Three years ter

  The night air hung heavy with summer heat as Nine pressed herself against the corridor ceiling, her body suspended between two walls in a perfect split stance. Below her, two senior servants passed with oil mps, illuminating the passageway but never thinking to look up. Nine reguted her breathing to remain silent, her muscles burning with the effort of maintaining the position. She had been there for nearly twenty minutes, waiting.

  When the corridor finally emptied, she lowered herself with controlled precision, not making a sound as her feet touched the polished floor. At eleven years old, Nine had grown taller but remained lean and wiry, her strength hidden beneath the nondescript gray uniform that all candidates wore. The only distinguishing feature was the bronze medallion around her neck—identical to those worn by her eleven fellow trainees, those who remained.

  Nine moved silently toward her target: Master Lin's private study. Tonight's assignment was to retrieve a specific scroll from his collection without disturbing any of the traps he had undoubtedly set. The penalty for failure, as always, was severe. The reward for success was merely the absence of punishment—the Shadow Guard training philosophy in its purest form.

  As she approached the study door, Nine dropped to her knees, examining the threshold. Normal eyes would have seen nothing, but three years of specialized training had taught her to detect the faintest signs. There—a barely visible thread stretched across the lower portion of the doorframe. And there—a small amount of fine powder scattered on the floor that would reveal footprints. Master Lin was being predictable tonight, which immediately made Nine suspicious.

  She reached into her sleeve, removing a slender bamboo tube and a coil of silk thread. Working methodically, she created a bypass for the tripwire, then used the thread to lower herself from the ceiling crossbeam, avoiding the powdered floor entirely. Suspended upside-down, she surveyed the study before her.

  Scrolls lined the shelves along the walls, but Nine knew exactly which one she sought—a blue-bordered training manual positioned third from the right on the center shelf. That straightforward pcement virtually guaranteed additional security measures.

  Nine narrowed her eyes, observing the room more carefully. The moonlight streaming through the small window revealed almost imperceptible wisps of smoke—incense, but with an unusual scent. Nine immediately held her breath. Master Lin occasionally used specialized incense that would render an intruder unconscious if inhaled for more than a few minutes.

  Working quickly now, Nine swung her body gently, building momentum until she could reach the target shelf without touching the floor. Her fingers closed around the blue-bordered scroll, but she didn't immediately remove it. Instead, she examined how it was positioned, noting the exact angle and the small red thread marker that protruded from one end.

  With practiced precision, she extracted the scroll while simultaneously repcing it with a weighted duplicate she had prepared earlier—identical in size and weight, with a simir red thread marker. Only after the repcement was perfectly positioned did Nine allow herself to retreat, retracing her path to the door, disabling her bypass of the tripwire, and slipping back into the corridor.

  The entire operation had taken less than three minutes.

  Nine made her way to the designated meeting point—a small alcove in the western garden where Five waited as her assigned partner for this exercise.

  "Success?" Five asked quietly as she approached. Now eleven as well, Five had grown into his frame, his movements more controlled and deliberate than any of the other candidates. While Nine excelled in stealth and observation, Five had developed extraordinary precision in combat, his strikes nding exactly where intended with uncanny consistency.

  Nine nodded, producing the scroll. "Master Lin used drugged incense and the standard tripwire-powder combination."

  "Straightforward," Five remarked with a slight frown. "Too straightforward."

  "My thought exactly," Nine agreed. "Check the scroll."

  Five carefully unrolled it, revealing bnk paper where training diagrams should have been. In the center was a single character: "Aware."

  Both candidates immediately tensed, scanning their surroundings. The trap had not been in Master Lin's study but in the mission itself.

  "Well perceived," came Master Lin's voice as he stepped from behind a nearby tree. "Most would have celebrated their success rather than questioning it."

  Nine and Five immediately knelt, heads bowed in respect.

  "The target was never the scroll," Master Lin continued, circling them slowly. "The target was your awareness. Nine, you recognized the suspicious simplicity of the setup. Five, you trusted your partner's instincts enough to verify. Both traits are essential for survival."

  He extended his hand, and Nine returned the bnk scroll. "Tomorrow, you two will face Eight and Twelve in paired combat. Prepare accordingly."

  With that, he departed, leaving them in the moonlit garden. Such was the nature of their training—lessons embedded within lessons, tests hidden inside other tests. Nothing was ever as it initially appeared.

  "Eight and Twelve," Five murmured as they rose. "Challenging."

  Nine nodded in agreement. Eight had become the most technically proficient fighter among the female candidates, while Twelve possessed raw strength that made him dangerous despite his sometimes clumsy technique.

