I started dreaming of a young kid who was tied in a basement. Darkness filled the room before a door opened allowing light to enter the room. He quickly started moving in fear as footsteps descended down the stairs. Scars were scattered across his body similar to my own, and his hands were tied to rope that kept him still.

"I brought you some food honey." A woman said as she reached the last step. She walked towards the boy slowly and laid the food down next to a bunch of bloody tools. She took a tissue out of her pocket and began wiping the blood from the boy's lips.

"Are you behaving like a good boy?" She said as she gently brushed her fingers against his rough skin. The boy coughed and blood flew onto her pink shirt.

"You little shit, how DARE you soil my fresh new clothes!" She said as she smacked the helpless little boy. The boy didn't realize the woman in front of him and looked at her face. He suddenly grew very scared and fear ran through his body as he squirmed around.

"Mama, I'm sorry!" The boy screamed in fear.

"It's time to punish you!" She said as she looked towards the tools and grabbed a knife.

"Mama, I'll be a good boy. Please don't!" He yelled.

She grabbed his right arm and started to cut through his forearm. The boy screamed painfully as his eyes filled up with tears from the shock of pain before knocking out.

I woke up and looked up at my right arm where the same mark was found.

"Was that me?" I thought.

Naomi ran into the room and looked at me with a confused expression.

"What are you doing? The Operator test begins in 5 minutes." She said with concern.

"Oh shit." I said as I ran into the bathroom and hopped into the shower quickly.

As I jumped out, I looked into the bathroom and started to fix my hair. I blinked for a quick second before coming across a different reflection. It was a man with all my features: long purple hair, same nose, same mouth and even a purple eye. The only difference was one of his eyes was red. He was shirtless like me, but covered in more wounds than me.

"It seems like I've made it." The reflection said.

"What?" I said in disbelief.

"Oh, it's you. Listen Mordecai Hashimoto, I need you to protect Naomi with your life." He said.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You know who I am." He replied. I reached my finger to touch the reflection but he smacked my finger. "What are you, five years old?" He said.

"Why do you want me to protect Naomi?" I asked.

"You will learn soon enough. Now, I must go. I have things to attend to." The reflection said as he walked away deeper into the mirror.

"What was that? And how does he know Naomi?" I asked myself.

"Wait, how did --" I tried to ask but the mirror was back to normal and I stared at my own reflection once again.

Meanwhile, Naomi had put on a white shirt and leather black pants that showed her figure. She looked into the mirror behind the front door and started fixing her hair. "2 minutes left!" She said. I busted out the bathroom and quickly put on the black hoodie and cargo pants that the queen has given me.

"Looks like we're not catching breakfast." I said as I started looking into the mirror aside Naomi. "You look nice though." I continued as I started putting on my black boots. Naomi smiled and put on her white boots quickly.

"Thank you." I opened the door for her and she led the way towards the classroom. The bright red light filled the hallway as we walked along its path.

"Do you know what to expect?" I asked as we walked.

"Honestly, I'm just as clueless as you are." She responded as we grew closer towards the end.

We reached the end and came across a few kids standing around the entrance. A golden clock was floating in the center of the room with a timer with 2 minutes left. I looked around the room in search of any familiar faces but couldn't find any. I sighed, accepting the fact that I have no friends. Suddenly, Naomi grabbed my arm in excitement.

"Hey, come meet my friends!" She said while dragging me with her.

"I don't have a choice, huh?" I replied while rolling my eyes. She looked back and smiled while nodding.

We walked up towards two girls, one which was tall while the other was short. The short one turned in my direction and immediately gave me a cold glare. Her cyan ponytails stood out when I continued to stare her down. She wore a luxurious white armor that covered her small chest and gray sneakers to complement. She held a metal bow close to her side with her hands covered by the fingerless white gloves she wore. Her nails were done professionally and painted white.

"She definitely takes care of herself." I thought as I looked at my regular black hoodie.

I looked at the taller girl to the left of her who was holding a spear. Her silver hair extended close to her back as she looked towards our direction. She was wearing blue leather pants and a blouse that couldn't hide her chest. Her black eyes centered on Naomi as she squinted to see who was approaching the both of them.

She smiled as she noticed Naomi and waved in excitement while her chest bounced in the air.

"Well, if it isn't Naomi." The girl said. Naomi walked up the girl and hugged her. "How are you, Jenna?" She replied.

