For the first ti in her life Alina truly felt the cold grip of real fear. She stood there in the dormitory courtyard surrounded by the older girls of the Golden Group. Their sneering faces their cold eyes promised a future she had never imagined.
She now understood what her life in this famous United Academy was going to be. It was not going to be a dream of learning and growing stronger. It was going to be a nightmare of servitude.
From that day on for many long days and even longer nights to co Alina’s life beca incredibly difficult. It beca a living nightmare of endless chores and constant humiliation.
Every single mber of the powerful Golden Group seed to have a task for her. The youngest first-year noble girl from the Empire whose family was very influential wanted her laundry done by hand. The older second-year nobles from other powerful kingdoms wanted their boots polished until they shone like mirrors.
They constantly gave her work to do. They treated her not as a fellow student not even as a junior mber of their faction. They treated her like a servant.
Alina could not sleep at night. She was constantly busy doing the endless work of the Golden Group mbers. After a full day of classes where she struggled to keep her eyes open she would return to the dormitory.
And a new list of tasks would be waiting for her. She had to clean their rooms ticulously. She had to polish their armor and weapons. She had to fetch their late-night als from the kitchens.
She was exhausted all the ti a deep bone-weary exhaustion that never seed to leave her.
As soon as Alina ca out of her dormitory room in the morning her body aching from the lack of sleep she would go to the other mbers of the Golden Group. They were always waiting for her in the common area.
They would look at her tired face her slumped shoulders and they would smile a cruel mocking smile. They enjoyed her suffering. The leader of the group of second-years a girl nad Elara would often be the first to speak.
"If you think your life has already beco a struggle little commoner," she would say her voice dripping with false sympathy "then you are wrong. Because your struggles your duties are about to increase even more today."
She was trapped in a nightmare of endless work and constant bullying. And she saw no way out of it. Her wonderful dream of coming to the great United Academy had beco a terrible prison. And she was all alone in this place.
No one was there to help her. She was paying the price for her friendship with Eric for her association with the boy who had defied the entire system. And she was paying it every single day every single hour. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Her spirit once so bright and resilient was slowly being crushed under the heavy weight of their cruelty.
Hearing the older girl’s cruel words Alina finally understood. The Golden Group considered her their enemy. They saw her as a friend of Eric a part of the rebellion he had started. And because of that they would not help her. They would only make her life harder.
At first when she had first been forced into the Golden Group things had not been this bad. The other girls had been cold and distant. But they had not been so openly hostile. This was because Alina was often seen with Princess Monica. And no one dared to openly bully soone who was in the princess’s favor.
But now Monica was completely busy with her own studies and her own training. She was in the elite Section A. And Alina was in Section C.
They were separated by the Academy’s strict class structure. In Section C Alina had no friends. No one from her kingdom was in her class. And no one wanted to talk to her.
They saw her as an outsider soone connected to the troublemaker Eric. Monica was completely alone now. She was isolated. And today finally after weeks of this tornt when she saw Eric in the park her despair had beco too much to bear. When she had called for Adam when he had finally appeared before her only the image of one person ca to her mind. It was the only person she had any hope left in.
Alina had been waiting for a long ti. She had been waiting for Adam to co and save her from this miserable situation. She had hoped he would sohow know what was happening to her.
But when he did not co day after day Alina had to face a deep sense of disappointnt. And now at this mont Alina was very sad. And she was telling all of this to Adam as they sat on the bench in the quiet park. She told him about the endless chores about the cruel words about the loneliness.
Adam listening to Alina’s sad story looked at her and asked "Did you tell Monica about this? About what the other girls are doing to you?"
Hearing this Alina let out a deep sigh. "Even if I did tell Monica it wouldn’t change much," she said her voice full of a weary resignation.
"Monica’s room in the dormitory is on a different floor very far from mine. And besides that I am in Section C. There is no one there who can help . I am completely alone there."
Adam listening to Alina’s words understood the full extent of her situation. He sat beside her in silence for a few monts. Then he looked at Alina again. He smiled a confident reassuring smile. "Don’t worry," he said his voice firm and full of promise. "I will definitely get you out of this trouble."
He looked at Alina his expression serious. Alina hearing Adam’s words was very surprised. A wave of relief washed over her. She thought to herself I knew it. I knew that Adam would definitely help .
She had been waiting for Adam’s help for a long ti. But she didn’t want to ask him directly. She wanted him to see her struggle and offer to help on his own.
Then Adam stood up from the bench. "First," he said his voice now cold and determined
"I have to eliminate the root of your problem." He had a plan. He was going to put an end to Alina’s suffering. And he was going to do it in a way that no one in the Academy would ever forget.
He would make sure no one ever dared to bother a mber of his "family" again.
His promise of protection was about to be fulfilled in a very direct and a very brutal way. The girls of the Golden Group were about to learn a very hard lesson. And Adam would be their teacher.
Adam took a deep breath. The cool evening air of the park did little to quell the cold fire of anger that was burning within him. He looked at Alina’s sad tear-streaked face. After thinking for a mont weighing his options he spoke.
His voice was calm and decisive. "I have to get you out of the Golden Group," he said.
Hearing this Alina was very surprised. Her eyes widened. "But that’s impossible," she said her voice a mixture of shock and a renewed despair. "I am already officially registered as a mber. The Princess of the Golden Group herself requested . I can’t just leave. They won’t let ."
Adam looked at her his gaze steady and unwavering. "If I can do so much for my other group mbers like Ryan if I can stand up to the entire Academy for them then I can do much more for you Alina. You need to understand that. You are one of my first and most important allies."
Hearing Adam’s powerful words his complete confidence Alina was very surprised. She just kept looking at him. His words were a balm to her wounded spirit. Then Adam spoke again a thoughtful look now on his face.
"But this ti I don’t have to do anything violent like I did in the cafeteria. This ti I have a very good idea a much more... elegant solution."
Hearing this Alina was very surprised again. A flicker of curiosity a small spark of hope began to shine in her sad eyes. "An idea?" she asked. "What is it?"
Then Adam told Alina the idea. He laid out his audacious plan step by step. As she listened her expression shifted from surprise to disbelief and then to a dawning sense of awe.
After he finished explaining Alina was silent for a long mont. She was processing the sheer boldness of his plan. Then she asked the one question that still confused her. "But why is Princess Monica involved in this plan? Why do we need her?"
Hearing this Adam smiled a cold calculating smile. "Your problem has given an opportunity Alina," he said. "If I can get you out of the Golden Group it will send a ssage. And more first-year girls will feel brave enough to join our group The New Warriors. As you know we don’t have any girls in our group right now. This will benefit our group greatly. It will make us stronger more balanced."
Hearing this Alina was a little disappointed. She had hoped his plan was solely to help her. But she also understood his logic. "So you have turned my problem into an opportunity for yourself for your group," she said a little sadly.
But then she smiled a small genuine smile. She was both impressed and a little saddened by his cold logic. But she knew he was right. And she was ready to follow his plan.
She had no other choice. And more importantly she trusted him. She trusted Adam to fix this.
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