Location: Terra Colony Andromeda
North Sector - Draco Outpost - Arena
Date: February 1, 2050
Time - 0430
“Brother, you look unwell.” Said Shisuki, laying a steadying hand on Ikki’s chest as they stepped up a staircase to the arena’s seating area. She felt the strong beats of his heart, a contrast to his beleaguered state. The set of his eyes were slightly sunken, their cognizant almost distant. “If you keep this up, you might collapse. I worry about you, it’s a constant thought that weighs heavily on me.”
“I’m fine, sister.” Ikki smiled up at her, clutching her waist for support as they ascended the flights of stairs. “I’m just tired. If I get a little more rest I’ll be back to normal.”
Helping him on his other side, Stella frowned and a small amount of heat radiated from her braided locks of crimson hair. She was riled. “I already know this.” She said, “And I may be repeating myself, but your strongest technique needs some work. The downsides are pretty rough on you physically.”
“I know.” Ikki said bitterly. “I’ve been told that a lot. It’s a problem I’ve tried to minimize with training, and it's far from perfect.”
“By Teacher?” Shisuki surmised. “He would have words about your reckless use of core energy.”
Stella pulled a puzzled face. “Teacher? Who’s that?”
Shisuki sneered at Stella, and said, “I believe I already told you before, you idiot, but it seems like you need a reminder. Your skull must be as thick as your fat chest, such a handful you are.”
Stella huffed. They’d gotten into arguments like this so many times now that she could now roll with the punches. She gave Shisuki’s flat chest a cursory glance, enough for the person in question to notice and take offense. In response, Shisuki spat a few colorful expletives, the slight insults hidden behind her words double meaning not lost on Stella.
Don’t get dragged in. Stella reminded herself. I can’t embarrass myself anymore than I already have. I am the princess of Crimsonia for goodness sake. And I can’t let myself be belligerent in front of Ikki.
“So, who is it?” Stella asked, keeping the conversation on topic.
“Itsuki.” Ikki said. “I don’t truly remember him much when I was a child, but he was initially hired to train me after I was supposed to get my aptitude results for core energy.”
Shisuki cut in, her tone shifting from the usual regalness she worked to always uphold. “And when my brother got his results, our father decided to be an absolute tyrant and ripped his chances away from him. All the training and help he was supposed to get was denied. Their justifications were an absolute farce. Such worthless bastards, the lot of them.”
A sudden sour taste took hold in Stella’s mouth at the recollection of Ikki’s past. Because Ikki’s measured aptitude had been poor his family had stripped him of his basic rights to the dream he held. As he had told her, they treated him as if he didn’t exist for years on end. That was cruel, and crueler that it was done to a child and by his own blood relatives.
“I see.” Stella clutched her free hand to her side. She wished she could have punched some sense into Ikki’s father. She’d do that to all the people who dared to slander and hold Ikki back.
True, Ikki wasn’t naturally gifted with talent and core affinity like her or Shisuki, but that didn’t detract from how hardworking he was. Without any real help, Ikki had made it farther than most would believe. He’d gone from being the forgotten and exiled child, to this warrior who she admitted to be her equal.
That had to mean something, his efforts had to be rewarded. Maybe.. Maybe I.. should be his reward?
Shisuki’s hard stare drew Stella back from her wandering thoughts. “Just what are you thinking about?” She asked suspiciously. “Wipe that conniving look off your face, and stop staring at my brother with those indecent eyes of yours. I bet you’re trying to taint him in that lewd mind of yours.”
Stella shook her head side to side in furious denial. “No, No, No! I wasn’t. I swear!” She pointed across to Shisuki. “And don’t call my mind indecent. Compared to a brocon like you, you’re probably thinking about all kinds of dirty thoughts.”
“Oh, I am.” Shisuki admitted with no shame. Her free hand roamed over the chest pocket of Ikki’s uniform. “Brother has grown to be such a fine man, and I can’t wait to see where else he has grown.”
Ikki bit back a blush. His sister’s advances had been impossible to stop and the only defense he had was Stella, who batted Shisuki’s hand away. They hissed at each other like two cats vying for a beloved toy.
Jealous eyes from onlookers stabbed into Ikki from all sides. He had two flowers in each hand, both helping him along as they’re chests pressed into him from his left and right. On his left, through her uniform, was the familiar soft plumpness of Stella’s breasts. Ikki had to keep the spicy memory of their incident in the bath at bay, fighting it back to the depths of his thoughts. And, not helping the matter, on his right, Shisuki’s firm hold had a seductive touch. It was cool and calm.
But that was a trap.
Ikki weakly smiled through it all. Women were a tangled mystery to him, as were their hearts.