  "Eight favors her right side, especially after her injury st month," Nine observed. "And Twelve telegraphs his attacks by shifting his weight to his back foot first."

  Five's mouth twitched in what, for him, passed as a smile. "Your observation skills remain unmatched."

  It was as close to a compliment as any of them ever offered each other. After three years, the twelve—now ten—remaining candidates had developed a complex dynamic of competition and cooperation. They were rivals for the limited positions in the Shadow Guard, yet also relied on each other during training exercises and missions.

  Two of their original number had already been dismissed. Seven had failed a loyalty test in their second year, attempting to smuggle a message to someone outside the compound. Eleven had simply disappeared after a particurly difficult training expedition in the mountains six months ago. No expnation was given; she simply never returned with the others. Her mat in the sleeping quarters was removed that same night, and her designation was never spoken again.

  "We should rest," Nine suggested, calcuting the optimal preparation for tomorrow's combat. "Meditation before sleep to visualize their patterns, then early rising for flexibility exercises."

  Five nodded, and they made their way back to the candidates' quarters in silence.

  Dawn found Nine already awake, performing her daily ritual before the others rose. In the small private courtyard reserved for personal training, she moved through a series of positions designed to stretch every muscle and ligament in her body. Unlike the formal martial forms they learned from the masters, these were movements Nine had developed herself, incorporating elements from her observations of forest creatures during her wilderness years.

  Master Hawk had once observed her private practice and remarked that she moved "like water finding its way through stone"—one of the rare instances of direct praise from any of their instructors.

  "Preparing for today's match?" came a soft voice from the courtyard entrance.

  Nine didn't interrupt her movement sequence as she recognized Eight's presence. "As are you, apparently."

  Eight entered, her own lithe form casting a long shadow in the early morning light. Of all the candidates, Eight remained the most enigmatic. She never spoke of her past—none of them did, following the strict rules of their training—but sometimes Eight would dispy knowledge or skills that hinted at an unusual upbringing.

  "I look forward to facing you," Eight said, beginning her own warm-up routine on the opposite side of the courtyard. "You've improved significantly since our st pairing."

  Nine completed a particurly complex transition before responding. "As have you." She paused, then added, "Your injured shoulder has healed well."

  A flicker of surprise crossed Eight's usually composed features. "You noticed."

  "I notice everything," Nine replied simply.

  It wasn't boasting but a statement of fact. Nine's observational skills had become legendary among the candidates and masters alike. During stealth exercises, she could identify not just how many people had passed through an area but details about their physical condition, their purpose, even their emotions based on subtle signs others missed entirely.

  The previous autumn, during a tracking assessment in the royal forest outside the capital, Nine had led the masters directly to a poacher's camp that the imperial rangers had been hunting for weeks. When asked how she knew where to look, she had simply pointed out the pattern of broken spider webs, the specific way certain birds were calling, and the almost imperceptible compression of soil that indicated a heavy burden had been carried repeatedly along that path.

  Master Hawk had ter informed the other instructors that Nine possessed "the most naturally acute observational abilities I have encountered in thirty years of training candidates."

  "Will you use the Phoenix Cw technique again today?" Eight asked casually, though Nine detected the subtle information-gathering beneath the question.

  "Perhaps," Nine answered noncommittally. In truth, she had been developing a counter to Eight's favored Flowing Water stance, but saw no reason to reveal her tactical preparations.

  They continued their separate warm-ups in companionable silence until the morning drum summoned them to breakfast. The meal, like all aspects of their lives, followed strict protocols. Candidates sat according to their designations, ate precisely portioned food without conversation, and departed in order when finished.

  After breakfast came academic studies. While combat and stealth formed the core of their training, the Shadow Guard candidates received extensive education in other areas critical to their future roles: court etiquette, poison identification, regional dialects, calligraphy, and mathematics. Nine excelled particurly in dialects, her ear for nguages allowing her to reproduce accents with uncanny accuracy.

  By midday, the candidates gathered in the main training courtyard for the announced combat pairing. Master Lin stood at the center, fnked by two other instructors.

  "Combat between pairs tests not only your individual skills but your ability to coordinate with a partner," he announced as the candidates formed a circle around the designated fighting area. "In the field, you may find yourselves working alongside another Shadow. Your lives may depend on how well you function as a unit."

  He gestured to the four selected candidates. "Nine and Five against Eight and Twelve. Standard rules apply—no permanent damage, yield is acknowledged by kneeling, combat ends when both members of a pair are defeated or yield."

