Book 1:Chapter 1

Part 1

-------------No Point Of View-------------

Wind, the feeling of a cool breeze on ones skin is a pleasant one, our sense of touch brings us the sensation of pain, but also the sensation of a soft surface, and heavenly touches. Sight allows us to see all danger, we can view beauty and...Ugliness.

These were the thoughts of a single Sentinel, as he sat with his back pressed up against a split boulder. Clutching his bleeding chest as his brain attempted to comfort him in his last moments with it, thinking of his past.

He couldn't help but smile as he felt the pain subside, his breaths remained deep although they went through his lung and out the hole. His brain had not enough air or blood to tell him he was in pain or even sad, he felt at ease, his eyes closed as his blood and dirt soaked teeth showed in one last smile.

Proceeding the death of the Sentinel followed another leaping onto the boulder, her eyes tracing the battlefield in worry, her dagger gripped tightly in her right blood stained hand. In the distance came a flash of pure red light, her eyes widened as her brown pupils shook in horror of the approaching blast.

Taking a step back she found herself collapsing backwards off the boulder, tumbling onto her back she coughed through the near toxic air surrounding the location. Swallowing deeply she pulled herself onto her knees, glancing around the area behind the boulder, her gaze falling into shock and horror.

The previous Sentinels now cold corpse sat in his final resting place, his smile still plastered on his face, a fate the current one desperately wished against. Her hands shook as they rose to her face, covering her trembling mouth, one with a stream of puke rising. She leaned her head down to her knees, her body desperately denying her stomach from relieving itself.

Her chest twisted within itself as it protruded through her ribs, her breaths deep and audible across the battlefield. Her stomach began to shake as it begged and begged, the woman clutched her torso as she began to inhale deeply, only letting out a soft gust of air as she breathed.

The oxygen spun in her lungs, unable to escape her grasp in any way. She gulped audibly as her chest tightened from the lack of air, though she began to notice a steady decrease in pain. Her veins showed as she clenched her fists and eyes to attempt to handle the uncomfortable feeling twisting her entire torso.

Her fingers squirmed in tension as her bodies veins and muscles tensed up, her teeth gritting to the point where a scraping sound could be heard. She wished an escape would come but deep down she knew there could only be made one by herself. Her chests muscles wrapped around her stomach, the tension on it was great, but so was the relief.

In just a few moments after her body tensed up, she found her stomach completely relaxed itself, its pain having now completely subsided and replaced with just pressure. Her sigh of relief was an echoed joy all on the battlefield could hear. Her muscles that were once tense now softened, like a rock melting into a marshmallow, her throat extended outward for a moment as she looked towards the red sky.

Her mouth opened as a gust of air passed out of her lips, only for a wave of new oxygen to inhale into her lungs. She took breath after deep, deeply focused on her now pained lungs without a thought to her previously pained stomach. She lowered her head to face forwards, staring down the sentinels corpse, she swallowed the saliva within her jaw as her ankles downwards began to tense up.

Her arms fell to her sides as her left leg retracted behind her, the other progressing forward a dozen centimetres. In one push she managed to hoist herself onto her feet, her teeth gritted as her body, despite it being calm before, had to tense and relax her muscles in her lower half just to stand up. Her balance wobbled as she attempted to ground herself, her legs widening as she clenched her hanging fists.

She retracted her head back for a moment as a gust of air entered through her mouth, her head lowering forward as she exhaled the wind the way it came in. Her eyes stared forward as she tensed herself up again, ready to continue the battle. Her eyes twitched as she noticed a light in the sky, a red dot flashing, like a giants eye staring down at the earth.

The dot began to grow as she looked at it, though she was still unsure of the origin of the floating orb. She never noticed the base of the orbs location as it reached its destination, it was diving at incredible speeds, like sound travelling through a diamond. As it reached its destination the woman found herself feeling, nothing, like there was no concept of touch anymore.

In a flash of red light her head mimicked that of a Dullahan, the peak of her upper body reduced to a bloody mess as she collapsed onto the red tainted soil. Brown and black dust flew into the air only to disperse as few moments later, the blood drops staining the rubbles surface. The body having now been frozen and burnt over by the harsh movement.

The object that had taken off her head raised into the air, its mechanical construct streaking from the long arm shaped object to an enormous body. The body had thirty seven arms each with silver linings across them, the body had multiple fleshy looking mouths scattered across the surface each without lips but instead rows of large sharp teeth.

A yelp of fear echoed from the opposite end of the beast, as another Sentinel stared death in the face. His eyes shaking as his teeth scrapped together, his body frozen in fear as the beast stared him down. Its living metallic hand grasping his feeble body within its fingers. It raised him higher and higher, his breath shallow and light, like a soft breeze.

The arm swung itself slowly through the charred breeze, the side of the body harshly extending outwards towards the raising hand. The Sentinel looked onwards in horror as he was pulled towards the extended metal, its innards reshaping in a gentle stream like waves of water.

The Sentinels breath exhaled unawarely, his eyes shaking as his teeth gritted worriedly, like a prey just caught by its predator. The beasts extended physical structure began to reshape harshly, the tip of its cyborg like exterior pointing towards the Sentinel, whose arms clutching his weapons lay lifeless.

The tip began to crack as its once clammy clay like structure stared to shatter, its grey exterior a mirror to the red machinery on the inside. In the ashes of the torn construct remained a new opening, a jaw without gums or lips. The teeth rotated like a wheel in circles, the sharp tips but one of a streak of pointy ends across the jaw.

The sentinels eyes widened as the creature revealed its mouth, his body taking several moments to catch up to his mind. As it did a wave of fear rushed over him, he began shaking and wiggling in the grip, yelling out in fear as the mechanical arm began to approach the gaping maw. His head frantically turning to find an escape to his fate.

As the creatures mouth widened he screamed in horror "No! P-Please! Don't do this, s-someone help!" His teeth gritted in impatience as he awaited rescue.

The teeth looked as if they were extended towards him, further intensifying the overwhelming fear he yielded within his mind. He continued wiggling within its iron grasp, though in one small grip its fingers crushed his torso. His mind became clear, his supple body was in the grip of that beast, no possible escape, his life was over.

Tears began to form on the edges of his eyes, the singular drops of water extended to streams of fear and sadness filled liquid. He continued yelling although he knew no one would help him, his mind shutting off all pain as he kept wiggling in its grasp, its collection of eyes staring heartlessly down towards the flailing organism in its grasp.

His screams got louder and louder as he got closer, until it stopped, and the area was filled with the sound of crunching bones. All that remained of the Sentinel was a pair of glasses with a cracked lens that fell off him as he was grabbed. Its fragile structure lay untouched by any organic life, only contact with the terrain.

The glasses stayed the focus as its view was altered as a blue gradient, the view of it and its surrounding area vanishing as it was replaced with a more mechanical facility. The glasses became two dimensional as its place on the massive screen was finalised. Before the screen stood a stage, where a man dressed in a black suit with grey hair reaching to his cheeks stood.

The man gently shut his eyes as he began to walk to the centre of the stage, his expression was calm with a hint of sorrow, the viewing of the loss of three allies pained him more than he could say. His heavy eyelids rose to reveal his two dark brown pupils, his breath steady as he stood before the crowd watching the man.

He began to speak in a loud Galway accent "You all witnessed the three ways a Sentinel may die, it may be calm, bliss, finally accepting your death...It could be swift, before you even noticed it...But those two are unlikely, you'll likely be flailing around as you slowly perish" He half closed his eyes as his mouth quivered.

"That was not a simulation you just witnessed, it was a recording...Of a month ago" He lowered his head as his eyes became sharp like daggers.

