a Test of Shadows

An hour passed.

Then another name.

Commander Renald.

Another disappearance.

Lieutenant Orse.

Gone.

One by one, they vanished into dark chambers, emerging hours later—if they emerged at all.

Veylan did not ask questions.

Questions led to answers.

And answers led to expectations.

Instead, he listened.

He watched.

Those who returned did so with haunted eyes, their expressions blank, their steps hesitant. Their uniforms were the same, their insignias unchanged—but something in them had shifted.

Some whispered that they had been tested—mentally, physically, spiritually.

Some whispered that those who failed had not been seen again.

By midday, the courtyard was nearly empty. The soldiers who remained were those deemed too low-ranking to matter. For now.

The officers, however, were nearly gone.