Results

Cassian sighed silently and, diverting his gaze from the closed door, turned to the group. All the people in the room, except for one person, were already known to him. Ryuji, sitting with Sora and Eliana on the long sofa, was actively gesticulating and not worrying about any confidentiality, telling something to the others. Opposite him, with her arms crossed, sat Alexa, and with her an unknown person. She had short black hair and black bottomless eyes. She was wearing a loose white shirt and black pants. The girl was calmly drinking juice, listening to Ryuji's story as if watching a performance.

It seemed that being engrossed in conversation, they had completely missed Cassian entering the room. He approached closer, finally attracting their attention.

— Oh, Cass also finished! — blurted out Ryuji, noticing his appearance first. He waved his hand, inviting him to join them. A cheerful smile played on Ryuji's face; the rest of the group also turned to Cassian.

— Cass? — Cassian's eyebrow slightly raised before he asked the question: — Are we on such close terms for you to call me that? — there was no note of reproach in his voice, only curiosity mixed with teasing.

— Come on, we'll be in the same group for the next month anyway, and maybe even in the same team after training is over. And establishing friendly ties from the very beginning is the foundation of foundations. — approaching Cassian, he grabbed his hand and led him to the sofas.

Cassian, without protest, followed him and sat down in the empty seat.

— This is Cassian Tenebris, — smiling again, Ryuji addressed the girl with black hair, introducing Cassian. — Just Cass for friends, — he added, sitting down in his place.

Cassian wanted to object, but he heard the girl's voice interrupting him: — Lirian Ortiz, — she introduced herself briefly with a slight nod. Her mid-tone voice sounded even and calm.

— By the way, you weren't in our group, right? — there was awkwardness in Cassian's voice from what he considered a rather odd question.

— Don't worry, — she calmly replied, looking him straight in the eyes. — Your friends asked the exact same question, and yes, I wasn't in the arriving group. I'm local.

— By the way, why are there so few locals among the pilots? Shouldn't the residents of the seventeenth citadel make up the main part of its military forces, including pilots? — Alexa's voice was even, but it had a slight note of curiosity mixed with sadness or disappointment. Her blond hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she looked rather tired.

— True, but most of my peers preferred to become part of other units, — Lirian answered almost instantly and later added in a confident tone: — But I would like more of them to become pilots.

— Alright, — Ryuji interrupted their conversation, clapping his hands quietly. — I understand it might be a little sad not seeing familiar faces, but still, let's rejoice. We just passed the test perfectly, and they even brought us to a separate room, and maybe they'll send us to some elite squad! — his voice, full of positive emotions, abruptly turned the conversation into a joyful direction. Seeing that his assumption clearly attracted everyone's attention, he became even more excited.

— Cass, — making a barely noticeable pause, he addressed him, shifting the attention. — How did your test go?

— Hm? My test? What do you mean? — Cassian looked at Ryuji in surprise. — Tests are the same for everyone, right?

— I thought so too, — Ryuji replied, propping his chin. — But as it turned out, it's not. For example, I had to get to the residential complex. And during the test, I was followed by guards! Moreover, these creatures were the size of the entire passage and covered with an impenetrable shell. Just awful! — finishing his indignant speech, he stood up and pointed to Alexa. — Alexa was killed by mimics!

— Don't confuse him, damn you! I wasn't killed, I died in battle! — Alexa shouted, threatening with her fist, jumping up from her seat.

— What's the difference, the main thing is you were killed, period. — Alexa found no counterarguments to his point, but seeing Ryuji's sarcastic grin, she clenched her fists in an attempt to calm herself and not pounce on him.

— Come on, guys, stop fighting, — Eliana tried to calm them down, getting up from the sofa. But in response, she received only two burning glances.

— Be quiet! — both said in unison. — How did you even manage to kill a Nephilim, piloting the Nexus for the first time?!

Cassian's face reflected complete shock. He was forced to run away from these creatures without looking back, and she managed to kill one of them?! How is that even possible?!

— Come on, — raising her hands, she again tried to calm them down. — He wasn't particularly strong, and I just got lucky... — Eliana smiled awkwardly.

— Yeah, sure! As if we believed you! — a sharp slap on the back of Ryuji's head interrupted his indignant tirades.

— Calm down, both of you, — Sora said calmly, rubbing his hand. — If you both are fools who rushed in and therefore died, not completing the task, that's only your problem, — his voice was cold and threatening.

— Whatever you say... — Ryuji muttered, calmly sitting back down. — So what was your test, Cass?

— I had to get out of the military block of the destroyed citadel... And it was just a nightmare, I'll tell you! First, I was chased by a guard, then I used this navigator to get away from him. But only to come out to a damned lair of the same creatures! Why were there Nephilims in the trial simulation at all?! — his voice was full of indignation and resentment.

— But they never said there wouldn't be Nephilims. So... Technically, they didn't break any rules, did they? — Eliana said cautiously, smiling softly, but quickly capitulated after meeting some burning glances: — Although maybe they did go too far... Definitely...

The door to the training hall opened again, and the remaining group members appeared. About half of them looked quite vigorous, the rest were in a rather battered state. Tired look, lethargy... They looked almost like zombies, but slightly less alive.

Under Darius's guidance, they took their seats.

— First of all, let me congratulate you all on completing the trial simulation, — he began. However, despite the congratulations, his voice remained cold and official, devoid of any joy. Only dry, emotionless formality. — I understand you are very tired, as many of you faced serious stressful situations in the simulation. But please listen to me, and after the speech, you will return to the dormitory.

"Stressful situation, what a phrase... ha.." — a fleeting sarcastic thought crossed Cassian's mind in response to the instructor's speech.

— Tomorrow we will gather again for a theoretical session, — Darius continued. — It will be conducted by Miss Margaret. I'll say in advance that she is quite strict. Any questions?

In response, there was silence. Not because there were no questions, but simply because no one dared to ask them.

— Can we find out about our completed simulations? — Alexa asked cautiously, raising her hand uncertainly.

— Don't worry. You performed excellently during the test, — Darius assured her. — Although you died, nevertheless, you engaged in battle with a Nephilim and successfully wounded him. This is an excellent result, surpassing the results of many others multiple times, — Alexa slowly lowered her hand, but her mood clearly improved, and seeing this, Darius continued: — The same goes for the others, — he pointed to those who were sitting in the room before the main group arrived.

— However, not everything is so rosy, — these words alerted all present. — Due to the results of the simulation, some of you will have to leave us today.

As soon as his words reached their ears, a wave of shocked gasps swept through the hall.