"Wonderful! Isabel and I were talking about how psyched we are for our test." She said as she looked at Isabel with a huge smile.

"Right, Isabel?" Isabel nodded awkwardly as she looked at the unknown man next to Naomi.

"Guys, meet Mordecai. He is my new roommate."

"Hello. Nice to meet you." I said quickly as she finished.

"Are you a foreigner Mordecai?" Jenna asked me.

"Sadly, I woke up in the hospital yesterday so my memories are vague." I replied.

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

"Aww, sorry to hear that. I'm sure that you will recover them soon. So, why are you here?" She continued to asked.

"Well, I owe the queen for saving me and she asked me to join." I responded trying to end the conversation.

"What the!?" Isabel yelled and everyone in the room turned their attention to the four of us.

Suddenly, a green fire appeared towards the exit of the armory before smoke began to fill the room. Instead of coughing, the smoke felt warm and comforting as I inhaled it.

The smoke quickly disappeared and four people emerged wearing coats with unique symbols. One of the four walked forward with sunglasses on indoors. He was wearing a black pants and an orange shirt while wearing a gold chain. His black boots tapped on the floor as he was waiting. He wore His brown eyes stared at the participants in front of him with a grin on his face.

"Welcome everyone to the operator test of the Holy armory. My name is Luke Kodu, the fire Thor." He said. Mumbles started to fill the room questioning what a Thor is.

"What the hell is Thor?" Jenna whispered to Isabel. She shrugged and looked at Naomi who shook her head.

"Everyone please! Settle down." A guy said while grabbing Luke's shoulder and nodding. He was wearing a white shirt that hugged his muscles and black jeans. His indigo hair was short yet he was taller than Luke.

"I apologize for that terrible explanation. My name is Obi Windhelm and I'll explain how everything works around here. There are three ranks in this army that represent your power status. The lowest rank is called 'Snake', average rank is called 'Lieutenant,' and the highest rank is 'Modigga'." From there, only a few can become a Thor. Today, we will be testing your abilities to see what rank fits you best." Obi stated.

A lady with white hair and a familiar mask walked up to the other two. I looked closely and recognized the design on the mask.

"That's Dove.." I murmured.

"My name is Dove, and I hope you found sleeping comfortable in your new rooms. Continuing off Obi, we are Thors. It is a special rank that is dedicated to the most powerful people in the city. We are capable of wiping cities if needed."

"Wow!" Jenna said.

"That's cool!" I thought.

A few conversations quickly sparked up from the shock of the ranks. "That's the rank I want to be!" Jenna said as she turned to Isabel who smiled in response.

"Ahem." Dove raised her hands to silence the room.

"The man in the black behind me is our newest Thor, Night Fulgur." The final Thor had long olive green hair that was tied in a ponytail. He was dressed in an olive green shirt and pants that complemented his black boots. His olive green eyes scanned the crowds who were creeped out by his silence. He nodded his head and waved at everyone awkwardly as Dove continued to talk.

"So, let's take attendance." Dove took out a clipboard and pencil and started to read the names on the list.

"Lilac Nagamatsu." A girl with dark blue hair raised her hand swiftly into the air.

"Present." She said swiftly.

I noticed a small lilac on her hand as she let her hand down, along with her blue kimono with flower designs.

"Isabel Centrae." Isabel shyly raised her hands and weakly responded. "Here.." She said softly.

"Jenna Gerbera." Jenna rose her hand immediately. "Present." She said proudly.

"Mordecai Hashimoto." "Here." I said quickly.

"Yoru Nagamatsu." A boy with blue hair stood next to Lilac raising his hand. "Here." He said.

He was holding a black coat behind him along with light blue jeans, black boots, and white shirt which made his outfit scream 'badass'.

"Valery Majo." Dove called.

"Right here, honey." She replied.

She wore a black shirt with the word 'liar' written in the center with red pants. The black shoes she wore on her feet had the same word written on the side and were remarkably clean as if they were brand new. The majority of her hair was covered by a cap she wore backwards and her blonde highlights were the only thing we could see.

"Don't ever call me that again, kid." Dove stated as everyone looked at her.

"Yes honey. Now hurry up and finish." Valery taunted.

Dove snapped her pencil and swiftly dashed at Valery. Valery's yellow eyes widened as Dove grabbed her by the neck and smashed her into the wall. Everyone immediately stepped back and awed in disbelief at what they witnessed.

"Dove is really fast." Naomi whispered.

