Claire made her way out of her dorms building and onto the grounds of the Grand Archmage College, named after one of the most powerful Guardians who had gone missing five years ago under mysterious circumstances. It definitely hadn't been her first choice for a college but in her time here other than the Guardian-themed celebrations they did here, it had been surprisingly nice. Much better than high school had been for sure at least.

Putting that thought behind her she soon found herself at the fountain she'd agreed to meet up with Alice and Jerome at. She spotted them sitting on a bench fixed with the logo of the Frostfire Corporation talking to each other about something.

Claire called out to them while she walked over. "Hey! I'm all good and ready to go now."

Both of their heads perked up while both of them stood up from the bench. Alice was the one to respond to her with a smile. "There you are! I was wondering if I was going to have to go back up and drag you out."

Jerome chuckled. "It's barely even been two minutes Alice, she's far from having taken too long. And we are heading into the auditorium an hour before it's supposed to even begin, I'm sure being a little later than we planned won't matter."

Alice pouted at him for a moment. "And that's two minutes too long." She turned towards Claire with a grin and motioned for her to follow as she began to set off, dragging Jerome along with her. "Now come on, let's see if all the good seats haven't been taken yet. I really want to see if Commander Maynard is going to have the All-Seeing Analyst with him or not."

Jerome protested a bit at being the one dragged, though with the smile he had it didn't seem like he particularly cared. Claire laughed a bit at their antics before jogging over to catch up before slowing down to match their pace. Soon enough they had reached the auditorium, a banner hung above the entrance proudly proclaiming the presence of Commander Maynard in a little under an hour from now with the same logo that had been on the bench in one of the corners of the banner.

Heading in there were quite a few other students already in the auditorium, though there were still some front row seats open that Alice was excitedly leading them to. The Commander and his Guardians were nowhere in sight but Claire could feel their presence as she heard a notification in her head informing her that there was a Commander and five other Guardians nearby coming from the direction of the stage, likely at the backstage area setting things up. She did her best to ignore the notifications as she took a seat in between her friends. She tried to push away her worries about them sensing her, her disguise skill thing hadn't failed her yet, it wouldn't fail her now even if this was more so than she'd usually had to hide from.

Alice and Jerome began to animatedly talk to each other about Commander Maynard and what Guardians they think he'd have with him here while they waited and more and more students began to filter in. Every once in a while one of them would ask her something which Claire would either give a nod to or a simple answer. She was really trying to not focus on the feeling of their presence, no matter how many times she'd been in this position ever since the Singularity Event she could never shake the fear that they'd learn of what she was here despite how every single time before her skill had hidden her. Especially since instead of some clerk scanning her it was likely going to be the Guardians themselves doing it.

Alice at some point took notice that something was off and gave her a worried look. "Hey Claire, you doing alright? You're looking a bit pale right now."

Jerome quickly noticed it as well after Alice had pointed it out and he gave Claire his own worried look. "Yeah, is something wrong? "

Claire took a deep breath as she looked between her two friends. Everything was going to be fine, she had nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. Ignoring the voice that was screaming at her that something was going to horrifically go wrong she put on a small smile. "I suppose I'm a bit nervous about being around a Commander and this many Guardians. There's more here than I'm used to being around at once."

Alice put one of her hands on hers as she smiled at her. "Oh Claire, there's nothing at all to worry about. It's going to be awesome seeing them here. And who knows, maybe even one of us will be picked to be a new Guardian!"

Claire gave a nervous giggle as she tried not to show that the prospect of becoming a Guardian herself was what she was worried about in the first place. "Yeah, heh, I suppose you're right."

Jerome meanwhile was giving her a strange look. "This many Guardians? There's usually only two with them in showings like this which are rare in the first place. What makes you so confidant that there's more than two? Do you have some insider information or something?" Alice's own look turned to one of curiosity at Jerome's words.

