The garden was empty when Sandra and Dominant arrived, perhaps Talent was training elsewhere, or maybe he was taking a day off. Dominant didn’t care. He was tired of seeing Talent tossing about flashy spells with ease. He was only doing it to taunt Dominant, who had to suffer through his inability to use magic at all. He was just tired of everything, but he couldn’t give up. He had to keep trying.

Sandra led Dominant to the center of the garden and said, “Let’s try something different.” She summoned a strange sword with a curved hilt that had a trigger. The blade itself was thin and straight with creases that suggested it folded or changed form. “Here, hold this.”

Dominant took it and held it awkwardly. It was heavier than it looked and the shape of the handle made holding it awkward. “What is this?” he asked.

“It’s a sword. A gun sword, specifically, though requires magic use to operate the gun functions. For now just treat it like a blade. Do you know how to use a sword?”

Dominant shrugged. “I’m more comfortable with guns and explosives.”

She gave him a strange look. “A gun is easily countered with magic, and far out classed if you find yourself up against a strong opponent. Swords have far more potential.” She sighed, “I hear you had the chance to observe Sombra in action.”

Her voice rose at the end, indicating a question, so Dominant nodded. “I did.”

“And what did you notice?”

“Well, he was very agile and seemed to have a lot of power in his strikes.”

Sandra nodded. “And what about his weapon?”

“He was wielding a long, curved blade.” Dominant replied, feeling a bit confused by the question.

“What did you think of it? How did he use it?” Sandra pressed.

Dominant thought about it for a moment. “He used it for quick precise strikes that even the Raven king struggled to avoid, or… maybe he wasn’t trying…”

“What else?”

Dominant didn’t know. Once the king began to fight back things got very chaotic. He supposed he might have seen Sombra block with the weapon, but Sombra relied heavily on his magic for both offense and defense most of the time. Dominant didn’t know enough about swords to answer. He shrugged.

Sandra sighed and said, “Well, that’s alright, you’ll learn.” She reached behind her and pulled out a similar sword to the one she’d handed Dominant, then assumed a combat stance. “Follow my example.”

Dominant did as he was told. It felt a bit awkward at first, but he quickly got the hang of it and the position became natural. He held the sword out in front of him, his feet shoulder width apart. Sandra stepped back, observing him. She nodded, then stepped forward and swung her sword. Dominant blocked it, but he was off balance, and she was able to push him back.

He stumbled, but he didn’t fall.

“Look at that, you’re a natural,” Sandra joked. She swung again, and this time Dominant blocked it firmly. She swung again, and he blocked it. They continued this exercise for a while, Sandra getting more and more aggressive with her swings.

Eventually, she stopped and said, “That was good. What did you learn?”

Dominant thought about it for a moment, then said, “I learned that you can be very unpredictable with a sword and that it can be used for both defense and offense.”

Sandra smiled and said, “Good, that’s the point of this exercise. Now, try to cut me.”

Dominant, moving into position and holding his sword in front of him. Sandra sent her weapon back to storage, causing Dominant to pause. “You want me to attack you without a weapon?”

Sandra grinned. “You’ll have to get past my guard before you can land a blow.”

With a sigh, Dominant nodded then rushed forward, swinging his sword at her arm. She didn’t move to defend herself, so he eased up, and angled the blade to avoid hurting her.

Sandra bent backwards at the last moment, bringing her right foot up, into the end of the blade, sending it spinning away from him. “Never show mercy in battle, it could mean your death. If I had wanted, I could’ve kicked that sword into your neck.”

Dominant looked at his hands, then at the sword, then back at her. “I’m not a killer, I can’t—”

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She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You should never show weakness in a fight, not to anyone. Even an unarmed child is a danger in the field.”

Dominant frowned, feeling frustrated. “I don’t understand how you can expect me to be so ruthless.”

Sandra sighed. “Look, if you’re going to be a judge, you’re going to have to pass judgement and you’ll have to defend your subjects as well. Both will require a willingness to use violence and to kill. The sooner you come to terms with that the sooner you can start to actually learn.”

Dominant didn’t know what to say; he wasn’t particularly interested in being a judge, but he knew no matter where he went, there would eventually be a reason to fight. He sighed and picked up the sword. Sandra smiled and said, “Let’s try again. But remember, don’t hold back.”

Dominant nodded, feeling a little better. He took a deep breath and assumed an offensive posture. He was a little hesitant, but he forced himself to press forward. He swung his sword at Sandra, and she dodged by spinning into his arms. He was caught off guard, but he didn’t lose control of his sword. He tried to step away, but Sandra grabbed him and flipped him over her shoulder. Dominant fell hard onto the ground.

