1st person

I wake up with a start as the first light of dawn filters into the room.

'It feels like I've been waking up every hour on the hour all night long. This room is like a prison to me, and I can't help but miss the comforts of home, like my TV, phone, and computer' I thought as I get up and splash some water on my face, hoping to shake off the feeling of confinement.

As I make my way out into the hallway, it's clear that everyone else is still asleep. I start to explore the palace, but 'I think someone is watching me?' I thought as I look around, but there was no one to be seen.

'There is no way the king would leave the heroes unchecked so I should not explore alone, I should bring some company'

Returning to the hallway of our rooms, I remember that ten people were summoned here, including me. Thankfully, I know which rooms they're staying in. I head over to Hudson's room and find the trio sleeping soundly.

Jake is snoring away on the bed, while Hudson and Luke are sprawled out on the floor, drooling. I take the jug of water from the desk and splash it on the three of them to wake them up.

"Who the hell is this?" Jake grumbles.

"Just five more minutes," Hudson mutters.

"Let me sleep," Luke groans.

But after some cajoling, they finally get up.

"Why are you up so early, Kaian?" Hudson asks, rubbing his eyes. "We still have plenty of time."

I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Figured I'd explore the palace a bit."

Hudson yawned and stretched. "Mind if we join you?"

I shook my head. "Sure, the more the merrier."

As we walked down the hallway, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us. Every now and then, I'd glance over my shoulder, but I never saw anyone.

We made our way to the palace courtyard, where the sun was just starting to peek over the walls. I took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air.

"This place is amazing," Jake said, gazing around in wonder.

"Yeah, it's like something out of a fairy tale," Luke added.

We spent the next few hours exploring the palace and its surroundings, marvelling at the beautiful gardens and intricate architecture. It was almost easy to forget that we were here to fight demons and possibly die in the process.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

We returned to our rooms to rest. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, though. There was a sense of foreboding that hung over me like a dark cloud.

I didn't voice my concerns to the others. They had enough on their minds already.

After what felt like hours of waiting, the time finally came.

~~~~~~

As the knights knock on our doors and ask us to assemble in the hallway, I can feel the excitement and curiosity building up in the group. We make our way to the hallway, where we find two girls already standing there. Both of them, with brown hair, greets us with a smile.

"Hey, how are you guys doing?" she asks.

"We're good, thanks. How about you?" Hudson replies, still looking a little sleepy.

"We're good too. My name is Angela, and this is Emma," she introduces herself, pointing to the other girl standing next to her. They both look similar like they could be sisters.

Hudson introduces himself, and we all follow suit. We wait for the other four members of the group to arrive, and soon they do, chatting with each other like they're old friends. The group consists of three boys and a girl, all of us late or middle teens.

Just then, two knights arrive, the same ones who guided us to our rooms the day before. They're dressed in full body armour, making it hard to identify them, but I recognize their voices. They inform us that we've been ordered to attend weapons training for the week and lead us to the training ground.

As we make our way to the training ground, I can't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. I've always been interested in weapons and combat, and I'm looking forward to what the week has in store for us.

~~~~

The walls surrounding the training ground were tall and imposing, made of rough-hewn stones that seemed to have been standing for centuries. The ground was littered with various training equipment, such as wooden dummies that looked like they had been used and abused over the years, targets that had been pummeled by countless arrows and blades, and obstacles that looked like they had seen better days. In the centre of it, all stood a grizzled old man, his face weathered by time and experience, as he surveyed us.

"I am Ranell," he said in a deep, gravelly voice, his eyes sweeping over the assembled group. "And for this one week, I will be teaching you weapon mastery." He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. "Pick your weapon of choice. You can choose melee weapons or ranged, even magical. Get them within 20 minutes from the basement."

As soon as he had finished speaking, the group wordlessly made their way towards the equipment, each of them sizing up the available weapons and equipment.

'Judging by their looks they all had their preferences, but they all have no idea on what they were looking for.' I thought as I tried to analyze the others.

"Guys, what are you going to pick?" Jack finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Probably a spear," Hudson replied, his eyes scanning the racks of weapons for the perfect one.

"Probably small swords? Or daggers? At least I will try," Luke replied, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"What about you, Kaian?" Jack turned to me, waiting for my response.

"I don't know, probably a sword, I think," I replied casually, my mind still undecided as I looked around the room.

"Oh, I am going to take something from the magic section," Jake said, bouncing on his feet

~~~~~~~

As we descended the stairs leading down to the basement, the air grew cooler and damper, and the light from the torches flickered ominously on the walls. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched, but Luke seemed unfazed, his eyes bright with curiosity. We reached the bottom of the stairs and found ourselves in a sprawling room filled with all sorts of weapons, from swords to maces to axes.

As we walked deeper into the melee section, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. The walls were lined with racks of weapons of all shapes and sizes, and the floor was covered with mats and obstacles for training. I noticed that Luke was lingering around a particularly ornate set of armour that had been left on a stand. It looked like it had been well-loved and well-worn, but it still retained a certain dignity and power.

Suddenly, a noise from behind us made us both jump. We spun around, weapons drawn, but it was only Jack, who had followed us down to the basement. He grinned sheepishly, clearly feeling a little embarrassed.

"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to see what you were up to."

We all laughed, and I felt some of my tension dissipate. But as we continued to explore the basement, my unease returned. The weapons and armour were all ancient, and it seemed like they had been left there for a long time, forgotten and abandoned. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of people had trained here, and what kind of battles they had fought.

Eventually, we reached the end of the melee section, and that's when Luke spotted the door. Without hesitation, he strode forward and flung it open. I braced myself for what might be on the other side, but all I saw was a plain sword, lying on a pedestal in the centre of the room.

The sword was beautiful, with a polished silver blade and a handle inlaid with a glittering gemstone. As I stepped closer, I felt a strange pull towards it, as though it was calling to me.

"Wait Ka-"

As soon as I wrapped my fingers around the sword's handle, a bright light filled the room, and I felt a jolt of energy surge through my body. The sword hummed with power, and I knew that it was more than just a simple weapon. It was something special, something magical.

To be continued ...