Claire's mind blanked as she realized that she had let slip something. Before she could try and come with a reason or excuse though the lights in the auditorium began to dim. Gasps came from several nearby students, Alice included among them, as they watched the stage with bated breath. Claire let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as she turned to watch the beginning of the show.

At first, a small light appeared on the right side of the stage, dim at first it slowly grew bigger and more brilliant before a flash of light washed over everyone. Standing where the light had been was a beautiful woman clad in a stunning white dress with a seemingly impossible amount of frills. Giving everyone a demure smile she curtsied before them all.

The next moment after a stage light flashed to the ceiling above as a man flipped down to the stage below and landed with a classic superhero landing on the left side of the stage, the wood underneath him groaning slightly at the impact as he stood up and took a formal bow. He was covered up entirely by a spec ops suit fitted with tons of high-tech gadgets that Claire could only guess the purpose of and had a deadly-looking rifle attached to his back.

Afterward, Claire heard the sound of running come from the backstage area as two more men came into view. One she recognized instantly and she heard Alice whisper-yell a quiet "Yes!" at the sight of the All-Seeing Analyst. He was clad in a futuristic titanium bodysuit that glowed red in many different places including a visor over his eyes and had his laser rifle trained on the man opposite on him. Claire flinched as he opened fire and let out a burst towards him that was moving surprisingly slower. A voice in her head told her that he had shot plasma somehow which she tuned out almost instantly after hearing, she did not want anything about the weird system manifesting in her head right now.

The other man, clad in a purple classic-looking wizard's robe and hat merely tapped his ornate wooden staff against the floor and the swift red plasma balls simply disappeared into a void which promptly imploded and sent out a flash of purple light across the auditorium. Both men then went to take their own places on the stage by their fellow Guardians, on the right and left respectively.

Finally, a haunting feminine laugh echoed throughout the auditorium before a burst of blue exploded from the center of the stage. Emerging from it came a man and a woman. Commander Maynard and the last Guardian.

The lovely-looking woman was clad in an orange evening gown and a pair of blue fluffy fox ears were twitching on her head while three blue tails curved around her. Claire felt the phantom sensations of her own ears twitching at the sight of her but ignored them. There were also quite a few gasps from the students around her about seeing a "Legendary Guardian" and both Alice and Jerome were looking at the woman with obvious surprise. Was she, a legend, really here?

Beside her was Commander Maynard himself. He wore a military dress suit adorned with the logo of the Frostfire Corporation. He had a handsome face and was smiling towards the audience. At this point, the audience was beginning to grow quite loud in their whispers.

The Commander simply held up a hand and within moments everyone had quieted down and was watching him with rapt attention. When he spoke he was as loud as if he were speaking through a microphone though he obviously didn’t have one. "Greetings fair students of the Grand Archmage College. I am Commander Maynard and it is my pleasure to be here at the guest showing today alongside some of my loyal Guardians. I hope you enjoyed watching the little show we put on. Now, I am sure you all have already noticed that there are a few more Guardians here with me than would normally be, and what can I say, we wanted to really make an impact today."

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He gave a slow gesture all around him. "With me here today I have the stunning Light Bender, the efficient Spec Op, the ever informed All-Seeing Analyst, the grounded Gravity Wizard, and the foxy Three Tailed Kitsune, Nevi." As he said each of their names, the Guardian in question stood a little straighter.

“We are all here today to give our thanks to everyone here. Without some of the constant support, normal people like you give us, our constant guardianship of you all would not be possible.” The Commander's face took a solemn look and he placed his hand over his chest before he continued on, though Claire was pretty sure it was an act. “But that is not enough to drive back the Invaders and the Lost. And so, it is with a heavy heart I come here not only to say thank you but to see if any among you have the potential to become a Guardian and to join their ranks.” The whispers subtly returned at those words though they stayed relatively quiet as everyone watched the Commander, full of anticipation.

