Zephyrion felt the tension that had gripped the cadets ease at the sight of Ingrid and the soldiers. They hovered in the sky, perfectly still, eyes cold, the midnight blue of their military attire catching the bonfire light.

’Finally.’ He thought. He could finally end this farce.

His eyes suddenly met Ingrid’s, and for a moment he saw hers narrow slightly.

’Hm?’ Zephyrion suppressed a frown, allowing nothing to show on his face.

"It’s the house commander!"

"Finally... we’re finally safe!"

"I’m glad... I’m so glad..."

Many cadets slumped onto the ground, others wiping away tears they hadn’t realized they were shedding, while a few remained standing with narrowed eyes. Zephyrion almost felt pity for most of them. They were relieved, cheering, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being examined.

"At attention!" the assistant house commander, Roen, barked.

Zephyrion straightened instantly, his body going rigid. Others like Lumi, Fiona, Kaiden, Tobias, Horus, and several more beside him followed suit. The remaining cadets still appeared confused when a heavy pressure suddenly descended across the clearing.

"At attention." The order came as a growl this time.

The cadets shot to their feet and hurried into formation, though not without exchanging wary, confused glances.

Landing, Ingrid silently surveyed the hundreds of bloodied cadets, her face expressionless. She let the silence linger just long enough for the atmosphere to turn uncomfortable before finally speaking.

"Everything that happened tonight... was a test."

"It was set up throughout the week. You were pushed to your limits and subjected to a high-stress evaluation to see how you would respond. You were watched the entire time." She paused, taking in the widened, disbelieving eyes before continuing. "Suffice to say, many of you performed fairly well, some were terrible, and others..."

Zephyrion felt her gaze settle on him again before she calmly looked away.

"...were above good. You will all be graded, and punished accordingly."

There were many reactions from the cadets. Some, especially those who had broken and spoken to the sanguines, went from sudden realization to deep regret.

The majority wore tense, worried expressions, while others, like the city lords and Tier Ones who had already realized the situation, merely darkened their faces. Several envious glances were instantly thrown Zephyrion’s way. A few others, however, looked outright enraged.

"This was all a... test?" One of the cadets, a boy Zephyrion recognized from a reputable High House, stepped forward with gritted teeth. "Isn’t this going too far!? How could you do this to us?! We were tied up, stripped naked, and beaten by those bloody bastards! That’s insane!"

"I agree! This was way over the line!"

"I’m from a reputable household! You let those bastards strip me down to my bloody undies!? My father is going to lose his mind!"

"You went too far!"

"So this is how the academy treats its students!?"

It was as though a dam had burst. More and more voices rose from the cadets, even those who had remained silent until now. Before long, the clearing descended into chaos.

"Yo—"

Ingrid raised a hand, stopping Roen before he could interfere. Instead, the air around her trembled. In an instant, the atmosphere turned suffocating, every voice in the clearing dying where it stood.

’Strong.’ Zephyrion thought.

The air had become so unbearably heavy that even breathing had become a struggle for him. There was no doubt the cadets had it worse. He glanced at Lumi, noting her relaxed demeanor, the smile still lingering on her face as she patiently waited for her promised head pat, then looked away after confirming she was fine.

Every eye in the clearing was now fixed on Ingrid.

"When you’re out there protecting the empire," her voice was low, edged with coldness, "you will find yourselves in situations none of you can imagine. Compared to what awaits you beyond these walls, what happened tonight was nothing. As soldiers of the empire, you will be expected to endure those situations without fail. Most of you will die. Because, at this moment, you’re nothing more than infants who know nothing of war."

"You lack far too many things. As house commander, it is both my duty and my privilege to correct every one of those flaws. I was not joking. You will be put through hell. You will face situations where you wish you were dead. I will do all of it to temper you into warriors worthy of serving this empire. As far as I am concerned, I am doing every one of you a service. And I will do so without the slightest guilt."

She paused, letting the silence linger.

"So the next time I hear even the slightest hint of disagreement or dissatisfaction from any of you... will also be the next time I throw you out of this academy. Do we have an understanding?"

The cadets’ hands clenched, their heads lowered. No one answered.

"I said." The air grew even heavier, making several cadets flinch. "Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes!"

"Good. Now head back to base."

