The sky was just beginning to lighten, the faint pink and orange hues of dawn stretching across the horizon as the Aurum soldiers filed into the training grounds. Sleep hung heavy in their eyes, their bodies aching from the previous day's hellish trials. Every step felt weighted, their muscles sore and stiff from overexertion.

The air carried a chill, but it did little to ease the tension as they reached the training field. Silence hung over the expanse, the landscape eerily still. The memory of yesterday's grueling endurance drills loomed in their minds like a shadow, and no one dared to speak louder than a whisper.

One soldier, standing toward the back of the group, yawned without restraint, his hand lazily covering his mouth. "Maybe today'll be lighter…" he mumbled sleepily, unaware of the figures standing just ahead.

The soldier next to him jabbed an elbow sharply into his ribs. "Shut up," the second soldier hissed, nodding toward the front.

Confused, the yawning soldier blinked and turned his head, his eyes landing on the looming forms of Team Unknown, donned in their combat uniforms and masks, their silhouettes cutting sharp against the dim light of the morning.

He sucked in a gasp so sharply that it turned into an uncontrollable choking fit.

The sound, loud and undignified, broke the tense silence. The rest of the platoon stiffened, all eyes darting toward the coughing man as he struggled to compose himself.

Riggs tilted his head slightly, a faint hum of amusement escaping him. "Should we give him a head start?"

"Unnecessary," Val replied dryly, his arms crossed as he stood like a dark monolith. "He'll learn quickly enough."

Ember took a single step forward, his commanding presence snapping the soldiers to attention. "Rested enough? Good. You're going to need it. Today, we see how far you can be pushed before you break."

The soldiers exchanged wary glances, their postures rigid.

Dr. Lewis, standing off to the side with his clipboard, raised an eyebrow at Ember. "Let's try to avoid any permanent damage, shall we?"

Ember's mask tilted toward him briefly before turning back to the soldiers. "No promises."

The training began without preamble.

The first exercise was deceptively straightforward: a forest designed to force every soldier into a relentless series of combat and survival scenarios. The terrain shifted as they moved, from uneven rubble-strewn paths to muddy pits, forcing them to adapt to an unforgiving environment.

Drones zipped through the air, emitting disorienting flashes of light and bursts of sound to throw off their focus. Targets—both stationary and mobile—appeared unpredictably, requiring precision strikes in rapid succession.

The soldiers charged forward, their earlier weariness quickly giving way to a fight-or-flight determination.

"Faster!" Ember's voice rang out, slicing through the chaos. "You're not here to admire the scenery. Move!"

A soldier staggered over a crumbling incline, his boots slipping against the loose gravel. Bo appeared at the edge of the incline, his voice low but firm. "You don't have time to fall. Either climb or stay down there forever."

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The soldier scrambled to his feet, dirt streaking his face as he clawed his way upward.

Nearby, another soldier hesitated at the edge of a narrow beam spanning a pit of knee-deep mud. Her breaths came in shallow pants as she stared at the unstable surface.

Fon's sharp voice cracked through the air. "You're thinking too much. Your hesitation is what's going to kill you. Move!"

The soldier gritted her teeth, her legs trembling as she stepped onto the beam. It swayed dangerously under her weight, but she kept moving, every step a fight against gravity and fear.

From his perch above the training grounds, Val observed in silence, his fiery red eyes tracking every movement below. His HUD displayed performance metrics, marking the soldiers' physical strain and faltering stamina.

They're slipping, he said evenly through the Mind Link, audible only to the team.

They'll learn, Ember replied.

If they don't, they'll break, Bo added, his tone indifferent.

Better now than in the field, Val concluded.

The second phase of the training transitioned into close-quarters combat. Soldiers were thrust into confined spaces littered with obstacles—walls, low barriers, and scattered debris. They faced simulated enemies in the form of combat drones armed with stun rounds, designed to incapacitate rather than harm.

"Engage!" Ember barked, signaling the start.

The soldiers dove into the chaos, the crack of stun rounds and the clang of metal filling the air. One soldier ducked behind a barrier, narrowly avoiding a shot, only for another drone to swoop in from behind, forcing him into a desperate scramble.

"You call that awareness?" Riggs's voice boomed. He stood on a platform overlooking the scene, his arms crossed. "If this were real, you'd already be dead. Pay attention!"

Another soldier, cornered by two drones, swung wildly with her training weapon. Her strikes were clumsy, more out of panic than strategy.

Fon's voice cut through the chaos like a whip. "Breathe. Control your movements. Flailing doesn't win battles."

The soldier steadied herself, her next swing calculated. The drone dropped with a satisfying clang.

As the sun climbed higher, the heat became another obstacle. Sweat poured down the soldiers' faces, their uniforms clinging uncomfortably to their bodies. Every breath burned in their chests, and their limbs felt like lead.

One soldier collapsed in the sand, his arms trembling as he tried to push himself back up.

Bo approached, his shadow falling over the soldier like a looming specter.

"You done?" he asked, his voice calm but cold.

The soldier shook his head weakly, his voice barely audible. "No, sir."

"Then get up," Bo said. "Crying about it won't get you through this."

Nearby, the green-eyed soldier from the day before struggled against a simulated enemy—a combat drone that seemed to anticipate her every move. She ducked, rolled, and struck out, but her blows barely grazed the target.

Val descended from his vantage point, his movements swift and silent. He stopped just behind her, his voice low and cutting. "If this is all you've got, you shouldn't be here."

Her breath hitched, her grip tightening on her weapon. "I'm not quitting."

"Then prove it," Val said.

She launched herself at the drone with renewed ferocity, her strikes sharper, more deliberate. The drone's movements faltered, and she finally landed a decisive blow that sent it crashing to the ground.

Val said nothing as he turned and walked away, but the faintest flicker of approval crossed his features.

By late afternoon, the soldiers were broken in every sense of the word. Their faces were pale, their eyes hollow, their bodies trembling with exhaustion.

Dr. Lewis approached them, clipboard in hand. "Day Two: Complete. Barely. Get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow."

One soldier, lying sprawled in the dirt, groaned. "Tomorrow can't be worse than this… right?"

Riggs crouched beside him, his grin sharp. "Oh, it'll be worse. This was the warm-up."

The soldiers exchanged weary glances, their spirits battered but not entirely broken.

As Team Unknown gathered in the shade, Ember folded his arms, his gaze distant. "They held up better than expected."

"They'll still need more," Val said.

Fon nodded. "A lot more."

Dr. Lewis approached, his face a mix of exhaustion and resignation. "For what it's worth, you didn't break them. Yet."

Ember's smirk returned faintly. "Day's not over."

Day Two of the bootcamp ended in silence, the weight of the training pressing heavily on the soldiers. But amidst their exhaustion, a flicker of determination burned.

They had survived another day—barely. But surviving was only the beginning.