The UNU was a pet project of the Outsider and the Ravager. The blessed mother once discovered a video tape containing an advertisement for one of the Old World's universities. Confused and curious, she asked Outsider if it was possible to create a similar place in the lands of the Reclaimers and Outsider became interested in this idea. If Reclaimers could impress small tribes and societies all around the globe with a high standard of living, high-tech industries, and high-quality medicine, then people would flock to the Reclamation Army. But for these three things to exist, the Reclaimers needed people who could have made such things into reality. Outsider thanked Ravager for the idea and pulled off an immense feat of finding funds and materials to build the very first UNU in the depths of Stormfiend. Ravager provided working hands, while Outsider was busy finding people who were capable of teaching others in the now destroyed world. Ironically, UNU was born as a hobby project of two commanders working together. With the blessed mother gone, it was the commander of the First Army who, despite no longer being the main sponsor of the UNU, still provided security for each and every UNU across the country. The guards here had their arms and legs removed and replaced with augmetics limbs of steel and wires, special drugs circulated in the blood of the guards supported an upgraded nervous system and allowed even normies to perform feats of strength similar to those of new breeds. Meanwhile the orais were capable of excelling even further. Only the most calm and socially adjusted orais were allowed to pass through the augmentation procedure needed to serve as guards for the countless students here. The lenses of each guard here were capable of seeing through dust or the darkness of the night, were resistant to EMP impulses, and even allowed them to see through optical camouflage and scan vehicles. Each guard in the UNU had the very best augmetics available, straight from the stocks of the First Army and far surpassing those of the Third Army.
Nowadays, according to information that Annie gathered over the Net, UNU was being founded only partially by the state, the majority of the funding was going straight from the coffins of various corporations, who greedily wanted to hoard the best students possible for themselves. Even though Iterna was partially funding UNU, people from the universities of Iterna were involved in joint projects and studies.
"Look over there," Angoro said, pointing to a large square ahead, where students who were training to become future officers stood in front of a large podium. A short, bald, slightly overweight man was giving a passionate speech to the future students, behind him stood an incredibly beautiful bald woman. She used a walking stick to help herself stand, despite her nearly ideal features, the corner of her mouth twitched on her left side and the skin near her shining green eye showed signs of a tick. The man gave word to his partner, and the woman spoke in a rasping voice, sounding so unnatural for someone of her build. The man was dressed in a casual civilian suit, long iron chains were wrapped around his wrists, sharp hooks were leady to slide into his hands at a simple gesture. The woman, meanwhile, was dressed in strict military uniform, her green coat had several golden medals for bravery, "Torturer and Banshee, two of Outsider’s dreaded palm."
"Is this Banshee?" Annie looked at a woman who sounded nothing like a person capable of turning the walls of a fortress to dust with a scream and shattering the bones of her foes with but a whisper, "But she looks so… so frail! I read that she once went against a wolf hag in a melee and held her own magnificently. The wolf Tribe even added this draw to our records! Why does she look so ill now? Scratch that, if she looks so bad, she should be resting in bed!"
When the woman turned to face Annie, Angoro turned pale. The windows were closed, the humming engine should have drowned out any noises from inside, and there were still a few dozens of meters before the square itself. People were walking all around on the sideways, gesturing, speaking with students, sharing gossip, and so on. And yet Banshee heard Annie’s words. Annie saw calm green eyes looking at the dark window of the car and had not a single doubt in her mind that Banshee was looking directly into her own eyes. The scout felt a tingle of fear at the sight of the serene features of Banshee. The eyes of the officer of Outsider looked like two pieces of green ice. The woman smiled, the warmth melted the ice in her eyes, giving the woman a mischievous facial expression. The pale lips of the woman moved and yet not a single person before her heard any sound coming from her lips, Annie saw how several students even glanced at each other in confusion. But someone else heard her voice:
"I ended up being speared through the chest by one of the Chosen Prince minions and endured clinical death for as long as three minutes. What you see before you right now are unfortunately side effects of this morbid event and a temporary lack of a lung," The female whisper came inside the car, sounding more like someone mixed a cat’s purring with the coughing of an elderly person, one word sounded perfectly fine, resembling a gentle autumn wind, while another word sounded barely audible because of distortion from coughing, "And I would rather die for good than spend another day in the hospital bed. Tell Siri that I said hello if you meet her, little one, and tell her that she still owes me that one tooth and I will never let it go. One day, if Legend’s willing, she and I will have another fist-to-the-face talk heart to heart. Now please enjoy your vacation."
The woman turned toward the students and flashed a gentle smile, before continuing her encouraging speech. The agent let out a sigh of relief, pressing a finger to his lips and gesturing for the driver to move forward. Annie looked at the talking woman some more, before turning to Angoro.
"Why was someone like Banshee in the lands of the Oathtakers? Was she there for negotiations or…." Seeing the desperate pleading gestures of the agent to be silent, Annie dropped the subject.
The car moved to the three main buildings of the campus. All three buildings were built to face the statues of the four commanders in the square before them, with an armored form of the Dynast hidden behind the backs of the commanders. Several fountains were placed across the square, roads made of stone ran across the beautiful gardens made of green grass and various flowers. Two gigantic, century-old oaks were placed before the main building, despite countless signs telling people not to write on the trees, tree trunks were covered by the markings of some lovebirds. The car stopped at the parking lot of the administrative building, and Annie reached for a terminal with a suddenly trembling paw. She looked at the buttons of her pocket terminal, which looked so alien now.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
What… what if she doesn’t remember me? What if I say something and then... Spirits, what can I say to her, how can I even begin to beg forgiveness for having lost her for so long?! Wolfkin felt sudden cold spreading underneath her fur, cold mixed with a strange sensation of a hard grip around her heart, as if some unseen hand was squeezing the flesh inside her chest, making her unable to move. What will I say about our dad? Or about mom? I was given a task to safeguard her and… I never was around, I… all the nights that she spent all alone without her kin, without me around to protect her, all the birthdays, all the losses, all the pain… Not once was I there to support her. How can I even begin to make up for any of that?!