He took a soft breath as he continued "The recording dictated a failed attempt of retaking Switzerland from the Fomorians, their very first attack they levelled the country...And a total of nine billion lives were taken" His breath caught in his throat as he uttered the body count.

His breath softly shot out of his jaw in a straight point "People utter countless lies about the experience of being a Sentinel, you'll be remembered throughout history, your name will be worshiped..." He took several sharp breaths as his head lowered.

In an instant his head shot upwards as the man loudly yelled without any hesitance "They say that being a sentinel is an easy job, and that even if you die it is glorious...Those people lie, your deaths will likely be slow and painful with no one even remembering you"

The crowd shook in fear as he continued speaking "I've been fighting this battle for fifty years and yet not a single Sentinel-No friend has ever been remembered, it is up to you to keep the memory of those lost alive..." His breaths hardened as it deepened.

He pulled his hands behind his back, his nose taking a stream of oxygen before his mouth expelled it. His hands lowering to his back as they connected, like two links on a chain. His expression was calm yet serious as he stared among the crowd.

"My name is Conan Lonn, as I have stated I have been fighting the extra dimensional threats we call Fomorians for as long as I can remember, however even with the energy our souls can absorb from them, we still age, and thus I have decided to train the new legion of Sentinels"

His face showed a hint of a smile as he looked over the crowd, his vision catching glimpses of several interesting looking individuals. His mouth returned to his default frown, his eyes now staring above all the heads of the crowd.

"There are multiple types of Fomorians, from the Daonnóideach, to the Faes. As the name suggests, Daonnóideach are human like, but don't let that fool you, they would love nothing more than to devour your soul" He once again took in a deep breath.

"Now the Faes are interesting, they can be in all shapes and sizes, the beast you saw in that recording was a Fae, as well, there are Faes that look alike to our folktales, such as the Dullohan or the...Well I suppose I can just show you"

He calmly raised a single small button to his shoulder level, his thumb raised and circling the top like an avian surrounding its prey. With a swift movement he clicked the button, and in that moment the room was filled with an ear piercing scream of damned. It felt like the crowds souls were being torn out from the horrific nature of the scream, they didn't even notice it only lasted six seconds.

The man lowered the button to his hip, its use now having been fulfilled. He lowered his head for a moment as his eyes shut, his expression was that of sorrow, as if he was grieving the loss of a loved one. His head slowly raised as his eyes reopened, his expression dull as he once again looked among the fearful crowd.

He calmly stated "That was the cry of a banshee type fae, it signals one of its allies had been lost by letting that screech out, there is a distinct difference between the one of its allies lost, and ours lost, I won't make you all suffer through another one as you'll be able to tell when it happens"

He tilted his head calmly as she continued "There are also multiple levels of Fomorians, they are separated with letters, from F to A, and then S, there is sometimes a minus or plus symbol next to their letter, that'll show what level in the rank they are" 

Conan inhaled deeply as he continued his talk "There is one last thing I would like to say, to become a Sentinel you need the pass this test, you are in a massive dome for three days, your goal is to survive, there are settlements with food and Fomorian energy you can absorb, but also...There are over seventy six F Rank Fomorians present"

Several people took a step back in shock, others murmured to their fellow trainees, the tension within the room had risen drastically in an instant. Conan took a deep breath as he crouched down, he adjusted the headset microphone to be closer to his lips.

He lowered his voice deeply, only a soft Galway accent remained "If you wish to leave, now is the time" He spoke calmly and softly to the crowd, his eyes scanning the room observantly.

The room went still for a moment, not a single person moved, until the sound of squeaking shoes began to ring out of the crowd of murmuring trainees. Soon many began to turn tail, a legion followed close behind as a third of the potential Sentinels marched to the gate.

Some walked, some ran, some nervously wobbled, but they all had one thing in common, they abandoned The Sentinels. Conan couldn't help but have a sad expression on his face as he witnessed them leave, like a bird watching its children leave the nest.

The remaining trainees worried of what would come if they stayed, but also were concerned with what would happen if they left. Conan looked among the remaining potential Sentinels with a look of determination, he wanted them to become Sentinels desperately. Two other trainers walked from behind him at a moments glance, Conan taking several steps back as to allow them centre stage.

He turned his back towards the crowd as he heard the two trainers approach the centre stage. A man and a woman both adorned in a deep blue outfit, they wore boots reaching their ankles with slim texture less trousers. They had a belt with two holsters, one designed for a knife the other designed for a pistol. Their torsos were covered with a dark lime shirt beneath an opened dark blue jacket.

Their wrists and arms were adorned with orange heavily armoured holsters to hold additional equipment, from stimulants to knives. Their heads were covered by a deep blue flat cap, their shirts having light patches of white steel armour. They glanced at one another expectantly, waiting for the other to take up the mantle of speaking. Silence erupted within the room as the two began to feel a bit nervous, eventually the woman spoke up.

"Greetings, my name is Ava, and he is Cathal, the two of us have been Sentinels for the past seven years, the two of us have been on many a mission together" She spoke with a loud strong tone, her smile apparent as she finished her sentence.

Ava glanced towards Cathal who took a step towards the end of the stage, his breaths became heavy as he looked onwards towards the crowd. The numbers had thinner drastically though they still were massive in amount, his posture tensed for a moment before relaxing again. His breaths like a gust of wind slowly floating through the room.

"The Sentinels have a sort of...Buddy system, where two Sentinels are partners and usually go on missions together, though there are times we are required to be sent with a squad, you should remember that your best ally is your partner" He spoke with a tone much like the woman before him, his voice was deep and had a hint of a Kildare accent.

Conan took a deep breath as he began to approach the back of the stage, his expression was serious but calm. He glanced towards the crowd another time, his hands flowing lifelessly by his side. Standing at the back was another two Sentinels standing at either side of the stage, with a woman wearing a lab coat and a blue data pad.

He took a step towards her side, her attention being caught by the data pad, like a moth to a light. Conan broke her thoughts by gently grabbing her shoulder, she felt her heart jump for a moment in surprise however she retained her blank expression as she looked upwards towards him.

Conan whispered into her ear, "Is this the last of the eighth division trainees?" His tone was but a murmur, something even to the fellow Sentinel trainers was incomprehensible.

The woman returned his incomprehensible whisper calmly "Second last, we still have the Mayo division to do" She spared glances towards the expectant crowd.

Conan nodded to her as he squeezed her shoulder for a moment before tapping the side of it, he began to walk off the stage towards a door on the back. The woman looked at him for a moment before she took a deep breath, her expression was slightly irritated at him leaving during the briefing for the trainees.

She sighed deeply as the two Sentinels finished what they were saying to the crowd, her body tensing up as she gripped the data pad tightly between her palms. She inhaled deeply as her eyes closed, her head tilting back like she was looking to the sky. Her exhale was filled with exerted stress, her eyes opening with a determination she hadn't had in any previous Sentinel training.

The two Sentinels took a few steps back as she began to approach the centre stage, she glanced around the room at a constant pace while calmly taking steps towards the end. Ava moved to the back of the stage alongside her fellow Sentinels, though Cathal stayed in the middle for a moment, his expression was nervous but also anticipant of what to come.

He calmly whispered to her "Remember, just don't look at anyones faces, just stare ahead and imagine no one is there" He took a quick breath as finished.

The woman nodded and flashed a quick smile to him as he gave a slight nod, her data pad having its grip loosened slightly. Her breath pierced through her teeth as she looked beyond the crowd, her nose taking up the mantle of breathing. She lowered her grip on one hand and let go on her right side, the data pad being raised to her shoulder height.

