Jason took in the cool air of the Academy. It was a chilly evening, the moon shone through a cloudless night, it’s silver glow bathing Jason and the ambient facilities in light blue fragrance. By all accounts it was a beautiful night, not that Jason cared. His focus was somewhere else, gaze locked on the gigantic ornate doors that offered entrance into the ball room of the Knight academy.
The echoes of great music ebbed and flowed through his ears. It was a great night for the newly inducted. The fresh batch of students for the academy. Teenagers streamed into the Mess hall_or for this evening, the Great Hall_chatting excitedly, anxious for what comes next. To many of the recruits hand-picked to join the academy of Kameros’ elite force, this was an honour. An opportunity for them, one through which greatness could be achieved and honour brought to their families.
The Knight Academy, a school for the elite of the elite. One whose duty lay in training super human agents, assassins more like, but let’s try to be sutle, why not? Warriors of great pedigree who would serve as the sword of the Emperor. Training was rigorous, the weak willed had no place in the academy. It was not an easy life they had been chosen for, yet they had been chosen. Four years of extreme training but the opening chapter in a story of violence and blood, Kameros gets what Kameros wants or so they say. These new inductees knew to some extent the challenges that awaited them. Rumours had long since spread of the Academy’s high standards.
This however did not deter them from regarding it as a new adventure, one they intended to relish, dumb heads, the lot of them. Jason chuckled as he assessed them. He expected a third of them to be gone, disqualified by the first week. The fitness training course would weed the weak ones out. The climb of the Elephant Mountain, 3ooo meters of upward assension was the ultimate spirit breaker. These newbies did not stand a chance, and then, there still was the shadow.
With a mild shake of his head, he dismissed his gloomy thoughts, took another settling breath and swaggered into the Great hall. His brother was getting inducted today, best not be late.
***********************
The ball room was embroidered in the coulours black and grey. Rather gloomy considering the event’s party status, Jason thought. He waded through the ocean of bodies that stood between his brother and him. Students from all five categories were obliged to attend; not that they all did. As far as the fivers were concerned, the inauguration was below them. The only thing keeping them in the hall was the promise of a visit to the shadows office, and no one left that place the way they entered, literarily. There were records of students losing fingers or toes or both after visiting the Principal’s office.
The head of Knight Academy was referred to as the principal. In my somewhat humble and totally unbiased opinion, that title was grossly inaccurate to say the least. She was a looming presence, notoriously ruthless. She gave off the vibe of being everywhere and nowhere all at once, hence the title Shadow. She ruled the academy with dragon claws, and no one dared to oppose her, it never ended well. Jason shook his head once more, he was getting too distracted this evening, or perhaps he was just anxious for his brother’s sake.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
He had never seen Jess to haveinterest in the academy or anything remotely related to violence. So his decision to join came as much of a surprise to Jason as it did to anyone really.
" If it isn’t Knight Academy’s newest recruit straight from the Rofana Family."
Jason flashed his custom grin. He’d spotted Jess by one of the bars, talking with a couple of females. By the look of things, he wowed them with his manly charm. Jess turned towards Jason, recognizing the voice. "Ho, Jay,"
He greeted, grabbing Jason in a bear hug. Jason noticed how much bigger his younger brother had become since last he’d seen him. He now stood taller that him!
"Wow, you’ve been growing!" he realized. “Been munching all of mom’s Fufu and Eru I see.”
"You bet I have," Jess chuckled. "she says she needs to build up them muscles, so I can be a proper warrior." He leaned into Jason "She wasn’t too happy with your performance last year, said you weren’t taking the training serious. Said a lot of hurtful things if I’m being honest."
Jason frowned, he and his mother had a bit of a complex relationship and from all indications, his below-par performance at the academy hadn’t helped matters. But, the academy was more complicated than she understood.
Putting up and impish grin, Jason replied
"Oh yeah, so you’re like my replacement ehh?"
Jess’ broad shoulders broadened.
"course I am, Mom says I could even better George’s records."
Jason laughed at that, "More like become his minion". He wiped a tear from his cheek. "Nobody beats George, Jess” he said "Nobody bloody beats George, it’s the rule of the game. You should try slamball out you know."Jason said cheekily, taking in Jess’ full height.
"Your talents will be wasted here, go get us some slam-dunk money” he smirked.
Jess flushed_ I know I know, you are wondering how that’s even possible on ebony skin. Well, use your imagination blokes. This is a bloody story! not some biology lesson, don’t expect everything to be so bloody true. No matter how awesome I appear to be, I’ve still got an iny tiny shread of humanity and I’m therefore prone to abit of the ocassional exaggeration.
Alright, where was I? Ah, I’ve got it, Jess. He had lost some valuable cool- points with his new acquiantants who struggled to stifle laughs. He opened his mouth, clearly about to throw a retort when the music stopped.
"May I have your attention, please!"
A mountain of a man stood on the raised platform of the ball room. He adorned a pitch black leather jacket, the Knight Academy crest, a black mamba strapped to a black neck embroidered on his right chest.
" If you would give me your attention!"
His tone warranted utmost attention. All eyes rested on him, His gaze swept across the faces of those standing in the hall. A hint of a smile visible on his chiseled ebony skin, his dark brown eyes hardly seen in the dimly lit hall.
"For some of you,” His voice carried across the hall. "This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your might”.
He waved his hand across the faces of the eager first years.
"What you see here is an opportunity to write your names in history, an opportunity to serve your beloved nation, an opportunity to serve your Emperor."
Pausing, he took in a deep breath, savoring the attention he no doubt got from all the eyes watching him.
"This academy has existed for decades, producing enormous talent that have helped shape the very borders of this great empire. You too would be called upon to do so."
He smiled, excitement dancing in the depths of his eyes, he really was enjoying this.
“But make no mistake, you shall be tested."
His eyes latched unto Jason. Jason shuffled nervously under the intensity of his gaze. He broke eye contact, a sudden urge to examine how brilliant his shoe laces were. The last thing he wanted was attention from hierarchy at the start of the New Year. He had no wish to encounter the Shadow, no one did.