As the night went on its parade, a group of trainees all lay motionless in the dirt, sleeping off all the fatigue they had accumulated.

However, amongst the sleeping cadets stood a single silhouette, silently moving through the ranks and marking them with ink to the last one.

As he marked the final cadet, the silhouette came forward and spoke, his pressure whipping forth.

"Wake up, cadets," Samael uttered.

The gust of pressure slapped the cadets awake, forcing them to stumble in panic as they hurriedly rose to their feet, weapons in hand, as they frantically searched their vicinity, only to spot Samael.

"Once again, you've failed," Samael said.

"I've marked you all with a marker; those blots mean you've died," he resumed.

The trainees lowered their weapons in disbelief before they searched their bodies for the mark.

"Have I not made myself clear earlier? As scouts, readiness is our forte. You lose your edge and you die. That's it," Samael berated.

The cadets could only lower their heads as they accepted the scolding.

"Let this serve as a warning." Samael took a brief pause as he shot a glance over his shoulder.

"The next time I catch you off guard, a mark won't be the only thing I'll leave you with."

***

As the morning sun rose over the horizon, the warm light signalling the start of another busy day basked the decaying forest in its mercy.

Samael's group remained in the safer zones near the Stellaris camp. While he wanted to rush the training, he wouldn't risk the total safety of everyone in his squad.

"As future scouts, knowledge is power," Samael reiterated.

"I'll teach you all how to camouflage yourself," Samael said before taking out a kit from his dragon horde remnant.

In his hand nested a plethora of powder and multicoloured body paint.

"Take out your respective kits," Samael said before he pointed at the pouches in their waists.

The warriors followed suit as they took out the same-looking container Samael had, inspecting it before glancing at their mentor.

"These are body paints. They're easily removable by using water and scrubbing it off. However, they're also good for remaining hidden within your environment," Samael said.

"Watch," Samael uttered as his hand weaved back and forth with baffling speed and accuracy.

The cadets jaws fell wide open as they witnessed Samael's left hand blend with the bark of a decaying tree. Had Samael not shown them, they wouldn't even know it was there.

"Do you all understand its importance now?" Samael asked.

The trainees all nodded in unison when a man raised his hand.

"Riley?" Samael asked, surprising the cadet.

Samael imprinted their faces in his mind, along with their abilities and names. That way, he can grade them all fairly.

"Excuse my rudeness, but how would this help in the long run? If we were to be faced with a sensory beast, wouldn't they feel our presence anyway?" Riley asked.

A small, imperceptible smile crossed Samael's lips for a second as he replied. "That is true. That's why I will also teach you how to hide your presence along with camouflage."

Riley gave an understanding nod before stepping back.

"I want you all to start taking out your brushes. I will guide you through the process," Samael instructed.

The cadets disassembled their gear with haste, a trait Samael found quite pleasing. It only meant they were finally catching up to his habits.

"Camouflage is similar to painting, except you're mimicking your surroundings instead of making one from your imagination," Samael said.

"That being said, a good way to know your subject of mimicry is to first critically observe it," Samael mentioned as he tapped the decaying bark, uncaring for the rot it's emanating.

The cadets slowly approached their chosen targets, their gazes piercing through as though they were seeing something.

"Knowing how to blend colours is your biggest friend. Even if you were to copy the lines and textures of the target, if your colour is off, then you've failed," Samael reminded.

"For now, I'll allow you all to explore and mix your colours. Once you've all got the basics of it, we'll advance," Samael uttered before leaning back.

The cadets swiftly went to work, staining themselves with paint as they mixed one colour after the other.

Some were simply going blind, while others showed promising attitudes, as they first started by understanding how colours work. Due to this, the degree of success varied from person to person.

Some finished faster than the rest, while those too ignorant to notice took forever to understand the smallest concepts.

By the time noon came around, the group had finally finished their testing.

Samael came forward, checking their progress.

While many of them managed to get close enough to the target colour, it wasn't perfect by any means. Nonetheless, a job well done.

"Good job. You managed to come close enough that an untrained eye might think it's of the same colour," Samael praised.

The cadets cheered in unison, smiles and laughs reverberating in the air.

Trying out colours and trying to match them to your target might sound like a simple task, but it can be draining for beginners.

"The next target is to copy the texture and appearance of your target," Samael swiftly followed, killing the cheers of the cadets.

With a heavy sigh, the trainees went to work as they picked off their brushes.

Samael paced around, watching the cadets try their best as he gave out some occasional tips to those unable to mimic their targets.

"Try doing a much heavier stroke. That way it will show the depth and blend better," Samael said before turning to another trainee.

"Don't add too many lines; it will stand out from the rest," he pointed out before pacing forward once more.

Slowly, time ticked away, chipping through them in silence. Eventually, frustration was bound to erupt.

"FUCK!" A cadet named Ramon roared in fury as he slammed his brush on the ground.

