My first days at the Akademy were more tiresome than expected. Due to my lack of physical activity, the trainings I had to undergo were hell on Ivalice. The instructors were extremely strict and did not tolerate any weakness. Sometimes, my legs were quivering during stretching exercises and I had to stop, while the others made a fool of me. The others were generally older, like Vitu. Vitu was one of the only trainees I talked to. He got admitted into service shortly after me, and was following every session with a dedication worthy of respect. Unlike me, he had always been fond of sport, and the physical training was a formality for him, as he had said.

Weapon wielding classes were slightly more bearable. I learnt to handle a spear and a one-handed sword in a few weeks. Vitu was pleased with my progress, always cheerful and encouraging no matter the circumstances. He was powerless in front of the other trainees' mockery, but thankfully it became less and less frequent.

At the end of each day, I came back to the apartment in Rienna, where my mother was patiently waiting for me. Each time, she bombarded me with questions about my health and my safety, and each time I had to reassure her. The money I was making was scarce for Archades cost of living, but enough to become financially independent thanks to the apartment ownership. Thembeka was still visiting my mother during the days, helping with whatever she could; she approved my decision of enrolling in the army, saying I would make Mother proud.

At the end of the year, during a warm morning of the Capricorn month, I met Vitu at the main hall of the Akademy as usual.

'Are you ready?' he asked with an uncommon smile.

'Ready for…?'

'Haven't you heard the instructor yesterday? Today is the first day of our placement. We are to replace part of the Palace guard, who went on reconnaissance in Landis.'

That last word squeezed my heart tightly, but I pretended not to notice. Vitu was a good person who regularly asked questions about me without being invasive, and it had to stay so.

'So we'll go to the Palace today?'

'Indeed. Just on the other side of the Glorious Road. Here are the others; let us go!'

Vitu got appointed to the eighth floor, while I had been told to go to the second one. During the walk, I realized I was still not comfortable with the armor, although it was just my size. Something about it was stifling and oppressive – just like the Empire.

'So that is the Palace?' Vitu exclaimed, gaping at the immense building, the heart of the Archadia, and the place where everything was happening, according to the capital's rumors.

The entrance was as well-guarded as I had expected. Several troops were standing in front of the wide doors – swordsmen, magi as well as beast tamers with mastiffs. Recognizing the instructor, they soon formed perfect parallel lines to let the group pass. I held my breath and marched towards the doors being opened. As soon as I put a foot inside, I entered a whole new world, which I didn't know yet that I would never leave.

Majestic chandeliers were home to feeble lights, that shone a peculiar gleam on the stairs facing us. The ochre walls framed sumptuous paneling as well as a big, yellow door.

'Upstairs', simply said the instructor.

We marched step by step – the steps were not many – until we arrived at the largest, the highest, and certainly the richest dining-room that ever was. The first floor was apparently reserved for high-ranking guests, to feed their eyes and take their breath away. Dozens of rectangular tables were meticulously aligned, with everything needed for a first-rate meal – except the food: shiny yellow napkins, perfectly smooth silky tablecloth, and cutlery made of silver. A place on the side was left empty – probably for an orchestra to cause a sensation.

There, amidst the glare that the storm magicites on the chandeliers were sending, and in front of that unrivalled scenery, the instructor called us to order and began dispatching us.

'Not all floors have armor authorization. Stay in your assignment area at all costs. Besides, as you all know, this is His Excellency's sacred home and all floors starting from the twentieth are forbidden to anyone under the rank of Judge. For the rest, follow the rules you have been given and good luck.'

Vitu left with a smile and disappeared in the service elevator, much more sober than the sophisticated glass elevator used by the imperial family and Judge Magisters.

The other trainees left as well, each one at a different floor. I took the stairs, slightly intimidated by the strong lights and the strange, but pleasurable scent. I was to watch the second floor, and only a few steps were separating me from the destination. In my opinion, guarding the indoor parts of the Palace was neither entertaining nor useful, but it seemed to have a certain importance in the eyes of the army superiors, that saw in it a deterrent against unwelcome intrusions, and I had to obey.

The second floor's space was more divided than the first, with several doors here and there, around a vast area filled with stretchers. Was that the medical floor? The names engraved on some of the doors confirmed my hypothesis – the names of various doctors and nurses.

I pushed the only nameless door, located in the center, and found myself in a small corridor leading to what looked like a living-room. Beige leather armchairs formed a circle around a grey metal table with newspapers neatly put inside a wicker basket. Against the immaculate white walls were two tall brown wooden cupboards holding a dozen shelves each. And on these shelves, one title immediately caught my attention.

General Law Categorization. Supreme Court of the Republic of Landis.

The book I had borrowed in Waldgott! What was a book about Landis doing in an Archadian library?

Intrigued, I removed my helmet, put it on the table and began reading the book to refresh my memory. I truly missed the impassioned talks with my friends regarding law and the other matters that interested us. Reading those mere pages filled me with a crippling nostalgia that prevented me from noticing anything around me.

'Do you want to become a Judge?'

I quivered in terror. Right under my eyes, a feminine face appeared, with a full genuine smile and a cunning look.

