In-city Training Ground

By 5:00 on the dot, the apartment was filled with life once again. Dull golden light filtered through the windows, bouncing off every reflective surface, especially the mirror.

The soft clinking of plates and low humming filled the kitchen area. Benson was rinsing plates in the sink, while Rose had started preparing dinner as she set the table.

Another voice came from the TV, reporting on the weather and a missing dog near the tunnels that led outside the city walls.

As suspicious as that sounded, Dorian didn't bother to let his mind dwell on matters that were either unexplainable or trivial.

At least not now.

He sat cross-legged on the warm rug at the center of the living room, surrounded by a mess of half-open folders, books, sealed documents, blueprint scrolls, and building layouts.

His hands were resting on the center table, focused on a layout of the city and the land around it, including the facility. He held a highlighter between his fingers and a pencil between his lips.

To his right was a cold glass of milk, with cookie crumbs scattered just inches away. On his left, a colorful marking paper, eraser, and his new phone—still unboxed.

The city was named Callum Point, a very ironic name for a place surrounded by walls and reeking of suspicions, especially the mana-constructed barriers, which had no clear explanation of how they were even made.

It housed about 100,000 people. Of that number, roughly fifty were awakened, excluding cadets from various facilities just staying temporarily within the city.

One central district oversaw eight sectors, each with its own purpose. Sector 3 handled housing allocations and government-related matters.

Sector 4 contained medical labs and hospitals. Sector 5 was home to the city's main Anti-Awakened Association, which was another can of worms for a different day. Sectors 1, 6, and 7 were less structured, serving no clearly defined roles.

Their apartment was located near the city center, in Sector 2, where many teens, orphans, and students lived, fending for themselves. The city's only college was also located there.

And then there was Zone 09, smack in the middle of it all. The only place marked with a red border and yellow warning tag: Combat Zone.

As Dorian read that, his brow rose, not in confusion, but curiosity.

It wasn't just some random training field. This was a full-fledged war arena, repurposed to prepare both cadets and awakened civilians for future battles.

A massive field encircled by another mana wall, just slightly smaller than the city's main perimeter.

Humans could walk through it easily. But awakened? The field acted like a trampoline. Any awakened making contact would bounce right off, unless, of course, they were a beast.

Dorian stared at the blueprint: a wide, circular terrain split into various zones, soccer field, sandpit, combat rings.

He could already tell he'd rather train there than at the facility's private training ground. Although that one was more secure.

Apparently, awakened individuals who displayed signs of instability were often captured by the Anti-Awakened organization and sent to private stabilization facilities.

They stayed for a few weeks or months depending on their power levels, and were then released.

No forced military contracts. No public registry. Just separate records and silent certifications to set them apart from regular civilians.

That part pissed Dorian off.

'Wouldn't be a surprise if non-awakened people started calling us beasts,' he thought, letting his eyes linger on the file detailing the treatment of awakened civilians.

"Selective freedom, huh," he muttered. "I doubt the government-owned facilities would allow that in their cities."

Rose glanced over from the kitchen, "Did you say something?"

"Nope."

He slid the city schematics aside and reached for another file, this one thicker, cream-colored, with tabbed names sticking out like paper tongues.

CADETS – 1ST DIVISIONAL UNIT

He flipped through the pages quickly at first, until something caught his eye—

Cadet Name: Static

Identification Number: ST100CT

Real Name: Mia Anastasia Higashiyama (MAHI)

Gender: Female

Ranking: Special Grade

Category: Mass Threat Level

Ability: Nul

Condition: Stable, Constantly Observed

There wasn't much detail about her appearance. The only photograph was a slightly blurred, faded passport photo.

A kid, about nine. White… or probably gray hair, covering most of her face. Only one eye was visible, and though the color was washed out, he could see faint grains in the iris.

'Mass level threat huh?'

The file offered nothing more. Just basic details, then silence. He gently placed the folder on the desk and brought his hand up to his chin.

"Mixed nation, mainly East, and yet she's in the North," he muttered, then sighed. "Ugh, I'm using way too many parts of my brain."

His gaze lowered back to the file, ignoring the others peeking out from the edges. With a name like that, he expected someone bright.

He imagined her sitting beneath a tree, specifically a sakura tree, with the sun high in the sky. Just vibrant, beautiful colors, and yet, all he was seeing was what looked like another experiment.

"Resurrection of the East Mountain," he murmured, then glanced at the first name. "Mia… love, mine… beloved."

"Resurrection of the Beloved East Mountain," he said, then shook his head. "Doesn't sound right."

Dorian blinked and leaned back against the couch, staring at the ceiling for a moment.

From the beasts, to everything surrounding Winona, to Benson's reports, and now the cadets... it was a lot.

He couldn't deny it—he liked Kyle alot. He was easy to be around, not loud, but definitely bright. Friendly in a calm kind of way.

Benson stepped out of the kitchen and walked over. As he moved past the couch, he caught a glimpse of the file Dorian had been reading.

"Oh, you're looking at the cadets," he said, reaching over and picking up one of the spare pencils. "She's got a nice name, doesn't she?" He pointed at Mia's profile.

A scoff escaped Dorian's lips. "I can already tell I won't like her, from how long her name is."

Benson chuckled softly and drew a circle around her name, then drew a line connecting it to an empty part of the folder.

"Resurrection of the Beloved East Mountain," Benson muttered with a smile. "It's a good name, right?"

Dorian nodded, then glanced at the photograph again and sighed.

'They said every name has a deeper meaning. This one just means peace and renewal... nothing close to what mine means, lucky.'

He reached out and grabbed the file, closed it, and pushed the rest of the open folders around until he found one about Kyle. A small smile appeared on his face.

"Do you know where he lives?"

Benson shrugged. "Yeah, but his parents are not people you'd like."

"Why?"

"They're nosy, really happy, and awfully annoying."

"That's not a nice thing to say about your elders!" Rose yelled from where she was, then focused back on what she was doing, totally ignoring Benson's laughter.

Dorian didn't smile, he just stared at Benson with a 'you better watch yourself look'. He could tell something was going on between them, but he couldn't quite place what it was.

Letting out a sigh, he put his writing materials down and leaned against the table. "Where's the combat zone in this city located?"

Benson's gaze turned serious almost immediately. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm bored, and I need something to do."

"And you want to go to a place where you could, I don't know... probably die?"

"I'm not sure I'm going to die," Dorian replied with a knowing smile. Not when I have a score to settle.

Benson rolled his eyes and plopped down on the couch beside Dorian. "The cadets will be meeting there tomorrow for a little spar with the other awakened kids, for maintenance training. You sure you want to go?"

"Why do you keep asking me that like I can't handle myself?"

"Well..." Benson trailed off, "..they don't really hold back on their attacks. At least not recently. And there's at least one person dead. Although... they get taken to the Revive facilities for treatment if they make it on time."

Dorian clenched his fists underneath the table. Just the thrill of the fight was enough to get him excited. Not because he liked hitting people, but because of the feeling that came with perfecting his abilities and increasing his strength.

He wouldn't have to use up much blood if he was physically strong enough to handle anything... at least, until he couldn't.

He nodded his head frantically and rose to his feet. "When is it happening?"

"Tomorrow morning." Benson looked over to the kitchen to make sure Rose wasn't paying attention, then whispered, "I'll send someone to pick you up. Don't tell her."

Dorian nodded and whispered back, "No problem."