Samael calmly shot a glance at the man.

"This is a waste of time!" He shouted.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

The other cadets remained silent, doubt and uncertainty in their gaze.

"Are you questioning my judgement?" Samael asked.

Ramon flinched visibly as he involuntarily stepped back. His face white as snow in a cold winter month.

"N-no, sir. I'm just simply confused about how this will really come in handy when we're always on the move," Ramon reasoned, his head tilted down.

A sigh escaped Samael's lips. He knew they were getting too obedient, and something was wrong.

"Ramon, is it?" Samael asked.

The man straightened his back. "Yes sir!"

Samael shot a glance over the horizon, his gaze lost in reminiscence.

"You see, I also questioned it once in my life," Samael said.

A small smile of victory etched its way towards Ramon's lips.

"...Until I almost died from an abomination chasing me," Samael resumed.

Pin-drop silence engulfed the squad, their eyes wide in surprise.

"Do you know that the feeling of nearly dying to an abomination ranks above you?" Samael asked.

The cadets wagged their heads in denial.

"The only reason I'm standing here is because I learned the importance of camouflage then," Samael said before leaning back.

Ramon and the other trainees stepped back, swiftly returning to their respective places and continuing work as though nothing had occurred.

The camouflage training took a total of two days to grasp. On the third day, Samael started teaching the cadets how to hide their presence.

"Hiding your presence is the second step in successful camouflage. No matter how well you hide, if they can sense you, it's over," Samael lectured.

"Gather in a circle," Samael instructed, which was followed soon enough.

"Unfortunately, hiding your presence while being mobile is too advanced for you yet. So I will teach you how to do it while stationary," Samael pointed out.

"Now close your eyes," he said.

The cadets, unsure, slowly shut their eyes. Carefully listening to their surroundings in fear of an ambush.

"Hiding your presence means hiding your physical aura and energy," Samael said as he demonstrated.

The cadets brows rose to an arch. Fascination bloomed in their hearts as they struggled to detect where their mentor was.

"Right now, you might not know where I am. Perhaps my voice may even sound distant to you," Samael said.

"Yet I'm standing before you," Samael resumed as he revealed his presence, startling the cadets and forcing them to bolt up in surprise.

"Get back into position," Samael ordered.

"In order to hide your physical aura, you'd have to follow a few steps," Samael narrated.

"Follow closely. First, slow your breathing down as slow as you can," he instructed.

The cadets took a few deep breaths before attempting what Samael said without much issue.

"Good. Your heart rate will eventually decrease if you do it correctly," Samael said.

"The next step is to be aware of noises. Know when to move, when not to move, and how to move," Samael said.

"Fortunately, you won't have to do it yet, as we're only learning it in stationary," he followed shortly.

"That being said, remove any scent from yourselves. Mimic the scent of the environment you reside in," Samael mentioned.

"But how will we do that?" A cadet named Ross asked.

"Simple. You can achieve this in many ways: roll through the dirt, cover yourself in leaves, or even use the feces of animals," Samael explained.

The cadets faces flinched for a brief second before returning to normal, which didn't go unnoticed in Samael's eyes. Well, it was to be expected.

"Let's move on," Samael said.

"Aside from hiding your physical aura, you also have to control your essence at the same time," he resumed.

With a flick of his finger, Samael's mysterious aura vanished out of existence.

The trainees brows rose in fascination. Although they do not possess astral compasses yet, they can still tell something has changed in Samael. It's as though they were looking at a normal, mundane human instead of a capable Echo.

At that moment, they all had the same thought. Was this how he fooled all of them into underestimating him?

"Combine the two, and it will be hard even for echoes or abominations to sense your whereabouts," Samael uttered before he blended in the shadows.

The cadets squinted their eyes and shifted their gazes back and forth, trying to peer through the darkness.

But it was futile.

Samael leaned back as he watched the trainees look for him, when he was not that far from them.

The search went on for roughly ten minutes before Samael decided it was enough and stepped out of the shade.

At this point, the cadets were more than willing to learn. Just how many of them had died in the hands of Imgrave wolves along with their blasted senses?

These abominations are capable of sniffing you even before you approach their location. Ambush tactics, which were one of humanity's greatest weapons, had a failure rate of nearly 95%!

After all, how would you surprise an enemy when they already know you're coming?

"I assume you're all ready to learn?" Samael asked.

"Sir, yes, sir!" The trainees said in unison.

Hiding your essence was by no means a difficult task, nor was it an easy one. In truth, the amount of work you need to put in depends on how well you wish to cover it.

Even though Samael has been training this skill for some time now, he still hasn't mastered it as far as Ajax. But so does the saint.

Ajax himself hasn't mastered the technique fully and claims there's more to it. Potential they have yet to bring.

"Hiding your essence is far more complex in comparison to hiding your aura," Samael said as he paced around.