The man in question gestures out toward the audience as his eyes fill with determination and just a glimmer of excitement. “If you are all ready, I would like to begin the process to search among you all now. To see if any of you have developed this potential and are ready to come under my care. I cannot promise your life will be an easy one if you are found to have that potential, but you will become something more as you help defend our home from those who would wish to sully it.”

The audience, her friends gave a roaring cheer of approval. Claire, herself merely stayed quiet as she tried to steady her heart.

The Commander gave a bow to the roar of the audience as he waited for them to quiet down. “Thank you all, without further ado, my Guardians will begin scanning you all to check for your potential.” At his words, the five Guardians surrounding him began to head off the stage and into the audience. Claire took a deep breath as she saw it was the Three Tailed Kitsune that was going to be taking the front row and did her best to not stare at her as she scanned through the students. Of course, it would be the Legendary Guardian that would end up scanning her.

Claire nearly jumped when she felt Alice’s hand grasping her own yet again as the girl in question gave her a gentle smile. “Hey, like I said earlier, you’ll be fine.” Then her smile turned wicked and she began to whisper. “Or... Are you maybe worried about her noticing your staring? She does indeed have some lovely curves...”

Claire sputtered as tried to figure out how to respond to that as she began to blush. “A-alice, what...”

Alice was blushing a bit herself as she continued on. “And though it certainly isn’t my thing, I’m sure she’d appreciate a girl who can properly cherish her assets unlike all the boys here. She does after all have superior senses compared to even other Guardians and likely has heard all their dirty conversations and noticed all their errant gazes...”

Claire was flushed red as she finally got her wits back together. “Alice! I-i don’t even swing that way! And where did this even come from? Are you sure you’re not the one projecting on me?”

Alice shook her head as her smile softened. “Nope! But it did do a pretty good job of distracting you, didn’t it?”

Claire tilted her head at Alice, a little confused now. “What do you-“ Her eyes shot wide open as she realized what she meant. The Three Tailed Kitsune was standing right in front of her with an amused look on her face. Claire forced herself to look at her face, and not anywhere else that Alice had said she’d been staring at.

The Kitsune gave a small laugh as she smiled. “I do say, I must agree with your friend there. I do certainly appreciate having someone who could properly cherish my curves. Though might you give me your hand? I do need to scan you to see if you have enough potential to become a Guardian.”

Claire somewhat numbly offered her hand out as her blush intensified. Was her mind playing tricks on her or had the Kitsune really just said that? What had she even worried about in the first place other than not embarrassing herself even more in front of her and her friends?

The moment the Kitsune took Claire’s arm the memory immediately shone through with clarity in her mind and she gasped as the scanning process started. She didn’t want to be discovered, right! But it was too late to do anything but hope her disguise would hold up to her.

As the scanning began she began to feel a pressure build-up within her as phantom tingles spread throughout her hidden body parts. This was so much more powerful than the mechanical scanners and she began to really worry that she’d be discovered here and right in front of a Commander.

And then just as suddenly the scanning finished having only lasted a few seconds in reality and the Kitsune gave her a nod. “You have a small bit of potential that I can sense, though nowhere near enough for the dear Commander to turn you into a Guardian even if he wanted to. A shame, it certainly would’ve been fun having a darling like you join us.” There was something about how she said that final sentence that seemed off but Claire’s brain was too busy catching up to everything to pay attention to it. The Kitsune then turned toward Alice. “Might I have your hand now too?” Alice obliged with an excited smile on her face.

As the Kitsune repeated the process that Claire had just gone through with Alice, Claire was just staring at her hand as she tried to organize her racing thoughts. She had said she had a small bit of potential, while the machines had always said she had none at all. That had been far too close and she could feel just how close her disguise came to breaking right then and there, though it seemed it did indeed hold in the end. She was safe for now.

The Kitsune’s voice cut right through her thoughts as she finished with Alice. “You have the small bit of potential, near the same amount as your friend. A shame, you would have been a fun addition as well. And though we’ll likely not meet again I did quite like you two so let me leave you both a little gift to remember me by.” She snapped her fingers together and with a blue burst two cards appeared emblazoned with the Frostfire emblem. “On those cards, you’ll find a nice little gift for the both of you when you redeem the codes on the cards for the Guardian game almost everyone seems to play. I hope you two enjoy it.”

