In the sudden silence that envelops everything, the sound of the lifeless body hitting the floor is deafening.

"After all, as we do every month, we want to honor the best and sharpest blades. As so many times before, this time it is once again Fire Cat and Ice Cat who have just proven their skills once again," one of the adults continues her speech as if nothing had happened.

By Fire Cat and Ice Cat, she means my sister and me. They call us these names, often disparagingly, because of our race. After all, we are not only human, but also part cat. Or rather, we are cat people. And for whatever reason, we have always been treated with hostility in many places during our missions. The fire and ice in the names they use for us refer to the magical elements that my sister and I each control. Basically, these expressions are not names, but simply labels used for objects. We don't know our real names. If we ever had any. But we don't want to use these labels the adults use for us either. They sound far too derogatory. In the end, we don’t need any names. They play no role in our lives.

"Again and again, they advance our cause and play a key role in creating a better world and a better future. Take them as your role models, for they will be remembered forever and find their way to the side of our masters."

The woman says a few more words, but again, we don't really listen. Because this oh-so-great honor is exactly that and nothing more. A few words that have no value whatsoever for my sister and me. We are not interested in this better world they talk about. We are not interested in the Organization's cause. We follow our orders and care for each other. And that is all. Nothing else matters.

After a few more minutes, the meeting ends, and we split into several groups based on our skill levels. The group, which includes my sister, me, and others who already have more experience and better skills, has to move quickly to another cave. This time, the route is even longer than before because our training area is located far away from all the other rooms. This is because parts of the cave often collapse during training.

As expected, my sister and I are the first to arrive. But this time, we don't have a chance to enjoy being together. As we enter the room, various projectiles fly toward us, some of which we dodge and others we deflect with our magic. But we are not allowed to rest for long. Immediately, two adults drop from the ceiling onto each of us. One of my opponents is directly above me and wants to take advantage of his position. I dodge the blow with his short sword, grab his outstretched arm, spin around, and fall on top of him with my back. With a crack, his bone gives way, and his shoulder joint is probably no longer where it should be. I let go of his broken arm and use my momentum to spin further and land on his back. Quickly, I grab his head. With a jerk, I feel the life leave his body. I roll swiftly to the side of him, evading the attack of the other one, who immediately tries to pull back her weapon to gain some distance between us. However, I am much faster than the woman, and my claws, clad in magical fire, tear into her body.

Without any emotions, I look down at the two people who were just as trapped here as we are. Either they were assassins who had been trained by the Organization but were no longer of use to them, or they were fighters who had been captured by the Organization and promised their freedom if they could kill us. In addition to our enemies, we face another challenge. The adults who rush at us have either black or dark brown cloths wrapped around their waists. In the poor lighting, it is difficult to tell what color they are. However, this is one of the skills we had to learn quickly. We must not kill the adults with black cloths or put them in mortal danger. They serve other purposes within the Organization and are healed again. But the others are souls whose fate has already been sealed. Even those who manage to kill one of the other children and gain their promised freedom will soon discover that the word "freedom" can be interpreted in many different ways. And those who are tasked with killing my sister or me have already no hope for their lives anyway.

Even before the others arrive, we have already dealt with a dozen more attackers, here and there, someone with a black cloth. But even after the others arrive, the attacks continue. Either someone rushes at us, or we have to dodge all kinds of magical and non-magical projectiles, or protect ourselves from them. Hour after hour, we have to fend off this onslaught. Here and there, some of the other children who haven't been part of our training group for very long fall to their knees, pick themselves up again, or succumb to their fate.

Finally, a bell rings, and we just have to eliminate the remaining cloth bearers. No more come, and even the projectiles, which just a moment ago seemed like endless rain, have stopped. The entrance to the cave opens again, and we all hurry back to the rest of the complex so we can get some lunch. Because here, too, the rule is: if you're too slow, you don't get anything to eat, because the adults deliberately prepare less food than would be needed to feed all of us. Of course, this is no challenge for my sister and me. Even though our group has to run further than the others, we are always at the front of the line. As soon as we get there, we each grab a bowl of food. If you can call it that. Basically, the mush in front of us consists only of the nutrients necessary for the body and other additives that increase our overall physical performance. We look for a quiet corner so we don't get bothered by newbies who don't know us yet and might get the idea to try to take our food because of our unassuming appearance. This has happened from time to time, especially when they weren't quick enough themselves or are the type who think they can show off here.

Unfortunately, this can't stop surprise attacks from adults, but luckily, my sister's magic ice shield is usually enough. We can mostly concentrate on our meal and even exchange a few words with each other. The screams of those who have been distracted too much from their food and the blood splattering across the room have become so normal to us that they no longer bother us. After all, this time offers us at least a little peace before the storm. Because the worst part of the day is yet to come. 

The ringing of a bell signals the end of mealtime. In fact, most people have already returned their bowls. Once again, those who are too slow will either be severely punished or sorted out. And in most cases, it's the newcomers who haven't yet learned the rules. My sister and I are right at the front of the line as soon as we are allowed to leave the dining hall, and we hurry to our special training location. We have to go to a completely different place from the others. And since only the two of us are undergoing this training, only one of us can be the last to arrive. However, since the first time one of us was punished for this, we have always made sure to arrive at exactly the same time, so they always punish us both, depending on how long it took us after the bell rang. As a result, we run through the corridors at high speed, using our magical powers to help us, leaving a trail of fire and ice behind us.