Jin stood in front of the assignment board, heart beating with quiet anticipation. Around him, freshly inducted disciples clustered in excited groups, jostling to read the scrolls pinned on the notice wall. His eyes flicked through the names until he spotted his own.
Squad Nine – Captain: Daro
A disappointed sigh escaped him. He hadn't heard anything about this squad, but judging by the sympathetic look another disciple threw his way, he knew it wasn't a good sign.
"Squad Nine?" the boy next to him snorted. "That's the clean-up crew. Failed mission survivors, slackers, and people the elders don't know what to do with. Sorry, man."
Jin clenched his jaw and said nothing. This was his path now, no matter how rocky it began.
He made his way to the assigned quarters of Squad Nine and was met with a cracked door, chipped walls, and a garden overtaken by weeds. Inside, three other disciples barely glanced at him. One was snoozing in the corner, snoring softly. Another, a thin girl with hollow eyes, was practicing half-hearted sword movements. The third, a broad-shouldered teen with bruises on his arms, gave him a nod.
"I'm Kio. You must be the new one," he said without enthusiasm. "Don't expect much. We mostly get ignored unless someone needs an errand boy."
"Where's Captain Daro?" Jin asked.
"Off trying to convince the elders to assign us a real mission," Kio said with a tired laugh. "Won't work. We're bottom-tier."
Later that evening, Jin was directed to his personal room. His heart sank when he stepped inside. The walls were damp, and a musty odor hung in the air. Worst of all, when he sat cross-legged and attempted to draw in spiritual essence, he found the room nearly barren of it. It was a cultivation dead zone.
He stepped out and approached the elder overseeing new disciples.
"This room has no essence flow. Could it be a mistake?" Jin asked respectfully.
The elder sneered. "Mistake? No. Consider it an incentive to rise through the ranks. Improve your position and request better accommodations like the rest."
Jin bowed and returned without another word. Inside, he lit a small fire in the corner, not for warmth but to remind himself that at least he still had his element. He sat down again, forcing his body into a meditative posture, even though the spiritual energy was like dried air. He would not complain.
Over the next few days, the feeling of exclusion grew sharper. While other squads received training sessions from elders, Squad Nine practiced on their own. Their gear was outdated. Their rations were bland. Jin kept his head down, quietly absorbing all he could, studying the squad's rhythm.
One morning, as he returned from a solo training run, he heard two disciples whispering behind a wall.
"Did you hear? Varek's not happy. Said some no-name peasant showed more elemental affinity than his student. That kid—Jin, was it?—he's the one."
"Yeah. Word is, Elder Varek's planning to make things hard. Maybe push him out early."
Jin paused, then moved away before they noticed him. He didn't need confirmation. He could feel it already—the subtle weight pressing down on him. If this was a test, then so be it.
He would endure it all.
Because something deep within him whispered that this was only the beginning.