Magnolia stared at his hands. He had been about to tell them about Ra, but the words that came out were about his father.
"He went to get me rocks. The General showed up with soldiers. They pinned me down." His voice cracked. "I woke up here. I thought I'd see him again. I didn't."
"So you thought they killed him?" Poison asked quietly, his sarcasm gone for once.
Magnolia nodded. "I thought the General killed my father."
Heat rolled off him. His eyes flared gold, and the brown of his hair bled to yellow for a few seconds.
Valentina put both hands on his shoulders. "Look at me. He didn't."
"You don't know that."
Emma crouched and took his hand. "We'll find him," she said, steadier than she had ever sounded. "You won't have to look alone."
The glow faded. His hair settled back to brown.
Kibo stayed against the wall, unusually quiet. "That explains why you were so scared when you woke up."
"And why you don't trust the General," Sous said.
"I don't know if I should," Magnolia said. "Makes sense," Poison said. "I wouldn't trust the man either."
Valentina looked around the room. "It's too much, too fast. But I think I know why we're all here. Ra is the link. Magnolia carries him; Ren's light echoes him; maybe the rest of us were brought here for one of them."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "My contract isn't with Ra."
"I know. But you bend light, and Ra is the sun."
Abraham nodded slowly. "Then we're probably not finished being tested."
"I don't like that," Magnolia said.
"Neither do I," Kibo said.
"Preferably," Poison said, "before they decide to explain it by hitting us again."
Kibo laughed quietly, and the tension in Magnolia's face finally eased.
•••
Across the palace…
Saijew walked through Squad Two's usual training area, his footsteps echoing against the stone floor as he searched the room.
Nobody was there.
The training equipment remained untouched.
Several weapons rested against the wall exactly where the recruits had left them earlier.
Saijew stared at the empty room for several seconds before narrowing his eyes.
"They're not here."
He turned toward the doorway.
Without bothering to speak with the Pharaoh first, Saijew walked through the palace corridors toward Squad One's quarters.
He reached the familiar doorway and stopped.
Voices came from inside.
More voices than there should have been.
Saijew opened the door without knocking, immediately seeing both squads gathered inside the same large room. Ren stood near Abraham's former diagram.
Poison leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
Sous and Luna stood nearby while Kibo remained against the opposite wall.
Magnolia was still sitting on his bed with Valentina and Emma nearby.
And the other recruits were dispersed throughout them.
Saijew stared at them for several seconds before slowly raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, seems like you all are best buddies now, huh?"
His sarcastic tone immediately made several of the recruits look toward him, while Poison gave him a completely unimpressed stare.
"We were talking," Poison answered.
"I can see that."
Saijew stepped farther inside.
"And since everyone apparently decided to have a meeting without telling me…"
He paused briefly, looking particularly annoyed by how conveniently everyone had gathered together.
"I guess this saves me some time."
Valentina straightened immediately.
"You have a mission?"
"Your first one," Saijew answered while folding his arms.
"You're all awake."
He looked toward Magnolia before continuing.
"And you're all capable of fighting."
Saijew glanced between both squads one final time before giving them their orders.
"So you're going together."
Ren stepped forward slightly.
"Where are we going?"
Saijew smiled faintly. "Babylon."
The room immediately became quieter.
"You're going to escort a group of Egyptian scholars there."
Saijew continued explaining.
"They're delivering records to the Babylonian archives."
Poison's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of archives.
"Your job is simple."
Saijew turned toward the doorway before looking back at them.
"Protect them."
He paused briefly before adding the part that clearly mattered more.
"And make sure every scholar returns alive."
The recruits exchanged glances as the weight of their first mission finally settled over them.
Saijew stepped aside.
"You leave at sunrise."
His eyes moved toward Magnolia one last time before returning to the entire group.
"Try not to embarrass Egypt."
The recruits gathered outside the palace shortly before sunrise, standing together as Saijew approached carrying several wrapped bundles.
The morning air remained cool while the first light began appearing beyond the palace walls.
Saijew stopped in front of them before placing the bundles onto the stone ground.
"You're going to need weapons."
He said it casually before reaching down and removing the first cloth covering.
A collection of weapons rested beneath it.
Some were swords.
Others were spears, shields, hammers, and smaller weapons designed for closer combat. Saijew removed his own sword from his side and rested it against the ground beside him.
"Your weapon will call out to you."
He looked across the recruits while keeping one hand resting against the handle of his own sword.
"Touch each one," Saijew continued while gesturing toward the weapons scattered before them.
"Whatever weapon feels right is the one you use."
The recruits slowly stepped forward.
"Not everyone needs one," Saijew added.
"Some people work better bare handed and with the use of their contract."
Matthew immediately looked toward the weapons before shaking his head and stepping backward.
"I'll stick without one."
Matthew said it calmly.
Amelia followed shortly afterward, examining several weapons before deciding against taking any.
"I don't think I need one either."
Emma quietly stepped toward the weapons before eventually stopping.
"I think I'm fine without one," Emma said while stepping away.
Luna also remained where she was, calmly watching the other recruits make their choices.
"I don't need one," Luna said.
Poison never approached the weapons.
His hands remained near his existing combat knives as he watched everyone else choose.
"I already have mine," Poison said.
Saijew gave him a quick glance before looking back toward the others.
"Then choose carefully." Abraham approached the weapons first, running his fingers across several handles before stopping at a curved Egyptian blade.