"No, mom, I don’t need the damn cakes!" Someone roared next to Annie, making the scout jump in place. Angoro was speaking with his family over his terminal, his face red from anger, "No, don’t send me money, I am a grown up man, who… Abyss, what in the world is…." The agent scratched the bridge of the nose, "Listen, give the terminal to Pietro. No, I promise not to scream at him, but the boy needs to learn some discipline, before… I am not going to be violent, mom! I just worry that he might end up like me!"
Seeing the red-faced agent furiously berating someone on the terminal over the broken window, Annie smiled and pressed the call button on her terminal, sending notification to her sister. It’s done. Sprits, please if possible…. Annie shook her head, leaving her backpack, wallet, and terminal back in the car. She came out, breathing in the gentle breeze of the day and allowing her chest to fill in with the air of the Core Lands. Her first steps were unsteady, but scout soon pushed fear back, while she walked to a wooden bench near the running water that ran along one of the sidewalks. Annie felt strange, almost as if she wanted that this moment stretched itself into infinity, so the dreaded and desired meeting with her sister never came to be. Serenity was gone from her face when the scout looked into the water and saw fear in her eyes. She rocked her shoulders, hearing sweet wet pops in her body, closed her eyes for a moment, and sat on the bench, oblivious to the people moving around her. The fingers of her paws became pressed against each other, forming a tringle shape before the belly of the scout, while Annie allowed herself to slip into meditation. There was no one here, aside from her. There were no worries in her soul, for she had done all she possibly could. Her scars were the marks of her valor, itching of her healed wounds was a reminder of her imperfection. Through accepting herself, she will achieve calmness. Through calmness, she will find a way to understand, and through understanding she will…
"An? Is that really you?"
Half-closed eyes flashed wide at the sound of the voice. The voice that she never even dared to hope to hear again. This voice was so familiar, so desperately desired, and yet it was slightly different. The scout jumped on her feet, turning toward the owner of the voice, instinctively sniffing the air. She didn't care how stupid she appeared, she had to know for sure. Air moved through her damaged nostrils, bringing in the smell, the smell that burned itself into Annie’s memory, one of the few smells that she forced herself to remember of all time. She could forget the smells of Kayleen, the smells of the warlord Zero, or even the smell of Dragena. But the scent of her family, one who shared the womb with her, one who survived alongside with her… No, she would never forget that smell. Even through the mixed smells of perfume, shampoo, leather from her clothes and dye in her hair, Annie managed to discern a singular smell, the most important of all to the scout.
She was dressed in the stylish looking green and white jacket of the UNU colors, with a single purple trimming line running down her shoulders and all the way across her sleeves. The long black skirt reached her knees, the cloth of her shirt almost touched the leather of the gleaming high boots. A silver chain was visible on the black cloth of the blouse, visible through the slit of the jacket around the neck. Not a single scar was visible on her skin. Her spotted fur was stunning, pitch black with grey highlights, and her long hair reached all the way to the back. The inner side of her black hair was dyed with crimson, creating a flaming image behind her head.
Her body looked thin, despite towering over the most regular sized normies, she was shorter than even the Branded in Annie’s pack, her arms and legs looked sleek, every movement of her body reeked of elegance, instead of raw dangerous power. Amber eyes were dim, barely a flash of energy was hidden in them, much less any hint or desire to get stronger.
She is not a mirage. She is real. Real! Scout crossed the distance of the ten steps separating two wolfkins with a single bound, stopping herself just before crashing into her. Annie wrapped her paws around the thin waist of the surprised Svetlana, putting her head on the shoulder of her sister:
"I am sorry! I am so sorry for letting you fall. Svet, you are alive! It’s really you!" The word salat was spit out of the mouth of Annie, unfocused and messy, while Annie felt how her vision becoming blurry and murky because of tears.
"An, it is you!" Svetlana screamed happily, wrapping her own paws around the huge waist of Annie and pressing her head against the chest of her sister. Heart, Annie could feel the heart of her sister beating faster despite the clothes. "There is nothing to forgive, sis. Now, now, stop crying, or people might think us weird." Annie felt something wet in her own chest where the head of Sveta touched her.
"I don’t care. Let everyone laugh at me all they want. My sister is alive," Annie whispered, feeling a surge of something long forgotten in her chest. The sky suddenly looked more blue, and the cold of the local lands stepped back when sudden warmth flowed from her chest into every single limb of the scout. Her heart started beating faster than ever, threatening to jump out of Annie’s chest. She didn't care, all she cared about was the living being in her arms, a miracle sent to her by the Spirit, one of the most important parts of her life that the world deemed fit to return. Uncaring how she might look to others, the scout followed a sudden impulse and shouted at the skies, "My sister is alive!"
Several people looked at them, surprised at the sudden scream amidst such a calm day. Svetlana took one step away from Annie, smiling and wiping off something from the corners of her eyes. Finally, the student laughed out loud, grabbing her sister by the paws and spinning them both around.