Fate Breakers

Chapter 3

Gannon

The skies were always so clear in Puerto Luz. On days when it was far too hot to sleep inside, we'd set up mats and hammocks and lay out beneath the stars. It was always best during the summer months. Tío Ruben's house was the best for star watching. We'd done it so much one summer, Tío Ruben even made a proper little campground for us in his backyard. That made the summers all the more perfect.

In the summer, the stars were awake. They dove all the way across the sky, leaving blurred streaks of light and color. Isla once told me that the Sirens believed that the shooting stars were shades, either on their way to the Underworld or returning to the Overworld to bid their loved ones goodnight. Calvel and Vince believed that the shooting stars were Morpheus and his Oneiroi, all on their way to deliver dreams to sleeping people.

I don't know what I believe. What I know is that the stars of Puerto Luz are unlike any I've ever seen before. They were bright and shining. Looking up into those stars, I felt at peace. Sometimes, the constellations seemed so close, it was almost like I could reach out and touch them.

Gods, how I miss the stars of Puerto Luz.

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I can't see the stars anymore. My tent blocks my view, and most days, I'm too worn down to care. Since he dragged me from Puerto Luz five years ago, Balor Second Lieutenant Makatza has not let me rest. I'm always in trouble for something. My form, the way I recite codes, the way I do certain exercises, even right down to my appearance.

Crawling back to my tent every day is agonizing. My body is so bruised most days, I swear my skin's turned purple permanently. I've grown to have this love-hate relationship for the basin of ice water that Makatza insists I bathe in at the end of each day. On one hand, the cold makes me forget about my sores. It soothes all the aches and it clears my head. On the other, it's fucking ice water. I'm freezing my balls off before I even get out of the tub, and it becomes like torture when I leave it. No matter how long I towel off for, the ice water clings to everything. It sets deep in the marrow of my bones, and it keeps me up at night.

When I first arrived, I cried myself to sleep every night. These days, I just don't have the energy to cry. Everyday life is a weight on my chest that keeps me from breathing properly. I feel so empty inside, I question if there is a physical space between my bones and my organs. I honestly wish there was, then I would have an explanation for why I feel so shitty.

All of this body breaking turmoil has been for one purpose: the field test. Aclon is where the Aeolian Mountains are. Our camp rests in the valley that lies just beneath it. The field test, from what I've been told, varies based on the camp's location as well as the candidates and recruits that are set to participate in them.

That was a cold slap in the face, the distinction between the candidates and recruits. Apparently, although they were called the same face to face, candidates are the ones who joined the Balor willingly. The recruits, like me, were typically dragged to these camps in chains, kicking, and screaming bloody murder. I wish I could say learning the difference made me feel angrier or sparked something new in me. Honestly, the news just made me feel emptier.

The weeks leading up to the field test were my first sign that things weren't gonna go well. In between the written tests and oral exams and physical demonstrations I had to perform, I was getting my routine broken. Instead of being handed whatever lukewarm rations were left over, I started getting actual cooked meals, all of it being primarily protein and carb based. The portions were also bigger, much bigger than I was used to at that point. The first night it happened, Makatza made a point of standing over me to ensure I finished all of it. The sheer amount of food and the richness of it made me wanna hurl my guts up after.