  The four candidates stepped into the circle, each performing the formal bow of respect. Nine caught Five's eye briefly, a silent confirmation that they would implement their discussed strategy.

  "Begin," Master Lin commanded, stepping back from the circle.

  Twelve immediately charged forward, his greater size and strength making him an imposing attacker. But instead of evading as expected, Nine stepped directly into his path, dropping low at the st moment. The maneuver caught Twelve off-guard—most opponents instinctively backed away from his charges.

  Nine swept her leg in a rapid arc, targeting Twelve's right ankle—the one he had subtly favored during morning exercises, suggesting a minor strain. The impact wasn't powerful, but it was precisely pced, causing Twelve to stumble momentarily.

  That moment was all Five needed. While Nine engaged Twelve, Five had circled around to fnk Eight, who now faced a dilemma—help her partner or defend against Five's approach. She chose the tter, turning to meet Five with a textbook Flowing Water defensive stance.

  Exactly as Nine had predicted.

  The fight evolved rapidly, with pairs breaking and reforming as each candidate sought advantage. Nine and Five maintained constant awareness of each other's positions, creating opportunities through coordinated movements that appeared almost choreographed. When Nine drove Twelve toward the eastern edge of the circle, Five would be waiting to deliver a strike from an unexpected angle. When Five found himself momentarily overmatched by Eight's technical precision, Nine would appear at exactly the right moment to disrupt her rhythm.

  Nine's fighting style had evolved into something unlike any traditional form taught in the compound. She incorporated unpredictable movements and positions that often seemed inefficient until the strategic purpose became clear. Master Lin had once observed that fighting Nine was "like trying to capture mist"—her apparent vulnerabilities were usually traps, her retreats often preludes to devastating counters.

  The match sted nearly fifteen minutes—an eternity in combat terms. Finally, Nine created an opening that Five exploited perfectly, nding a decisive strike to Eight's previously injured shoulder that forced her to yield. With his partner defeated, Twelve fought with increased desperation, managing to nd a powerful blow to Five's ribs that audibly cracked.

  Nine immediately adjusted her strategy, drawing Twelve's attention while Five recovered. She evaded a flurry of strikes, her movements becoming increasingly fluid as she conserved energy and allowed Twelve to exhaust himself. When his attacks began to slow, she transitioned suddenly from evasion to offense, targeting the nerve points Master Hawk had taught them with devastating precision.

  Twelve colpsed to one knee, his right arm temporarily paralyzed by Nine's strike sequence. Five, despite his injury, moved into position behind him, applying just enough pressure to the weakened opponent's neck to secure victory.

  "Yield," Twelve gasped, recognizing his defeat.

  Master Lin stepped forward. "Nine and Five demonstrate superior coordination and tactical awareness. Eight and Twelve show commendable individual skill but failed to function effectively as a unit." He turned to Nine. "Your adaptation to Five's injury was particurly noteworthy. Expin your strategy."

  Nine straightened, her breathing already returning to normal despite the exertion of combat. "I observed that Twelve instinctively focuses on the most active threat. By increasing my movement and attack frequency, I drew his attention away from Five, allowing him time to recover and reposition."

  Master Lin nodded with approval. "And the nerve strike sequence? That is not a technique we have taught you."

  "I adapted it from watching Master Hawk's demonstration st season," Nine expined. "I have been practicing the alignment in private training."

  A murmur ran through the observing candidates. Adapting advanced techniques without direct instruction was uncommon and potentially dangerous. But Nine had executed the sequence fwlessly.

  "Initiative is valuable," Master Lin acknowledged. "But unauthorized experimentation can be perilous. You will demonstrate this adapted technique to Master Hawk tomorrow for proper assessment."

  Nine bowed in acceptance of both the praise and the admonishment. Such was the delicate bance of their training—innovation was respected but discipline was paramount.

  As the candidates dispersed to their afternoon assignments, Lady Fei emerged from the shadows of the observance gallery where she had been watching unnoticed. She approached Master Lin, her elegant robes whispering across the stone floor.

  "Nine continues to exceed expectations," she observed quietly.

  Master Lin inclined his head in agreement. "Her observational skills are unprecedented among candidates her age. And her combat adaptability improves consistently."

  "What of her emotional development?" Lady Fei inquired. "The Shadow Guard requires more than physical capability."

  "She maintains appropriate distance from the other candidates," Master Lin reported. "Forms tactical alliances when necessary but no disruptive attachments. Her loyalty parameters test consistently strong."

