"Nova, hurry! We have to make it before the registration closes!" Katya yelled, sprinting full speed, with poor Othar barely managing to stay on her shoulder.
Nova was right behind her, weaving through the bustling marketplace. The streets were alive with vibrant paper lanterns, food stalls offering dumplings and grilled kebabs, and shops displaying traditional crafts. The contrast between the ancient and the modern was striking—centuries-old houses stood alongside trendy cafes and boutiques.
"Do you even know where we’re going?" Nova called out, doubting Katya’s sense of direction as he bolted ahead, surprised by the sight of Adan's massive billboard announcing the registration.
"Good question!" she shouted back, quickly pulling out her GPS to locate the Terra Nexus city headquarters.
"Got it! Just follow me!" Katya resumed running, darting through narrow alleys between old buildings, seemingly taking a shortcut to their destination.
"This looks more like China..." Nova muttered, glancing briefly at crates filled with animals and various goods. But soon they emerged into another part of the city, quieter yet dominated by sleek, futuristic skyscrapers.
Their path led them down a wide street that opened up into a public square at the heart of the city. Without warning, Katya stopped, and Nova skidded to a halt beside her.
Before them loomed an enormous white building crowned with a glowing green sphere, even visible in the daylight. The sleek architecture of the surrounding towers seemed almost out of place compared to the rest of the city. Yet, all excitement vanished as they noticed the enormous line stretching out from the building’s entrance.
"Please tell me that’s not where we need to go," Nova said, his voice tinged with worry.
"Afraid so," Katya sighed. "That’s the Terra Nexus headquarters in Gyokuseki. And we need to register before midnight if we want to take the agent exam."
Nova glanced at her, uneasy. "I thought only a few people could awaken the Synchro? So why is the line this long?"
"True," Katya said, slightly winded. "But when exams are held, people come from everywhere to try. Terra Nexus offers a B-grade slime synchro to help trigger the resonance, giving applicants a chance to awaken their power."
She paused, the memory of their battle against the monster flickering across her mind. "That’s why this town was my first stop. I wanted to awaken my Synchro here, but... we ended up doing it the hard way."
Nova’s amber eyes scanned the seemingly endless line. "So many people want to be TN agents?" he murmured, amazed by the sheer number of hopefuls.
"Do they even know how dangerous it is?" He turned his gaze back to Katya, his voice tinged with concern.
"They know what's at stake, but I doubt they understand just how terrible it can be," Katya said, moving toward the end of the line.
"Many travel in guarded caravans from other cities, hoping to become agents. It means recognition, a stable job, and money." That last word caught Nova's attention, and he quickly followed her.
"Money?" he exclaimed, suddenly interested. No matter the world, money was always welcome—especially for an ex-con with empty pockets.
"Haven't you noticed? A lot of agents are celebrities." Now that she mentioned it, Nova recalled seeing Adan's face in almost every commercial. The thought of becoming a famous agent flashed through his mind—being in ads, having his own brand of cereal, maybe even starring in a movie about his life. A smile spread across his face, and a faint blush crept up his cheeks.
"Get off that cloud. The best agents don’t care about fame; they just want to explore and protect others," Katya teased, tugging at his ear.
"Ouch! Hey, don't be jealous! When I'm famous, I promise I'll still talk to you... maybe," Nova joked, grinning. Katya let go, rolling her eyes as she walked ahead, pretending to be annoyed.
They continued their walk, but no matter how far they went, the end of the line seemed elusive, like a mirage they couldn’t quite reach.
As they moved forward, they passed a diverse crowd of applicants—some anxious, others resigned, but most excited and animated. Conversations blended into a low hum, punctuated by occasional laughter, while hopeful smiles lit up the faces around them.
Eventually, they found themselves back at the city’s entrance—the very place they’d started. To their surprise, they were standing next to the officer’s car, the one that had brought them there.
----------------------------------------
Three hours later...
"This has got to be a joke!" Katya shouted in frustration after hours of waiting in the barely-moving line.