She calmly spoke while attempting to pay no mind to the crowd "Dia duit ann Everyone, my name is Pauline, I am one of the Tuatha de Danann members, we are the scientists and the strategists of the Sentinels, we are also the ones who send you all on missions"

She inhaled deeply for a moment before continuing "Now soon you will all be outfited with equipment, the equipment being the basic Sentinel uniform and a knife and pistol, you will be capable of charging the energy of the Fomorians into your weaponry"

She glanced towards the Sentinel trainers who were nodding and smiling at her, giving her the confidence to finish "Now come, let's begin the test, go to your right to the atrium, there you will be given your equipment and prepared to be sent in"

The crowd murmured in surprise and worry that the test was beginning this quickly, they expected more time to mentally prepare for the coming experience that might take their lives. Pauline and the other Sentinels began to walk to the other side of the stage, their expressions were a mix of nervousness and seriousness.

The crowd followed the group while being uncertain themselves of if they were ready for what to come, many believed they should've left when they had the chance, yet what could they do now? The only choice they had was to ride the current. Though not every Sentinel found themselves following the trainers.

Out of the crowd stood a single starry eyed woman, her mouth gaping open as she stared towards the stages recorder, like a child seeing a computer for the first time. She was barely twenty one, her hair was a mix of black and tiny dots of white across her head. Her expression could only be described by one as downright goofy. She looked younger than her age, only looking like she was seventeen.

Her expression suddenly shot up as she noticed no one was around her, she frantically glanced around while maintaining her silly expression. Once she noticed the crowd she made an audible yelp sound as she scrambled over to them, as she was about to reach them she kicked her own ankle, making an audible sound of confusion as she fell on her face.

A Sentinel off to the side alongside several trainees glanced at her on the ground, she pushed herself upwards as she shook her head. Her hand raising behind her head to rub it in embarrassment, making a soft chuckle sound as she returned to her feet. The Sentinel glanced back at the crowd with a hint of annoyance in his expression, the trainees also attempted to avoid eye contact or really any contact with her.

Pauline stood in the centre as announced loudly "Take your time, find connections with the Sentinels nearby, after all, working together will prove useful in the coming test and when you become true Sentinels" She took quick deep breaths in between her words, her nervousness having slowly diminished.

The woman glanced around nervously as she looked for anyone to interact with, though she noticed many others were nervously staring at the ground, like they had just seen something the human mind wasn't supposed to. She tensed up as her smile became a concerned one, her hands raising right infront of her as she swiftly swiped her head across to find anyone to speak to.

As she panicked she heard a voice from behind "Hey uh, you okay? After...Falling over..." The voice was mid pitch and was clearly a man, his accent was a slight Wicklow accent.

The woman swiftly turned at such high speeds that the man felt somewhat unnerved, her smile was seemingly desperate at this point. She happily jumped while looking at him, her teeth beginning to show much to the dismay of the man.

He calmly but nervously asked "Hey are you oka-" As he questioned her he was interrupted.

She very happily spoke to him "Mhm yep I'm good, names Niamh O'reilly, what about you?" She thrusted her hand out towards the near, equally tall man for a handshake.

He retracted slightly but sighed as he shook her hand, calmly stating "Oscar Lynch, nice to meet you Niamh" He returned her goofy smile with a nervous smile of his own.

Niamh happily spoke "Let's stick together on this alright? We all need to work as partners! Right?"

Oscar felt surprised for a moment but gave her a calm smile "Yea, I think that's a good idea, let's work together"

Niamhs smile perched on her cheek bones, once again unnerving Oscar who simply was too afraid to point it out.The other Sentinels having already found groups to stick with, while they made Niamh slightly sad there weren't any more for a group, at least she had one.

Niamh's expression perked up as she reached her arm over Oscars shoulder, pulling him close to her as she grinned happily. While he felt more unnerved at her enthusiasm he also felt charmed by her, it was impressive how she could be so upbeat and happy when they were going into what could be their final moments of their lives.

Niamh released her firm wrap around his shoulder as she lept away, happily spinning in front of him. The other trainees took nervous glances at her though never once speaking up, the Sentinel who witnessed her previous collapse hissed through his teeth as he worriedly looked towards the other Sentinels.

Cathal returned a nervous glance, though it was towards the other side where several trainees were getting into a fight. The Sentinels eyes widened in concern as the trainees yelled and yelled. Like a group or cats and dogs.

Oscars expression dropped into a concern look as he glanced towards the commotion, while Niamh glanced curiously towards where the arguing voices echoing originated. Oscar took a step towards Niamh, holding his hand out to block the path between her and the trainees, though she took no notice nor did she care for what was occurring.

Oscar began to gentle push her away from the commotion, though she attempted to gain glances at what was happening by leaning an unnatural amount. Once again Oscar felt unnerved by her, this time by her sheer flexibility, the way she was leaning you could swear she doesn't have a spine.

Ava and Cathal leapt off the stage to settle the chaos as the trainees watched on as the once argumental trainees slowly turned to more violent measures. Some trainees joked of the idea of placing bets on who would win, though none of them knew who each other was.

The crowd surrounding the three chaotic potential members was a mix of excitement and concern, though one man stood out, standing just a few inches from the troublesome trio. He sighed deeply as his hand raised, clutching his scar torn face as he looked beyond what was before him, attempting to see if any other trainees would step in.

He sighed once again as he took notice of no one seemingly intending to fix the issue, Oscar took a glance towards the three fighting trainees, his concern turning to annoyance. He scoffed in annoyance as he turned away, his gaze protruding into the floor, his desire to fix the issue was great, however he had no idea how to possibly go about that.

One of the three trainees raised a fist to the face of another, both their teeth gritted to the point where it mimicked screeching metal. His knuckles inched towards the other sentinels skull bit by bit, the trainee could feel the harsh rough skin of the fist on his nose as it was like time slowed down.

A bang sound echoed through the room, and next a crash, the sound of a cracked bone rung in the ears of the trainees and Sentinels. The trainee looked upwards from his fearful stance to see the man standing between him and the now collapsed trainee, the other troublesome trainee noticed this and glanced towards the other, who returned it.

The man slowly turned his head towards the first, his voice was very deep and a heavy Wicklow accent "I'd recommend not starting scraps like this, or else his nose might not be the only thing lost" He had a bland expression as he stared down the quivering trainee.

The trainee began to nervously and frantically nod his head, the other also giving a quick nod to him. The other trainees looked on in surprise that the man took one out in a single hit, the trainees nose was bloody and bent from the strike. One trainee gagged slightly from the sight, the others felt either impressed or terrified.

Pauline took a step towards the edge of the stage, her data pad swaying in a single hands grip. She looked at the three who begun the fight in disbelief, a tinge of anger within her eyes. Her breaths became stuttered as she squinted her eyes towards them, looking down at the defeated trainee.

She yelled out in annoyance "You three..." She shook her head softly as she calmly continued "Are an absolute disgrace to the Sentinels, you two, pick him up and leave"

The two nodded nervously as they approached the bloody trainee, hoisting his arms over their shoulders as they carried him towards the doors. Oscar and Niamh looked on, Oscars expression was both concerned and impressed, while Niamhs was somewhat bored and still positive.

Oscar whispered nervously to Niamh "What could've caused them to fight?" His expression was somewhat confused now as he pondered it.

Niamh bluntly responded "They wanted to leave, it was obvious, they were all clearly causing the fight to be kicked out" She never spared a glance to Oscar.

His expression shot up as he confusedly turned to her, stating shocked "What? How do you figure that out?"

Niamh shrugged as her eyes gently closed "I'm just a smart cookie" She gave a silly smile to him who chuckled softly.

Pauline took a step back as she grasped her forehead in annoyance, shaking it softly before turning back to the greater crowd. She glanced to the man who stopped the brawl with a hint of thanks, her hands reached behind her back as she inhaled deeply. She perked up her expression as she gave scanning looks across the room.

