The familiar sterile looking hallway was seen as Han stepped out of the simulation room. "I can't believe she just fell asleep," He grumbled. He could feel the weight of Jade's body on his back, as he carried her out. There was a hissing noise as the door slid shut behind him.

"What do I do with you now? I have no idea where you stay at, and you probably don't want to be sleeping in the suit." Han wondered as he made his way down the hallway towards the locker room area, in hopes that he would run into someone that could help him out.

His footsteps echoed in the silence, with the rhythmic sound of Jade's suit bumping against his.

He could slowly begin hearing sounds of laughter and people chatting. Turning around and looking at the end of the corridor, Han saw his mom, Jennifer, and everyone else appear with Jade's team behind them.

"Han, have you been here the entire time?" His mother asked him.

"Yeah, Jade told me that the suits were finished and brought me over to the locker area to change into it." He answered.

"We tried looking for you but didn't find you anywhere. I'm guessing that Jade showed you one of the dungeon crawling rooms?" Kimberly asked.

"Dungeon crawling?" His mother asked Kimberly.

"You'll get to check it out soon, Jessica. After you guys get your new suits put on, we'll take you guys into the simulator." Kimberly said.

Steve laughed. "Yeah. Judging by Jade's figure, she got exhausted in that place. Just use the tips I recommended to you, Jessica, and you'll do fine."

"Is it going to be like that last place we went to?" Harmony asked apprehensively.

"Well... Oww!," Steve started to say before Jinx punched him.

There was silence in the hallway as Harmony and the others looked at Steve and Jinx. Steve was sullenly rubbing the spot where Jinx hit him.

"So we can expect it to be either the same or worse...," Jennifer commented as she sighed.

Ruby looked over at Han and asked, "You've been in there. What did you think?"

"I think it's a good idea that you guys don't know what'll happen in there," Han said. Seeing Ruby slightly pouting, he added, "It's important that you guy take it seriously. What is out there is a lot worse than what you'll see in there."

Hearing his words, Ruby's face changed to a serious expression. "You're right. We need to get stronger, not just physically but mentally."

"With the two of use in there, there isn't anything we can't handle, right?" Ivy said to her best friend.

"That's right!" Ruby answered. She held up her fist and Ivy bumped Ruby's fist.

Han smiled and enjoyed how determined everyone was with getting stronger. A part of him wanted to tell them strategies for getting stronger inside of the dungeon crawling simulator, but he worried that they would become dependant on him instead of thinking for themselves. Just seeing how Ruby and Ivy were acting, Han had seen how much more independent they had become ever since they arrived inside of the underground sanctuary.

"Hey, Kimberly, could you help Jade out of her suit? I can take her back to her place afterward, but I don't think it would be appropriate for me to help her out." Han asked.

"Yeah. Just come with us to the changing area and I'll get her out and changed into regular clothes." Kimberly nodded.

------

"Aurora, wake up," A voice whispered next to her. She could feel a tender kiss being placed on her forehead.

"Mmmhmm...," Aurora mumbled, feeling a smile form on her face. She buried her face into the pillow and tried to go back to sleep.

"No you don't, I know you're awake, missy," the voice chastised her. "If we don't get ready then we're going to be chewed out, for not being in morning formations in time."

The mattress dipped slightly, as Aurora sensed Blair getting out of bed. She tightened her grip on the blanket and wrapped her legs, preparing for what was inevitably going to come.

"Time to get up!" Blair chirped as she ripped off the blanket.

Feeling the cooler air on her exposed legs, Aurora flinched and tried to ball herself tighter though she knew that the battle had already been lost. "If you loved me, you wouldn't be so vicious in the morning."

"You knew what you were getting into when you accepted my invitation to the Spring Formal when we were freshmen," Blair pulled on Aurora's legs and dragging her.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Aurora cried out in panic, her arms flailing as she tried to grab ahold of anything.

"You're not fooling me this time. I know that if I let you wake up on your own and go ahead and shower, I'm going to find you asleep again." Blair said.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Aurora closed her eyes and braced for impact, expecting her butt to fall on the wood floor. She felt her legs being released and land on the cool floor. Slowly, Aurora opened her eyes feeling confused. As she was about to open her eyes, the world seemed to tilt. Opening her eyes, Aurora saw that she was on Blair's shoulder. "What are you doing?!" She yelled.

"I'm going to place you in the shower and wait for you to finish. I wouldn't have to do this if you would act like a normal person and wake up!" Blair criticized her.

She sighed as Blair carried her to the bathroom.

"Quickly shower so then I can jump in and get cleaned up. We should still be able to make it to formations in time." Blair placed her in the shower stall and quickly left, the door to the bathroom closing behind her.

"Ugh...," Aurora groaned as she removed her shirt and tossed it into the hamper. Pressing the preset water button, Aurora waited for the water to spray out of the shower head. Warm water sprayed out and covered her body. Grabbing one of the disposable towels, she began scrubbing herself the sheet creating a soapy foam as it interacted with the water.

