~ One Week Later ~

He was struck in the stomach. The severe blow made his arms suddenly feel like rubber and caused legs to weaken, sending him flat on his back. The young man immediately sat up, frustration rising in his chest as he faced his opponent.

"That was a cheap shot!" Asher just about shrieked, eyes cutting through the darkness with his heightened vision to glare at his opponent.

"You expect the officials watching over the Trial to tell everyone to play fair? Are you that naive?" the man taunted, raising a brow and sinking his weight into one leg, the cloak of his Capitol attire billowing in the wind.

The Captain rested his hand on the hilt of the sheathed weapon secured to his hip, the steel pommel and black handle glimmering under the moonlight, clearly well-taken care of. The handguard was made of steel and molded into an intricate design that was somehow both exquisite and powerful in appearance. The sheath itself was just as beautiful, the simple black and steel theme continuing down the length.

Asher brought himself to his feet, pointlessly brushing off dirt and grass from the back of his pants. "What's the point in bringing that with you? We're just training," he asked, motioning to the sword.

The older man gazed down for a moment, appearing to be admiring the detail in the design of his weapon. There was emotion dancing behind his eyes that Asher couldn't pinpoint. It could have been anger, perhaps sadness, but knowing the Captain is was likely boredom.

He shrugged, looking back to his pupil, "I see no reason not to."

"Are you one of those doomsday people or something?"

"What?"

Asher huffed, plucking pieces of grass out of his hair, "You know, the kind who think the world is about to go to shit, and are constantly prepping for or preaching about eventual disaster?"

The man snorted, shaking his head, "Oh, those delightful people. I hate to disappoint, but no, I don't exactly fall in line with them."

"Well, at least that's one thing we agree on," Asher mumbled.

To his surprise, something then changed in the Captain's face. A look of curiosity even he was unable to conceal with his typical stoic, unreadable expression.

"Oh? What do you believe, Crowe?"

"That people are complicating things. Each Nation is pointing fingers at the other, so no one feels like they can trust each other. The media reports only on the most frightening events, making some people scared even to leave their homes. Last week, I saw a lady on TV reporting about a guy who was supposedly attacked by one of the things -"

"The Eyeless," the Captain cut in.

The boy nodded, "It's bullshit."

"Is it?"

"What, do you think they're going to come back?" Asher asked, chuckling at the mere concept.

"I think that if you had watched the broadcast the following day, which you obviously didn't, we would be having a very different discussion right now."

A hint of anxiety bubbled in his chest, eyes widening slightly, "What do you mean - oof!"

He had been struck once again in his gut, this time harder, propelling him across the field. Asher hit the ground, keeping him from being able to fill his lungs with air, and then caught wind again until he finally landed in a heap by the tree line.

"I mean," the Captain drolled, strolling up beside his crumpled student, "you should get your facts straight before having a somewhat political conversation with Garrick Captain."

"Cheap... Shot..." Asher gasped from below.

Though he had only been training for a short time, Asher was already feeling improvements within his body. His stamina had increased exponentially, allowing him to train for more extended periods before collapsing due to exhaustion. Using his visual skill now came naturally, no longer having to strain his eyes or giving him headaches. Even his speed had increased, although because of that, his coordination was suffering. He often found himself nearly tripping over his own feet if he got too cocky, allowing the Captain the opportunity to take advantage of his unbalanced state.

"Do you know how many Trial participants love to smack talk while fighting?"

"No," he wheezed, clutching his stomach.

"Don't let our conversations fool you into thinking you don't need to be on guard."

Asher coughed, eyes watering as he fought to refill his lungs, "Noted."

He winced as he felt his sore muscles strain, fighting to push himself to his feet. The Captain scoffed at Asher's awkward movements, the boy compensating for the pain in his limbs and joints.

Asher watched curiously as the Captain froze, staring into the treeline as though deep in thought. After a moment, the man brought himself out of the trance and spoke.

"Go home. We're done."

"Um... Really? Isn't it a bit early?" Asher questioned, suspicious of his behavior.

"For us, yes. For everyone else, no, it's very late."

"You're the one who says we have to train at night so no one will suspect anything. Honestly, I still don't get why no one can know about this. It's ridiculous."

"No, what's ridiculous is how you keep bringing that topic up even though I continuously give you the same answer. Only the Capitol needs to know the reason why -"

Asher groaned loudly, rubbing his face in exasperation, "I'm not getting into this with you!"

"Good, because I don't have the time," the Captain responded, promptly walking away in the village's direction.

"Wait; what? Why?" Asher called after him, jogging to catch up.

"Why what, Crowe?" the man asked over his shoulder.

Ashed paused for a moment, gazing around the small forest they traveled through each night, still enamored by how nature looked when highlighted with a white haze. Whenever he put his visual prowess to use, he still couldn't help but feel a little giddy.

"Why don't you have time?" He finally asked as they exited the woods.

"I have somewhere to be."

"Where?"

"A place of importance."

"Why is it important?"