She stated loudly "Now if the rest of you have no desire to cause violence, let's go get all of you your equipment" She clapped her hands together as she finished.

A massive hatch to the side began to raise into the wall as she finished, the crowd taking glances at it and their fellow trainees. Ava and Cathal were the first to enter the hatch, Ava turned as she entered and urged them to follow her in. Though nervous, many of the trainees followed the two into the hatch, including Niamh and Oscar.

The hatch led into a small hallway reaching only several metres in length, Cathal and Ava stood at the door patiently, confusing the trainees waiting behind them. Out of the crowd you could hear shuffling and the sound of a nervous voice, out of the top came Pauline who apologised her way through the stream of people.

She reached into her pocket nervously, calmly withdrawing a green, white and orange card, with the name Pauline Walsh scripted on it. She wobbled to the the doors module, giving a swift swipe on the card reader despite her difficulty to stand. Cathal held her by the shoulder to help her stay afoot, Ava and him pondered how she could've been so injured in such a quick moment.

As the door opened Ava gave a swift glance towards the expectant crowd, her eyes squinting for a moment as she inhaled annoyedly, wondering who caused Pauline her injury. Cathal assisted her in limping into the room, her breaths now heavy and in quick succession. Soon after Ava followed them in with the crowd marching in afterwards.

The room was enormous, filled with countless machines and racks of uniforms. There were a row of machines with green tanks filled with a bubble liquid, at the top was a hose connecting the tank to a clothes rack with nothing on it. The crowd marvelled at the incredibly advanced technology before them, just within arms reach.

Cathal helped Pauline take a seat on a bench right in front of the door, she rubbed her ankles as she felt them burn in pain, the rubbing only just soothing her screaming calves. Ava took a step to the front of the crowd, her eyes were filled with determination and annoyance. She looked over the heads of the people in the crowd as she inhaled deeply.

She spoke calmly with a serious tone "You'll be going to the tanks to scan your body shapes to create uniforms perfectly attuned to your size" She glanced towards the people before turning away.

Pauline gave a soft glance to Cathal who nodded for a moment, taking a stand with his back turned to her. She rested her leg on the bench, its placement like an injured bird resting itself. Ava glanced at Pauline with a concerned expression, though Pauline waved her hand in front of her face as to say not to worry.

Meanwhile Niamh was sneaking her way around the crowd, perfectly moving through people in an attempt to get further up, with Oscar loudly following behind. Eventually Niamh reached the end where the two Sentinels were standing, Oscar tumbling out close behind.

Ava glanced at her with a look of confusion at her unnerving enthusiasm, Oscars nervous expression making far more sense for the situation. She gave a glance to Cathal who took a nervous inhale, taking a step forward towards the expectant crowd.

He spoke loudly "Now, feel free to go get your uniforms and equipment, there are around fifty tanks and it takes around two minutes to scan your body, so it'll take nearly no time, while waiting you can pick up your weapons and equipment" His body tensed as he spoke.

Niamh glanced at Oscar happily, his nervousness slowly diminishing as she stared into his eyes, though it was replaced with unease. Her palm wrapped around his wrist to the point his hand began to hurt, she pulled him with her effortlessly, both their boots clanging on the floor, the other trainees glancing at them while calmly walking.

Ava looked among the trainees spreading out swiftly, seeing the situation was finished she turned to Pauline's injury, looking to find the origin. As she looked she took notice of several bumps, clearly coming from a boot, though the depth it was carved into seemed intentional.

She gave a glance around the room, seeing the trainees slowly leaving her sight. Though she took notice of Niamh's eccentric attitude as she excitedly hopped in front of Oscar. She lowered her head as it shook calmly, her eyes glancing upwards for a moment, though catching a concerning sight.

Niamhs boots perfectly matched the injury Pauline suffered, her concern apparent as her eyes widened. Her quivering pupils gave a swift glance to Cathal, his expression turning to confusion and worry as he noticed her shocked face.

Niamh happily knocked on the side of a tank, taking in the interesting design of the machine. Oscar meanwhile was marvelled at the incredible design of the technology, his expression displayed how impressed he was with the creator.

A maintenance man sitting next to the machine glanced at Niamh for a moment, his expression suddenly going wide as he noticed she was pressing her face against the glass, like a fascinated animal. The man's pupils looked off to the side nervously, his once confused expression now unnerved by her childlike innocence.

He cleared his throat as he asked in a nervous tone "Um, hello, do you ne-" His question was interrupted by Niamh's enthusiasm.

She curiously mumbled "How does this work?" In just a moment she pulled her face off the tank as she excitedly asked "Wait, if I press my face hard enough on this, will I phase through?" Her eyes had a spark of wonder and life to them.

The man looked at her confusedly, glancing to another maintenance worker who shared his confusion. She excitedly stood in front of him, her smile huge and goofy. The man cautiously leaned back in his seat, his head nervously turning to look at other maintenance workers and trainees.

He nervously responded "Um, no it won't…A-Are you here to get a uniform?" His pupils cautiously making eye contact.

Niamhs expression shot up as she happily stated "Oh yes! I'm supposed to get into these tanks right?!?" Her voice was faster than the wind.

The man nervously nodded as he glanced to a hatch at the top, his focus on the steel ladder leading up to the peak. Niamh caught sight of it almost instantly, his trailing vision and focus being apparent in a single glance.

She positively asked "Ah, so I get up through the ladder and the hatch?" She tilted her head slightly as she questioned him.

He nervously muttered "Uh yea, just climb through the hatch and stay there for about a minute, there is a oxygen mask in the tank, you'll need to put it on" His eyes scanned around the room at incredible speeds.

As this was happening the sound of grunting could be heard in another hallway, the sound was accompanied by a set of heavy and slow footsteps. Pauline stared forward with a blank expression as her arm was tightly wrapped around Cathals shoulder.

Her ankle hovering above the ground as her other leg carried her entire body, Cathals grip around her shoulder was tight, or else her entire body would collapse. As they reached the end of the blank empty hallway, they found a door half open, a dim light emanating from within.

As Pauline gave it a gentle shove the door was swung open to see a break room overlooking the entire facility, several nice couches and a small kitchen area littered the room. Cathal and Pauline made their way over to one of the couches, Pauline plopping herself onto one of them and placing her leg along it.

Cathal sat down next to her with a concerned expression, her silent wincing ached his heart as he saw she was in pain. Though it was light, Cathal could faintly see the mark of the sole of a boot on her ankle, even some dirt remained plastered to her leg.

Cathal nervously asked "Is there anything I can do to help?" His breaths light and somewhat rapid.

Pauline stared down at her ankle, a soft small smile along her jaw "Just you being here helps, thanks for asking honey" Her eyes gently closed as her ankle vibrated from the pain.

Cathal sighed as he felt his cheeks warm slightly, responding calmly "Alright…D-Do you want some water though? Maybe a pillow for your ankle? Or how about a water bo-" His concern was interrupted softly.

"Cathal, I don't need anything else, this is just something I need to ride out, I'll be fine soon" Pauline slowly turned to face him, her expression calm.

Cathal sighed deeply as he responded "I know I'm just worried, you're a lot more…No that's not the word…-" He nervously finished.

Pauline calmly answered him "No, fragile is correct, compared to you Sentinels" Her smile was unexpected and calm.

Cathal quickly responded frantically "No no-That's because we have Fomorian energy, our bodies get stronger because of that, without them we're the same as you!" He inhaled swiftly.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Pauline shook her head softly as she responded "Well, quite a few Sentinels are already Superhuman in strength, the Fomorian energy just enhances their incredible capabilities"

Cathal glanced of to the side nervously, his thoughts dwelling on a way to help her soothe the pain she was suffering from. He pushed his own hair back as he worriedly wondered what to do, his pupils shaking as he stared into the ceiling.

