broke the rules."

"He's just a kid."

Dyker studied her, hiding his approval, he didn't exactly take too kindly to those who abused their power and he was glad she knocked those guards over. Hurting kids was not his bottle of beer either, he then turned his attention to the boy, who shrank under his gaze. "What's your name?"

The boy hesitated before whispering, "Aiden."

"Why did you try to sneak in, Aiden?" The boy swallowed hard. "To get in the academy... You get a signing bonus, right? Provisions for your family?" Razalea paused. The academy rewarded its recruits? That was new information.

"My little sisters," Aiden continued. "They're starving. I thought... if I could just make it in, I could help them."

Something about the quiet desperation in his voice made Razalea's stomach twist. Surely Dyker wouldn't be too harsh on him. Dyker sighed. "The rules are clear. Sixteen and older."

Aiden's face fell. Razalea clenched her fists but was relieved that he didn't sound too cruel. "So what now? You shouldn't punish him for attempting to apply. Don't you fools want applicants to be eager to die for your cause?"

"We were going to give him a proper punishment," one of the guards muttered, still rubbing his ribs.

She shot him a glare before looking back at Dyker. "I stopped them, so punish me instead."

A flicker of amusement crossed Dyker's face, he would have seen to it that the boy was handled correctly regardless, the amusement was gone in an instant. "You? Oh, you'll be punished, but we have a better idea."

Rein's lips curled into something resembling a smirk knowing where Dyker was going with this. "He wants to enter so badly? Let him." Razalea's brows furrowed. "What?"

"The trials are beginning soon. If he's so determined, let him participate, we can't exactly let the boy's family starve now can we" Dyker said. "Survive, and he's earned his place. Die, and we'll still provide the provisions. It's a win-win"

Razalea's stomach dropped. The trials.

Aiden would never make it through. He clearly wasn't prepared. Even if he did prepare, he was way to0 small in stature. He wasn't ready. He was not going to survive. "Of course," Rein added, her gaze sharp, "you're responsible for him now."

Razalea stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"Since you've personally interfered, we'll let him in, which means you're the reason he'll take the trials," Dyker said smoothly. "You fought so hard for his cause, it's the least we could do. I'd recommend seeing him through though unless of course you wouldn't mind him dying, in that case, carry on"

"I'm sure one of the other first years would be more than ecstatic to watch over him" Rein smirked, glancing behind them where a line of particularly brutal looking applicants stood waiting for their turn to sign up. They'd slaughter the boy. Of course there were the occasional weak looking ones too, but those were none the better as they are the most likely types to resort to underhanded tactics. Ugh, why did she even care, she gave them a cool look while she calculated.

She'd noticed the hostility between the new applicants. She couldn't blame them. A healthy portion of them might die at the hands of the others. Her pulse pounded in her ears. She thought about dissuading the boy but she could see the desperation in his eyes, and she knew he'd never listen.

She could leave. She could turn around and disappear into the night, let the boy fend for himself. She certainly did not need more attention. It would ruin everything. She didn't even know him.

But as she glanced at Aiden—at the brave but fearful look in his too-young eyes—she knew she wouldn't go. If Hyrus had thought to leave her back then to save himself, she wouldn't even be here and he wouldn't hav-

Dyker smirked. "So what's it going to be, Raze?" She hated that he knew her name and used it so publicly. Her performances were meant to be secret, separate from her.

She hated confusing her acts. She hated that she was trapped. And most of all, she hated that she already knew her answer.