It was a long day for the eleven warriors, and so, minutes after the celebration was over, they were all changed into their comfortable, non-cosmic clothes and were searching for their beds. Unlike what Leo had expected, he didn’t fall asleep the moment he placed his head on the pillow; his hand was still hurting, but that wasn’t the only reason he couldn’t sleep. He turned in his bed thinking about everything that happened to them that day and worrying about what was yet to come as he listened to the snores of the sleeping warriors in his dormitory. He was so anxious that he could hardly close his eyes. He kept watching the ceiling, with unblinking, weary eyes, as it turned to many colours and to the leadership badge that never left his hand ever since he took it off. As his watch chimed 3:00, he decided it was time to put away all distractions and try to have some rest. He knew he needed the strength for the expected long day that was going to start in, precisely, two hours.

    Leo jumped off the bed to put away his precious badge. He dragged his feet to the wardrobe where he had put his bag. Still smiling at the face of his leadership badge as he unzipped his bag—it was the first badge he had ever got for anything—Leo noticed something strange. Inside the bag, everything was in its place, but there was something there that he didn’t remember packing. It was a paper folded in half. Leo picked up the paper, which was planted vertically among his clothes and unfolded it. Forcing his sleepy eyes to open wide, Leo read the message. There wasn’t much written, and there was a sign of a half-circle at the end of it. It was a note sent by someone Leo didn’t know, as he couldn’t recognise the handwriting, and he could hardly understand what it meant. However short, it gave him shivers as he carefully read it and re-read it.

Bravery is a fool's sign!

Beware

Even though the message had put more thoughts in Leo’s mind, his tiredness easily surpassed his curiosity and eventually, everything went blurry as he surrendered to the power of sleep. He managed to doze off for a little less than two hours before he was awakened, like the rest of the warriors in his dormitory, by the startling sound of a horn that announced the break of day, the commencement of the warriors’ schedule, and the changing of the guards’ shifts. However, that short sleep was the most energizing nap that Leo had ever had. Leo could not remember exactly what he was dreaming about, but he felt that his dreams were overly pleasant, and he wondered if that was the work of Dormants. 

    The first-year warriors struggled to wake up and get dressed so early, yet despite their tiredness and their burning hands, they went downstairs as quickly as they could to join the other warriors in the Leckerin and have their first Zodia breakfast; they could not believe how hungry they were. The first-years met downstairs at the skylight hall, which was no longer lined with the red carpets and the decorative plants they saw on their arrival. Even though they were still feeling sleepy, the new warriors were excited to start a new day at Zodia, except for Andy, who was not that excited to leave his bed. Leo was still thinking about the note he found in his bag, so when he was asked about Andy he said, ‘Just leave him there.’ The warriors entered the mess hall, led by Leo, but there was no one there except for a guard cleaning it, who informed them that the rest of the warriors were doing their daily morning workout.

    ‘This hall is very big for thirty-six warriors. We are not even thirty-six as we’re supposed to be,’ said Neil.

    ‘The guards Neil, they live here too, where else do you think they eat?’ said Virginia.

    ‘Do you know that the total sum of the other two years' students is only seventeen? Eight warriors are missing, including the one in our year. I’m guessing those disappearances are more of a problem than they’re willing to tell us,’ said Neil to Virginia as they walked inside the hall holding hands.

    ‘We don’t know yet if our warrior is truly missing,’ said Ursula, who was right behind them. ‘Maybe she’s just late.’

    The first-years scattered among the many square tables that replaced the long elegant one that was there the day before. Leo sat on the first table he saw while Ursula and Claudia sat together at a table next him.

    ‘I didn’t have enough sleep last night,’ Ursula complained. ‘Do you think we can go back to bed after breakfast?’

    ‘I didn’t expect that sleeping here would be so comfortable, especially after being exposed to that stupid prank,’ said Leo who was listening to his sister as she talked to her friend, then he took out the note and gave it to Ursula. ‘Look at this.’ Ursula joined by Claudia read the note. ‘I hope you don’t have anything to do with this, because if you do, you’ll be the first warrior in this group to get detained,’ Leo sounded almost serious. ‘Could it be Andey?’