"There's no way we'll make it before midnight! The line is moving at a crawl!" she continued, her voice rising as Othar yawned lazily from her shoulder.
Nova, though equally frustrated, was mostly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. Given the importance of the exam, it made sense that so many were here. Some had likely camped out for days, just like in his world, where people would wait in line for days when a new Apple product was launched or a famous athlete collaborated with a clothing brand.
But something didn’t sit right. After observing the crowd for hours, he could tell something was off in the expressions of those ahead.
"Katya, is it always like this?" Nova asked, his eyes still fixed on the line.
"Are you even listening? I told you, tons of people come just to take the exam. This is completely normal," Katya replied, her irritation showing.
"That's not what I meant. Look," Nova said, nodding towards the line of people. "Shouldn't they be more distressed? Many of them are just standing around as if nothing’s wrong."
Katya immediately noticed the unusually calm expressions on the faces of the people in line. Despite having traveled from far away for the exam, it was odd that no one seemed perturbed by the long wait.
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Instead of showing impatience, they appeared relaxed, as if perfectly content with the situation.
"You're right. This isn’t normal behavior," Katya whispered in concern. She stepped closer and addressed a man in line.
"Excuse me, sir. Don’t you think the line should be moving faster? At this rate, we won’t make it in time," she said, speaking to a portly man dressed as a tourist, who was smiling and taking in the sights.
"Really? I think we’ll get in just fine. The worst that can happen is a bit of impatience, and if we don’t make it, we can always try again next year," he replied with a calmness that seemed almost zen-like. The serenity of everyone in line made it feel like they were witnessing a scene of collective enlightenment.
"I see... Well, I suppose that’s best," she said, ending the conversation and turning back to Nova. She spoke to him in a hushed tone.
"Something strange is going on here. Stay alert," she instructed quietly, then began to carefully scan their surroundings.
Nova did the same, studying the people in the line., hoping to spot a pattern or clue. Then he remembered something crucial.
"Katya, use your grandfather's Nexus device."
"What for? I told you I couldn’t find anything on him," Katya replied, sounding disinterested.
"It's not for that. When I used it in battle, it provided information about those around me. Maybe it can give us a clue," Nova suggested, smiling at his idea. Katya reluctantly pulled the device from her pocket and placed it in her ear.
The device activated, projecting a display screen in front of her.
⌠Starting Nexus Device
loading complete...⌡
"Scan the area for any anomalies." She indicated softly, covering her lips as she moved her gaze and the scanner jumped from one person to another with the appearance of a peephole.
⌠Scanning...
----------------------------------------
Analysis complete:
Potential Dangers: 0.
Synchro ability detected...⌡
Katya was surprised when she read the scanner screen.
⌠Synchro Ability
Category Amber
Rating 3 Stars.
Po%$#% of Ma$%#%#%$#%.
%$#%#$&%$&$%#$#$...
A problem has been detected...
----------------------------------------
Sorry, you must be a registered user to access this information...⌡
Unexpectedly, the device would display another screen.
⌠Place your agent ID in front of you ...⌡
Katya clicked her tongue in annoyance, realizing she didn't have her grandfather's Agent ID.
"I don't have my ID with me," she informed the device in a frustrated tone.
⌠Turning off the Nexus device...
At this location, users without ID can't use it...⌡
"Damn..." She sighed, covering her face with her hand.
"What happened? Did it help?" Nova asked, noticing her dejected expression.
"Not really. It seems that Nexus Device usage is restricted here without an Agent ID. Must be due to the exam," she said, slipping the device back into her bag.
"Still, the scanner did detect a Synchro Ability. Do you know what that means?" she asked Nova.
"When I fought the Lion, it reported something similar, like the fire it used. Anyway, do you think there's a B-Synchro among us?" Nova’s concern grew, but Katya’s quick jab brought him back to focus.
"Of course not," she said, crossing her arms with a frown. "It’s probably just some kind of energy to synchrony. If so, whoever is organizing the test might be using it for something..." She paused, thinking, and then her face lit up as if she’d had a brilliant idea.