“You’re still not trying to kill me,” she stated with a sigh.

Dominant groaned and sat up, his head spinning. “I can’t just—”

“It’s my job to prepare you for the battlefield. If you aren’t prepared to kill, then you won’t be any better than Talent. You may as well just stand there and wait for death.” Sandra walked towards him and held out her hand. Dominant grabbed it, and she helped him to his feet.

Dominant was still confused by her attitude. The pressure had been slowly increasing, but before it was fine as long as he was progressing. Now it seemed like there was more urgency for him to be ready. “What happened?” He asked.

“What do you mean?”

Dominant looked at her, his eyes filled with concern. “You seem different, more aggressive.”

Sandra sighed and said, “You will be tested soon. There’s something you must do and if you succeed there will be celebration and songs of your deeds that persist for many years. Like wise, if you fail it will not be quickly forgotten, especially by the high lord. The stakes are too high, failure can not be allowed, and I fear you aren’t ready. You’re training is incomplete…”

Dominant was shocked. He didn’t know what she meant, but he had a feeling he was in over his head. What sort of task did the high lord have in mind for him?

He wanted to ask, but something told him this was not the time and Sandra would not answer if he did. Instead he said, “If I must, I’ll do what needs to be done.”

Sandra nodded. “That’s enough for today. There’s something you need to see—as a Kastin, you must understand your people and their needs.”

***

Sandra led Dominant into the city, to an area where people lived in cramped apartments. The buildings were old and run down, and the streets were dirty and cluttered. People were everywhere, some selling goods, others just sitting around, looking miserable. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and the stench of rotting food.

Sandra looked at him and said, “Do you know what these people are?”

Dominant wasn’t certain. A gut feeling told him they were numbers, but the fact she called them people made him hesitant to believe so. He looked around, and noticed the lack of numbers, or any other markings, and he saw that some were dressed in simple clothes, while others were in rags. Some had the look of poverty and hunger, while others were better fed but wore expressions of dismay and fear.

When Dominant’s eyes met the eyes of a young man, at least twenty years old, but not older than thirty, the man shuddered and quickly averted his gaze. He hastened his pace and took the first turn off the road.

“These are rejects, or failures. The ones who could not complete the tasks required of them. They are the most vulnerable people we are responsible for. What do you think the Kastin’s responsibility is to these people?”

Dominant didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t understand why they were called rejects, or how they were different from the Numbers, but he had a feeling that they were not being taken care of. He also didn’t understand the rules of surface society even after serval months above ground he always felt like there was as simpler solution to most things and he didn’t care for the rigid expectations of the nobility.

“I don’t know.” Dominant replied. “I suppose it depends on the person, and what they have done to earn their position here.”

Sandra looked at him, her eyes filled with disappointment. “The Kastins have a duty to ensure the welfare of all those who reside in their domain. This means we should provide opportunities for those here so that they do not slip further and become members of the Raven’s gang. We need to provide them with a path that allows them to improve their lives, but we can’t do that if they are forced to steal or beg to survive. We can’t do it if they live in fear, and we can’t do that if they’re not even willing to look us in the eyes. We have failed these people.”

She sighed and looked down, her expression pained. “But, the worst part is, we aren’t even trying to fix it. If you had the opportunity, what would you do for these people?”

Dominant wasn’t sure how to answer that. He didn’t even know they existed before today and he had no idea what options were even realistic. He supposed it would have to be something besides whatever job they failed. He thought that service in the manor might be a good option, but he quickly decided there would be a lack of trust on both sides and it wouldn’t end well for the rejects. “Perhaps we should ask them what they need,” Dominant finally said jokingly.

Sandra stopped and looked at him. “That’s a surprisingly reasonable suggestion. But how would we convince them to answer?”

Dominant shrugged, not certain what to suggest. “I suppose we could offer them food.”

Sandra shook her head. “They would not accept food from us. They would probably think it is poisoned.”

Dominant thought for a moment, then said, “We could offer them crystals—but the high lord would never allow it.”

“Actually , he might.” Sandra smiled and said, “Let’s go ask him.”

They continued walking for a bit before Dominant noticed a young girl walking with her mother and brother. He didn’t know them, but the sight of them made him pause. His chest ached with a longing he couldn’t place and tears blurred his vision.

Sandra stopped walking and looked at him, concerned. “Are you ok?”

He wiped his eyes and said, “I’m fine.” He had to look away from the girl and her family, and focus on the task at hand.“Let’s go.”