The Captain stopped short, twisting around quickly, causing his cloak to whip around along with him. Asher skidded to a halt, nearly running into the man, who was now giving him a pointed stare.

"Why the sudden interest, Crowe?"

Asher went to respond but stopped when he realized he didn't have an answer. Not once since he began this endeavor had he ever wondered about the Captain's schedule, what possible tasks he was doing, or missions he was taking part in. Now, Asher felt strange in his own skin. He was well known to despise the Capitol and loath anyone who deeply supported them. However, now he was actually seeking knowledge. He wanted an insight into life in the Capitol, as a Garrick member.

What the hell is happening to me? Asher wondered.

"Nevermind, forget I asked."

"Easily done," the man replied, whipping back around to continue towards his mysterious destination. The Captain continued at a brisk pace even after reaching the turn towards Asher's apartment, not sparing the boy a parting word or even a wave.

"Prick," he grumbled, turning down his path home.

He pushed his legs through their exhausted state, heaving himself up the metal steps two at a time. A hot shower was calling his name, along with dinner and much-needed rest. Other than the horrible dream from the previous week, he had been sleeping fantastically. Training had set him on a rather strict schedule, tiring him out so thoroughly each day, half the time he didn't remember crawling into bed.

"Asher!"

The boy stalled at the top of the steps, arriving at his floor. To his astonishment, he saw Will and Jackson waiting for him outside his door.

Shit.

"Where've you been, dude?" Will asked in an irritated manner, leaning on the railing.

Jackson rested against the wall across from him, sleep beginning to overrun his eyes, "We've been waiting here forever," he grumbled.

"H-hey, guys. I was out on a walk, can't sleep," he shrugged, walking over as he fished his keys out of his pocket.

Will wrinkled his nose, "You're covered in grass and dirt. What kind of walk did you go on?"

"A long one," he mumbled, pushing his front door open and turning on the lights.

His friends trailed in behind him, Jackson dragging his feet and Will perky as ever, watching Asher with curious eyes as he removed his dirt-covered shoes.

"What're you guys doing here? It's like, two in the morning."

"We have news, I guess. Though I don't see why it couldn't wait until morning," Jackson mumbled, walking over to the couch and flopping down.

Will huffed, "This news is too important to wait until morning!" He then snatched the TV remote off the cluttered floor and joined Jackson on the couch, flipping it on and shifting through channels until he was satisfied.

Asher followed, opting for the floor beside the couch instead of trying to squeeze in with them. Will had settled on the news channel, where the familiar blonde woman was reporting, a concerned expression on her face.

"...they can confirm the possibility of the man's attacker being an Eyeless."

Asher's eyes widened and he whirled around, "Wait, is this about the guy from last week? It really was an Eyeless?"

Jackson shook his head, "Not the guy from last week."

"And not the woman from the other day," Will chimed in.

"This is another guy. A third victim."

"Are you serious? There was a second victim too?" Asher asked, taking note of his increasing pulse.

"Yep," Jackson nodded as he hunkered down into the couch. "A first year in the Northern Garrick. She wasn't even on base, though. She was in one of the villages visiting her family."

"One of those things just shot up out of nowhere when she was walking down the street," Will hissed, crossing his arms and bouncing his leg in irritation.

Asher gulped, his hands growing clammy, "Did she live?"

Will shook his head, "She died instantly. That monster tore her heart out and took off."

"Were they able to track it down?"

"Yep, it was down in an alley," Will replied shortly, glaring daggers at the television.

Asher's brow furrowed in confusion, "It was just hiding?"

Jackson huffed, "Yeah, and eating."

"Eating?"

"Her heart," Will explained, disgust lacing his words.

Asher paled, his heart seeming to stutter in his chest as he slowly turned back around to face the TV, speechless. The boys continued to watch the news broadcast in silence. The poor blonde woman seemed to be doing her best to compose herself as she stood at the scene where the most recent victim, a young man from Class Two land, was killed. In the background, they could see people in uniform attempting to clean up the crimson splattered across the ground and the outer wall of a local shop.

"Officials were able to capture the creature, which by appearance alone could easily be identified as an Eyeless. However, we will wait for tests to confirm this. The creature will be taken back to the Garrick, where they can hopefully learn more about these mysterious, deadly creatures."

Asher buried his head in his hands, trying to keep himself calm. Adrenaline began to trickle into his system, increasing his heart rate and interrupting his steady breathing. Even if the Eyeless was a political stunt to strike fear into the hearts of the public, people were being killed. Innocent people, killed off by beings no one fully understood. Now the Garrick was stepping in, taking those creatures and doing who knows what with them. The Eyeless were no longer creatures from the past or a moot issue.

"Wait," Asher said, lifting his head. "Where is this guy from? What Nation?"

Will remained silent; jaw clenched as though he was attempting to keep himself from bursting with anger. Jackson eyed him carefully before looking at Asher, answering his question in a gravelly voice. Asher wasn't sure if it was due to exhaustion or the topic at hand.

"Ours."