CHAPTER 21

Ren found himself smiling, "Yes, Captain." He teased.

Kael scoffed, "Please, I'm nothing like that meanie. Let's go." He said and turned away.

Ren followed closely as they approached Stanley standing on an elevated block, taking out spears from a square metal box.

"Thank you, Stanley," Kael said as he took the spear from Stanley, twirling it easily around his fingers.

Ren saw Stanley's displeased face, but he tried his best to hide it behind a polite nod.

"Here's your spear, Ren," Stanley extended one of the resonca spears to Ren.

Ren stared apprehensively at the smooth, silver metal. He recalled how Kael explained the weapon's mechanism. With just the wrong move, he might just send the wrong energy to the spears, and it would resonate and pierce his foot.

"Ren?" Stanley called, agitated.

Ren blinked and slowly took the spear from him, "Oh..." he gasped as he was almost pulled down by the weight of the darned thing.

It weighed like a 60-pound barbell. He immediately held it with both hands, not believing that it was the same thing Kael had twirled around his fingers.

"Hold it steady," Dorian suddenly held up the barbell from behind Ren, taking Ren's hand to the centre, "Or you'll get hurt." He said and stepped away from him as if he hadn't spoken to him at all.

"Oh..." Ren was surprised that the spear was suddenly light.

He realised that the spear only needed to be held rightly, and he was shocked that Dorian bothered to help him.

"You talk to the unaffected now?" Stanley asked as he handed Dorian his spear.

"He's lame. I didn't want him to commit suicide around here. The captain would have our heads up if something happened to his specimen," Dorian replied nonchalantly.

Stanley chuckled, "That's true." He said and jumped down from the elevated block, his spear in hand.

"Move it, Unaffected," Stanley purpose shrugged past Ren, causing him to jump into a soldier in front of him.

"Uh," Ren murmured, leaning his face off the soldier's back and looking up slowly to find hazel eyes staring silently at him.

There was no glare, no raised brow, just a look.

"Are you okay?" The soldier questioned calmly.

Ren was confused, "Are you okay?" He asked right back, not because he wanted to know if he hurt the soldier. Rather, he wanted to know if the soldier was mentally alright.

Why was he asking if Ren was okay instead of pushing him to the hard ground?

'Was his brain possessed by some unknown virus?"

The soldier nodded, "I'm fine. You have to be careful with this." He said, pointing at the spear in Ren's hand.

"Are you alright? Not hurt?" The soldier questioned, staring down at Ren's body.

"Don't waste your time on him, Tide," Dorian appeared beside Ren.

"I'd fall in line if I were you. The captain's coming," Dirian warned and walked away.

"Fall in line, mate," Tide said and walked away as well.

Was the captain coming?

Ren hoped he had heard wrong, but the fast movement of the soldiers as they formed a coordinated rank told him that he had heard just right.

Axton was coming, and there was no escaping the devil. After all, this was his Faction

Scanning the lines, he moved when he couldn't find any space. He'd just fix himself anywhere.

He moved quickly and fixed himself two lines after the first one, right in front of Dorian and behind Tide.

"Nice safe, little guy," Tide spoke very quietly without turning his head.

Ren didn't respond. He didn't trust his voice not to boom across the quiet grounds, landing himself in an early morning punishment from Axron or Rhys.

A hush fell across the practice grounds as Axton's tall figure strode powerfully to stand in front of his soldiers.

His black captain's uniform was a stark warning to everyone and everything. His white, almost silvery hair seemed to shimmer under the rising sun, and his silver eyes scanned the rank, sharp, precise, dangerous.

Rhys walked in, holding a spear in his hand, his green uniform a sharp contrast beside Axton.

Ren clutched tightly around the spear as Axton's silver eyes found him on the line. His pulse immediately picked up as he prayed and hoped that Axton wouldn't ask him to do anything dangerous.

"Renault Caspian," Axton's deep and sharp voice boomed all over the practice grounds, sending cold chills down everyone's spine, especially the person who owned the name.

Ren gulped, limbs getting shaky and sweat forming on his forehead. His stomach fell to his feet, the worst scenarios forming in his head.

"Y-yes, Captain," Ren answered as loud as his shaky voice let him.

"Fall out, Renault," Axton commanded, his voice steady and his eyes never leaving Ren's figure.

'Shit, shit, shit,' Ren panicked internally.

Slowly, with heavy legs, Ren moved himself out from between Dorian and Tide, walking past the erectly standing soldier and toward Axton.

He walked past the two guys in the first lines and quietly inhaled as he was now face-to-face with Axton.

Axton took a step forward, extending his hand to Ren.

Ren stared at Axton's long fingers in confusion before he quickly saw what Axton was looking at.

He lifted his hand and gently placed the Resonance Spear in Axton's extended hand.

Axton easily took it and then faced Ren squarely.

"What is the first rule of the Faction, Renault?" He questioned coldly, his face hard and jaw set.

Ren bit his lower lip, then opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water.

He didn't know any fucking first rule, and Axton knew that.

He believed that Axton was just looking for a reason to punish him.

"I, I don't know, Captain," Ren answered, voice cautious as he took a step backwards.

"Who brought you here?" Axton questioned.

Ren felt pressured by Axton's intimidating gaze, he felt like he was under gunpoint.

He couldn't call Kael's name, that would be putting Kael and his position in danger.

Ren slowly shook his head, "I -"

"I did, Captain," Kael's voice was suddenly heard from behind the first soldier right behind Ren.

Ren froze, 'Why did he do that?' He thought in surprise.

Why would Kael risk himself that way?

Ren rushed a look at Axton's face and felt his body shudder in fear. Axton looked so menacing as his sharp jaws locked tightly in anger.

"Fall out, Sergeant," Axton balled his fists beside him, his eyes darkening.

'Sergeant?' Ren blinked slowly. That explains the little author Kael exudes over others.

Ren suddenly felt threatened, why would a high-ranked soldier want to be friends with him?

He knew it, he'd always known it, Kael must have a secret agenda.

"Captain," Kael saluted smoothly as he came to stand beside Ren.

Axton regarded Kael for a while before he spoke, "You know the rules," he stated, voice chill as the night.

"Yes, Captain," Kael answered sharped, shoulders straight.

"You know the punishments," Axton said, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Yes, Captain," Kael's voice didn't waver.

Axton slowly nodded, with a determined look, he turned to Rhys, "Release the creature," he ordered.