The sun crept into Mardea's tent. She had planned to wake early, but her body had other ideas. The small space was tinted green while blankets fought the clothes and knee-high table, wrapping and roping themselves into one big mess. No one came into Mardea's tent so she didn't bother to clean especially because she had been feeling tired lately.

Knowing that today Adam was visiting to do some drills and assessments, using their training tracks. Very excited at the thought—she dreamed of getting up to see him instead. Mardea moaned in her sleep and rolled over to evade the brightness of the beaming sun.

"Not today... Why does it have to be today?" She grumbled to herself—knowing full well she would be up in seconds if the demon army sprung an attack. She slid up into a sitting position.

"Morning!" Chyou said from the outside—unzipping the door and hurdling in.

"Ha." Mardea flinched.

Chyou sat gracefully on the floor of clothes after the rough landing.

Mardea let out a yawn.

"It's the day you've been waiting for! Boyfriend day!" Chyou cheered.

"Like, he'll have that much time for me." She grumbled rubbing her palms over her eyes.

"Come on!" Chyou nudged her.

Hearing the guys outside, they were both cut off. "Stop pissing around." Said Rohaan irritability to Jagger as they passed Mardea's tent.

"Lighten up sod." Jagger mocked.

Mardea let out a sigh, " Okay, I'm up. Please leave." She shooed Chyou.

Chyou dived out landing behind Jagger.

He leapt to the side—startled. "Yikes Chyou. That's too much stealth." He lent her a hand as she stood up.

"She just likes dirt too much," Rohaan commented.

"So does your aim." Chyou taunted.

Rohaan pulled a not-impressed face and Jagger laughed hysterically.

"Get back to work." Mardea snapped, as everyone's eyes shifted surprised she was up and ready.

"Yes, madam," Rohaan said disappearing as fast as he could.

Rohaan is still not in his correct uniform, I can't even be bothered, it is not important Mardea, she told herself to forget it.

"Your Dad put me in charge of slacking off," Jagger said smudgily, and boldly.

Mardea hissed and matched off with Chyou pursuing.

"Joy killer" Jagger muttered smirking as he continued on.  

The camo-armed trucks arrived soon after. Adam, Sergeant Skylar and her men reported to General Agrinya. All geared up ready to begin. Spreading the tests out over the day, Adam shot on the target range as they measured his speed and accuracy. Perfect shot. Adam out-preformed all of his friends—always had in everything. It wasn't news that he was an overachiever.

The day was luckily a nice one as tree leaves sheltered them moving with the swooshing breeze.

Mardea watched from afar, as he broke his own track run. Even on the obstacle course he lifted the bar to an unbeatable height.

Adam chugged down the water and kept on the move. He was very tall giving him a lot of length in his legs for movement.

Towards the end of the day, Sergeant Skylar decided to have an open hand-to-hand combat challenge. Letting anyone fight Adam. Jagger and Rohaan tapped out refusing to take him on and Mardea watched with them both. Chyou had more balls than any of them and took on the challenge.

Other fighters circled around the marked-out arena in the compound.

"I'm not going to lose my pride over this." Jagger sniggered.

"I hope Chyou doesn't lose her head," Mardea said biting a nail nervously.

"Mentally or physically?" Jagger laughed in her face.

Rohaan hung back, already deciding the winner in his mind and he really didn't want to see this fight. Chyou being only nineteen was a bit naive to her own abilities. Out-preforming Rohaan in many things wasn't much of a brag when Mardea also out-preformed him. They all out-preformed Jagger and he never took up a challenge—self-aware of his own capabilities. Jagger's pride made him feel like he was the best of the best—when his confidence made up for what he lacked.

"Fight!" Sergeant Skylar shouted.

Chyou swung her fist and Adam dodged to the side evading her.

"I can't." Mardea took herself away, "Wait!" Jagger followed after. They joined Rohaan minding his own business in the common tent and area.

"Is it over already?" he asked slipping his metal cup of water. Surprised they joined him.

"Na, Mardea couldn't watch and I didn't want to make comments about it to myself." Jagger said casually grabbing himself water from the water dispenser.

"What about you?" Mardea said looking at Rohaan.

"I'm not interested in speculating," He shrugged and sat down on bean bag.

Mardea sat next to him on another bean bag.

"Do you guys....Want to go out drinking tonight?" Jagger said as his face lit up with the idea.

"I'm down," Mardea said without a thought.

"Um," Rohaan paused hesitating. He glanced at Mardea—Fearing he'd miss out on a good time. "Ya, fine."

Not long after Chyou appeared unscathed. They all stared, amazed she had not a scrape.

"He just deafened until I got tired and gave up," Chyou grumbled and flopped into a bean bag.

"Waste of a fight," Jagger complained.

Sounds like him...Don't know why I didn't expect that? Maybe with all the pressure of timers and tests. Mardea thought. "We are going drinking later. Want to come?" she said.

"You beat! Best news all week." Chyou grinned.

"We are going to get lit!" Jagger danced around.

"I wonder if Adam will ever be free," Rohaan mentioned.

Adam still had to fight in hand-to-hand combat with some of the other soldiers preferring them over fighting his own friends.

It wasn't until the sun was starting to go down that he was actually free. Noticing long ago his friends had given up on watching. He agreed—it was boring work and he wished he could ditch it for them. But they were soldiers of a war, born into it.

Adam's tall slender body looked up at the painted sign, it said, '182 days since the last attack.' He considered it had been a while since they were last under siege and he feared the next attack would be very soon. Just hoping they would get a warning. Hak-Kun was killed in the last skirmish. He qualified second under Adam for his aim and first for endurance. The images of his dismembered bloody body haunted him. He was only thirty-one and he had been in Mardea's life the longest. Remembering how much it broke her—he dared to think of his departure and the chances of another attack. Would Rohaan be next or Chyou? He couldn't entertain the thought.

There was the looming mystery of her mark, it had been two weeks and she was fine. No demon in sight it seemed. Adam was relieved to see her alive and well. Maybe this demon was weirdly passive, he didn't know.

He dropped his gear at the armoury tent and wandered a short while out of the compound to Mardea's favourite spot—Lying on her back under the trees.

Adam flopped into the grass beside her—staring up at the sky. Being able to finally breathe he smiled as blazes of green itched his face. Mardea, beside him, held his hand.

You're really leaving....She thought, her body refused to process this actuality. She was glad for the moments to spent with him alone. Wriggling over so their shoulders touched he swung her hand to her lips.

"I don't know why." He said. "I'm the only one going to the mainland. Aren't all of us trained for this?" Puzzled by the idiocracy of it all, his words hung in the air.

"Are there demons on the mainland?" Mardea questioned.

"I don't know." Adam said wondering.

"Maybe it's just because you're the best." Mardea put forth of idea.

Adam chuckled but then paused having no thoughts to reply.

They lay there for longer. They knew they would meet the rest of the group for drinks on the town. It was a good way to go out with a banger—everyone could say goodbye to Adam.

His fingers picked blades of grass, pulling them apart.

"I think we have to break up... I won't see you gain will I?" Said Mardea feeling defeated, her eyes taking in his face.

"Yeah, I doubt we'll be able to contact each other." Adam agreed. "I'm glad I get to finally see my mum again."

Mardea smiled at the sky, happy for him. "How long has it been?"

"Twenty years." He breathed remembering.

Mardea felt glum, her body ached with disappointment and this was worse than a transfer. She was glad to get the chance to spend the night partying it up with him. But she felt he was dying from her world.

They agreed to pick themselves up out of the grass and meet everyone at the compound gates to leave for Coasto.