Pauline smiled softly as she stated "You don't need to do anything, you being here is enough" She gently grasped the back of his hand.

Cathal glanced to the side in annoyance, his eyes flickering between Paulines eyes and her fingers, one of which held a diamond wedding ring he once put on her. He couldn't help but have a soft smile as he remembered the day they met, he was just a trainee and she was an assistant to a scientist. In time things grew, Ava was bridesmaid and another Sentinel present named Cillian was his best man.

Pauline gently closed her eyes as she calmly stated "See, we're both fine…Well actually…Would you mind getting me a drink?" Her eyes reopened for the end.

Cathals expression shot up as he asked "Of course, what would you like?" He was very hands on deck for it.

Pauline gave a small smile as she answered "It's a little special…Something…Something others would consider unsanitary to drink…" Her head titled slightly.

Cathal froze in place, his eyes wide as he looked at Pauline who kept her expression. He glanced to the side nervously as his lips cupped, Pauline's head tilted slightly as she awaited his answer.

Cathal sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose as he answered "Fine, I'll give you it" His tone was defeated as he looked down at her.

Pauline happily exclaimed "Thanks honey, love you" She chuckled under her breath as she finished,

Cathal stood up from the couch, straightening his jacket as he looked down at the ground aimlessly. Soon he returned his gaze to Pauline who looked very happy, he sighed again as a soft smile came on his face.

He calmly asked "Clothes bleach or dishes bleach?" His tone was sincere and calm.

Pauline quickly stated "Dishes please" Her head tilted once again.

As this was occurring Niamh exited the changing rooms, her uniform in full display, the blue shade of the jacket and flat cap perfectly matched her dark hair and pale skin. Her holsters both held a knife and pistol, the orange arm armour coated from her wrist to her elbow, the dark green shirt under the jacket blending in to the rest of the outfit.

She pondered for a moment where to go to next, only for her train of thought to be interrupted by a grasp on her shoulder. She slowly turned to see Oscar in his own outfit, his expression was impressed, likely by how well her outfit fit.

Niamh happily stated "Oh there you are!" She tilted her head as she looked at him.

Oscar nervously stated "Yea, I'll assume you also got all your equipment?" His hand rubbed the back of his head.

Niamh swiftly answered "Yep, did you get your measurements?" Her tone was downright giddy as she hopped on the spot.

Oscar nodded heavily as he answered "Yea, turns out I'm eighty one kilograms and am five foot eleven" His eyes looked into Niamh's calmly.

Niamh chuckled and gave a smug tone "Ha! I'm sixty three and half an inch above" She held the back of her head with her hands.

Oscar chuckled as he smugly answered "Yea, half an inch above the ground" He had a soft smile as he looked at her.

Niamh gave an audible and over the top chuckle "Ha ha ha…Bullets are enjoyable-" She spoke at such incredible speed it was incomprehensible to Oscar.

He spoke unawarely "Well I was told I-Wait what did you say?" His eyebrows narrowed as he questioned her.

Niamh swiftly answered "Oh I just usually make random sounds, don't focus on them" She lowered her hands to her chins height.

Oscar squinted for a moment before resuming "Alright well, I was told I'm still growing, so I'll likely reach six foot soon" He crossed his arms as he finished.

Niamh smirked as she crossed her own arms, giving a smug response "You're not the only one!" Her teeth shined as she grinned.

Oscar glanced to the side for a moment before he sighed and approached her, taking a stand to the side of her. He calmly shook his head as he looked towards her eyes, one's he could just get lost in.

He calmly and truthfully spoke "There are many reasons why I enjoy living, I hope you can be another one" His head titled softly

Oscar gently brushed the side of her hair, waving the dark locks along his fingers. Niamh stared at him with a look of curiousness while maintaining her smile, like a starry eyed child. Just a moment later she slammed her palm onto his shoulder, her grip tight on him.

Niamh gently closed her eyes as she kept a happy expression on her face as she states "Never fucking do that again, okay?" Her head titled as she finished.

She squeezed his shoulder for a moment to which he felt unnerved, his breaths became soft but heavy. Her smile, her tone, her posture, everything was scary. He tried to keep his composure as he gently closed his own eyes, a quivering smile stretched on his jaw.

He muttered "U-U, Understood, I won't do it again" His breaths were heavy and shaking as he spoke.

She chuckled softly as she patted his shoulder patronisingly, his scared eyes looked towards her hand planted on his shoulder. Her eyebrows perked up as she took notice of his outfit, the uniform fitting him perfectly. Niamh took a step back as she raised a hand to her chin, clearly deep in thought with a upbeat expression plastered on her face.

Her finger swung along her vision as she snapped them happily "You look pretty good, though that headset on your temple is messing with the pattern" She calmly explained.

Oscar sighed deeply as his body relaxed, her previous unnerving and terrifying attitude having simply killed itself. He felt his face warm up at the compliment, though the vibe he got from her still tugged in the back of his mind.

He happily stated "I appreciate the compliment, but I need this headset for my…Brain to work…" His smile slowly disappeared as he finished.

Niamh tilted her head confusedly as she asked "Really? Why?" Her fists clenched and raised in front of her shoulders.

Oscars face was blank with slightly widened eyes as he slowly answered "When I was around eight, a Fomorian attacked my town, and M-…My family was killed…" His tone began to wobble and break as he finished.

Niamh tilted her head even more as she spoke "Ohhhhh, I get it, so you got really injured and you need that headset to keep yourself alive" 

Oscar looked off to the side as he softly nodded, his eyes shining as water began to converge behind them. Niamh raised a finger to her chin as she seemed to be in thought, her eyes still open wide and curious.

She spoke curiously "Is that why you've joined the trainees? To hope to kill that Fomorian?" Her eyes looked down at his own quivering ones.

His expression shot up as he looked towards her, nervously nodding to her as she tilted her head curiously, her smile now a small O. His eyes slowly raised to meet her calm and intrigued gaze, his mind filled with thoughts of what occurred, remembering his families death and the brutal devastation of his town.

Niamh raised a finger to her chin as she curiously gazed into the sky as she questioned "Tell me, how did you survive? I'd assume your wounds were pretty harsh to need that headset right?" Her eyes lowered to look at his green pupils.

He rubbed the back of his head nervously as he answered "I lost over sixty percent of my blood, and my bodies skeletal structure collapsed, I have an artificial liver and my right arm is heavily weak" 

Niamh tilted her head again, though her look of curiosity was more rushing than interested, she gazed off to the side where several trainees seemed to be conspiring a plan for the test. She turned away from the group, returning her vision to Oscar who's body was tensed up, his gaze shifting across the room to avoid making eye contact with Niamh.

Niamh tilted her head slightly with a bored expression, her eyes dull and lifeless, benefited by her still pose with her hands hanging by her legs. Oscar slowly approached her side, giving a calm glance to her as to relax himself, he inhaled deeply as his breath swayed in his lungs for a moment, though it was soon released.

Oscar nervously looked towards Niamh as he began to speak "So...Do you want to head to the tes-" His question was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Excuse me, Niamh O'Reilly was it?" A slightly irritated voice rung out from their side, the tone was mid pitch with a slightly annoyed feel to each word.

Both looked to their side, Oscar with a confused and concerned expression, while Niamh maintained her curious and innocent expression. There stood Ava who stared at Niamh annoyedly, Niamhs mouth softly shifted to a closed curiousness.

In another moment Niamhs mouth widened into a large goofy grin, her thumbs raising to point at herself as she excitedly stated "Thattttttttttttttttttt's ME!" Her teeth showed in her unnervingly happy grin.