"It consists of three parts: control, observation, and limitations," Samael stated.

"Control is where I teach you to know the flow of your essence, to feel it, and to become familiar with how it works," Samael lectured as he raised one finger up.

"The second is observation. It's the ability to observe the natural flow of energy in the atmosphere itself," Samael said as he raised another finger.

"Knowing how to blend the flow of your essence with the surroundings will give it a natural camouflage," he resumed.

Observation was a topic Samael recently gained information on. Especially after the Tirnu River incident, where the abominations managed to fool their senses through blending with the currents themselves.

"Last but not least is limitations. Control alone won't help you if you're unable to limit the essence leaking from your body," Samael pointed out.

After Samael's speech ended, a cadet raised her arm.

"Pardon me, sir, but how will we sense the natural flow of energy in the atmosphere without astral compasses?" she asked.

Samael raised his arm as he answered. "Sensing the energy in the air doesn't require you to have an astral compass. It can be achieved through being more sensitive to essence. Essence that you also have."

"Shall we begin?" Samael asked.

***

Samael silently held a piece of paper, slowly reading its contents with great care.

It has been a few days since the stealth training of the cadets began. So far, they're advancing fairly well despite the abominable speed Samael's been putting on them.

Much to his expectations, some of the cadets that managed to combat his pressure have been progressing with great haste.

They're learning the art of stealth faster than the rest. Now, while talent does hold a position here, so do their attitudes.

Unlike some of the trainees, those who have been showing promising results are eager to learn more. Ajax would've been pleased if he had seen it.

Samael flipped to the second page.

The paper he was holding was a detailed report of Ajax's ventures and affairs occurring in the camp.

It seems that Ajax had managed to earn most of their trust through his show of great strength.

Reports state that the casualties in each subjugation have significantly decreased from 80% to a meagre 10%!

Unfortunately, not all was good.

It seems that the wolves were smarter than they initially gave them credit for. Ajax excelled in night raids as he used the element of shadow. But recently, the imgrave wolves have started taking precautions, even though they were the ones to use the dark to their advantage.

More and more wolves have been awake and guarding their lairs; some even take turns taking watch. This has slowed down their advance, especially for those not in Ajax's unit.

It seems he'll have to hurry even more to join the fight as soon as he can. With the lack of scouts, the strike groups have had trouble with ambushes and terrain disadvantages.

Samael rose to his feet as he brushed aside the leaves from the branch he resided in, peering through the clusters where a squad of knights, soldiers, and watchers trained in silence.

Samael has carefully divided their schedule. This way, the cadets can train their other skills aside from stealth alone.

Samael silently leaped off the tree, landing without noise as he strode forward, observing their progress with keen focus.

Currently, the majority of the group is already in the observation phase. A few still decided to train the control part a bit more, as they felt as though they were lacking compared to their peers.

Samael liked that. The talented trainees are serving as a goal. One that they must surpass.

"Damn it," a female watcher uttered in frustration as she broke out of focus.

Seeing Samael, the woman saluted and straightened her back. Sensing her frustration, Samael beckoned her to come closer.

"What's troubling you?" He asked.

The woman, unsure at first, decided to answer anyway.

"I'm unable to control the flow of my essence, sir!" She replied.

"Can you elaborate?" Samael asked.

The woman gave a nod. "Whenever I try to command it, it always disperses," she ranted.

Samael felt a tinge of nostalgia. It was a wall he once faced.

"The problem lies in how you view your powers. Your element is part of you. It's YOUR power, and thus it's YOU. Commanding it is an inefficient way of controlling it. Instead, feel it. Connect with it, and you'll control it as naturally as you breathe," Samael replied.

The woman fell silent for a moment, her eyes lost in contemplation. Seeing this, Samael silently stepped back.

It has been like this for the last couple days. The trainees have started opening up to him after witnessing his willingness to teach.

Unfortunately, it seems he'll have to force them to adapt even more.

Approaching the chosen representative of the group, Samael tapped his shoulder lightly.

"Call the others," he briefly instructed.

Yuin, the representative and one of the most talented cadets wielding the sound element, gave a nod before rising to his feet.

It didn't take long before a crowd formed along with the murmurs and whispers of the confused cadets.

After swiftly counting everyone, Samael spoke.

"I have received reports from the Stellaris camp. It seems they've been greatly slowed due to a lack of information on the battlefield. You do know what it means, right?" Samael said.

The crowd fell silent, a torrent of emotions passing through their eyes. Samael knows many of them have lost friends and comrades on the decaying Georgo road.

They didn't know it before, but after observing Samael for some time, they finally understood the importance of information.

Would things have changed had they known it before? Would their fallen brothers and sisters still be alive if they had been better?

Before Samael, a fiery flame ignited within the gazes of the cadets. A flame hungry for revenge.

Things were starting to get crazy.