"What’s wrong?" Nova asked, looking at Katya expectantly.
"Just watch," Katya replied. She stepped forward and nudged the man she had spoken to earlier, causing him to bump into the person in front of him. Both individuals exchanged apologies and even checked if Katya was alright before returning to their places in line without protest.
"Hey, why...?" Nova began to demand an explanation, but he fell silent as he observed the reactions of those around them.
"This power seems to be keeping everyone calm and compliant," Katya explained to the now-surprised Nova.
The notion of a power maintaining such control was hard for Nova to grasp, but witnessing the lack of hostility from the people around him made the theory plausible.
"So, they’re doing this to..." Katya said.
"To prevent most people from registering for the exam," Nova finished.
A smile broke across Katya’s face as she realized the truth. "Exactly. If that’s the case, they’re deliberately wasting our time."
"In that case, we’ve already wasted three hours," Nova said, his worry evident.
Katya's earlier confidence faltered as she faced the reality of their situation. "Yeah... I have no idea where the real registration site could be."
"We need to start searching immediately!" They both exclaimed, racing through the city. They aimed to find any iconic landmark or clue that could reveal the true location of the registration. However, despite their efforts, every lead turned out to be a dead end.
From majestic temples to cozy cafes (where they paused for a quick bite) to bustling resorts, none proved to be the right place.
As the hours ticked by and nightfall deepened, their chances of reaching the registration site in time dwindled.
There were only 30 minutes left until midnight.
"Dammit... this is impossible. There must be a clue, something we’ve missed..." Katya stopped in the middle of the road, frustration evident in her voice.
"We’re so close. We awakened the Synchro, and survived the lion. We can’t give up now," Nova urged, clenching his fists as he looked at the ground.
Nova placed his right hand on Katya’s shoulder, the side away from where Othar was resting. "Don’t give up. There must be a clue we haven’t seen yet, something that’s right in front of us."
Having faced numerous defeats in both his past and present lives, Nova had learned to remain calm in dire situations. To him, this challenge seemed less daunting compared to facing a B-Synchro.
“Thank you. Maybe it’s best if we calm down and think” Katya said, taking a deep breath.
They both fell silent, eyes closed, lost in thought as they tried to find a solution to their predicament. Meanwhile, one of the giant floating advertising screens in the city displayed an announcement.
“Register for the TN Agent Exam! Only one day left!”
The cheerful Adan proclaimed.
“Be inspired to awaken your synchrony! Aim high where the brilliance of synchrony resonates!”
Katya and Nova’s eyes widened as they realized their oversight. A sudden burst of white aura enveloped them, and they sprinted towards their destination. “How the hell did we not notice this before?!” Katya exclaimed in frustration.
“Who pays attention to those ads?!” Nova retorted, racing alongside her.
In the Terra Nexus headquarters, above the glowing green orb, was a smaller, more discreet building. Inside, a large, empty reception desk stood, with a young-looking girl resting on the counter. She had black hair styled in two pigtails. She wore a navy blue dress adorned with lace, shiny black shoes, veiled stockings ending in delicate butterfly designs, and a puffed skirt. Her gothic aesthetic was striking.
“Well, it’s almost time to close registrations. How dull... I would have preferred to manage a different exam. The first day is never fun,” she pouted, crossing her arms in annoyance.
“I wish they’d ask me to take another exam... Well, time to wrap up,” she sighed. Just as she was about to step away from the counter, her attention was drawn by a commotion. Nova and Katya burst through the door, their auras blazing.
“We want to register for the agent exam! Please, don’t close yet!” Katya shouted, panting heavily.
“Yeah, what she said...” Nova added, catching his breath after scaling the building at top speed.
“So, you already have synchrony, huh? You must be quite the sight,” the girl said sweetly, stepping down from the counter. She handed each of them a pin—111 for Katya and 112 for Nova.
“Congratulations, you’ve passed the enrollment test. You are now officially TN Agent candidates,” she announced with a smile. Standing at about 5'5", she was notably shorter than Nova.