Ava looked down at her with a furious expression, her veins protruding on her temples as she looked Niamh dead in the eyes. Her breaths were heavy as she watched her so happily and goofily stand before her, her hands quivering in annoyance as Niamh kept her expression plastered with no change.

Oscar took in the clear anger between them as he panicked silently, in a moment of worry he took a step between the two, Ava retracting back in annoyance as he stood in her way. Niamh kept her curious expression, though Ava could sense from her, a hint of annoyance, but it wasn't at her.

Niamh curiously tilted her head towards Ava while her hands collided behind her back, gripping the opposing fingers with an iron grip. Oscar glanced between them nervously, Ava's fists clenched as her breaths became heavier and harder. Niamh took a step to the side to once again be gazing upon Ava.

Ava cleared her throat as she demanded "Niamh, you will be coming with me, there is something you must speak with us about" Her head gently lowered as she looked at Niamhs curious expression.

Niamh tilted her head softly as she curiously questioned "For what purpose?" Her hands now swung by her sides calmly.

Ava took a step back as her back turned to face Niamh, sparing her barely a low nod, which didn't tell her anything but she went along with it as she found it interesting. Ava began to walk away, leaving not a word for the two. Niamh looked at Oscar for a moment before she quickly walked to Ava's side.

Oscar was left on his own, he felt nervous and concerned for what she could have done to make Ava so angry. He turned away from the two, looking among the room, towards the fellow trainees. He inhaled deeply as he began to walk away, figuring if he could at least get some proper information on the test, it would be very useful

Niamh followed Ava close behind, her hands cupped behind her back in an intrigued way. She constantly attempted to look Ava in the eyes, though she avoided any eye contact deliberately. Ava took a deep breath as she spared just the knowledge that Niamh was behind her, though it irritated her to no end.

Ava led her into a hallway, its texture blank and lifeless, like what she desired her mind to be. The hallway was thin, too thin for Niamh to squeeze past Ava which saddened her. Their blue outfits sticking out like a sore thumb from the blinding white corridors, and their expression polar opposites from one another, like the sun and moon.

As they reached the end, Ava reached into her pocket and withdrew a key card, the same design as the one used by Pauline. She raised it to a digital panel on the wall, its orange tinted screen a stark contrast to the wall connected to it. As it made contact a beep sound could be heard, the door making a clicking sound resonating from the knob.

Ava carelessly shoved the door open with a wave to Niamh to follow her, who obeyed the order swiftly. The two entered into the break room, Pauline staring out the massive windows while resting her leg on a couch next to it, she was rested her head on the panes, putting pressure on the glass, enough that you could swear she would fall in just a few moments.

Ava calmly cleared her throat as she positively spoke "I've brought her Pauline...A-Are you alright?" Her tone was concerned by the end.

Pauline calmly turned to Ava with a small, reassuring, somewhat motherly smile, her expression was calm as she looked towards the two. She nodded calmly to Ava who understood what she was requesting, her boots squeaking on the polished floors as she swiftly turned to exit the room.

Niamh tilted her head slightly while looking at Pauline with a curious expression, Paulines left hand gripping a mug filled with a strange clear liquid, she took a swift light sips of the depths of the cup. Pauline looked at Niamh with no longer a happy kind expression, but a serious and slightly irritated expression.

Niamh looked at her in confusion as she leaned her entire body to the side slightly, the wonder in her eyes visible from a mile away. She took glances away every so often, scanning the break room, taking in the fact it seemed pretty normal. Her eyes locked onto one thing like a reptilian predator, she looked towards the mug grasped tightly in Paulines palm.

Niamh curiously asked "Whatcha drinking?" She tilted her head slightly as she questioned her.

Pauline bluntly responds "Bleach, if it polishes dishes hopefully it'll polish my depression" Her sigh audible as she finished.

Niamh's mouth dropped in wonder, her boots squeaked as she leapt towards her, Pauline quickly retracting from the enthusiastic trainee. Niamh's face stopped a mere few inches from Pauline's, Pauline noticed her pupils could be described as stars, her fists clenched and hopping along her shoulders.

Niamh happily asked "Are you doctor Seus?" She had a look of wonder in her eyes, which Pauline couldn't help but chuckle at.

Pauline responded "I may have been an English major, but I am not him" She rubbed the back of her head with her palm.

Niamh tilted her head as her expression went to a confused smile "Huh? Why didn't you complete it?" She questioned calmly.

Pauline glanced to the side as she answered bluntly "The University I was studying in was on the border of Italy…Next to Switzerland…" 

Niamh gave a forced gasp as she confusedly questioned "What? Your University blew up?" She clasped her hands on her own cheeks to mimic shock.

Pauline looked at her with an irritated expression, her being so nonchalant and playing her life being destroyed as a joke was appalling, downright disgusting. Her veins on her temples flared up in annoyance as she glanced away. She squinted her eyes in anger towards her, she thought that this might be the worst trainees she has ever met.

Pauline audibly cleared her throat as she looked Niamh in the eyes, her tone serious and loud "You know, your boots have a very unique sole to them, the same shape as where I was kicked"

She squinted her eyes towards Niamh who tilted her head in confusion "Really? They're the uniforms boots"  She pressed a finger against her lips.

Pauline shook her head softly "No No, the ones you were wearing a while ago, the ones you came in with" Her eyes stayed half open.

Niamh tilted her head the other way, her expression was innocently curious now. The fact Pauline had seen her boots matched the kick was interesting, she was far more observant than what Niamh intended.

Niamh calmly questioned "You were looking at my feet? That's creepy" 

Pauline sighed deeply, glancing off to the side, her hand raising to the bridge of her nose, giving it a firm pinch. Her breaths were heavy and irritated, Niamh was clearly deflecting from the question at hand.

Pauline looked Niamh in the eyes and calmly stated "I know who you are, I know what type of person you are" Her eyes had a hint of fear behind them.

Niamh stared at her for a moment, until a small laugh escaped her lips, her body leaning forward and her hand raising to block any air from escaping her mouth. Her movements were exaggerated, like a musical play actor.

Pauline looked at her in genuine disbelief as she stated "You, do you feel any remorse for anything you do?" Her hands clenched together as she stared Niamh in the eyes.

Niamh snickered as she answered "What's with all these questions? I thought you were an English Major, not a Philosophy Major" She raised her hands into a shrug.

Pauline glanced away from Niamh for a moment, she wanted to get rid of her, she had the authority and the reason to…But…She was just too similar, it couldn't be a coincidence, her age matches up with his death…Her appearance above all, was downright identical.

Pauline sighed annoyedly as she slowly looked at Niamh, stating angrily "Good. Luck. That's all I'm going to say, good luck on the test" Her eyes squinted as she looked at Niamh.

Niamh looked surprised for a moment before her expression shot up, her boots squeaking and creaking as she took several spinning steps towards the door. She gave a big wave to Pauline with a silly grin, though each vein on her head told another more cruel tale.

Pauline sighed deeply as her mid length digits rose to her temple, grasping it annoyedly. Every few moments a gust of irritated air escaped from her nostrils, though she couldn't help but feel a bit interested in what she was going to do.

As this was happening Niamh happily pranced her way out of the corridor, her waving, open palms swiftly and reguarly readjusting her lake blue flat cap. Her wide pupils stared into the distance, though it was like she could understand everything nearby.

As she took a step outside the staff hallway her attention was caught by heavily trodding steps. Her eyes glanced to her right in her surprise, though her mouth never betrayed a pinch of emotion. Her boots returned to the hallway for a moment as the roaming audio flung past her.

The blue uniform of the Sentinels swung downward past her, her fingers swiftly grasping the back of the jacket in an iron grip. Her arm barely moving as she showed no sign of effort behind holding it, her thin stature betrayed her inhuman capabilities.