  Lady Fei watched as Nine departed the courtyard, moving with the economical grace that had become her hallmark. "The Crown Prince visited the compound st week. He expressed particur interest in this cohort of candidates."

  Master Lin's expression remained neutral, though this news was significant. The Crown Prince rarely involved himself directly with Shadow Guard training, traditionally waiting until candidates completed their full preparation before selection.

  "His Imperial Highness reviewed their assessment records," Lady Fei continued. "Nine's performance metrics caught his attention."

  "She is exceptional," Master Lin acknowledged. "Perhaps the most promising candidate of her age I have encountered. But three years of training remain before selection."

  Lady Fei nodded thoughtfully. "Continue to challenge her. The Prince will expect remarkable results from this one."

  That evening, as candidates attended to their assigned duties before the night meal, Nine found herself tasked with organizing scrolls in the archives—a mundane chore rotated among all trainees. As she carefully arranged documents according to the complex cssification system, her enhanced hearing detected footsteps approaching—light, measured steps that she immediately recognized as belonging to Three.

  Of the remaining candidates, Three had become the most accomplished academic, his mind absorbing nguages and political theory with the same facility that Nine demonstrated in observation. They were not friends—such retionships were discouraged—but they shared a mutual respect.

  "Nine," Three acknowledged as he entered the archive. "I'm assigned to assist you tonight."

  She nodded in response, handing him a stack of scrolls designated for the eastern shelves. They worked in comfortable silence for several minutes before Three spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper.

  "Your performance today was impressive. The nerve strike sequence in particur."

  "Thank you," Nine replied simply, continuing her work without interruption.

  "I've been studying the historical accounts of previous Shadow Guards," Three continued casually. "Did you know that in the early formations, Shadows were assigned in permanent pairs? The practice was abandoned three dynasties ago after the Copper Temple Incident."

  Nine raised an eyebrow slightly. Three rarely engaged in idle conversation, which meant this information was being shared for a specific reason.

  "The records suggest that pairing worked best when Shadows had complementary abilities," he added, shelving a particurly ancient text with careful hands. "One for observation, one for action. One to see the threat, one to eliminate it."

  Nine understood the implication. "Like Five and myself."

  Three inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. "The masters have paired you together more frequently in recent months. It suggests they may be considering reverting to the historical model for our cohort."

  This was valuable information—the kind Three excelled at extracting from his extensive readings and analysis of the masters' behaviors. Nine filed it away for future consideration.

  "Five's rib was broken today," she noted. "He didn't report it during the assessment."

  "He went to the medical pavilion afterward," Three confirmed. "Two ribs cracked, one dispced. He'll be restricted from combat training for at least two weeks."

  Nine frowned slightly. Five's injury would disrupt their established training patterns. "Who do you think they'll pair me with during his recovery?"

  "Ten, most likely," Three replied. "His speed would complement your perception, though his discipline remains inconsistent."

  Ten was a problematic candidate—brilliant in bursts but prone to impulsivity that had earned him numerous punishments. Still, his natural agility made him a formidable fighter when properly focused.

  They completed their archiving duty and proceeded to the evening meal, where Nine observed that Five's pce remained empty, confirming he was indeed in the medical pavilion. Master Lin announced the next day's assignments, and as Three had predicted, Nine was paired with Ten for the morning stealth exercise.

  Later that night, as candidates prepared for sleep in the communal quarters, Nine performed her nightly ritual—a series of breathing exercises followed by a methodical review of the day's lessons and observations. She cataloged new information, refined techniques she had observed, and pnned improvements to her own skills.

  While the other candidates gradually succumbed to sleep around her, Nine remained aware, her senses extended throughout the dormitory, monitoring the rhythmic breathing of her peers, the subtle shifts of the building as it cooled in the night air, the distant movements of guards patrolling the compound perimeter.

  This heightened awareness—this constant, unwavering vigince—had become as natural to her as breathing. From her earliest days in the wilderness after the destruction of her vilge, Nine had learned that survival depended on noticing what others missed. The Shadow Guard training had taken that natural ability and refined it into something extraordinary.

  Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new tests, new opportunities to prove herself worthy of eventually becoming Shadow Nine. The path ahead remained long and treacherous, with the Crown Prince's unexpected interest adding new pressure to her training.

  But as Nine finally allowed herself to drift toward sleep, her mind continued to process and pn, observe and analyze. In the darkness of the dormitory, surrounded by fellow candidates who were both allies and rivals, she remained what she had become in those desperate months alone in the forest—a survivor, adapting to whatever circumstances she faced, always watching, always learning.

  Always aware.