The physical portion, this portion of the evaluation was meant to measure endurance, strength, recovery, and whether his body could still sustain the physical demands expected of someone who might eventually return to field and intelligence operations.
The physical portion of Cassian Abrantes's evaluation began with the long run, and Cassian treated it like any other conditioning exercise. He reached the required distance without difficulty and kept going, adding several more laps before finally stepping off the course. His stride remained steady and controlled, but the monitors showed a pulse far above normal and blood pressure that had climbed to dangerous levels.
The pushups came next, and Cassian passed the required number without slowing before adding several more repetitions. His form remained clean, but the scanner showed increasing strain through his shoulders and upper back, especially around the same shoulder that had caused trouble during the firearms test. His pulse had barely dropped from the run before climbing again.
He moved directly into situps and worked through them at a quick, even pace. Cassian exceeded the required count while giving no indication that anything was wrong, even as pain spread through his ribs and lower back. The monitors continued showing poor recovery, elevated blood pressure, and physical stress that did not match the calm expression he was maintaining.
Pullups came last, and by then the shaking in his arms was becoming difficult to hide. Cassian still passed the required number and forced himself through several more before finally releasing the bar. His knees bent when he landed, but he straightened almost immediately and looked toward the evaluator as if the exercise had barely affected him.
On paper, he had passed everything and exceeded most of the standards. The medical readings told a different story, showing a resting pulse that was already too high, blood pressure that remained dangerously elevated, and repeated signs of pain and muscular strain throughout the test. Cassian stood in the center of the room appearing composed while the equipment showed exactly how hard his body was working just to maintain that appearance.
Caleb had entered the training room, to which Cassian gave a small smile. Caleb had served the family for years and was regarded as more than household staff, having become a loyal and trusted friend to the Abrantes family. Cassian noticed immediately and could tell from his expression that something had changed. Caleb explained that the family had just been informed that Damos Rennar would no longer be overseeing the final review of Cassian's evaluation results.
"Mara Veylan will be handling it instead."
Cassian continued wiping the sweat from his face and looked at Caleb for a moment. He hated Mara Veylan, she was a queen. Having her involved was about as unfavorable as the situation could have become, but there was nothing he could do about it at that moment.
"It is what it is." Cassian said quietly before glancing toward the remaining medical personnel. "Let's talk about this later."
Caleb understood and gave him a small nod before leaving with the evaluators and technicians. Cassian remained standing until the door closed and the sound of their footsteps disappeared down the corridor.
Only then did he let himself give in.
Cassian leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor. His breathing became heavy almost immediately, and his hands trembled as he rested them beside him. His shoulder burned, his legs felt heavy, and his heartbeat was still pounding hard against his chest.
He had done more than what was required, but that did not mean he was well. Cassian had wanted to collapse more than thirty minutes earlier, and everything after that had been nothing more than discipline and experience carrying him forward.
At least he still had that. He still knew how to hide it.