The soldiers created a large metal platform, directing the cadets aboard.

"Cadet Zephyrion. Stay behind."

Zephyrion frowned at Ingrid’s words but nodded regardless. After reassuring Lumi, he made his way toward Ingrid and Roen, standing several paces away from the others.

’What’s this about?’

Several possibilities crossed his mind. Perhaps they had noticed he was faking it. Or maybe they intended to chide him for destroying the cavern. After all, it was surely what the academy used every year for the cadets. Or perhaps it was something good, calling him aside to commend him for rescuing the cadets.

But the moment Zephyrion caught Ingrid’s slightly tense expression and Roen’s cold, faintly dissatisfied one, he realized it was neither.

’So it’s that.’

Zephyrion stopped before them and fisted his chest.

"House commander."

"At ease."

He relaxed, meeting Ingrid and Roen with a calm gaze.

"You called."

"...I did." Ingrid gave a slow nod. "As you know, the entire test was watched from beginning to end. And so were your... actions. The sanguines... why did you..." She trailed off, unable to finish. Somehow, the fact that the words refused to leave her mouth brought the faintest hint of surprise to her own eyes.

"Why did you kill all the sanguines?" Roen finished for her, his voice lower than usual. Colder.

Ingrid shot him a dissatisfied look but said nothing. Chiding him in front of Zephyrion would only lower herself. She would not make that mistake. Turning back to him, she waited for an answer.

Zephyrion gave them a confused frown.

"...Why did I kill my enemies?"

"You know that’s not what we mean." Roen spoke again, ignoring Ingrid’s glare. "We watched everything. We heard the sanguines tell you, again and again, that this was a test. Yet you still killed every last one of them. They were prisoners. They weren’t trying to hurt you. They were following our orders. They didn’t deserve—"

"This academy was meant to teach us how to respond to the outside world. Since when do we take our enemies at their word? I made the best decision I could with the situation before me."

"But the situation itself was wrong. Obviously wrong. How does a group of Vessel-rank sanguines break into the academy? The others didn’t have time to think, but you did. You could’ve stopped. Thought about it. Captured them. Knocked them unconscious. Anything but slaughter every one of them. But you never even hesitated."

Zephyrion’s frown deepened.

"You train us to expect the unexpected, yet now you’re telling me I should’ve questioned it? I was attacked in my sleep, beaten, bound, thrown out of the sky, and left unable to use my element. Yes, there were oddities. But there was no luxury to chase them. The sanguines could’ve been telling the truth. They could just as easily have been lying.

"The cadets had been taken somewhere I knew nothing about. For all I knew, every second I wasted was another second they were being killed. I made the most logical decision available to me and chose my people’s lives over my enemies’. I am not apologetic for that. If you’re looking for someone to blame, blame the people who created the situation."

"...And how exactly do you blame us when you were the one cutting throats and taking heads?"

"You put us in that situation. You chose the sanguines. You made them weak. None of those were my decisions. So you don’t get to choose how I respond to them."

"You can justify it however you want." Roen’s jaw tightened. "I can see it in your eyes. You’re nothing but a cold-blooded—"

"That’s enough." Ingrid cut him off.

"But he—"

"Lieutenant Roen." Her voice turned cold.

Roen felt the subtle shift in the air and instinctively straightened.

"...Yes, Major."

"Cadet Zephyrion is right. We put him in that situation. We do not get to dictate how he responds to it. This matter ends here. Understood?"

"...Yes, Major."

"Understood?" She turned her gaze to Zephyrion.

Zephyrion met his sister’s eyes for a brief moment before fisting his chest.

"Understood."

"Dismissed."

The two of them watched as Zephyrion walked away. Only after he had disappeared into the distance did Roen relax, turning to Ingrid with a dissatisfied look.

"Major, I know he’s your brother, but we can’t just let this go. The cadets weren’t even supposed to escape the sanguines, and he killed every last one of them. I really think we should—"

"Lieutenant."

The coldness in Ingrid’s voice stopped him where he stood.

"If you speak over me again, there will be consequences. Understood?"

Roen’s expression darkened. He had trained Ingrid in this very academy, ordered her around for years, and now that same girl was threatening him.

There was a faint growl in his voice.

"...Yes, Major."