    ‘Hey! I don’t have anything to do with this, and no, I don’t think it was him. How did you get it?’

    ‘I found it in my bag last night,’ said Leo. Neil and Virginia, who had joined Leo at his table, started to listen in on the seemingly private conversation.

    ‘Don’t give it much thought. Whoever put it there might not have meant your bag. Your bag could have been mistaken for another one,’ said Ursula indifferently giving him back the note.

    ‘Do you think so? Read closer,’ said Leo.

    ‘Are you thinking it has something to do with you standing in the way of the two attacks that happened yesterday?’ asked Ursula, and when she mentioned the attacks Neil and Virginia became even more interested in their conversation.

    ‘They were three attacks, including the one in the tunnels, and yes this is very likely,’ said Leo.

    ‘May I?’ Neil asked Leo for the note. Leo didn’t mind Neil and Virginia reading it so he gave it to them at once. ‘You said you found this in your bag?’ asked Neil after he had finished reading the note. ‘I think you should show it to Erick!’

    ‘He’s right,’ said Ursula.

    ‘I may be wrong, but I think it’s Light that you should report this to. Erick’s connection with us students ended after he brought us here,’ Virginia made a point.

    ‘I don’t know about that Light,’ said Leo. ‘I think he’s a hard one to be trusted. He’s also four years younger than I am, I can’t see him as my leader.’

     Twenty minutes later, the new warriors heard another horn and they were joined by the academy students. Energised by the morning workout, the advanced warriors came into the hall with a lot of noise. Some of them were singing as others amiably cheered for the first-years when they saw them inside the hall. The advanced seventeen warriors looked clean in their elegant, eighteenth-century, military uniforms, which looked a lot different from the costumes they had on the night before. They joined the new eleven at the tables and all waited for the general and the guards to come.

    ‘Hello!’ one of the advanced warriors, who had a leader’s badge on her red uniform greeted Leo as she sat on the fourth seat at his table. Leo looked up at her and quickly snatched the note from Neil’s hand and hid it in his pocket.

    ‘Hi,’ said Leo confidently. ‘It’s Matilda, right?’

    ‘Where is your badge, leader?’ she asked. Leo looked at his shirt and realised that he had forgotten to wear it. The disturbing note was the only thing he could think of that he forgot to put on the badge he was so eager to wear. ‘You’d better make sure it’s on your uniform before leaving your dormitory; you can get detained for not wearing it, but I think they’ll give you exceptions during your first week,’ said Matilda. ‘I’m the Sagittarius leader of the Second Year,’ Matilda pointed at her badge. ‘I believe you met the third-years’ leader yesterday.’

    ‘Yes I did, but—where is he?’ asked Leo.

    ‘Troy is detained,’ said Matilda casually.

    ‘Exactly what did he do to deserve that on the very first day of the year?’ asked Leo.

    ‘Nobody knows,’ said Matilda, leaning back in her chair. ‘It’s strange though because we’re usually told why one of us is being detained so that we can avoid that mistake, but for some reason, they didn’t tell us what Troy did, even when we asked.’

    ‘What can a leader be detained for anyway?’ Leo wanted to know.

    ‘There are many reasons why a warrior, especially a leader, can be detained; detentions are given too many and too freely here. Even Light, that young fellow that you may have underestimated, can give you detentions. But don’t think that having fewer responsibilities can guard you against detentions either, the lower in rank, the more leaders, and the more likely a warrior can be detained. That is not to say that students can give each other detentions but the leader can report dereliction and misbehaviours of the other students and personally make sure it’s been recorded in their files. By the way, the student leaders eat together at that table over there.’ Matilda pointed at a far table.

    ‘Oh, I see.’ Leo didn’t like that.

    ‘But since Troy isn’t here, can I join you?’

    ‘Sure,’ he said.