My name is Alitheia. Today, I am in the training hall of the research army awaiting my initiation. There are about a hundred students seated in a half colosseum-like classroom. Currently, the president of Deus is giving a long and boring speech. While reminiscing the events that led up to this point, the president started calling names. And one by one, the students walk down the aisle and onto the podium. Being prompted by the president, they each say an oath swearing to the research army. I was the fifth on the list. The president calls.

“Miss Alitheia, please come up to the stage.”

Finally, it’s my turn. I walk down the aisle and trying to not be awkward. This is the reason I’ve spent fifteen years of my life studying and training. I climb the steps to the podium, hold my right hand to my chest then to my side in a typical oath like manner. Before the president could prompt me, I start chanting the oath.

“I, Alitheia Deus, am part of the research army. I hereby swear to create weapons worthy of the name Deus. I am a soldier. I am a god. I am a HUMAN!”

The president stands astonished. This was the first time someone said the oath without a prompt.

“Hmm…That’s some enthusiasm.” The president tells me.

The president hands me a badge. The badge has a cylinder and a purple halo engraved on it. I’ve heard rumours that the cylinder glows when a suitable power source is nearby. Not sure whether it is true. Well, enough about that. I receive the badge with both hands.

“You may go.” The president prompts.

I lift the hem of my skirt and gave a curtsey. Then, I walk back up the aisle and back to my seat. After that, some of the other students also recited the oath without assistance as if trying to get on the good side of the president. At last, the oath-taking ends.

“Dismissed!”

The president finally dismisses us. The hall fills with sighs of relief and shivers of excitement. Not long after, the silence and seriousness break into lively chatter until…

“Ahem!”

On the podium stands a bald man. He donned a black trench coat and a tie, black fedora, and gold rings on each of his fingers. A typical mafia, or so I thought. But it turns out that he is the team leader of a famous exploration team. Gan of the ‘Gentlemen’ team. He is apparently here to give us advice on forming a team.

“Firstly, look at your badges. The halo colour represents the type of skill you hold.”

Oh? I thought the halos on the badge was all the same. My halo is purple. I wonder what skill that is.

He continues, “It is up to you to find out what skill you and your teammates hold.”

So, it is different for everyone. Mine probably is my technology deciphering. It was one of my best subjects during school.

“It is recommended to form a team of five consisting of different halo colours.”

As I look around to find potential teammates, there seems to be red, blue, green, yellow and white. A few blacks scattered here and there. I wonder what skills they have. Black seems ominous. From what I see, there seems to be no other purple badge. Am I unique? Why am I thinking of useless things? The talk is ending.

“And now, please find your teammates and register your team up front.”

I started looking for my teammates. During the initiation, there were some that caught my eye. Particularly three people. First, a boy named Edlock. It may seem at first like he was just an ordinary boy. But I noticed that he didn’t make a single sound until he reached the podium to say the oath. And not a single sound all the way back. Not sure what kind of training he went through but the hard soles of our school shoes should clack on the stone floor of the classroom. His halo is white. Why did I feel like he would suddenly start shouting "nin nin" and start throwing star-shaped projectiles? Next, a girl, Stephanie. She was rumoured to be the top marksman in the whole school. Maybe we’ll need her good aiming to fend off the dangers of the Frontline. She has a yellow halo. Lastly, a poor looking girl. Hair was messy, no fancy accessories. But the most distinct feature was the homemade reconnaissance goggles she had hanging around her neck. Her name is Thea. Her halo, green.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I approach all three asking if they wanted to be on my team. All of them surprisingly accepted my invitation readily. I wonder why.

"We're left with one more."

Stephanie points out that we're still in need of one more halo colour for a balanced team. I nod in agreement.

"Umm..."

Thea calls out to us with a tiny voice.

"Hm?"

"Can my friend join too?"

She timidly asks. I shrug and glance at Stephanie. Then Stephanie in a nonchalant fashion,

"Sure. Why not."

"REALLY?!"

A robotic voice echoes from behind Thea. A robot girl wearing our school uniform peaks out from behind her. Upon closer inspection, those are just antenna decorations, body paint, and a voice modulator. Wait a minute...

"A VOICE MODULATOR?!"

I accidentally blurt out. Surprised, the girl hides back behind Thea. Thea then scratches the back of her head and explains to us that since Melody has a small voice, she uses an amplifier to boost her volume. So the last member's name is Melody. How nice. And she seems to have a black halo.

"Well, I guess we're done with our team formation?" Steph asks.

"I guess so...Let's go register!"

At the registration counter.

"So we have Alitheia..."

"Stephanie."

"Thea."

"MELODY"

After introducing ourselves, the man at the counter says,

"So you girls are registering as a four-person team?"

At that moment I realize something.

"Wait we have one more!"

I frantically look around for Edlock. Eh was it just my imagination? Was there no such person? Such thoughts ran through my head. Then, out of nowhere,

"I'm part of their group too, I'm Edlock."

Everyone there gasps at the Edlock who just appeared in front of them. To be honest, it felt more like he was always there but we just now noticed his presence.

"O-Ok then. A five-person team Cheshire consisting of white, yellow, green, black, and purple...PURPLE?!"

Just then, the man at the counter gets excited.

"Is something wrong?"

I inquire him about his sudden outburst.

"No miss. Nothing is wrong. It's just..."

"Hmm?"

He trails off but Steph prompts him to continue.

"It's just that purple is one of the rarer halos. I was just surprised to see one that's all."

"I see. So that's why I didn't see any other purple halos."

I nod to his answer after I understood the reason for his behavior. He then hands us each a card.

"These are your team cards. If you lose them, you'll need to make a new one. And I'm telling you they're not cheap. Your rooms are stated on your card and they're also the keys to your apartment. We'll send a quest guideline to each of you in the morning. For now, rest. You've had an exhausting day. Oh, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Jon. Come look for me tomorrow if you have any questions. Goodbye for now!"

He seems in a hurry to rush us off. I wonder what's his deal?

"Anyways. Let's check out our rooms."

"Agreed."

"OK!. Then We'll have dinner in the canteen? Or do you girls wanna eat out?"

Thea suggests.

"I'm too poor to eat out."

"Same here."

Steph and Edlock are apparently too poor to eat at fancy restaurants and I don't want to leave them out.

"I kinda wanna stay in school for a bit."

"The canteen it is."

So I go to my dorm, get my luggage, drop it off at the apartment, and head off to the canteen. After that, we had dinner and had some girls talk. Well, I guess it's not really girls talk because there's Edlock, but we don't notice him. After that, we promise to meet back here for the breakfast rounds tomorrow morning and go back to the apartment to retire for the night.