"What's up with you? Ya cryin' cuz ya can't get food?" Nikolaos smiles through his question.

"No."

"Then what's wrong?

"The 3 paides that died today were my friends and I'm the one who informed Eiren Adonis about it. I saw them wash away and cry, screaming for help as I just stood there.." Nikolaos instantly goes silent and Georgios places a shoulder on the sad boy.

"It's not your fault and it wasn't their fault either.." I add a hand to his shoulder as well.

"Then who's is it?" Nero brushes his hand through his dark hair.

"That will be revealed in due time," I tell him and he nods as do the others.

"Well thank you all for consoling me. What are your guys' names?"

"I'm Nikolaos and the short red-headed demon is Georgios"

"And I'm Damon." I extend a handshake and the smaller-sized boy accepts.

The time to eat closes and we all then head to our living quarters. Georgios, Nikolaos, and I all sleep close together and invite Nero to do the same which he accepts. His stomach noticeably grumbles and so Georgios slyly gives him some of our extra rations. Then after a night's rest we awake early in the morning by the waking of our Eiren Adonis.

"Get up paides the initiation has ended now you will join with the rest of the Paides order. You can expect them to teach you all a thing or two."

We all then walk out and into a field where over half a thousand boys reside and several grown Spartans observe with other Eirens instructing. Eiren Adonis then turns to us.

"You all are going to learn how to read and write. A literate Spartan is a well-rounded Spartan. What's good of a Spartan that can't outthink, outpower, and outmaneuver a traitorous Thebian or even a boy-loving Athenian. I expect you all to form small groups numbering two hands with an older Paide and an eligible assistant."

All of us nod and every classmate runs off to find an older Paide. The oldest Paides are up to 14 just at the start of puberty. My group tries to do the same but there is no reason to as I have learned how to read and write at a more than-qualified level.

I grab Nikolaos by the back of his collar before he can dart off and then I begin to speak. "Guys there's no reason to beg a Paide to support us or even an assisting Spartan."

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"What do you mean?" Georgios asks with both Nikolaos and Nero sharing the same confused expression.

"I am already proficient in reading and writing. I want us all to form a circle and bring me a stick."

"W-what if it's required of us to work with a Paide and assistant?" Nero questions with Georgios nodding. Nero’s voice is every bit of skittish as it was yesterday the poor kid… Losing his friends is a traumatizing one…. I understand that feeling seeing the little boys from Diamstagosis… their back… I can’t think that I don’t have the time to dwell on the past not yet at least.

"Well, we will show them we don't need either through our progress." Ideally, it's best to just follow orders but there is an opportunity to separate myself and bring back lost notoriety by leading kids my own age. So when the Eiren or anyone else comes up to question our group I can impress them.

"Well alright then" Georgios sits down first followed by Nikolaos and Nero first finds a stick and then sits down himself. I then take the stick from Nero and start making letters from the mud and teach my 7-year-old friends. I present them with all the faucets there are for reading and writing and all of them catch on quickly. Especially Nero and Georgios as Nikolaos gets distracted by any roaming bug near us. Eventually, Eiren Adonis himself begins to walk towards us.

"Why is there no older Paide and assistant working with you boys?"

"None needed sir, I myself am capable of teaching them," I reply and continue my lesson but he stays hovering over us.

"Well, I expect my orders to be followed." He then walks away and eventually comes back with a large older boy and a Spartan to assist a group.

"These two are going to take over from now on and I'm going to watch very. very. closely." Eiren Adonis says with crossing arms and stands stiffly.

The older paide immediately gets to teaching but forgets many letters of the alphabet causing the assistant to pause him to inform. The example words get spelled wrong by the older paide causing the assistant to again correct him.

"Alright. Alright enough of this, you boy" Adonis points at me "I want you to take over"

"Will do sir" I then begin teaching with conviction and directness. I stumble on no word nor letter and even the older paide boy begins to listen closely to my lesson.

"What is your name, young Paide?" Adonis gets on one knee.

"Damon sir"

"Damon.. Good job, I expect many things from you down the line" he then gets up and walks away with strength in every stride.

I continue my lesson in stride and even gain respect from the older Paide. After the lesson, we then head back to our living quarters with our rations.

"How are you so good at reading and writing?" Nikolaos questions and both Nero and Georgios give an intrigued face awaiting an answer.

"I taught myself. Being literate is an integral skill it means you have mental strength and power. For example, if you are a slave and you are illiterate it means you have no way to know upcoming events or non verbally tell anyone about your disposition. It cripples you into being mentally weak making you not able to fight for your deserved freedom."

All three boys awe at my words trying to wrangle their meanings and the lessons they should give them. My words remind me of the trans-Atlantic slave trade where the slaves were broken mentally and so despite holding physical advantages due to labor and a numerical advantage in the plantation where they worked almost none ever organized a proper revolt for freedom.

"So what you're saying is Damon that because our helots can read they are more liable to revolt." Georgios comments with Nero nodding with agreement while Nikolaos tries to understand.

"Yes, that is the exact truth."

"Then shouldn't we ban them from reading to be put in less jeopardy?" Nero furthers the conversation, Georgios not nodding his head but instead rubbing it from overthinking.

"No Nero because every person deserves the right to pursue knowledge." I place a hand over Nero's shoulder.

"Even the helots? My family told me they are poor warriors and have completely relied on our superiority for centuries." Nero’s statement is filled with Spartan propaganda against the peasant class Helots.

"No, they aren't just completely reliant on us as Spartans rely on them for food production and manufacturing while they rely on what should be us defending them. That makes us Spartans and them helots reliant on each other, Nero."

"So what our mothers and elders always told us were wrong about the helots?" Nero interjects and Nikolaos stares deep into my soul for the response.

"Yes my friends but if you don't agree just keep an open mind instead of a closed one as you gain more knowledge." All boys then start to nod in agreement with understanding as we begin to fall tired and start to fall asleep one by one. The upcoming years shouldn't be so bad with my little allies.