What Apo learned on the second day made him sick. He knows all this is too good to be true, the place was too luxurious for the kids. The king will never give things without granted. He knew beforehand that this is not just an orphanage but also a military for his new armies. But nothing warns him to see kids from a young age of 10 years old to be forced to start training for the kingdom. Their childhood was coloured with the thought of dying for the sake of other human beings, the country.
The system of training was understandable but fuck ups, they from the start establish the difference between elementalist and infermum. It was good but the level of treatment is far different. Apo could feel deep down that the infermum was trained to satisfy the needs of elementalist, and also subtly be the bait, if things go sideways during the war.
An elementalist has a special class with far better equipment for training, which is also taught by Khun Lin, Khun Han and Khun Dal, the skilled and experienced warriors of war. They were only taught to fight without and with power, their skills were beyond their age. Totally focusing on battlefield wars.
While on the other side of the camp, the infermum are taught how to fight, write, cook, medical and other important things for survival during war. With lack of equipment and second hand from an elementalist. Apo knew they gave less interest as infermum were only to help or be sacrificed in a war.
In the physical class, they have to train how to hold and wield a sword or bow. As his 18 years old experience living in a village with no expose to fighting, Apo obviously has no experience in wielding any weapon, so Khun Hanna, a scary woman with black training cloth, who specialises in training infermum makes him try all kinds of weapons and choose what he thinks suits him the most.
After half an hour holding a different old weapon, he took one who looked decent enough, “I think it will take more time for me to choose”, Apo said as he swung a sword left and right. It makes him feel silly. Khun Hanna gave zero instructions and taught him nothing. It left him confused.
To his left, he saw a girl younger than him, probably 13 years old, fighting fluidly with a boy who looked like he was around 17 years old. The young girl wins the fight. He was amazed to realise that Khun Hanna's face darkened due to his loss of focus.
Apo flinched as she barked, “Boy! You should focus on improving yourself or you will be doing something you never like. Inferns like you in this country have only two options whether to fight or to submit”, She grabs his chin, “You have a pretty face. They could use you as bait for those dirty lustful Irving men. So you have to choose wisely boy”, she pushes his face harshly.
(Inferns; much more degretory way to call people without power. Almost same as wh*re)
She moves to the weapon store and walks out with another smaller wooden sword “Fight with this. That sword you are holding is too heavy” she left him alone to practise. Apo had no idea how to fight and Khun Hanna is not the best teacher to be exact. Jeff, Bas and Job are obviously an elementalist so they have other training from infermum. He spent another hour swinging the sword aimlessly with funny stunts until someone said something that made him embarrassed.
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The Other Side of Paradise
Fiksi PenggemarThis is a love story featuring four individuals who were each punished differently by their soulmate bond Kinn loves Porsche, but he was attached to another man. Porsche wished for someone else; fate had been cruel to him. Apo loves the man he meets...