Although the exam would not begin for another half an hour, the testing center was already packed with thousands of Fraxian and Valerian students from different institutions. Shon and Zora spotted a few friends from the Academy, but nobody was in the mood for small talk.

Many students, whether Fraxian or Valerian, were doing some last-minute cramming with the textbooks. Near the training room, some Valerians were sparring with each other. One Valerian slammed another onto the ground with a loud thud, and Shon winced at the pain. Thankfully Fraxians were not tested on hand-to-hand combat.

On the other side, there was a large shooting range. Several Fraxians and Valerians were gathered there. On the Valerian range, a talented marksman caught the admiring eyes of many. He fluidly moved from cover to cover, like a dancer gliding across the stage. As soon as the human-shaped target popped up, he would quickly strike them with perfect headshots, sometimes even without looking. The moment he emptied his rifle, he picked up a revolver from the table and brought down the three remaining targets.

As the marksman put down his gun, his gaze crossed Shon’s. He saw Shon’s orange Fraxian eyes and sneered. He proceeded to pick up a bullet, sliding it across his neck. Shon ignored his taunt.

“That’s Damian Strauss,” whispered Zora. “Stay out of his way. He’s made a few questionable statements about Fraxians in the past.”

“What a pity that such a good marksman has rocks for brains,” Shon muttered.

Shon walked onto his own half of the range. On the Fraxian side, there were no human-shaped targets. Instead, numerous large and irregular objects flew in predetermined trajectories, resembling debris in a sandstorm.

Unlike the fancy arsenal on the Valerian side, the Fraxians were only given three models of XetaCorp blasters equipped by Stormrunners. As weapons against the sandstorms, these blasters would fire special energy beams that only damage inorganic matters like rock and metal, while passing harmlessly through any organic matter in between.

Shon picked up the biggest blaster and aimed it at a flying boulder. However, a few Valerians passed by behind him. He quickly lowered his blaster to prevent misunderstanding, but his eyes were still fixed on the parabolic arc of the boulder. The moment that the last Valerian walked away from him, he raised his arm and pulled the trigger. A blue beam shot out from the muzzle. As soon as it made contact with the boulder, the entire boulder pulverized into dust, leaving behind a faint smell of char mixed with smoke.

Shon moved on to the Stormrunning training range. There were a few Fraxians and Valerians equipped with Stormrunning gear. Some ran along the walls and dodged obstacles up and down. A few others jumped through the air with their grappling hooks and jump packs. Shon was itching to try on the gear, but he took a deep breath and walked away. He should not waste his energy.

The bells began ringing. An assembly was called. The Fraxians and Valerians separated into two crowds. Shon laid down the blaster and walked along with other Fraxians into the dark auditorium.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

The auditorium became pitch black as soon as the last student entered, or at least pitch black for Fraxian eyes. Surprisingly, Shon found himself welcoming the temporary blindness. Without the ability to see the outside world, he was given a few solitary minutes to introspect. This allowed him to calm his nerves a little.

Shon heard some film strips rolling, and the projector buzzed to life, casting a larger-than-life image of President Claudia Valtora on the center of the screen.

The video began playing. President Valtora’s piercing blue eyes glanced down at the audience as if staring right into the souls of each student. She waited for a few seconds before she began speaking.

“Good morning, students. Congratulations on making it this far in your journey. You have already come further than many Fraxians would ever will.”

President Valtora’s full and powerful voice made her a natural orator, carrying her words throughout the room, bouncing off walls and echoing off the students’ hearts. Since everywhere else was dark, Shon found his eyes glued onto the glowing screen.

“This Exam will be a life-changing event. The students who scored the highest will be granted a Valerian citizenship status alongside their families. This would be the highest honor any Fraxian could receive in their lifetime.”

Shon’s heart began racing. A Valerian citizenship. That was what he had been working for. After all the sacrifices his family had made to settle down in this nation, after enduring all the systemic injustices and personal insults he had faced as an auxiliary, and after studying and training at an intensity that few Valerian or Fraxian would understand, he would finally become an Honorary Valerian. By then, his family would no longer need to scrimp and save every cent. No one would be able to disrespect him or his family. He would be an equal. He would be free.

“Becoming a Stormrunner means carrying a sacred duty,” President Valtora continued. “When the sandstorms come — whether it be naturally occurring or artificially induced — you would be the ones charging towards danger.

“When everyone else will be running for their lives, you must be prepared to give your own. When everyone else will be hiding, you must dive headfirst into the sand and gravel. When everyone else will be praying to never encounter another sandstorm in their lifetimes, you must be constantly on the chase, diving into one storm after another, not only diffusing them but also extracting data and knowledge. Your individual lives will be part of the Valerian frontline, and your intelligence will contribute to the Valerian compendium of knowledge.”

“I wish you the best of luck on your exams. It has been my honor to serve Valeria, and likewise, it will be your utmost honor to serve our great nation. Through service and patriotism, you will find meaning like never before, and your lives will change forever after today.”

With that, the videotape finished playing. The room was once again engulfed in darkness.

There was a chill in the air. Shon felt goosebumps on his arms. Having fallen under the hypnotic powers of President Valtora’s oratory, Shon dreamed of the future ahead.

Shon wondered what it would be like to become something bigger — bigger than his current life of nine-to-five Academy drudgery and five-to-three exam prep, bigger than that cramped sun-less apartment in the low-city next to nothing but gunshots, bigger than calculating if picking the one digit train fare could afford him the two-digit grocery cost.

If he became part of something bigger, perhaps the senseless repetition of his current life would have some meaning. Perhaps by then, his mother and sister would also reap meaning in their sacrifices for him.

The thoughts rose and fell in Shon’s head, eventually leaving only one thing in his mind.

He must become a Stormrunner.