Lloyd continued down the street, taking a few deep breaths as he sauntered towards the school. Considering the town’s small size, he quickly found himself in front of one of the few unique buildings. It consisted of dark timber walls and a thatch roof like almost every other building, but its shape set it apart. It stood only one story high like the surrounding buildings, but it took up the space of four standard houses lined up in a row. This was where all the kids in the village took their classes. Lloyd heard stories from his adoptive parents about the time before the Cataclysm, and apparently, this version of school was slightly different from prior ones.
Stepping through the doorless entry, Lloyd quickly located a group of kids his brother’s age sitting in front of a teacher. He took a few steps closer but failed to see his younger brother. The woman standing before the group of kids was middle-aged with light brown hair and a lithe build. She wore a simple purple dress with a brown smock and brown flip-flops. Thick-rimmed glasses ballooned her emerald eyes, making them appear much larger. Maria was the woman who usually taught lessons based on history or general knowledge of survival basics. Before the Cataclysm, her husband, Dave, used to fish in the ocean and transport the excess catch to a nearby town. During that time, he became an expert at living in the wilderness and surviving. His lessons were passed down to Maria and then to all the kids in town. Everything that Lloyd knew was thanks to her. The ocean is no longer safe. The Corrupted beasts dominate the waters, which Dave paid the ultimate price to discover. His orange tree stands in front of the gates to symbolize the loss.
Lloyd walked the short distance to stand against the wall closer to Maria’s lesson. A few other parents and siblings had gathered there as well, Lloyd giving them all a head nod, all returning one as well. Lloyd, now only a dozen or so feet away from the class, found that, indeed, his brother was not present. Lloyd felt embarrassed to turn around and walk out, so he stood there and listened to the lesson, one which he knew he had heard hundreds of times before.
“24 years ago, a large fiery rock descended upon our continent. It landed in the far west and devastated the lands. We know of only a few people who survived the initial impact and the uprising of Corrupted beasts that were rapidly born surrounding it. These two people, who were very close to the initial Cataclysm, gained extraordinary powers. With their powers, they ventured east and fortified a small town that stood in the narrowest strip of land, separating the West from the East. They fought off the Corrupted beasts, saving who they could. Finding the shambles of an old fort, they reinforced it and constructed powerful defenses. Today, it stands as a barrier between the behemoth beasts in the West that rapidly grow from exposure to Manarite crystals. In small doses, the crystals give humans powers and allow animals to grow stronger. In larger doses, it Corrupts them. Their eyes glow scarlet from the rage they build up inside.” Maria said as she paused and readjusted her glasses.
“Today, the city is called The Citadel, and those two people are your King and Queen,” Maria said from the front of the room as she paused her lesson briefly. She looked at the ten children sitting in front of her, her eyes stopping on a young girl with blonde hair. Lloyd was sure it was one of the baker’s daughters. He couldn’t call up a name at that moment, though. One would think that in such a small town, with citizens that rarely leave the confines of the defensive walls, every citizen should know the names of every other occupant. Lloyd was never really good with names—or paying much attention to things that didn’t contribute to his combat abilities.
“The Citadel has asked any willing and able Ascended to journey west and join the King’s Guard. Tomorrow, two of our own will Ascend. From what the Kingdom has told us, these two Ascensions will be historic. They will be among the first of hopefully many humans to become Omega Ascended. The information that we get from The Citadel demonstrates how powerful the creatures are becoming and the absolute necessity for those who can help to do so. Does anybody know what an Omega Ascended is?” Maria asked the group of kids, who ranged from five to nine years old.
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The girl Maria had previously looked at was the first to raise her hand, and Maria promptly called on her. The rest of the kids turned to look at her.
“You are an Omega Altered if both of your parents are Altered when they have you.” The girl answered.
“Excellent Sandy. Now, who in Breakwater will become the first of the Omegas in our town?” the teacher asked.
Sandy looked up at Maria and then at the older townsfolk standing near the wall. Her glance came across Lloyd before she answered. “Regal and Cassius, although I'm not sure which one will be first,” Sandy said as she scrunched up her nose and scratched her head.
“Correct. I do believe that Regal is slated to be first, followed shortly by Cassius. Final question: how old are you when you Ascend?” Maria asked.
“23!” Yelled most of the kids in the group.
“Very good. Well, I do believe that is all we have for today. There will be no class tomorrow, so we can all attend the Ascension ceremony. We will see you all on Monday,” Maria said.
The children in front of Maria jumped to their feet and ran outside or toward their family members who were waiting for them.
A loud thud was heard from Lloyd’s right, and he redirected his focus. He could see groups of leather-clad teens fighting each other. The school was primarily separated into two sections. One was where they taught lessons on survival or history, and the other side of the school was the combat lessons. Knowledge was important, but the ability to fight and defend yourself and the village was even more critical. Lloyd trained there as much as he could growing up. He looked at the pair sparring and saw one of them was kindling a flame in her right hand. She ran close to her opponent as she tried to land a fiery fist into his face. Her attack was telegraphed, and he deftly dodged the flames. Not waiting to counterattack, the boy raised his hand to the girl’s head and snapped his fingers. The sound was sharp, and the girl extinguished her flames to cover her ears. The sound was mere noise from where Lloyd stood, but he could imagine it was worse up close. Those who acquired powers, which not every person did, gained them at age five. They were lesser versions of what they would develop when they Ascended at age 23. Lloyd thought about how powerful that snap could be when he reached that age. The boy took the opening while she was focused on reducing the damage from the sound to tag her with a few punches before the combat instructor called the fight.
Lloyd turned back to where the class of kids had sat moments ago to see Maria walking his way.
“Training?” Lloyd asked.
“Yep. He just left about half an hour ago. Jimmy was chomping at the bit to get out there.”
“I bet,” Lloyd said. I would be too if I were him, he thought as a small wave of jealousy washed through him. “Thanks. Great lesson, by the way.” Lloyd added because he thought he should say something else.
“Ha. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about when you were in here.” Maria said as she pointed all around the building. “You couldn’t wait to get to the combat portion of the day. Even if we insisted those without powers shouldn’t partake.”
Lloyd smiled, “That is very true.”
“Go fetch him, and if I don’t catch you or your brother tomorrow, I just want to say…” Maria began, but her usual relaxed demeanor flickered momentarily before returning.
“Thank you three for heading out there. I know the bravery it must take for Cassius and Regal. For you? I can’t imagine leaving the town, let alone journeying to The Citadel. The bravery you hold is something special.”
Lloyd felt his cheeks flush before he could cobble together a sentence in response. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. Honestly, there would be no way that I would go there without those two. Regal has always been a guardian of sorts for me, and I have no doubt he will keep us safe. Of course, your lessons will be incredibly helpful as well,” Lloyd added.
Maria shrugged her shoulders and waved her hands at Lloyd before pulling him into a short hug. “Be careful out there,” Maria added.
“Of course,” Lloyd said before walking out the door.