Nola woke to the sound of metal on metal.
A sharp clang, like someone had struck a steel pipe just outside her door. Her body jolted upright before her mind fully caught up.
The lights in her quarters flared to life a second later, no gradual dim glow, no warning. Just full daylight stabbing into her eyes.
A voice boomed over the intercom.
"INITIATE SQUAD 2. GEAR UP. TRAINING IN TWO MINUTES."
Somewhere down the hall, she heard Ari groan.
Nola slid out of bed, feet hitting the cold floor with a shock. The air smelled sterile, synthetic. Her schedule had warned of early sessions, but nothing said five a.m. with military alarm bells and a drill sergeant's wrath.
She moved fast. Pulled on the plain black base uniform from her locker, cinched the belt, grabbed her ID tag. The hallway was already full of movement.
Ari stumbled out of her room half-dressed, hoodie tangled around her head.
"This is abuse," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "It's the middle of the night. Or the moon is just lying."
Felix was already fully dressed, clutching his folder to his chest like a life raft. He looked pale.
"I couldn't sleep," he said quickly when Nola glanced his way. "Not because I was nervous. I mean I was, but, whatever. Doesn't matter. I'm fine."
Vera and Tris were leaning against the wall near the corridor junction. Vera had her arms crossed, and Tris was trying not to laugh.
"I'm just saying," he whispered, "if they're going to wake us up like that, they could at least hand out coffee before screaming."
Vera raised an eyebrow. "Comet Legion doesn't serve comfort. Only consequences."
"Charming," Tris said. "You're like a motivational poster made of knives."
Before anyone could respond, a woman arrived.
The woman stormed into the corridor with such intensity, the air felt sharper. Mid-forties, tightly braided hair, posture like steel, and a face carved from command. She didn't wear armor, just a dark combat vest and boots polished to mirror-shine.
"Line up," she snapped. "Now."
They scrambled into formation without thinking. Ari still had one boot off but shoved her foot in while standing on one leg. Nola stood straight, shoulders back, heart already kicking harder in her chest.
The woman paced once in front of them, hands behind her back.
"I am Instructor Caldre. Vice Commander Halrix selected me personally to shape your pathetic raw instincts into survival. That means no excuses. No mercy. And no illusions."
She stopped in front of Tris, stared at him until even his smirk cracked.
"Your lives belong to the mission now. If you die in training, that means we saved a field team from cleaning up your corpse later."
No one spoke.
Caldre turned sharply and pointed to a rack behind her.
"Stealth suits. One each. Black. Fitted. Lined with impact sensors keyed to your vitals. If I strike a lethal zone, the suit will ring. Three rings, you're out. You will start again. Until you survive for five minutes, you will stay here even if it is for the rest of your lives."
They didn't need more explanation. They moved.
The suits were cold to the touch and fit like second skin. Sleek. Jet-black. Matte finish. No extra padding, no wasted material. A thin blue strip ran along the collar, barely noticeable until it lit up faintly once powered.
"Your Eldhollow training taught you how to fight," Caldre said as they lined up again, now suited. "We will teach you how to not fight. How to not die. How to recognize a hopeless encounter and still come out breathing."
She stalked toward the center of the wide training chamber, glass walls, metal floors, observation balconies above.
"Your task is simple: I will attack. You will avoid. You may not strike back. If you receive three fatal hits, your suit will sound, and you fail."
Nola inhaled. She felt the hum of the suit connecting with her will, reading her pulse.
Felix looked like he might throw up.
Tris muttered, "No problem. Dodge the scary lady. Easy."
Ari rolled her shoulders. "She's fast. Real fast."
Vera cracked her knuckles without speaking.
Caldre didn't give them time to brace.
She moved, a blur, vanishing from her position in less than a blink.
Before Nola even fully turned her head, a sharp chime echoed to her right. Ari spun and hit the ground, suit blinking red for a second before resetting.
Another chime. Tris staggered back, a fistprint already blooming on his chest.
Nola dodged left. A breath too slow. Something hit her shoulder like a hammer, and her suit shrieked once, cold and loud in her ear.
She gritted her teeth and spun away, low, ducking a follow-up that never came.
Caldre was everywhere.
She struck Felix with a backhand so fast he barely saw it. He went down, gasping. Vera caught a blow to the ribs that sent her skidding, the chime going off again.
By the end of two minutes, all five suits were ringing.
Three strikes each. Fail.
Caldre stood calmly at the center, not even breathing hard.
"You're not fast," she said coldly. "You're not smart. And worst of all, you're not humble."
Tris was flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. "I think I saw my future. It's short."
Felix was still coughing, holding his side. "I thought, I thought maybe the sensors were wrong. That couldn't be a real hit."
Ari sat with her back against the wall, looking stunned. "I didn't even see her move."
Vera stood, brushing herself off with quiet, controlled movements. She didn't speak but her jaw was clenched so tight it looked like stone.
Nola leaned forward, hands on her knees. Sweat prickled along her neck. Watanabe no Tsuna was quiet inside her. No power could've saved her from that kind of speed.
"I warned you," Caldre said. "This is not school. You've stepped into a crucible."
She pointed at them one by one.
"You will learn to anticipate movement, read intent, and live. Not because you're stronger. Not because you're heroes. But because survival is discipline. You failed today. Accept it. Process it. Improve."
Then she turned and walked out without another word.
The silence that followed was thick.
Tris eventually sat up, brushing dust from his suit. "So, day one: humbling. Day two: I assume we're dead for real."
Felix mumbled, "Is this every morning?"
Ari didn't answer. She was still watching the door Caldre had exited through, like the woman might appear again at any moment.
Vera finally spoke.
"She's right. We hesitated. We tried to react. You don't survive her by reacting."
Nola nodded. "You survive her by knowing. Before she moves."
Felix looked up. "But how do you do that?"
Nola didn't have an answer yet. But something in her bones told her: they had to find one, fast. This was just the beginning. If they didn't figure it out, they weren't going to make it past the week.
Not everyone who joined the Comet Legion survived the training. That was the truth they'd never said out loud.
Now they knew why.