The fellow trainee hung just barely off her feet, her eyes staring forward in surprise for a moment, her vision facing the floor which she would've met if it weren't for Niamh. The Sentinels posture and expression soon changed to a more negative feeling, her muscles in her neck tensing up as an orange scarf dug into her throat.

Niamhs eyes stared deeply into the back of her ginger head, her hands frantically grasping and swiping at her own scarf. Niamhs eyes were devoid of life, almost soulless, like a corpse. It was like every sense she wielded had just disappeared in an instant, her ears not picking up the sound of swift footsteps approaching her.

A voice unheard by her rung from behind "Hey thanks, that's like the fourth time she has fallen in the past like ten minutes" The voice was a mans with mid pitch and a heavy Kerry accent.

Niamh never even twitched a single muscle in her neck or eyes, her unwatching gaze still locked onto the non-breathing Sentinel grasped by her pale fingers. The two trainees behind her took notice that the other was being choked by her, both their eyes widening in shock. One reached to Niamhs arm and grasped it tightly, attempting to break her grip.

Niamh was unfazed and her eyes still watched the now sputtering trainee she was strangling with her own scarf. The other took a step to Niamhs side, her eyes still without a hint of emotion or life behind them. A fact that unnerved the trainee grasping her iron hard wrist to no avail.

The trainee holding her arm shouted in her ear "Hey!, let go of her" Her voice had a high pitch to it with no accent, her teeth gritting in anger.

Niamhs cheek muscles slowly raised as her eyes looked upwards, her dead eyes still having a dull look to them. Her conscious finally became aware of what she was doing, her gaze staring down at the trainee before her. Her wrist beginning to feel tension from the other trainee grasping it so tightly.

Niamh calmly spoke with as much of a positive voice she could "Huh?..." She paused for a moment before continuing "Oh right...Sorry"

She yanked the trainee onto her feet and comfortingly patted her back, her throat sputtering as she gasped every few seconds. The other two looked at her in concern while the trainee that held Niamhs arm looked at her in anger once again, though Niamh paid no mind as she began to walk away.

The trainees eyes widened as her jacket hopped up in response to her sporadic movements, her boots squeaking for a moment as she sprinted towards Niamh. Niamhs eyes uncaringly glanced towards her approaching, though she didn't care to move. She felt her blue covered arm ram into her torso with incredible speed.

Niamh tilted her head curiously, her rarely uncaring expression replaced with her usual innocent face. The woman looked just a bit upwards towards the pinned trainee, the white wall pressing against Niamhs back.

Her eyes squinting slightly as she looked the trainee in the eye, the trainees teeth gritting to the point a scraping sound could be heard. Both their breaths were steady, though Niamhs was more looping in her lungs while the other persons was a gust in and out.

The trainee annoyedly stated "You knew what you were doing, didn't you?" Her voice muffled and cut through her razor sharp teeth.

Niamh looked down at her in surprise for a moment before softly smiling and responding "Aww, I like your hair, it's so fluffy looking, could I touch it?" Her eyes had an expectant look to them.

The trainee looked at her in disbelief for a moment before pressing on her torso and yelling out angrily "You think this is a game? Others pain?" 

Niamh raised both her hands in an accused way as she nervously stated "Fine I admit it, I didn't notice I was choking her, I was zoned out and I just grabbed her scarf instinctively"

The trainee tilted her head slightly to the side as she confusedly asked "You didn't notice you were choking someone? Do you see us as idiots, or are you one?" 

Niamh chuckles as she bluntly responds "Bit of both, it takes one to know one" She rubbed the back of her tightly pressed head.

The trainee asked annoyedly "Why did you exit that corridor? That was the staff hallway only for actual Sentinels" Her eyes slightly squinted as her breaths became heavy.

Niamh shook her head as she casually responded "What's with all the questions? Let's just start over with introductions, ehhem, my name is Niamh O'Reilly" She tilted her head curiously.

The trainee looked at her confusedly, though she soon responded "Laoise Beirne...Let me ask you one more question..."  Her arm cautiously and reluctantly pulled off her torso.

As she wiped off her jacket and shirt Niamh happily stated "Shoot, Laoise!" She happily smiled to Laoise.

Laoise squinted her eyes as she glanced off to the side for a moment before asking "Why did you join?" Her gaze finding it difficult to meet Niamhs.

Niamh tilted her head a bit to the side as she answered bluntly "I was bored, that's really it" She looked Laoise in the eyes with a soft smile.

Laoise looked at Niamh in a state of confusion, her hands shaking in shock and annoyance. Niamh looked at her with a look of curiousness at her confusion, though she didn't seem to look that far into it. She took calm deep breaths as Laoise had streams of annoyed gusts of air entering and escaping her lungs at a rapid pace.

Niamh raised a finger as she curiously asked "You good?" Her hands shaking slightly in confusion.

Laoise took a deep breath as she confusedly asked "You joined a war effort, because you were bo-!" Her annoyed question was interrupted by a loud exclaim over an intercom.

"All trainees please report to the main atrium for briefing on the test, and all Sentinels report there as well" The voice was clear and vocal, they could understand ever syllable of his speech.

Niamh planted a finger on her chin as she curiously looked up, paying no mind to the still confused Laoise. Her eyes widened in excitement as she glanced at Laoise who still looked forward in confusion. Niamh's eyes having a sparkle of life to them.

Before she could even process what was going on, Niamh had grabbed Laoises wrist in an iron grip, she winced under her breath in pain. Niamh began swiftly pulling Laoise across the area to get to the atrium, leaving both her and her friends in a state of confusion.

Niamh hummed a happy tune as her footsteps drowned out her soft singing, Laoise nervously glanced around as the blood in her hand began to yell for release. Her mind focused on the unnerving nature of Niamh, she joined the Sentinels, a war effort, for fun? Not only that, she was so…Social? Alongside being uncaring of embarrassment.

Niamh came to a swift stop suddenly, still clutching Laoises hand a bit too tight for comfort. Laoise finally got to walk ahead of her, taking a look to see a crowd of trainees seemingly waiting. Laoises eyes widened in surprise at how quickly they arrived, her other hand quivering as to stimulate the feeling of movement her other was not capable of feeling.

As the two stood with their hands gripping one another, Niamh curiously looked around while Laoise attempted to pull her wrist away to no avail. As the duo stood amongst the crowd Niamh pondered while tapping her chin with a finger, much to the confusion and general unnerve Laoise was feeling.

Out of the crowd, a voice rung into both their ears "Hey Niamh, over here!" It happily yelled out to only them.

As Niamh swiftly turned around she took sight of Oscar, standing with the man who broke up the fight previously. Niamh happily squealed under her breath as she found who she was looking for, her hand wrapped around Laoises wrist released for a moment, giving her a sense of great relief.

However just a moment later it reconnected with her arm, and she found herself being dragged along by a very happy trainee. Niamh happily waved to Oscar as she pulled Laoise with her, his mouth and eyes quivering in concern while the other guy looked on in confusion.

Niamh stood right infront of Oscar as she happily stated "Where have you been?" Her head tilted slightly as she looked down at him.

Oscar scratched the back of his head as he calmly responded "I've been speaking to the other trainees, trying to find allies" 

Niamh responded as her fist raised infront of her "Ooooooh, what did they say?" 

Oscar stayed silent for a moment as his eyes could only be described as white orbs before responding "…Fuck off, we don't need an emo and a material girl"

Niamh tilted her head in curiousness, innocently asking "Ooooooh….What's a material girl?" Her hand opened as it remained high.

Oscar hissed as he tugged at his jacket slightly, returning an answer of concern "You don't need to know" He cautiously scratched the back of his head.

Niamh had already forgotten the subject as she was leaning unnaturally to the side, looking behind Oscar at the man who looked at her in confusion. Laoise was pulled onto Niamh's back as she arched it, acting as an anchor so they don't fall.