“Over here!” Having reached the top of the stairs, Amanda called to them from a distance away. She was three rows down from the seating entrance and pointed to the free seats beside her. They understood and descended down to join her.
The thousands of seats were filling slowly. The fatigue the students suffered from the recent training exercise took its toll and it would be a sludge hour before most were seated. With effort, Ikki was helped into his seat and relaxed. His body was still recovering from the overuse of his abilities, so his legs felt little more than jelly. As they all waited, he studied the seats lining the circular arena, and then the vast field, where explorers usually spared and trained.
Currently, it was filling with people as well. From their spot so high up, they saw the growing group as only outlines milling about. The air at one point turned suddenly denser. The students recognized that as a sign of someone using core energy. Those who were experienced became on guard, while those less attuned with the sensation looked about in befuddled wonder.
“Whoa!” Exclaimed a student. “What is that!”
The outcry drew attention to the arena’s field. Three points of light shone at the center of the vast facility’s center. The lights weren't blinding but were strong enough to see from a distance as it grew in size. The lights enlarged, becoming flat circular shapes that pulsed and undulated like the churning of a stormy sea.
A person from the gathering congregation on the field approached the anomaly. Stella, with her enhanced vision due to her abundance of core energy, recognized the insignia and rank medals attached to the man’s brown uniform. He was a colonel, possibly the one who’d given them all instructions earlier today. He said something she could guess was a greeting and the anomaly reacted.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
What were once flat circles of light filled with color that slowly morphed and wavered, becoming transparent acrylic panes of glass that were suspended in the air. Stella gasped, as did the other students. They were all surprised to see an unusual backdrop beyond the evident portals forming in the arena.
“Be at ease.” A gentle voice seeped from the center of the enormous arena, echoing off the walls and down from the domed ceiling. “There is no need to be alarmed.”
Immediately the student’s outcry died down, the sounds in the air were replaced with calm mutterings and chatter. The voice was like honey and had a natural coaxing force to it, like it was one with the world. Where, and who it came from, became clearer as a figure emerged from the portal. The energy in the air became thicker, yet not to the point of being suffocating.
A slender woman in an elegant dress of silk strode out with her gown trailing behind her. Rose red and leaf green linens patterned her hem and cuffs. She reached out a delicate hand to take the Colonel’s offered greeting, brushing a loose chocolate lock of curly hair from her cheek. At The top the woman’s head were a pair of branch-like antlers, and her ears trailed toward the back of her head, long and pointed.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/4xYw9pTk/IMG-2646.png]
Stella stood up from her seat, astounded. “It can’t be. Is that.. Is that really her?”
“Who?” Amanda asked.
“Aithnea Ellis.” The awe in Stella’s voice was palpable. “Ranked 4th in the world of explorers, The Queen of all beast humans, the dreamer, the savior. The Hero of Nature itself.”
Amanda understood the gravitas of the moment. In the row in front of her, Mana and Dahlia seemed to recognize this Aithnea, and got up from their seats to bow respectfully from their seats. In fact, every beast human in attendance got up and bowed.
“There is no need for that.” Announced Aithnea, her caring gaze drifting around the arena as she stood at the center of the field as if it were an amphitheater. She could see them all from so far away. “I have not come to flaunt my authority, I have come as a guest, and to also congratulate you all. But, before that.” She gestured to the colonel. “We must all first get settled.”
Behind Aithnea, more figures stepped out from the three portals. Gasps and cheers rose up all along the arena’s edge, the students’ excitement rising as new faces revealed themselves. So many, just so many famous explorers were taking to the field. To the students, the explorers were their idols, the figures they respected, and those they adored.
Amanda knew a few from her travels. Tricky the Harpy Dragon, Vienna the Cosmic Wing, Yuzu The Sun Goddess, Numi the Devilish Vixen, and many more. Seeing them all here was like a dream, a very rare dream. Students pinched themselves, thinking that this was some kind of illusion.
The Colonel motioned for his cohorts to settle down. At the same time, the facility's staff brought out chairs for the explorers, quickly setting up a comfortable arrangement for all of them. As the last of the arriving explorers got to their seat, the portals closed at the swift wave of Aithnea’s hands.
Clamor continued to break out amongst the excited students. No one could hold back their blatant adoration. The shock of being in the presence of so many legendary and popular figures from around the world was overwhelming.
A thunderous bang resounded, sobering them all up.
Amanda turned her head up to scan the opposite end of the arena’s field. A gate slid open and out came row after row of soldiers, marching in steady step towards the colonel and his group. Each soldier was unique, their different patterned equipment and power armor marking them as their own person. From what Amanda could tell, there were maybe 100 of them, all of them led by a maid who she recognized.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/QtG2pxbJ/1732488315927.jpg]
It was Izuna.