He lifted the khopesh and tested its weight, rotating it once through his hand before giving a small nod.
"This works," Abraham said.
Ren walked toward the remaining swords and touched several different handles before stopping at one that felt noticeably more natural in his hand.
He lifted it slowly and tested the balance.
"I'll take this," Ren said.
Sous walked past the swords and spears without much interest before stopping in front of a large hammer.
He picked it up with one hand and gave it a short swing before looking toward Saijew.
"This one," Sous said.
Sofia examined several weapons before stopping beside a long spear.
She wrapped both hands around its shaft and tested the balance before giving a satisfied nod.
"I'll use this," Sofia said while lowering the spear slightly.
Valentina approached the weapons next, immediately noticing a spear and shield positioned beside one another.
She picked up the shield first before testing the spear in her opposite hand.
"These," Valentina said while adjusting the shield against her arm.
Kibo walked toward the swords and picked up one of the shorter blades.
He swung it once through the air before casually resting it against his shoulder.
"This feels fine," Kibo said.
Magnolia remained near the back of the group, quietly staring at the remaining weapons.
His eyes eventually settled on a spear.
He approached it slowly before wrapping both hands around the shaft.
The weapon felt natural. Magnolia lifted it carefully, studying the blade while the morning light reflected across its surface.
"I think I want this one," Magnolia said while holding the spear closer to himself.
Saijew watched him for several seconds before giving a small nod.
"Then it's yours."
He looked across the recruits again, checking each weapon before continuing.
"I'll escort you," Saijew said.
"But I won't get in the main way of your mission."
Poison glanced toward him with a faint smirk.
"Oh, so you do like us," Poison said while adjusting the knives beneath his coat.
Saijew stared at him for several seconds before answering without changing his expression.
"Don't make me reconsider."
The recruits laughed quietly while Poison simply shrugged.
Saijew turned toward the road leading away from the palace as the sun finally began rising.
"Team One takes the western route."
He pointed toward Magnolia, Valentina, Kibo, Emma, Matthew, and Amelia before continuing his instructions.
"You'll be responsible for three scholars."
Valentina nodded immediately.
"Team Two takes the eastern route."
Saijew then pointed toward Ren, Poison, Sous, Abraham, Sofia, and Luna.
"You'll protect three different scholars."
Ren looked toward the road ahead before asking his next question.
"Are we meeting them in Babylon?"
Saijew shook his head while beginning to walk toward the palace gates.
"They're already waiting outside the city." He glanced back toward the recruits as they began following him.
"You'll meet them at the southern checkpoint."
The two groups slowly separated as they approached the road.
Magnolia tightened his grip around the spear while walking beside Valentina.
Ren adjusted the sword at his side while Poison walked nearby.
The recruits had spent most of their lives preparing for this moment without knowing what it would actually feel like.
Now they finally had their first mission.
Protect the scholars.
Reach Babylon.
And return everyone home alive.
...
The road toward Babylon stretched across the Egyptian countryside, surrounded by dry fields and scattered settlements that slowly disappeared behind the recruits.
Team One traveled together along the western road while the three scholars remained near the center of their formation.
Valentina walked at the front with her spear resting against her shoulder, while Magnolia stayed nearby with his newly chosen spear held carefully in both hands.
Matthew and Amelia remained toward the middle of the group, keeping close enough to protect the scholars if anything happened.
Emma walked beside Magnolia while Kibo moved farther ahead, occasionally looking around the road before returning to the group.
The three scholars they were protecting were not soldiers, but civilians trusted with records important enough that Egypt had assigned an entire squad to their protection.
The oldest of them was a tall man named Hekai, whose grey beard reached almost to his chest and whose robes were covered in small pockets.
He constantly checked the records they carried, counting them again even when everyone had already confirmed the same number.
"Twenty-seven tablets," Hekai muttered.
"Twenty-seven." He counted again before closing the case.
Kibo glanced toward him while walking backward for several steps.
"You already counted them twice," Kibo said while turning around again.
"Three times," Hekai corrected him.
The second scholar was a woman named Nefru, considerably younger than Hekai and far more talkative.
She carried several scrolls beneath one arm while constantly looking between the different recruits.
"So you're all soldiers?" Nefru asked while walking beside Sous.
"Yes," Sous answered.
"How long have you been doing this?" Nefru asked.
"Not long," Sous replied.
Nefru stared at him for several seconds before sighing and adjusting the scrolls beneath her arm.
"You're difficult."
Sous gave a small shrug before continuing to walk.
"I've been told."
The third scholar was a young man named Darius, who appeared considerably less interested in the journey than the other two.
He wore simple white robes and carried a small notebook filled with drawings rather than historical records.
Unlike Hekai, he never checked the tablets, and unlike Nefru, he barely spoke unless someone directly addressed him.
Instead, Darius spent most of the journey sketching buildings, animals, and whatever interesting things happened to pass them.
Luna eventually glanced toward his notebook while walking beside him.
"You draw a lot," she said.
"I forget things if I don't," Darius answered. Luna smiled slightly before looking toward the road again.
"Then keep drawing."
Darius nodded.
The journey continued peacefully for several more hours, with only the sound of footsteps, wagon wheels, and occasional conversation following them along the road.
None of the recruits realized that several distant figures had begun observing their movement from far beyond the road.