Claire stared in shock at the card while Alice squeed In delight. “Thank you so much! It was incredible meeting you!”

The Kitsune just gave them a smile as she moved on to the awestruck boy beside Alice to continue scanning.

“I cannot believe that just happened to you two.” Came Jerome’s voice from beside Claire, filled with disbelief. “And of all the conversations that could’ve prompted that...”

Alice just giggled. “You’re just jealous that we girls just know how to properly appreciate each other. Though I do think it’s time to finally get you into the game Claire, if only to learn what it is exactly you got.”

Jerome nodded in agreement. “It’ll be quite exciting seeing just who exactly you’ll end up with on your own team of Guardians. I wonder what types you’ll build around, oh I can already imagine the possibilities.”

Claire just nodded back, still somewhat overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. “Uh, yeah sure.”

Alice smiled as she squeezed Claire’s hand again. “Oh, that is going to be so awesome. And see, just like I told you this showing was going to be awesome. Nothing at all for you to be nervous at, though I certainly wouldn’t mind you doing this again if this is the result.”

Time passed quickly after that once Claire recovered from the shock of what had happened and the trio talked amongst each other until around half an hour later the Guardians had finally finished scanning everyone. Their reward? A single young boy was now standing on the stage and was looking at the Commander with glee in his eyes.

The Commander began to speak as the audience watched with anticipation of what was to come. “You, my good man are absolutely filled with potential as a Guardian. Might I have the honor of knowing your name?”

The boy both excited and nervous said his name, whatever phantom microphone he had extending to him. “K-keith Lan Commander Maynard.”

The Commander nodded to him. “Keith Lan, are you ready to become a Guardian and help defend our world from those who would seek to destroy it?”

The boy’s response was instant. “Yes I am, Commander Maynard!”

The Commander smiled. “Then let us begin the infusion ceremony. Please stand still as I begin channeling magic into you in order to truly awaken your potential.” And then he began the ceremony.

Holding out the pals of his hands towards the boy, a green light began to flow from the Commander and encircling the boy. In moments, the boy had completely disappeared from view. The green light grew brighter and brighter until it all but erupted before slowly beginning to fade, revealing the boy.

Claire knew before she even saw the boy that he had become a Guardian, she could now sense him just like the others. She also could feel that same ritual had claimed him as the Commander's own Guardian, a feeling she tried hard to not focus on. The boy himself looked mostly like he did before, but his eyes were narrower, his body leaner, and most obviously were his long pointed ears. He had become an Elf alongside becoming a Guardian.

The boy gasped as he reaches up and felt his new ears and the audience went wild at the sight of him as they cheered. The Commander stood looking a bit exhausted as he looked at the boy. “Welcome to the world of the Guardians. We will of course have to do some testing to find your exact limits, but I am happy to find you of a reasonable strength for just having awoken.” The boy beamed at the Commander at his words.

The Commander then gestured toward the audience. “Now I do hate to say goodbye, but it is around the time we must all go. It has been a pleasure speaking to you all and I once more thank everyone here for being so willing to help support us Commanders and Guardians against those who would threaten us all. Now Guardians, form up on me!”

At his command, the Guardians, including Keith who sported a look of confusion moved as one to form up around him. It looked like he was saying something but he was now being drowned out by the audience.

The Commander continued on, heedless of whatever he was saying. “Now, Nevi, take us back home.” The Kitsune just gave a stiff nod to him before she raised her hands as her eyes begin to shine a bright blue. She then clapped and they all disappeared in a flash of blue light.

As the audience began to grow even louder now that the Commander was gone Claire could only feel pity for the boy. He was the Commander’s now, and nothing he could ever do would change that. She could only be glad she was still safe for some time yet.