'My name is Anastasia, but you can call me Nastia!' she said, slowly standing up straight. She was rather short, with chestnut-brown wavy hair, carefully tied on the sides with clips, and dark eyes that seemed to scan my whole body.

'Are you working here?' I asked, closing the book and putting it back where I'd found it.

Her attire was particular, with a long purple dress protected by a blue apron. Her right hand was holding a feather duster.

'Why, yes!' she said, suddenly ill-at-ease and looking at her small feet. 'I am… My mother and I are working as maids in the Palace. She got promoted at the Thirteenth but I'm not quite there yet!...'

She looked more embarrassed with each second. I didn't know what that was supposed to mean but I did not want to trouble her any longer.

'My name is Gabranth', I said, putting on my helmet. 'I am doing my military service and have been appointed to watch the second floor this week. I don't know if I want to become a Judge, but I should be back to work.'

'O… of course!' she said, her ruddy face looking left and right.

'Good luck, Gabranth!' she added, as I was leaving the room.

I returned to the Palace's second floor twice more, in the months of Leo and Scorpio. Each time, I found Nastia dusting the small living-room, and each time the books displayed were different. Nastia and I only exchanged a few banalities, but, just like Vitu, she gave me the impression of a modest, respectful person. Her name and face reminded me, against my will, of the one I had lost in Landis, but… she was different.

Finally, the month of Gemini 689 arrived, and with it the end of my military service. I was eighteen years old and earned the right to be automatically transferred to one of the divisions of the Imperial Army. I didn't know what it would change concretely, but Vitu was delighted.

'Finally! Finally!' he repeated. 'I will be able to realize my dream!'

He did talk about his dream often, but that time I was too curious:

'And what is your dream?'

He turned towards me, starry-eyed:

'To join the Western Armada of the army. That's where Judge Zargabaath is deployed. My dream is to enter his division and work under his command.'

And he added, seeing the disarray on my face:

'Lord Zargabaath is the Judge Magister I respect the most. I have talked to some of his generals – he is incredibly human and understanding. He lives in the eighth floor of the Palace, along with some of his Judges, but unfortunately I never had the chance to meet him during my patrols there. To me, he represents the perfect voice to enlighten the Empire's future: he always thinks of the general interest first, whilst being extremely intelligent, proficient in many fields, and totally loyal to House Solidor. He hasn't been appointed Official Guard of Her Highness for no reason!'

While I had met several Judges during my service, I had never met a Judge Magister. Yet to become fully part of the army, I had to serve under one of them. Which one would it be?

'What about you, Gabranth? What is your dream?'

My dream? I looked away, troubled and disheartened.

'I do not have a dream for the moment', I simply replied.

"All my dreams have been crushed by this very empire I'm serving", I added internally.

'Gabranth? Are you alright?' he asked, visibly worried.

'Aye. Thank you, Vitu.'

We were waiting in the Akademy's main hall for twenty minutes when a familiar figure appeared.

'Cal!' I exclaimed, walking toward the viera.

But she put her forefinger against her lips and asked me to follow her with a head movement.

'I cannot talk for a long time, or it will appear suspicious to the others', she said, closing the door of one of the offices.

She stood right in front of me and grinned.

'Congratulations for your service. As of today, you are an official member of the Imperial Army. From now on you are Soldier Gabranth, serving in the Sixth Division, led by Judge Magister Drace, who is most happy to have you.'

'Drace…?'

After a few sentences explaining administrative details to me, she opened the door and invited me to join the others. Loud talks were taking place in the hall, while I searched for Vitu, absent from it.

'Gabranth! I made it!'

And before I could react, a heavy punch on my back made me bend.

'You… you hurt me!'

'Sorry, but you should work on your physical resistance, my friend!' he said, completely blown away. 'Can you believe it? I will serve under Judge Zargabaath! This is the best news of my life!'

'Co… congratulations…' I said, standing up with difficulty.

'What about you?'

'Judge Drace. Sixth Division.'

'Oh!' he said, slightly disappointed. 'I have heard good things about Judge Drace. Some soldiers are mad at the idea of having a female leader.'

'I do not mind', I replied.

And after bidding farewell to the non-soldier trainees and exchanging the news of our postings, everyone took their separate way.

I had heard of Judge Drace a few times. Not as much as Judge Bergan, who led the Imperial Military Akademy, though. She had the reputation of being the fastest sword fighter of the Empire, and the strongest of the female Judge Magisters by far. The other Judge Magisters I had heard of were Zecht and Zargabaath – the latter through Vitu, as I thought of it – whose divisions were frequently doing operations at the Western border. Judge Zecht was, in addition to that, the leader of all the Judge Magisters, and formerly Official Guard of Lady Ephedrine.

Nastia told me that Lady Ephedrine was Emperor Gramis's first wife. They had two sons: Lord Eder-Cilt and Lord Phonmat, who were regularly making appearances in the city – for different reasons. Both were over twenty years old. After Lady Ephedrine's death at the age of twenty-seven, the Emperor married Sentia, who was, according to the rumors, leading the country with an iron fist. Their only son was Lord Vayne, a shy boy of thirteen years old. However, at my latest patrol at the Second, Nastia insinuated that Empress Sentia was pregnant with a second child.

The Palace stories interested me very little, but Nastia was fond of them, and I had to know at least who I would be working for in the near future.