**Chapter 4: The Cursed Weapon**
Panting heavily, Shen collapsed to his knees, sweat pouring down his face as he gasped for air.
*"Yes! Yes! I... finally finished... a million laps..."* His vision swam as he struggled to stand. *"Eight days... of this hell..."*
Kenya approached, tossing him a canteen with an amused smirk. *"Good morning, sunshine. Still alive?"*
*"Hah... yeah, I'm... fine,"* Shen wheezed, just before his legs gave out and he face-planted into the dirt.
Eliza rushed over, her voice laced with concern. *"Shen! You're burning up! Do you need water?"*
*"Y-yeah... and maybe... a doctor..."* he groaned, pressing a trembling hand to his feverish forehead.
The Commander's shadow fell over them, his arms crossed. *"Training starts at dawn. Latecomers run a million laps."*
*"Y-yes sir!"* Shen forced himself upright, swaying dangerously. Then his face fell. *"Commander... wait. How am I supposed to fight Arcanes... when I have no power?"*
A heavy silence fell. Then—
*"I don't have any power either."*
The squad froze. Even the wind seemed to still at the Commander's words.
*"I created my own power,"* he continued, tapping his temple. *"Code-Breaking Power."*
---
### **The Selection Test**
*"Code-Breaking?"* Shen's eyes lit up. *"Is it stronger than magic?"*
*"No,"* the Commander admitted. *"But it's equal to it."*
*"I want it!"* Shen slammed his fists together. *"Train me!"*
*"Not so fast."* The Commander held up a hand. *"First, you pass the Weapon Selection Test."*
In the armory, blades of every shape gleamed under torchlight.
*"Choose wisely,"* the Commander warned. *"Pick not by style—but by what feels right in your hands."*
One by one, the squad selected their arms:
- Kenya claimed a flaming sword, its edge wreathed in fire.
- Eliza twirled a dagger of condensed starlight, shadows licking its blade.
- Ruke hefted a crackling scythe, electricity arcing down its shaft.
*"Wait—where's Shen?"* Ruke frowned.
A clatter echoed from the corner.
*"Commander...?"* Shen's voice was small. *"There's... nothing here for me."*
---
### **The Whispering Blades**
*"Tomorrow, new weapons arrive,"* the Commander said. *"Your training begins then. The rest of you—sparring starts NOW."*
*"Aww, come on!"* Shen groaned as the others charged onto the field.
An hour passed. Boredom gnawed at him as he watched Kenya parry fireblasts, Eliza vanish into shadows, Ruke carve lightning through dummies.
*"I'm just... wasting time,"* he muttered, kicking a pebble.
Then—a whisper.
*"Shen... Shen..."*
His head snapped up. The voice slithered from the storage room, hungry and raw.
*"Take me... TAKE ME... and we'll KILL..."*
Heart pounding, he crept toward the gloom. There, in the darkest corner, twin blades pulsed crimson—their edges jagged like broken teeth, their hilts wrapped in fraying, bloodstained cloth.
*"What... are you?"* Shen breathed, reaching out—
—and the world went red.
**[To Be Continued]**