Wiping off her upper body, she had to grab another towel due to the prior one dissolving. "I wish the thing lasted longer, though I probably shouldn't say that in front of Blair. She just says that I take too long and one towel is enough." Aurora grumbled as she wiped her thighs and calves. Giggling from the feeling of the towel tickling her feet, she tossed the remainder of the towel on near the drain where it would eventually finish dissolving.

Turning her body around to make sure that all the soap was washed off her body, she grabbed a square object from a dispenser with an 'S' on it. Rubbing the object through her hair, she massaged her scalp. The shampoo slowly began to foam up and allowed her to clean her long brunette hair. As the foam cleaned her hair, her hands gently working the substance through the rest of it, she felt awake and feeling better about the morning.

Not wanting Blair to start banging on the door, she quickly washed off her hair. Aurora watched as the shampoo swirled down the drain, as she enjoyed feeling the water envelop her body. She guiltily looked over at the door and then grabbed a conditioner tablet. Having hair that looked dried out wasn't something she enjoyed. Whenever she was just thinking about things, Aurora would enjoy running her fingers through her hair. This was why she figured it would be okay to finish her usual bathing procedure, even though they were in a hurry.

Pushing the button to halt the water, Aurora grabbed one of the towels to wrap herself with and another to cover her hair. The door to the bathroom opened up, and Blair could be seen. Blair was shaking her head, "You had to take so much time showering didn't you? I bet you conditioned your hair, too."

Aurora grinned. "You know how much I care about my hair. I know you like how much I look after it, too." She winked at Blair, laughing at Blair's attempt to look annoyed but failing miserably.

"Okay. Okay. I need to shower, too." Blair moved past Aurora and headed into the shower, as she quickly removed her shirt and tossed it into the hamper.

Listening to the sound of the water signaling Blair showering, Aurora removed the towel on her head and grabbed her hair dryer. She enjoyed the feeling of the blowdryer going through her hair. It still amazed her how Star and Moon created such a fantastic device. 

In the mirror, she watched her slightly wavy hair looking shiny and smooth. After drying the rest of her body, she proceeded over to her closet. Opening up her closet, Aurora saw several uniforms hanging on the rack. The uniforms were divided into formal and combat, though in the past the combat uniforms were called game uniforms.

On one of the sides was a small cabinet where underwear and socks were kept. She took one of the underwear lined up and quickly put it on and followed up with the socks. The formal uniform took a long time to put on, considering all the various parts that needed to be put together. Putting on the skirt was the easiest part, instead of having to put her legs into the skirt all she needed to do was circle the skirt around her waist. Even if she moved around, the skirt would still not expose her thigh.

Putting on the shirt, she still looked at the design in wonder. The front of the blouse naturally joined together automatically. On top of the blouse came the jacket, which was a lot different compared to the uniform she was used to in high school. Instead of just being a jacket, there was armor looking parts on the arms, chest, and back area. It looked stunning even though the armor was strange looking when she had first seen it.

On the left and right arms of the jacket had different patterns on them. There was a star on one and a moon on the other with pretty vines going up the sleeves. Over the left breast was an insignia with a Star and Moon linking together.

Out of the closet, she took out several knives and inserted them into the inside of the jacket on the front. In the back, she easily inserted a firearm that was larger than the ones she had seen before. She felt it stick to the proper location.

There were a few more trinkets she had to put on, designating the department she studied in and grade level. On the side of the closet were two items that were being charged. The first one she grabbed and put on was the typical bracelet everyone received when they were accepted. It was a newer design compared to what was released to the public and looked more intricate. Reaching for the second item, she placed it on her ear and heard the AI greet her.

"If only the younger classmates knew what you were like in the morning. They would never suspect that one of the top players was such a pain in the morning." Blair said.

"I can't help my inability to wake up easily, and it's not my fault the administration gave me this thing," Aurora complained.

Blair laughed. "Knowing how forgetful you are, I think it's a good thing you got that with how the AI can remind you when upcoming events are happening," Blair countered.

Aurora could feel herself pouting, thinking about how Blair was teasing her.

"Knight, I would like to remind you that if you do not depart shortly, you'll be missing morning formations," the AI instructed her.

"Okay, Vera, thanks for the reminder," Aurora sighed.

"As a Knight, it's your duty to set an example for the rest of the academic body," Vera lectured in an older sibling type of voice.

"I know. You don't need to keep reminding me." she groaned having to listen to Vera's chastisement.

"Told you that we needed to hurry," Blair said as she finished putting on her uniform. "Let's go!" she grabbed Aurora's hand and dragged her out of their room.

Entering a hallway, the two of them ran towards the stairs.

"Can't we take the elevators?" Aurora complained.

"Stop being a baby. It'll take too long." Blair responded as she continued to drag Aurora behind her.

As they rushed down the stairway, the common area on the ground floor was devoid of people. Everyone had already left and were likely just getting into formations. Rushing out of the building, they were happy to spot a transport shuttle heading down the road.

