Ian was being led down a long corridor, blindfolded. It had all happened so quickly. It was only yesterday that he had been pulled out of class and met a tall, mysterious man who told him that he had been selected. Of course, he knew immediately what it was for; every kid on the Vanguard knew the stories of the few classmates who suddenly disappeared one day, being called for duty in the Shadows. But knowing about the legend didn't come close to preparing him to experience it firsthand.
That night, he had his final meal with his parents and sister in the small apartment his family shared. It was a quiet meal, everyone at the table holding back tears and emotions, not wanting to appear in any way ungrateful for the truly awesome opportunity that Ian was receiving. But he knew that this would probably be the last time he saw any of them, and so did they.
He was woken up early the next morning by a group of men dressed in black, their faces obscured. They quickly pulled him out of bed, told him to quickly get dressed, and then immediately blindfolded him and tied his hands, taking him out of the apartment and into a lift. All the while, the men escorting him said nothing. Ian had never felt more alone at any point in his life. He knew that he was incredibly fortunate to be selected for this position, but all he felt was a sense of homesickness and desire to go back to his family. And then, a few minutes later, he was here, in a hallway with a steel floor that seemed to go on forever.
Finally, he was turned into a room, his blindfold was yanked off, and he heard a door swoosh shut behind him. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out that he was in a small classroom, dimly lit by a flickering source of light on the ceiling. The room had a table in the middle and looked sort of like a conference room. There was nothing on the walls, no windows or ports or decoration of any kind, just the door behind him and one other door on the opposite side of the room.
Looking to either side, Ian realized that the escorts were no longer with him; they must have led him in here, yanked the blindfold off then quickly left the room. There were only three people in the room: the mysterious man he had met yesterday; an older teenaged boy with short dark hair, brown skin, and a muscled form, who had a determined but calm demeanor; and another boy, younger than the first but older than Ian, who was tall with pale skin, had red hair at a length that Ian knew was prohibited at the academy, a slender build, and fiery red eyes that had a crazed look to them. The three of them were all standing, staring straight at Ian.
"Welcome, Ian, to the rest of your life," the mysterious man said, slightly bowing towards him. "We met briefly yesterday; I am Markus, the Commandant of the Shadows. I will be the one leading your education from now on."
Ian was unsure of how he should respond. He slowly stepped forward, turned towards Markus, and said, "Thank you, sir."
Markus nodded, then motioned with his hand towards the younger boy. "I am Aiken," the boy said. He spoke quickly and seemed to have a slight twitch in his eye, but Ian tried to ignore that. "I am in my third year of initiation. My specialty is Explosive Weaponry."
Ian walked up to Ian and stuck out his hands, which were still tied at the wrists. "It is nice to meet you," he said. Aiken looked at his hands uneasily, then quickly grabbed one, gave it one shake, and turned back to face the other two.
The older boy then walked towards Ian, sticking out his hand and shook Ian's, saying, "And my name is Jules. I am a fifth-year Shadow Initiate. I am an Expert in Hand-to-Hand combat -- Martial Arts, if you will. Which means I'm responsible for teaching you a lesson if you step out of line." Ian wasn't sure how to take this, so he just stared straight at Jules, his breathing starting to accelerate. After a few seconds, Jules's mouth broadened into a grin and he started laughing. "Don't look at me like that, rookie! I'm not gonna hurt you... too bad," he added, with a knowing wink.
With the introductions completed, Markus came up to Ian and put his hand on Ian's shoulder. "And that's it. The three of you represent the only current Shadow Initiates on this vessel. Of course, I can't tell you how many actual Shadows there are on this ship until you have completed your Initiation, but rest assured, it's a very exclusive group. You should feel proud, Ian. You have been selected from over two hundred possible candidates in your age group."
Ian gulped, and nodded. "Yes, sir. I understand."
"Okay," Markus said, "now it's time to get you prepared for the first day of the rest of your life. Jules and Aiken, you stay here for a little while. Ian, follow me."
Markus walked towards the door opposite the one Ian entered, which silently slid open, revealing an unlit room beyond. Markus entered the room, quickly disappearing into the shadows. Ian took a deep breath, then followed him in.
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