The Guardians' Legacy

— Now, I will explain to you the rules of this test. And then, you must meet with your groups...

As soon as the colonel finished his speech, all the candidates began to gather together, Colth's group did the same.

— Girl, this is your proof. — Colth was direct.

— Okay. Sure. — The woman shrugged.

— Wait a minute. How do we know she's really a good shot? — Aldren slowed down the conversation. No one there expected that, but he had the courage, or the innocence, to raise the question that would only be answered after the test.

“I’m not very good with weapons,” Celina began. “You, Aldren, have never held a Sathsai crystal musket. And…” she interrupted her answer with a thoughtful, speculative look. “In fact, I don’t suppose anyone here has ever used one of those muskets.”

— Yeah. Not me. What about you, Garta? — Colth moved on to the only question that really mattered.

— No — Garta replied, sincerely.

— See! She doesn't even know how to shoot one of those. — Aldren expressed his fear and distrust about the group's choice.

— And who's going to take the test? You? — she retorted in a provocative tone.

— And why not?

— Well, it's up to you. I learned how to use a gun when I was ten years old. — Garta filled his mouth with conviction to say each word. — I can hit a moving target, even at long range.

— ... — Aldren would not continue the discussion. He swallowed hard and simply diverted from the conversation by looking at Celina as if waiting for her opinion on the matter.

— Well... — Celina seemed to withdraw from the conversation as soon as she placed her right thumb over her lips. She stopped talking and simply lost herself in thought.

As soon as he noticed the sudden silence, Colth stepped forward and tried to resolve the matter once and for all.

— Anyway, I think Garta will be our best option.

— Okay. Whatever — Aldren accepted, even though he was still suspicious of the woman's abilities.

— Very well, then. Let's go to the sidelines. We're counting on you, Garta. — Colth definitely put an end to the matter. In response, she just nodded.

Colth, Celina, and Aldren left behind the woman who remained cold like no other candidate.

The various ministry officials placed targets on wooden supports at the end of the field, while the judges went over the rules with the participants. Within a few minutes, the weapons were ready, the targets were set up, and the participants were lined up in front of a newly marked area on the lawn, 21 shooters from 21 teams. The target shooting competition was about to begin. Still, Garta didn't seem to change her expression or way of acting. It was impressive how that girl could remain calm in a situation like that. This was noticed by the other three in the group.

— Shoot!!! — shouted one of the judges.

Swooish. Swooish. Swooish... A hail of gunshots bothered everyone's ears.

The Sathsai crystal musket was the standard weapon of the Albores Royal Guard, the empire's elite squad. They were the natural evolution of the gunpowder muskets and, since they were invented, about 20 years ago, they brought great victories to the people of the Capital. The energy contained in a tiny Sathsai crystal was enough to generate a small energy discharge directed at the target. The rays of light that came out of the barrel of the weapon, even on a sunny day, stood out when crossing the 50 meters between the shooters and the targets.

— Ceasefire! — The judge shouted orders to the shooters.

 — Damn, it's too far away. We can't see if Garta hit the target. — Like everyone else there, Aldren was anxious for the result.

As announced by the Colonel in the explanations before the test, each participant would shoot three times, and the result would be the sum of the points obtained for each shot. The maximum score was 10 points, only for shots that hit the central demarcation of the hanging sheet of paper that served as targets. Each participant had their own target, and the further away the shot was from the center of the target, the fewer points were awarded to the candidate.

— Attention to the count! — The referee shouted for everyone to hear. — Group one, 7 points. Group two, 3 points...

— What's our group number? — Aldren's anxiety returned as Colth and Celina listened attentively to the announcement. They had already been informed of their group number, but the tension was so great that the boy simply forgot.

— Number ten. Weren't you paying attention? — Celina answered, she didn't take her eyes off the field, but she didn't seem as anxious as Aldren.

— This suspense is killing me.

— Group nine, 5 points. — The judge continued to announce the scores.

— Please, a good score... — Aldren whispered his wish.

— Group ten, 10 points.

— That's it! — Celina celebrated in a low voice.

— Aeee!!! — Aldren couldn't contain his excitement, he raised his hands and gestured with euphoric screams. — That's it!

— Unbelievable. She's really good. — Colth whispered to himself, a big smile forming on his face.

— I told you, Colth. This girl is the best. — Aldren contradicted his own words.

— Hey, you guys. Silence! — One of the judges called the smiling group's attention. — This is no walk in the park.

The scolding from the judge was not exaggerated, the excitement of group ten was uncontrolled happiness, especially on Aldren's part. They immediately fell silent.

“It seems like a walk in the park for Garta,” Aldren said in a low, sarcastically hushed voice.