"Hey!" Blair yelled out at the shuttle as it neared them. She waved her arms to gain the driver's attention.

Its lights began blinking as the bus slowed down and stopped in front of Blair. The bus opened its doors and the two of them entered, both of them waved their bracelets onto the scanners. After greeting the driver, the two sat down on a bench as the bus started back up.

"I can only imagine what would have happened if we had missed the bus," Blair groaned. "Now that we're on the bus, we won't be late." There was a long drawn out sigh of relief from Blair.

Aurora sympathetically patted Blair's shoulder. Now that they were on the bus, she didn't feel bothered by the whole ordeal anymore. Smiling at Blair, Aurora thought about how lucky she was to have met Blair. Blair was the responsible one and always seemed to have things together, though it was only until she met Aurora that these close calls became more frequent.

"You forgive me?" Aurora asked innocently as she watched Blair decompress from the stress of the morning events.

"No. We got lucky." Blair grumbled.

Aurora pressed her shoulder against Blair's, slightly nudging her. "You still love me," she stated.

"I'm going to have a meltdown one day because of you," Blair looked at Aurora. Seeing Aurora giving her an over the top innocent looking, Blair laughed. "Next time, you need to wake up on time," she tried to look serious as she lectured Aurora.

Leaning towards Blair, Aurora gave a quick kiss and smiled.

Blair sighed and leaned back and rested her head on the window.

The two of them enjoyed the trip on the bus, passing by various buildings and parks on their way to their destination. With the sun out and paired with nice weather, it made the ride a pleasant experience.

Seeing that they were getting close, Aurora pressed one of the buttons lining both sides of the vehicle. A woman's voice announced, "Stopping at Star and Moon University Parade Grounds. Please watch your step as you exit the vehicle. We at Star and Moon University hope you have a wonderful day. Star and Moon University, where we're creating the future."

Aurora made her way to the rear entrance, with Blair following behind her. The door soon opened, and the two of them waved at the driver and stepped off the bus. In front of them stood two colossal statues of a woman in heavy looking armor on either side of a broad stone path. Both of the women were holding up a shield on one arm and wielding a massive broadsword with their other hand. They looked like they were preparing for a confrontation and defending the parade ground.

"Hey Brittany," Aurora greeted one of the statues which had long flowing hair, while the other had her hair in a thick braid.

"I don't understand why you greet that statue everytime you see it," Blair laughed.

"I thought it was cool that this statue had a name," Aurora shrugged as the two quickly walked past the two statues.

In front of them was a large body of students already in formation. Aurora looked around seeing if the Leader had arrived yet. From everyone still chatting with nearby friends, it was likely that the Leader and her staff had yet to arrive.

"I'm going to head over to my platoon," Blair said to her. "Give me a kiss."

"I'll make my way to the front then," Aurora answered, kissing Blaire.

Moving away from Blair, Aurora went down the center row where the other Knights were located.

"It's Aurora!" A girls voice was heard by her as she made her way. She was used to hearing younger classmates talking about her, which was normal for all the Knights.

"I didn't think you were going to make it," a voice said to her when she reached the first couple of rows. "Did you stress out Blair again with your poor sleeping habits?" It teased.

Looking over at the voice, Aurora said, "It's ridiculous how we have to show up for formations so early in the morning, Tess." Waving at the woman, she reached the first row and reached her spot in front of the right side of the stage. There was an empty spot in the fifth location.

"As the Fifth Blade, I expect you to show up early with the rest of us," a woman with blonde hair, with one part of her head shaved ordered.

"Yes, Zara. I'm sorry, Zara." Aurora obediently answered as she made her way to her spot.

"We'll talk about disciplinary actions after formations," Zara informed her.

"Yes, Zara," Aurora responded. She could already feel her shoulders slouching in preparation for the trouble she was in.

Standing in her spot, Aurora looked at the stage, waiting for it to end so that her own personal hell could begin. She felt a slight poke on her arm.

"Did Zara give you a verbal lashing?" the woman next to her asked.

Aurora nodded her head silently. "I think I may not survive what's going to happen once formations are finished." Looking over at her friend, she asked, "Oh great Sixth Blade Yazmin, could you help me after this is over?"

Yazmin slightly moved away shaking her head and waving her hand in refusal. "No way! I can see how annoyed she is right now."

"The two of you, quiet!" A woman hissed at them. Aurora saw that it was the Second Blade Xia, who was looking at them disapprovingly.

Catching sight of movement in the front, she slowly began hearing people whispering those behind them that the Leader had arrived. A rustling of clothes could be heard as everyone stood straight and became silent.

In front of them, a dozen people walked onto the stage. One of the people stood in front of the others, looking calm and resolute.

"Why are we here!?" Zara voice boomed, reaching all parts of the parade ground.

"To create the future and become a beacon." Aurora and everyone else responded in practiced unison.

"A beacon against what!?" Zara followed up.

"The Darkness and those who wish to empower it," they answered.

"And what will we use against the Darkness?!" Zara asked.

"The Creator's Light!" Aurora shouted along with everyone else.