The deep echo of the bell still lingered in the air when Lukas left the administrative pavilions. The arena boiled with shouts and wagers for the Third Trial — the most physical and exhausting so far.

  He didn’t run to the locker room like the others. Instead, he climbed three stone steps and placed himself at the center of the side square. His gaze swept over the young warriors moving around, some laughing, others adjusting armor. Among them, elves of Summer, Spring, Autumn… and even two of Winter, rare outside the frozen plains.

  “You there, with the axe,” Lukas pointed at a tall young man, bronze skin and pointed ears, with the golden insignia of Summer. “What’s your name?”

  “Thalan,” the elf replied, measuring Lukas with curiosity.

  “You’ll join my squad.”

  Their eyes met for a few seconds, and Thalan nodded.

  Lukas went on, calling six more: an Autumn archer, a Spring lancer, two human warriors from Sorriso, a tiger demi-human, and a lightly armored amazon.

  At his side, Amélia and Aníbal watched in silence.

  “Two are already ours,” Aníbal said, arms crossed. “We still need two more to close the ten.”

  “I already have them in mind.” Lukas gave a faint smile, calling a dwarf-variant elf with a round shield and a priestess in white robes. “Done. The Tenth is complete.”

  As soon as the group gathered in the corner of the square, Aníbal commented:

  “I got information: Luiz will not participate in this trial. He was vetoed.”

  “Vetoed?” Lukas raised an eyebrow.

  “They said he’s already won too many times and they want to ‘give space for new names.’” Aníbal gave a crooked smile. “But don’t get too excited… he’ll have a representative on the Copas team.”

  “Alright…” Lukas crossed his arms. “And how many groups are there this year?”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Two hundred. We’re in bracket E, the Copas in bracket A. Better for us… that way we can watch how they fight.”

  Lukas nodded. “Then we’ll use the intervals to study their fighting style. Habits, skills, personalities. That gives us 50% of victory. The rest… depends on how well the Tenth works as a team.”

  César spoke in Lukas’s mind, his tone firm like a veteran general:

  “Time to train the Testudo formation. It’s the most effective for groups of ten.”

  Lukas repeated aloud for everyone:

  “We’ll begin with the Testudo. Those with strength, resolve, and shields take the front. We will be the wall. Women who aren’t tanks, stay in the rear, protected.”

  César continued in his mind:

  “The Testudo is our moving fortress. Shields joined at the front, sides, and top. We advance as a single wall, protecting everyone inside.”

  Lukas conveyed it, adjusting the tone as if it were his own:

  “It’s a mobile fortress. Shields joined at the front, sides, and above. We’ll advance as a living wall.”

  “And other formations?” Amélia asked, looking at Lukas.

  César answered immediately in his mind:

  “Wedge.”

  And Lukas spoke:

  “We also have the Wedge Formation. Two at the tip, sharp as blades, and the rest pushing through behind. It’s used to break enemy lines.”

  “And the last one?” Thalan asked.

  César muttered deep in Lukas’s mind:

  “Living Ring.”

  Lukas nodded and conveyed:

  “And the third is the Living Ring. A closed circle of shields, with archers and healers in the center. Ideal when we’re surrounded.”

  Morgana interrupted the mental dialogue with a teasing giggle:

  “So military… so serious… what an irresistible man. You should give commands like that in the bedroom too, chocolatinho.”

  “Silence,” Lukas answered dryly, in thought.

  César grumbled in his mind:

  “You’re only surrounded by traps, boy. This kind of thing… leads to dangerous falls.”

  Morgana retorted:

  “Oh, César… it’s not like they’re going to cut pieces out of you and chocolatinho together…”

  “Seal of Roman celibate chastity, activate!” César shouted theatrically inside Lukas’s mind. “First inner barrier!”

  Lukas sighed and turned to the group:

  “Let’s train the Testudo now. If we want to reach the finals, every step, every shield must be in the right place.”

  The Tenth aligned, forming the wall that would soon face monsters and rival warriors.

  End of chapter 19