She raised a hand as they drew nearer to the Colonel and announced. “Company! Halt!”
With one last stride that sounded like a thunderous boom, their armored frames rattled as all the soldiers stood at attention, becoming still as statues. They were intimidating. As basic it was to have seen them march, the weight of the mere presence they exuded as a collective was enough to send a wordless message.
Do not! Mess! With us!
Amanda wondered why they were here. Guards maybe? Some kind of security? Her gaze went to Aithnea. She’s a political figure, so maybe they’re here to protect her?
The Colonel and Aithnea approached the Maid. Izuna bowed to them, raising the hem of her short, black skirt to curtsy them, and exchanging a few words before standing at attention. She was as rigid as the soldiers, possibly even more so.
The colonel, having let Aithnea seat herself, raised a hand to the students for silence. When all were settled, he said, “Good, now that we are all in attendance, we can begin. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Colonel William Standforth, Supreme Commander of Terra Colony Andromeda’s CSU Division. My soldiers and I, and our attending explorers here, would all like to congratulate you for your participation in today’s practical training exercise.”
The seated explorers applauded them, as did Aithnea and the colonel. The ovation they were giving made the students feel that all they had gone through these past hours had been worth it. Their idols and heroes were acknowledging their hard work, and nothing felt better than that. Ikki and Richard, and most of the boys in the crowd, stirred in their seats. Some with a touch of giddy delight or welling pride on their lips. The girls on the other hand kept calm, and regarded the boys with an amount of understanding, but cringed at their boyish delight.
“As you can tell, the curriculum here at Andromeda academy is far from normal.” The Colonel went on. “It is grueling and will push each of you to your limits.”
That was damn sure. Amanda thought, her misgivings evident in her expression. I wished you would’ve told us what we were in for before throwing us into it.
“But that is the point.” Said the Colonel, as if reading her mind. “You are all here to be trained to become explorers, the best of the best, the defenders of humanity from the terrors of the stardepths. You, all of you, will one day safeguard humanity and protect its future.”
“And that is not all.” Added Aithnea. “You are all seeds of the future. You will grow. And you will build a brighter tomorrow with your powers.”
A number of emotions emerged from the students. They wept tears of joy, others shuddered at the prospect of their futures, and many more were stoic, hiding the whirling feelings inside them. The training exercise had been hell, and Aithnea’s motherly voice soothed their worn down hearts.
“Now, moving on.” Said the Colonel. He had no tact, and didn’t seem to let the students dwell too long. “As of this moment, the basic phase of today’s practical training has been completed.” He flicked the air at some unseen screen. When he did, Amanda found a display in front of her. “As you can now see, we have compiled a report on each of you. You all have been scored and evaluated on your performance today. The relevant files have been uploaded to your personal academy terminals which you can access anytime, but you can access them from the earpieces you have equipped.”
Amanda touched the back of her ear where the black, round, pinky sized device was attached. It was so small and unnoticeable that she hadn’t realized she still had it on. The display in front of her flashed a scorecard with lines and rows of numbers rapidly ticking up.
72 out 100. Amanda gave herself a mental pat on the back. Not bad, Not good, but just enough.
She obviously didn’t think she had aced this exercise from the get-go. There was room to improve, and a lot left to learn if she were to become like the explorers she saw here. They were all no doubt powerful, able to do things that made them the object of idolization to all the students.
Laughter broke out amongst the seated students as they all exchanged smiles. Some fist bumped while others sighed in relief, cracking some well deserved small jokes with each other and little taunts to lighten the mood.
Grueling. This day had been utterly grueling. But Amanda wondered what the colonel meant by the basic phase of the training being over. Her gut trembled with an uncanny foreshadowing.
“This is outrageous!” Shouted a student. His words were laced with a disgusting vileness that suddenly soured the mood. The student jumped from his seat, his noble blue attire fluttering as she dropped down into the arena’s field. He materialized a spear, his core weapon, and thrusted it toward the Colonel, snarling with a controlled eloquence. “This can’t be right! Do you take me for a fool! I am Shidou Koichi, Heir to the Koichi Dynasty of Chinsui, and I demand you take me seriously! This farce of a curriculum has gone on long enough!”
Before anyone could blink, the soldier who had been still as stone, moved with an unmatched speed that put even the most honed warrior’s reaction to shame. Twelve soldiers in power suits fanned out around the unruly student, withdrawing knives from their waist belt as their killing intent flowed like a river from them.
Now, a battle was brewing and could possibly boil over into bloodshed. It seemed that the students’ turbulent time today wasn’t over just yet.