"All I did was blink for 1 second and she was gone." I replied.

Dove grabbed her by the neck again and lifted her into the air.

"Listen garbage. Do not tell me how to do attendance. Now shut your yap and patiently wait." She yelled.

Valery's feet dangled in the air while she struggled to breathe before Dove let her down. She fell to the floor and coughed excessively as she tried to catch her breath.

"Naomi Windhelm." Dove continued to call while she walked back to her spot.

"Here." She said confidently.

I looked at Naomi who looked confident for the upcoming test.

"Looks like she is ready." I said while smiling.

"Finally, Zero." A skinny guy with white hair was helping Valery up and raised his hand.

"I'm here." He said.

He wore a black cloak and looked in my direction as I examined him.

"Looks like everyone here is 17 years old. Alright, please proceed to the elevator to your left that will lead to the examination site." The crowd entered the enormous elevator with Yoru entering last and a gate suddenly closed behind him.

"When you get to the bottom, follow the instructions. Good luck." Night said while standing assertively. The elevator began to descend and the instructors walked away. The silence inside the elevator sparked mixed emotions in everyone's mind.

"This is nothing.. I can do it." Jenna said while raising her fist. She looked towards Isabel and noticed her hand shaking. She rested her hand on Isabel's shoulder and smiled.

"You've been practicing for this." Jenna whispered. Isabel smiled at Jenna and her hand stopped shaking.

"Thanks Jenna, I won't let you down." She replied.

The elevator stopped and the gate began to open. A breeze of warm air gently entered the elevator as everyone started to exit.

"Cool!" I said as we entered a beautiful cave. Crystal clear water flowed into a pond located in the center of the room.

"This is to my liking." Lilac stated as she walked towards the pond.

"Now this is my type of vacation!" Yoru said as he touched the water.

"Wow, it replenishes my aura!" Naomi said.

I continued to look around and noticed the monitors on the wall that broadcast other operators were in.

"I believe we are inside the simulation grounds." Naomi said. Everyone turned to her confused by what she said.

"What does that mean?" Isabel asked.

"The simulation grounds allows for all current and future operators to practice missions and test new abilities with coworkers. It was designed by the Queen herself with the latest technology our scientists have created."

"Well, aren't you a know-it-all." Zero snapped.

"Is that a problem?" I said while raising my voice.

"Huh?" Zero said while walking up towards me. He spat on the floor next to my boots and got close to my face trying to intimidate me.

"Don't be smart with me." I stared at him silently and slowly started to reach for my sword. An orange fire appeared in front of us and we both jumped back. The fire formed into a figure and a familiar voice began to speak.

"Gentlemen, please stop." Luke said. "Everyone, follow me." He continued with a smile on his face.

"This isn't over, Hashimoto." Zero said while walking away. I smirked at his remark and followed the rest of the class. Luke led the students down a narrow hallway filled with dark red lights like the previous one. Silence has stuck the newborn class again and this time they feared what was next to come. We reached the end of the hallway and stood in front of a big door marked "017."

An orange aura started to surround Luke and fire formed on his palm. He touched the door and a small fire surrounded the door before opening it. The fire made the air hot, and harder to breathe in as the door continued to open. Finally, a cold breeze the contents of the room were now exposed by very little lighting. A big table was set up in the middle of the room with a big computer. Multiple monitors were connected to the ceiling creating static noise as if they weren't connected to anything. Desks were set up to the side of the room with wires that connected back to the computer. Black chairs were connected to the desk with a custom arm rest as if we're supposed to sit for a while.

"Feel free to sit wherever you want." Luke said grinning.

"Mordecai, sit next to me." Naomi said, smiling a little.

"Uh, sure. No problem." Naomi and I walked to the left corner of the room and took our seats. Naomi took the corner seat that I wanted, so I was forced to take the seat next to her.

"Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for standing up for me." Naomi said while getting comfortable in her seat.

"He was trying to start something, I ended it." I replied.

Surprisingly, Isabel sat next to me and started staring at me. I could tell she wanted to tell me something but was too afraid to speak her mind.

"What is it?" I asked as she continued to look at me.

"I-I like the way you stood up for Naomi. It was brave of you." She said while twiddling with her hair.

"Someone had to do it." I said while stretching. All of a sudden, the lights flickered in the room before going completely dark.

"Everyone, good luck." Luke announced while lighting a fire in his hand. "What the hell is happening?" I thought as I took my seat.