— Hehehe. — Colth’s low chuckle was genuine.

Swooish. Swooish. Swooish... That was the second wave of shots. Again the referee went through each target, recording the scores.

— Group nine, 7 points. Group ten, 10 points...

— That's it. — Aldren's happiness was the same, but this time he held back his cries of happiness. Meanwhile, Celina had her attention on a different movement among the Defense Ministry officers who were following the exam with the Colonel, just after Garta's score was announced.

— She's amazing, if she gets another high score, we'll be the first group in the classification — Colth said without hiding the smile on his face.

— Shoot!!! — For the last time, the judge gave the order to shoot.

Swooish. Swooish. Swooish... The last volley no longer bothered the ears.

— Ceasefire!!! — ordered the officer, then began checking the results of the shots fired at the targets.

— ...Group nine, 5 points. Group ten...

— If it's another 10, I'll marry that girl. — Colth was so impressed that he was already talking nonsense.

— ... Zero points.

— What? — Colth’s disappointed tone spoke for itself.

— Oh, no. — Aldren had the same expression on his face as Colth. They were both struck by the joy-destroying reality.

Celina reacted a little surprised, but soon she was relieved and noticed again the strange movement of the ministry officials, that had only happened right when Garta's scores were announced. She noticed from afar, people discussing something with the powerful Colonel Helm.

— Pay attention to the classification of the groups after the first test. — Said the judge in front of the candidates who had just completed the test.

He then began to talk about the classification of the 21 groups in descending order according to the score, until:

— In fifth place, group ten with 20 points.

— It's us. — Aldren didn't hide his disappointment with his group's position in the overall ranking. He, Colth, and Celina continued to follow the judge's movements and explanations from afar in the middle of the shooting range, as did all the non-participants in the event.

— In an hour, I will announce the next test, be prepared. — The colonel said as he entered the field to end the first test of the day.

All candidates were released until the start of the second test. Garta walked across the field to meet his group after leaving his shooting equipment with one of the test inspectors.

“You were amazing, Garta,” Colth said, sounding comforting.

—I'm sorry about the last shot—he replied, without expressing on his face the meaning of those words.

— No, no. You did very well. No need to apologize, — Aldren said, echoing Colth’s sentiment.

“What happened in your last shot?” Celina asked, as directly as she usually did. She seemed determined to clear up his doubt.

— I just lost my attention for a second, that's all. — Garta replied, subtly adjusting his glasses with his fingertips.

— Losing attention is a very beginner's mistake, isn't it? — Celina replied, direct again.

— What is this, Celina? — Aldren was shocked by such insensitivity on the part of his colleague. — You shouldn't...

— Yes. It was an immature mistake. — Garta interrupted Aldren's scolding and fixed his affirmative gaze on Celina. — I should have kept my attention.

Again, Garta's words did not match the expression on her face. It was like a justification for her mistake, but her face was one of someone who was determined and sure of herself.

Colth found himself lost in his speculative and curious thoughts. He didn't understand where Celina was going with this, much less why the atmosphere had suddenly become tense. They were both staring at each other, but the meaning of that wasn't clear; the boy was about to interrupt what could have been the beginning of a heated discussion.

— Excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom — said Garta, breaking the tension that had just been established.

The woman turned and began walking towards her goal, towards the ministry academy building, remaining calm.

—That was unexpected—Aldren explained what was on his mind. —Could it be a stomachache?

“This doesn’t fit,” Celina whispered, her thoughts swirling in her head.

—What doesn't fit? — Colth looked curious.

— Garta looked like a professional with that musket, she perfectly reproduced the movements found in the shooting technique books. Such perfection led her to get two maximum scores in the first two shots. — Celina stared at the distant targets burned by the energy rays earlier. — In her third shot, she perfectly repeated the same thing, the position of her feet, the raising of her hands, the concentrated breathing, the relaxed shoulders, everything. So why didn't she hit the target? In fact, she was so far from the target that she didn't even score.

— Where are you going with this? — Colth rushed the girl's conclusion.

- I don't know...

— Don't you know?

— Forget about it. — Aldren interrupted the conversation between the two colleagues. — She already said why, she just lost her concentration.

— Whatever. But it’s best to keep an eye on her. I don’t trust her very much — declared Celina, in her characteristically serious tone.

“You make such an accusation, and say you don’t know?” Colth asked, but his resigned tone had no effect on his follow-through.

— Leave it. Let's get ready for the next test — Aldren said smiling, to actually put an end to the speculative atmosphere between them all.

— Attention, candidates!

After an hour of rest and preparations, the candidates gathered again on the sports field of the Defense Academy. Once again, the man in official robes announced the second test to the anxious crowd.

