Author's Preface
“Status report, Atreides.”
Lieutenant Sahyat sat atop her folding chair with a detached look, as though she were not impressed by the examination at all.
“Yes, ma’am. Roughly 1 minute and 42 seconds have passed, with a barrier integrity of 82%.”
“Tsk, that’s low, too low for you, Atreides. Are you slacking off?”
“No, ma’am. Perish the thought.” With a smile reminiscent of a crescent moon, he shook his head in denial. “It is merely proof of their strength, Ereth and Keresaspa. Quite frankly, maintaining this barrier is quite exhausting. I do hope they end the examination soon.”
“Exhausting? You haven’t so much as winced, and that smile of yours is as irritating as ever.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
“Wasn’t a compliment.”
Atreides remained his elusive self, treading the line between truth and falsehood, oath and treachery. Contradictions of this nature were of no concern for the sailor. In fact, he quite enjoyed toying with others, even his supervisor.
“Say, Lieutenant,” Atreides inquired. “Who do you think will win?”
“...”
Atreides was met with no response, only the thick scent of cigar smoke.
“Do you know what qualifies an individual for Barrack 12D?”
“I really don’t like how you answered my question with another question, but knowing you, it’s likely relevant to the conversation, so I’ll answer regardless.” Another snide remark. “We are criminals, of course — entities deemed too dangerous to be let free, yet too useful to be put down. Perhaps it would be best to call us dogs of the military.”
“...”
Derrick, who had yet to contribute to the conversation, tried his best to minimize his presence. He couldn’t take conversations like these. They made him sick.
“Well, your reasoning isn’t terrible, per se, but you came to the wrong conclusion, Atreides. You get a 70 for today.”
“Only a C? I was hoping for a B at least. Please have mercy on me, teacher.”
“Keep begging, and I’ll give you a 65.”
“Ah. I apologize, Lieutenant. Please continue.”
What an irritating man , she thought before delivering her explanation. “While it is true that certain members of the Problem Children carry legal charges against them, it isn’t a necessary condition for one to join. The only true requirement would be the king’s approval.”
“...”
“Hey, don’t glare at me like that. It’s creepy. Even I can’t understand his majesty’s thought process. I do, however, have faith in his judgment. If the king was intrigued enough by your talents to exclude you from the common mold, then I cannot doubt his decision.”
“I see…” He said with knitted brows. “Well, if that is the case. Then all is well. The thread of fate remains ever immutable.”
“You creep me out, you know that?”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. You seem quite friendly today. Would you like me to knit you a sweater, good friend?”
She crushed her cigar. The final straw had been drawn. “Don’t get cocky over something small like that. Next time, you won’t end up with a little bruise.”
“Understood.”
Atreides returned his gaze to the Co-Examination with a vacant expression. His vacancy was in no way related to Lieutenant Sahyat. It was an entirely unexplained phenomenon, an alien existence that could not be understood, nor sought any understanding.
———
She bore a missing right eye and a severed left arm. Her bones were broken, teeth shattered, and yet, Keresaspa laughed triumphantly.
“What are you laughing about?” I asked. “Your body is practically on the verge of breaking.”
“Oh? Should I not laugh in this humorous situation?”
“Do not take me for a fool.”
She made a quizzical expression. “Fool? Quite the contrary, my friend. You are indeed a fine warrior! Your sword draws such majestic arcs through the air, and your footwork is elegant beyond compare! I’d say you’re as impressive as Derrick!”
“...”
“Come now, don’t make such a dour expression! Do you not enjoy battle?”
“No, no. It’s not like that. I’ve just never seen someone eager when facing death.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I have no reason to fear such a trifling thing, for I am the strongest!”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
Honestly, I was almost jealous of her absurd confidence. No matter how many wounds she endured, no matter how the odds stacked against her, Keresaspa enjoyed every second of her life. Her purity was almost childlike, her destructive impulses pure and untainted by ideology.
I am the strongest , she proclaimed such a title without hesitation, but what was the source of such unwavering conviction? No human could operate as a perpetual motion machine. They relied on each other, carried each other’s burdens, and became stronger as a collective.
But this woman’s nature was that of a Shura, a being absorbed with nothing but itself.
“If you truly are the strongest, then why do you fight? What do you have to prove?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why?”
“So that I may affirm myself.”
“...Self?”
“Indeed. I alone reside on the earth, and all others are challengers. That is the law by which the world operates. Thus, I must love them all without distinction!”
It sounded like something my father would say — loving every individual without distinction — yet something felt different. Could such a mindset be deemed truly “heroic?” Could such destructive love bring about the end of the 1000-year war?
“No,” I said. “You’re wrong.”
“Oh?” She cocked her head to the side, confused. “Why?”
“A warrior who does not fear death is no warrior at all. Your fists are weak.”
“...”
Keresaspa’s mien underwent a notable shift. The radiant smile that usually adorned her face had waned for but a moment.
Was it hesitation?
“I see…so you claim the immutable law false, do you? Then come, Ereth. Show me your word’s worth.”
She lowered her center of gravity. Lower. Lower. Even lower. Low enough to touch the lake’s surface with her nose. Her arm was pulled back, fist clenched. With might alone, her unorthodox striking pose violently shook Atreides’ barrier. This was more than a mere examination. It was personal.
“Do not die, Ereth.”
“That’s my line.”
I shifted from wrath guard to plow guard, intending for one unabated strike. I lowered myself just as she did. Neither trickery nor evasion was taken into consideration. This exchange would end the fight.
“...”
“...”
A momentary silence, and then—
A lunge!
With the force of a shooting star, my sword met her fist. Or at least, that was the outcome that should have occurred, the outcome I desired.
“Both of you, stop.”
Was that…Derrick’s voice? When did he get inside the barrier? Why did my eyes not notice his presence? I couldn’t understand the situation. His pitch was lower, his tone authoritative. He looked the same, yet his aura was that of a demon.
Our attacks lacked flexibility. Neither Keresaspa nor I were able to change our trajectory in time. We practically offered ourselves to this stranger.
“—?!”
I missed, or rather, my attack was redirected to the side with ease. Just who was this man?
“The Co-examination is over.”