Ch21 If I Fall, Don't Dare to Weep!

Stepping in, Liam noticed one striking detail. It was late at night, but the academy was bursting with life as if it were noon.

A giant grass field was being watered by sprinklers, with a long path running through the middle, leading to the largest building of all—the heart of the academy, where the majority of education took place. If someone were tasked with describing a castle of the future, this would be it.

The building had a sleek, modern design, completely covered in black glass, including the sloped roof. It was impossible to see through. The structure wasn't tall, standing only two floors high, but it compensated with its size, spanning the area of two football fields.

Behind the building, a training field of formidable size stretched so far that it was hard to see where it ended.

The surrounding structures followed a similar design, but if one looked further, older concrete buildings disrupted the overall aesthetic. These structures, weathered by time, had turned gray but were still in use. A light-brown mech was stored in one, its cannon hands spelling doom for any insectoid daring to stand in its path.

Soldiers moved between buildings, using small transportation vehicles for longer distances.

Cadets, meanwhile, ran around the buildings and roads. One might wonder why they weren't asleep, preparing for the morning, but it seemed their night had just begun.

There wasn't a moment of silence. Drones with blinking red lights flew overhead, gunshots echoed in the distance, and yells and chants came from every direction.

"If I fall, don't dare to weep!"

"What the—" Liam's voice was muffled as a group of trainees marched past him, carrying heavy armor, giant backpacks, and weapons.

"The war still calls, no time to sleep!"

The squad's response to their leader's call echoed in Liam's head, like a wake-up call urging him to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

The ground beneath his feet trembled as if from a mini earthquake, making him feel slightly dizzy as his vibroreception became overwhelmed.

'Is he all right?' Luka, walking beside Liam, wondered after noticing him lower his head and place a hand on his forehead. But Luka had no desire to check if Liam needed help. He had already made it clear that he wouldn't help him—or anyone else.

"This will take some adjustment," Liam thought, shaking his head slightly. He had never experienced such stimulation before. Usually, only a few people were around, so he had never bothered to learn how to filter out unnecessary sensory data.

"We're here, cadets!" Mark announced, stopping in front of a building. "My partner will take roll call and hand out your keys. I'll go make a report in the meantime. I hope the next time we meet, it will be as soldiers!" he concluded with his version of a farewell, sincere for the first time, as not all cadets would live to experience life beyond the academy. Some were already resting in eternal peace.

Mark whispered something in Mayla's ear before leaving her alone with the eight cadets.

"Wait here for a moment," Mayla instructed before entering a massive structure, its size rivaling the central building but only as large as one football field instead of two.

"Man, I can't wait for a good, hot shower," Ava commented, stretching her arms into the air. It had been a long day, and she couldn't wait to get into bed.

"I know, right? Glad this is over for now," Linx added, tucking a strand of her medium-length blonde hair behind her ear. Any more of this, and she might go crazy.

Before anyone else could speak, Mayla returned, holding eight keys made of solid, transparent material. Inside each key was a blue holographic display showing a room number.

"Please come forward as I call your name and room number," she instructed, starting with Luka Pinch, who was assigned to room 431.

Two more random cadets were called, followed by Ray and Griff, each receiving a random room number. Mayla handed them their keys but instructed them to wait instead of entering.

"Ava Voss, room 533," Mayla announced before directing her to stand by for a medical checkup.

"Liam Voss, room 431."

Liam stepped forward to pick up his key, but the room number lingered in his mind until he remembered who else had been assigned the same dorm.

He groaned internally, tilting his head back before meeting Mayla's green eyes.

"Say... is there any chance I could get a different room?"

"I'm sorry, but room assignments are random."

Liam snatched the key from Mayla and entered the building, giving a lazy salute to the supervisor as he passed.

'Looks like I'm going to die of boredom,' he thought, biting the inside of his cheek. Training wasn't the problem, but he had hoped for someone more interesting to talk to at the end of the day.

He glanced at his key card before scanning the grand hall he now stood in.

The space was filled with sofas and bean bags, some beige and others olive green, arranged around a glass coffee table. Additional chairs and bean bags were placed against the dark gray walls.

A holographic TV displayed the news, its screen flickering and emitting barely audible sound. The entire area seemed designed for cadets to relax and unwind, but everything looked relatively new and barely used.

A long hallway ran through the middle, with three elevators at the end.

Not wanting to wait, Liam called all three escalators, placing his bag on the floor and crossing his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

He stared at the descending arrows until a *ding* sounded from the left, and the elevator doors slowly opened.

"Finally," Liam muttered, picking up his bag and stepping inside. The elevator had room numbers listed next to each floor.

'Third floor?' He raised an eyebrow, sensing that he wouldn't have much space.

After reaching his destination, Liam searched for his room, navigating long, narrow hallways with dim lighting.

"Room 431... Oh! Here it is!" He placed his key against the reader, and the door slid open.

Inside, two cabinets stood to the left, and a bathroom entrance was on the opposite side. Beyond the bathroom, one bed was stacked above another, with a desk nearby piled high with clean uniforms—at least forty of them, twenty for each occupant.

The room was tiny; two people couldn't walk side by side.

At least the view was decent, thanks to a full glass wall overlooking the large field in front of the central building. However, Liam's view was obstructed by Luka, who stood in the middle of the room, removing his gray T-shirt and revealing his scrawny, skin-and-bones frame.

'Great...' Both Luka and Liam thought simultaneously, their eyes meeting without a trace of emotion.

"I'm taking the top bed!" Liam announced, closing the door behind him and placing his key card and belongings on the table. He grabbed Luka's clothes from the bed and tossed them onto the lower mattress.

"As you say, boss," Luka replied, feeling foolish for thinking he might have a chance at claiming the better bed. It was frustrating, knowing he couldn't defend his spot—one punch from Liam could probably knock him out.

At least Liam hadn't thrown his clothes on the floor.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. My hair's full of dirt. Can you figure out how to dim the lights?" Liam asked, rummaging through his belongings for clean boxers, a towel, and his favorite dark-blue pajamas with green stripes—his go-to for their midnight hue.

"I'll try..." Luka complied. The bright white light was giving him a headache anyway.

He fiddled with the touchscreen switch, a small glass panel displaying various options. But as soon as his finger made contact, a spark of electricity caused the lights to go out with a *bzzz*.

"Oh no, no, no..." Luka began biting his nails on both hands, like a panicked hamster, as his ability acted up again. His life probably wouldn't cover the cost of repairs!

'I told him to dim the lights, not turn them off,' Liam thought, glancing at the ceiling. It wasn't a big deal—he could still see fine—but the small, compact bathroom gave him the creeps.

He cracked his neck and stretched before relaxing, raising his antennae into the air and letting them settle into the curve of his hair. At the same time, he unfolded his wings, only for them to hit the tiled wall.

'Just beautiful,' he thought, tucking his wings behind his back before stepping into the shower.

"And why is there only cold water!"