— The second test of the final selection for candidates for positions in the Ministry of Defense will be scheduled — said the Colonel, with perfect posture. — Meet with your groups. You have five minutes. After that, enter through that door to the covered gym.

— Leave it to me! — Before any of the group could express any thoughts about it, Aldren stated with an excited smile on his face. Celina, Colth, and Garta exchanged doubtful looks, until Colth gathered courage.

— Are you sure? — He was as kind as possible.

— Yeah. I'm not going to let that girl get all the credit. — Aldren said, nodding in Garta's direction.

— Okay. All right, then. You take the test — Colth nodded, as did the others. Aldren's confidence was key to his acceptance.

The candidates were led to the gym's interior. A very large sports court, which was used for training Defense agents, but what caught the attention was a large wooden wall with supports erected at one end of the court. That would be the climbing course.

Aldren separated from the rest of the group to begin preparations for the test. He walked towards the beveled wooden wall with several small surfaces that would be used for climbing. The young man no longer seemed so sure of himself, he lowered his head during the slow walk and, for a second, it seemed like he was going to give up. He didn't, he continued and positioned himself for the start of the test.

From then on it was up to Aldren. Colth, Celina and Garta, standing side by side, could only root for his success.

— Very well. The test is simple. — One of the test inspectors explained. — The order of arrival at the top of the wall defines the final classification of the second test. The course is considered finished when the participant chosen by the group reaches the red line at the top of the wall.

Indeed. The wall had a red line painted across its entire upper edge. Aldren only had to touch it to complete the course, and the faster he did it, the better his group would rank.

— Very good! — The judge was about to start the test. — Is everyone ready?!

— What? Like this? Without a safety rope or protection for the candidates? — Colth whispered his thoughts. — Without even something to cushion a possible fall?

The boy's surprised and worried thoughts were seen in the eyes of all the candidates.

— Begin! — Colonel Helm shouted the order.

Immediately, all 21 candidates rushed to the wooden wall. The surface began to fill with people hanging all over its length.

— Where is Aldren? — Celina asked, slightly worried.

— Damn. Looks like he can't get up to the first few handholds on the wall — Colth replied.

The first handhold the candidate needed to reach to begin the climb was almost three meters high. Aldren's short stature made it difficult for him to reach the surface.

— Tsc. — Colth lowered his head and punished himself for the choice he had not contested.

— Stupid little guy — Garta lamented. She was harder on her teammate, but her frustration was the same as the others.

The crowd on the ground cheered and celebrated for the candidates in their groups. Ten seconds had already passed since the start of the race, and the first placed candidates would soon finish the course.

“What is he doing?” The question stood out among the other groups. It was enough to pique Colth’s curiosity and make him look up towards the climbing wall.

What Colth saw was Aldren moving away from the climb. Then he started running towards the wall, so as to gain momentum. His acceleration was incredible, the little guy put one foot on the wall and, with the momentum coming from the run, threw himself upwards. His height was already considerable, he could already reach the first climbable surfaces with his hands. But, instead, Aldren took another step on the wall, and then another. For a moment it seemed like he could walk on the walls. His momentum was decreasing and, with no other option, he grabbed onto one of the climbable surfaces.

— Incredible. — The word jumped out of Colth and Garta’s mouths simultaneously.

—That's it — Celina whispered.

With just his unexpected run up the wall, Aldren was already catching up to the last place finishers. And if the boy's almost cat-like skills weren't enough, he immediately began climbing the wall like an ape. His speed was greater than any other competitor in the race.

For most of the route, he was left with two people, sometimes with only one point of contact with the wall. This made his climb incredibly fast. One by one, Aldren passed the candidates in a frantic rush.

— How is that possible? — Colth expressed his fascination as he tilted his head up more and more, following his colleague.

What motivated Aldren the most was the fact that he never wanted to return to Rasuey, his hometown. He and Celina had intertwined stories in that place that they both wanted to forget. The boy would do everything he could, for himself and for her.

To succeed and forget his painful memories, or to fail and be haunted by the past, it was all in his hands now.

Hands strained to climb each ledge of the wall in a flying fashion. It seemed as if Aldren could keep going like this forever. But two meters from the end of the course, one of the candidates who was very close and about to be overtaken, abruptly stretched out his elbow. The candidate's arm connected squarely with Aldren's nose, and he immediately smelled the ferrous odor of his own blood.

Aldren didn't think about giving up, but the impact of the blow on his body's balance was so great that his hands escaped the climbing surface. When he realized, his body no longer had any contact with the wall. Gravity didn't forgive him, as if time began to run slowly, Aldren saw the roof of the gym moving away.

It plummeted.