Rise of the Reaper by Chris Pastrana (most difficult books to read txt) 📖

more decorative than anything she had seen before. Taking a lesson from what all of the others had been doing she lowered her head in respect. When the man had passed she brought her head back up, unexpectedly her Diatorn were watching her carefully.
"You learn fast child. It typically takes corrective measures for a recruit to learn that lesson. You may survive the Fare Tilwin Reath after all." When the tall man turned back around she let out a small sigh, happy that she had done something correctly.
"While we're walking we will start your lessons, child." With her exotic accent the attractive female Diatorn began speaking. "As you can see there is a clear rank structure within the temple. You are at the bottom, along with the other recruits. Above you are the trainees. You achieve this title when we have decided you are ready to move up. Do you understand this so far?"
"Yes I do." A quick smack sent pain through her chin. The tall woman continued to speak as if nothing had happened.
"While within the walls of this temple you will refer to everybody above your level by their title. Is this understood?"
"Yes, Diatorn." Nodding at how fast she had learned she turned the lesson over to her male teacher.
"As you already have been told, when you are ready you will undergo your assessment. If you survive this test you shall become a candidate. When this time has come, all of the sect masters shall gather and decide, based on how you did during your assessment, and decide which of the three sects you shall continue training under." Having had enough of speaking he motioned for his partner to begin speaking.
"You have no choice in which of the three you join, and you will have no way of knowing how your actions during the assessment will influence the minds of the Sect Masters. This is why you may not speak to another who is in another stage of their training. Do you understand this, child?"
"Yes, Diatorn."
"Good. Each of the three Sects has a different purpose. First is the Assault sect, Sect master Siped stands as their leader at the moment. His main directive is to lead his Fare Tilwin Reath upon the open battle field and from within the shadows outside of Fatir.
The second belongs to Sect Master Fantus. He is in charge of our defense while within Fatir. This includes the shadows and open warfare. At the present moment he is the youngest of the three masters, but his expertise had decreased attempts to infiltrate our country to almost nothing. Finally there is the Guardian Sect. Sect Master Prod is in charge of this group. Their only mission is to protect Master Tyrour."
"After being selected you will be given a new mentor, and at that time you will begin taking on missions and duties pertaining to your new status. This will likely be they first time you see a real battle field, and when you have proven that you are finally ready, you shall receive your title as a Fare Tilwin Reath."
"When does one become a Diatorn?"
"Diatorn are those who have outgrown the battle field, but are still capable of fighting, so they teach a new generation of Reapers."
Her head was spinning with information by the time they stepped through an open doorway, and into the clean air outside the temple. Green grass crunched underneath their feet as they continued to walk. Taking a quick look around Treasa had trouble believing how large this place was. Each direction she looked in was covered by miles of walls.
"Unlike all of the other recruits you have done something never seen before within the our history. For this you have already made a lasting impression upon the minds of many here. Do you know what you have done, child?" A look of amusement spread across her face.
"I do not know, Diatorn. I have done nothing special since arriving here."
"Not more than two hours ago you were asked to kill a member of another class to gain special privileges. Even though you failed to kill a mere trainee you are still being given special consideration. Remember, in this society you will fight to earn every ounce of respect given to you. Nothing here is free."
"When you first picked me up you said something about me being unique, Diatorn. I have to assume this is what you're speaking of."
"That is a correct assumption. Before you arrived to the temple you managed to kill a fully trained Fare Tilwin Reath. This is why you have been given special treatment."
"I have no memory of that, Diatorn." After Siped had kicked her in the face she blacked out and awoke inside the temple. Nothing had been explained to her about what had taken while she was unconscious.
Coming to a stop nearby another doorway they turned to wait for Treasa to catch up to them. Waving her inside, they waited for her to enter before following. Light inside the room was unusually bright, forcing her to squint and protect her eyes with her hand. Slowly adjusting to the light, she could see equipment like she had never seen before. Everything was new and without a doubt, not intended for recruits.
"Rooms like this are where the Fare Tilwin Reath train. When your mind and body were pushed beyond your limits you were able to surpass those with decades more training than yourself. This is why the Sect Masters have decided that you shall start your training here, and under our tutelage, we will see what lies buried within your body." The male Diatorn drew a short wooden sword from a sheath inside his coat and lowered into a fighting stance.
At the same moment the female picked a wooden tipped spear from a nearby wall stand. Preparing herself in a similar manner to her partner they both waited. Hesitating, not sure what to do, Treasa picked up the closest thing she could find. Unsure what to do she could feel her arms shaking. Rushing forward in unison the young girl did everything she could to defend herself against the far more experienced warriors.
After a few volleys of strikes they withdrew and circled around her. Bruises had already begun rising from her s kin. Panting from exhaustion the two looked doubtful, but Treasa refused to stop. Pushing herself she went on the offensive and closed on the female Diatorn. Barely dodging a blow from the spear, she had been able to slip inside the woman's striking range, making it harder for her to use the spear.
A hand appeared from the corner of her vision and grabbed her neck, throwing her to the side. Unable to breath, she fought to get back to her feet, but the wooden spear tip was pressing against her belly. "You have much to learn girl, but it's a start." Taking up fighting stances again, Treasa was praying for the day of rest she would get before her assessment.
Anniversary

Waking up from a deep sleep Treasa shook off some pain in her back. It had been almost a years since she had first arrived at the temple. Even though she was only nine years old now there was a vast difference between the two ages. Having grown a few inches taller, Treasa fit her wardrobe a little better.
Grabbing her clothes from the nearby chair, she began the long walk to the training hall she had visited everyday. Giving the respect deserving of those who passed her it usually took her an hour before she reached the opening to the training hall. As usual neither of her Diatorn had arrived, so she began warming up with simple striking drills with one of her training spears.
Thought her months of training had focused mainly on developing her body physically, and preparing her mind for the stress of combat, her teachers had taught her countless hours worth of information, tactics, and survival skills. She often found herself waking up before the sun rose everyday and finally able to retire to her room by the time a new day had started.
All of the other students she had arrived with had less intensive training schedules. Most of their time was taken up by chores and other mundane tasks. Treasa often found herself wishing she could have the simple downtime that chores would allow her, but with two Diatorn available to train her, they didn't need to consider their own rest periods while planning her training.
When she caught the sounds of footsteps approaching she ran to the training stand and put the spear back. Rushing to the door she took her place besides it and bowed her head in respect. Over time she had come to learn that her Diatorn had names. She would never be allowed to use them since that would be considered incredibly disrespectful, but it was still useful to think of them as humans.
When she saw Sade walk through the door she knew it was going to be a training intensive day. Her male teacher was fond of physically hard workouts that would leave her tired and often bruised. Paqeal was softer in her approach but stressed having a sharp mind and speed rather than strength.
Treasa often found that their teaching contradicted each others but she adjusted to whatever they wanted to do and continued on with her lesson. Unexpectedly Paqeal walked through the door as well. The arrival of the second Diatorn so early in the day caught her off guard and she almost forgot to give them their daily greeting.
"For Fatir, Diatorn."
"Good morning child, we have a surprise for you today. As you are probably aware it has been one year to the day that you arrived here under our care. Though you have years of training left we believe you are ready for you next step." Pulling out a new uniform from a bag she carried, Paqeal handed it to her. Opening the bag she saw a dark blue uniform, remembering back to the day she arrived she new this was the uniform that trainees wore.
Bowing her head even deeper in respect she thanked the Diatorn