Three years had spun their relentless wheel, bringing the four friends to the precipice of their journey to the capital. Their classroom had fractured into quartets, with each group slated to depart a week and a half after its predecessor. Adara, Astrid, Kenji, and Storm found themselves part of the same team, to their mutual delight. This venture was more than mere travel; it was a rigorous examination of strength, resilience, and survival aptitude even before the formal training in the capital commenced.

As dusk washed over the sky, casting long shadows over the farmland, Adara and Storm reclined on a verdant hill adjoining the river. They silently observed the older villagers lost in their daily routine, their hands deftly manoeuvring through the cultivation or tending to livestock.

Absently twirling a twig, Storm broke it abruptly, his voice carrying a dispirited tone, "After enduring the imminent trials, and once we've outlived our usefulness, this...manual labour will be our future."

Adara swivelled her gaze towards him, noting their uncanny resemblance. Over the past three years, they had both sprouted to a staggering height of 179 cm, a remarkable feat at merely thirteen. Storm sported a ponytail, his glossy, black hair cascading to his waist, whereas Adara sported a cropped hairstyle that often led to mistaken identity.

With a teasing lilt to her voice, she countered, "You could always take up teaching."

Storm retorted with a sardonic snort, "I'd sooner embrace death by plague than propagate the skewed narratives peddled by teachers despite knowing the truth."

His words drifted off as his gaze tracked the pair ambling towards them. Astrid waved vivaciously before sprinting their way, while Kenji ambled along leisurely.

"Hello, twins!" Astrid greeted them as she arrived, panting slightly. "How are we feeling about our trip in ten days?"

"Thrilled," Adara replied, her voice saturated with indifference.

Storm echoed her sentiment, his tone equally monotonous, "I'm bursting with excitement."

Astrid crinkled her nose at their sarcasm. "Honestly, if I wasn't looking at you both, I'd swear it was the same person speaking. Even your voices are eerily similar!"

Kenji joined them at that moment, plopping down beside Adara. "She has a point. Your voices are eerily identical."

Storm’s smirk appeared at the sight of Kenji’s side. "I see you've brought your katana?"

Astrid folded her legs, her eyes twinkling with excitement as she turned to Kenji. "Oh, it's not just any katana."

Kenji unsheathed a beautifully polished katana, its case adorned with intricate engravings. "This was my grandmother's gift from her parent’s during her trainee days. She said it’ll bring me good luck."

Adara and Storm examined the ornate katana, admiration flooding their features. "That's a real beauty," Adara breathed.

"Thanks," Kenji replied, "I've been entrusted to take good care of it and return it unscathed."

"And what about you two?" Astrid pivoted the spotlight towards them, "Any sentimental item you're bringing?"

Storm’s eyes flicked towards Adara. "Well, father did humorously offer his right leg as a keepsake," he quipped, setting off a wave of laughter that rang through the air, Kenji and Astrid exchanging bemused looks.

"What morbid humour," Kenji murmured to Astrid. Once their laughter had subsided Astrid displayed a locket necklace, a gift from her parents. The locket held a small monochrome portrait of her family. Adara peered at the photograph, her eyebrows raised in mock confusion. "They could’ve picked a better portrait. What's with your face in this one?"

Storm snorted at Astrid's facial expression in the photo, triggering another wave of laughter. Astrid defended herself, mumbling something about her parents' faulty vision, but her friends' laughter drowned her out.

Astrid suggested they put their blades to the test, her friends instantly forgetting the portrait debacle and eagerly switching the conversation to the rules of their practice session.

As the evening sun started painting the sky with hues of yellow, orange, and pink, a sobering realisation crept into their hearts. This might be their last shared sunset in the village. A daunting six-year term of service awaited them in the capital, the mere thought of it casting a grim shadow over their jovial banter.

Their return journey to the village was draped in silence, the reality of their situation wrapping them in a melancholic shroud. "I guess we’ll meet again tomorrow. Same time?" Astrid broke the silence, her voice barely a whisper. Kenji and the cousins affirmed, before parting ways.

The moment the cousins breached the threshold of their humble dwelling, reproach descended upon them like a storm. “Are you oblivious to the hour? An arduous journey awaits you! This is a time for rest and rejuvenation, not gallivanting about.”

Their apologies came out as a subdued mumble, met with an exasperated huff from Adara's mother. She directed them towards the supper table, simmering in the compact interior of their home. The structure was more akin to a rustic hut, containing only a pair of diminutive bedrooms and a single lavatory. Adara and Storm occupied one room, their parents claimed the other, and a perpetual rivalry persisted over the lavatory's morning schedule. Dawn routinely found the cousins by the river, collecting water for their bathing, laundry, and breakfast necessities.

Once they navigated the rigmarole of supper, fatigue draped over them like a heavy cloak. Retiring to their shared room, they unrolled their individual blankets across the cool earthen floor. The glow of a single candle flickered, casting elongated, dancing shadows until Storm breathed it out. Nestled in opposite corners of the room, they exchanged a hushed "Goodnight," surrendering themselves to the embrace of sleep.

© Crimson B