“The fate of Kamis lies in your hands,” said Ahuru as he walked to the door. “If his loyalty remains with the liberation army, then we are forced to execute him. If you convince him to join us….”

Once the cell doors were closed, Ali sighed and laid down on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, he wondered how he could talk Kamis out of fighting for the liberation army.

Does the liberation army exist anymore now that Thomas is dead? I guess the fanatics might claim the death was fabricated and Thomas is still alive.

Unsure what he could do, the teenager turned to sleep as a way to recharge and he would let his future self find a solution to the matter. He would continue working on the synergy of his wind blast and flame blast but it had proven to be tough to use both abilities. The teenager finally understood why everyone was taught how to use one ability well. That alone required the complete focus of most people. As he was learning in his spar with Tian, his opponent, if serious, wouldn’t give him the time to use both abilities at once. He needed plenty more practice before he could use both abilities in unison during the heat of the battle.

“You need to wake up, Ali! Ahuru is here.”

Ali thanked the air serpent and opened his eyes. He sat up to see the examiner waiting by the door. The man pointed in the direction of Kamis’ cell so Ali quickly got up. The two of them headed over where Kamis was still restrained. They moved at a hasty pace, making Ali wonder what was so urgent about the matter.

“Kamis, how are you doing?” said Ali as that was the first thing that came to his mind.

“What agreement did you make with this shady organization?” replied Kamis.

“It’s….complicated. I don’t want us to part ways. Are you willing to leave the liberation army behind you? We can start anew in this...new organization.”

The teenager was unsure what response he would get. Despite all the time he spent with Kamis, he never once asked the bulky teenager why he joined the liberation army in the first place. If he had known the reason, he could have worded his question to better suit the situation. Now, he felt he was just gambling away and hoped he hit the jackpot.

“The liberation army took Svenne and Umaru from me. I won’t let it be the reason we get separated. I’ll be your shield wherever you go, Ali!”

Ali cursed himself as the tears came streaming down. As soon as Kamis was released, he stood up and placed his hand on Ali’s shoulder stating that they would stick together just as what they did for the morning runs. The teenager nodded his head as he wiped away the tears.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“What now?” Ali asked Ahuru. “What will happen to the two of us?”

“You two will help us get promoted to C rank!” shouted Belen at the door entrance.

“C rank? But I thought you two failed due to my abandonment?”

“Nope,” said Kurata as he joined Belen at the entrance. “We both worked to make up for your absence. It wasn’t easy but we got it done, though just barely!”

Ali then asked if it was cheating to have Kamis join them. He certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it but he didn’t want to break any rules and get them disqualified. Ahuru said that there was a hidden rule where one could recruit someone to join their team during the provisional exam. In their case, Kamis was basically recruited as he wished to stick with Ali. Now, they were a group of four that would be tackling the second stage of the promotional exam together.

“You better carry your weight after we hauled your lazy butt to the second stage,” said Belen.

Ali smiled as he nodded his head. A part of him was relieved he was forgiven so easily. The other part looked forward to showing off his new abilities in the exam. He wanted to show off the growth he had since they last met while also contributing in a major way. The teenager sneaked a look at Kamis knowing the bulky teenager would also be a great addition to their group.

“Now that you four are ready,” said Ahuru, “you should go upstairs to report your attendance at once. The proctors for the second stage won’t be waiting indefinitely for you.”

With Belen at the lead, the group ran down the hallway and made its way to the upper floor. Ali paused briefly when he was taken aback by the number of people on the floor. He quickly closed the distance to make sure he didn’t get separated from the rest of the group. Once at the registration desk, Belen handled all the questions and paperwork while the other three waited.

This feels out of place after the training facility. The liberation army was serious about producing soldiers for conflict.

“Everyone, please take one of these yellow tags.”

Ali grabbed one of the yellow tags from Belen. He looked up to see Belen had a blue one and inquired about it. She explained that the second stage was an escort mission where those with yellow tags had to engage in battle and play the role of bodyguard while the individual with the blue tag was the freed hostage. The groups were graded for the time they took to get the freed hostage to the finish line. If the hostage was hurt or incapacitated, then the group would be disqualified.

“Sounds simple enough,” said Kurata. “What will we be facing?”

“Low level minotaurs,” said Belen.

Ali watched as the colors drained from Kurata’s face. He remembered fighting minotaurs during the hell grind and they were certainly dangerous for those with little combat experience. He checked on Kamis who returned his smile.

Good! Just like the old times when we fought them side by side. I'll make up to Belen for making her work so hard in the first stage.