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It had taken all the courage in him to gather himself and his belongings and travel to the grounds of the palace that morning, a week later.

It was early dawn, the haze of amber sunrise and the humid fog still drifting in the air. The Astrea Palace was magnificent, like no other place Jisung had seen before: the pillars stretched up to support the height of the structure, carved with markings and patterns that alluded to Greek architecture. The windows towered up, intimidating the common visitor and the two floor-to-ceiling ones, delicately paned, stood like two giants that guarded the entrance of the palace. The mahogany and oak, the marble and quartz and stones, it all glistened with an early morning glow as Jisung craned his neck to stare up at it. The perfect mixture of hard angles and smooth corners were astounding, and Jisung was sure that the palace was even more beautiful on the inside.

But he wouldn't be stepping foot in the palace anytime soon. He instead turned to the military dormitories, a housing complex that mirrored the palace in extravagant design. The marble pillars and stretching verandas surrounding the building offered the perfect refuge for admiring a sunrise as beautiful as today's, and the open entrance gave the dormitory an atmosphere of openness and freedom. Behind the dormitories, the training grounds could be glimpsed: wide fields stretching out far and wide, dotted with armory and archery targets.

Towing his luggage behind him, Jisung entered the dormitory housing and began to search for his room, as Commander of the Guard, Artemis, had told him. He was already feeling nervous about the whole thing, but his loyalty to his homeland and his country always overwhelmed his personal discomfort in the end.

And so, here he was, training to be a Royal Guard of Astrea.

Too enveloped in the task at hand of finding his room, Jisung didn't pay attention to who was in his way and bumped into a slightly taller, more well-built male whose body felt like steel. Bumping into him seemed to do no damage at all, but to Jisung, it felt as if he had walked directly into a wall, and the smaller one stumbled backwards, immediately breathing an apology.

The second male also apologized, albeit more profusely, and with a reassuring smile. His soft voice and kind gestures surprised Jisung as the former made sure he was okay.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry about that," Jisung laughed off the embarrassing situation, then reached out a hand. "I'm Han Jisung."

Instead of shaking his hand, the taller male placed a balled fist over his heart, his left hand resting behind his back as he bowed at the waist and formerly introduced himself. "Christopher Bahng,  Code 3, Rank 4 and Lieutenant of this unit of the Astral Guard." He straightened, a warm smile showcasing a pair of dimples. "But you can call me Chan."

Jisung blinked at Christopher for a moment, amazed by his courtesy and professionalism. Christopher smiled again, his eyes pressing into crescents as it took over his whole face. "I assume you're a new recruit, correct? The dorms are this way," the Lieutenant turned when Jisung nodded and led the bewildered new soldier upstairs and down a long corridor. It was lined with rooms on either side, each room spacious and containing four bunk beds, two pressed against both walls.

Christopher helped Jisung get his luggage inside the room, which the smiling one excitedly revealed was also his room. "So you'll be bunking with me, huh?" Christopher bumped Jisung's elbow in a friendly gesture, and the older left Jisung to get settled in.

"Dinner is at 6pm in the dining hall, don't be late, okay? Don't be late to anything here, or they'll definitely make you regret it." Christopher winked to soften the warning that sounded slightly like a threat, but Jisung nevertheless chuckled.

"Thanks, Chan." Jisung returned his smile and Chan left, allowing Jisung to unpack.

Only then did he notice the uniform on his bed; the navy blue cloth catching his eye, folded neatly against the plain white sheets. A sparkling silk was draped across the left shoulder like a cape, fastened by a star brooch, the symbol of The Astrea Empire. The silver buttons were also engraved with the shining symbol, and the lapels were embroidered with constellations.

Jisung picked up the uniform to examine it more closely and noticed the careful seams and professional stitching at the hem.

His eyes again landed on the star that fastened the draping cape to the shoulder, a proud beacon standing for excellence and victory. 

His jaw clenched at the sight. But a victory at what cost?

Bragging rights of another war won for an already honored empire — in exchange for lives. So many lives.

He clicked his tongue and carelessly tossed the uniform to the floor.

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Jisung somehow managed to be downstairs before 6pm without getting too lost, donned in his new uniform and aware of the basic etiquette as well as his position and rank.

He learned that your code was given to you your first day and was almost never changed unless you "graduated"; it was the specific type of work you would be training for. Your rank was just that, and promotions depended on your skill.

Jisung needed to climb the ranks quickly before the Princess' birthday.

Because of the forged paperwork of his citizenship from an ally country, he was allowed to train for the Astral Guard, but he had to be discreet and learn the inner workings of the guard well. Making friends and establishing connections which would be needed later was going well already; Jisung waved down Chan across the crowd of new and seasoned recruits who had all merged together in the dining hall — Chan had secured a seat for Jisung with his own friends.

"So you're new?" The first one of Chan's friends to speak to him was a shorter male who was muscled like Chan, even more so. His small features and large frame made him intimidating, so Jisung answered respectfully to his deadpan and monotone, "Yes, Code 1 Rank 1."

A blond with a thinner frame but sharp face, paired with soft features, lifted his head from his plate, his mouth full and his eyes bright in recognition. "Code 1?" He questioned, his words muffled. "Hyunjin and I were recently transferred from there," The blond gave the ravenette beside him jab in the shoulder, and the taller nodded. "We're under Code 3 now."

"Should we introduce ourselves to him? I'm Hwang Hyunjin," the soft-spoken but determined voice came from the man beside the blond. The taller male smiled genuinely at Jisung. "Code 3, Rank 4."

"Lee Felix," The blond spoke up, his plate already half finished. "Code 3, Rank 3."

Jisung turned to the intimidating man from before in anticipation, his arms now crossed as he glared critically at Jisung. But his gaze softened, and he unfolded his arms, sitting up straight. "Seo Changbin, Code 3, Rank 4."

Jisung memorized the others' names and ranks as well: Lee Minho, Code 3, Rank 4, Yang Jeongin, Code 3, Rank 3,  Kim Seungmin, Code 1, Rank 3.

Content that he found some companions, Jisung finished his dinner while conversing with his new friends. 

But the back of his mind warned him to never get too close.

He gripped his fork until his hand trembled and his knuckles turned white, but no one noticed as they laughed together around the large table.

Their chatter mingled with his thoughts and made him absent-mindedly grind his teeth as he glanced at the star on his left shoulder, near his heart.

He wouldn't forget what their victory cost him.