Niamh curiously asked "Who are you?" Her head tilted as she curiously spoke with an innocent expression.

The man glanced at Oscar for a moment before answering calmly "Uh, my name is Brendan, I already know your name Niamh" He quickly added the end as to stop her from making too much of a scene.

Niamh looked at him in wonder, her finger raising to poke her chin, much to the confusion of Oscar and Brendan. Brendan scratched the back of his head worryingly as his and Oscars eyes connected, their confusion stirring of both her behaviour and who she had with her.

Oscar tried to stir the subject away by curiously asking "So, who's that you're…Crushing the wrist of…" His breath sputtered for a moment as he looked at her pained expression.

Niamhs body shot up as she hopped once on the spot, she swiftly ran to Laoises side and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. She gave a massive goofy grin while tightly pulling her shoulder into her own, Laoises arm feeling like it was being pulverised.

Niamh happily exclaimed "This is Laoise, my friend!" She has a toothy grin as she finished.

Laoises eyes widened as she frantically stated "Woah! woah! woah! No we are not, she just dragged me with her after I spoke to her a bit" 

Oscar sighed as he crossed his arms, stating bluntly "Yea that's definitely something Niamh would do…" He couldn't help but feel disappointed at Niamh.

She was unaware of his irritation as she had already walked over to Brendan, happily having a one sided conversation while he tried to ignore her due to his general disinterest in her and whatever she had to spout. Oscar looked at Laoise who was rubbing her wrist as to ease the pain with a look of empathy.

He calmly stated "You can head back to anybody you were with, if you were with anyone, sorry for Niamh's behaviour" His eyes slowly closed in disappointment at Niamh.

Laoise took a deep breath as she calmly responded "The other two I was with is probably here, we could join the groups together, strength in numbers" She had a forced smile on her face as she finished.

Oscars eyebrows raised in surprise, though he simply nodded with a calm smile. Niamh planted both her arms on Brendan's shoulders and slightly lowered him down to her height, which was half an inch lower. Her eyes were shut firmly with a kind and upbeat smile plastered on her face, Brendan's confusion reaching sky high.

He nervously whispered to Oscar "Is this her normal behaviour?" He attempted to avoid saying anything that could potentially hurt her feelings.

Oscar scratched back of his head as he calmly and nervously responded "Well, I promise she is a fine person to be around, you don't need to worry about her, she isn't a bad person" 

Brendan had a slight nod as he took into consideration what Oscar had said, understanding she likely had something else to her than this wholesome mess. Laoise looked at the three in surprise that this dis functional trio could get along so well, she couldn't help but have a slight smile grow on her face.

Niamh tilted her head curiously as she calmly asked "So…Did you also know those people were faking a fight?" 

Brendan's eyes widened for a moment before her responded surprised "Yea, you also knew it?" He looked at her with a surprised expression.

Niamh tilted her head as she spoke happily with closed eyes "Yea it was obvious, anybody could tell!" Her cheekbones rose up when she finished.

Oscar called out from their side "So..Was I the only one who didn't realise it?" His tone had a hint of anger to it.

Niamh calmly responded "Yep, you're not great at reading people" She spoke with an upbeat tone.

Laoise squinted her eyes as she asked Brendan "Wait, if you knew that, why did you intervene?" Her eyes and posture had a mist of suspicion.

Brendan bluntly responded "To get them out of here, we don't want people like that bringing us down right?" He spoke with a matter of fact tone.

Niamh happily patted his head as she loudly responded "I like the way you think!" Her grin grew to a toothy smile.

Brendan looked at her with an expression of surprise, though is soon dissipated into confusion with a hint of nervousness. Oscar could've sworn he heard him mutter "The hell?-" under his heavy breaths. Niamh was blissfully unaware of the occurrence as she curiously looked at Brendan as he spoke.

Soon after two sets of footsteps could be heard approaching them, the squeaking of the boots rung in their ears as they spared a glance to the approaching people. Laoises eyes widened for a moment before she took a calm breath as she saw who was approaching them.

It was the two people, the man and the woman who was constantly falling. The two looked at Laoise in confusion and she returned a look of nervousness, her hand raised to the back of her head as her nails tore at her scalp. Her eyes wandering across the room while her expression betrayed a hint of discomfort, her smile nervous and her eyes wide like the ocean.

The man spoke with his heavy accent "Hey, what happened?" He scratched the back of his head calmly.

Laoise hissed slightly as she responded "IIIIIIIIIIIIIII….Was dragged away by a certain happy, positive, unnerving trainee" Her lips jagged on her jaw nervously.

The woman asked "Did you give her a punch in the arm for me?" She had an intrigued expression, unaware of how extreme what she just said was.

Laoise shook her head nervously, much to the disappointment of the woman, who lowered her head slightly in sadness. Brendan and Oscar glanced at one another in worry, their bodies tensed as they winced in a connected stream of audio, sparing a look towards the three new trainees.

Meanwhile Niamh was staring upwards, above all the trainees lake blue caps, their existences were like a wave of distant dust to her. Her sky blue eyes gazing through the crowd, her gaze piercing, unlike her soft breaths. 

Oscar noticed her spaced out self, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out a slightly shaking palm. His tanned digits tugged slightly at her sleeve, alerting her to his presence to her side, her eyes having a dead gaze to them as she slowly turned to him. Though swiftly they shifted to a positive look once again.

As she turned to him she took notice of the woman who she previously choked, her eyebrows raising in surprise. The woman slowly turned to see Niamh standing there with an interested expression, her eyes widening in annoyance and general anger.

She yelled out to her "You! What the hell were you doing? What was your goal? To kill any opposition?!?" She dramatically pointed at her to which Niamh raised her hands accusingly.

Oscar swiftly took a step between them, worryingly stating "Listen, we can't be fighting now, we're going to become Sentinels soon, we need to work together on this!" 

The woman had never listened to a word he said, to her ears his voice was like an overcaffeinated squirrel with a typewriter trying to make a song. She swiftly approached Niamh, staring her in the eyes the entire time she stepped, the veins on her eyes flaring in anger as she thought of the fear and helplessness she felt while being choked.

Her movement ceased as she stood a few inches from Niamh, her eyes staring upwards into the surprised trainees. Niamhs eyes glanced for a split second at Brendan who looked at the two in concern, the woman couldn't help but feel a sense of weakness currently, was it Niamh's height compared to her? Her calm posture? No, there was something else.

She reached upwards to grip her jacket, annoyedly stating "You have nerve to look away from me..." Her feeble attempts at intimidation failed miserably as Niamh stared at her with a bored expression.

Niamh calmly pushed her head away with a single finger as she calmly stated "Listen orphan, I don't like children, and so I won't be dealing with you" She spoke with a tone of certainty and superiority.

The woman looked at her in anger, her mouth somewhat expanding into an annoyed smile, her temples veins protruded painfully. She ignored the pounding of her head as the blood swirled throughout her skull, she could only focus on the disgraceful disrespect of the trainee before her.

She annoyedly stated "One, I am seventeen, two, my name is Nora, third my father is still alive" Her nose exhaled a stream of pure anger condensed into a gust of air.

Niamh chuckled as she softly responded "Sure sure, and I'm Cú Chulainn, besides, just because you have a persons skeleton, it doesn't mean they are alive, sure in your memories, but not in physical state" She gently leaned down and grasped both her arms with a toothy grin.

Nora couldn't help but stare at Niamh in shock, she found something like that funny? Something so brutal and downright psychotic? Nora glanced at the other trainees, Laoise swiftly approaching them and reaching out an orange glove covered hand towards Nora.

She took a firm grip on the sleeve of her, giving her a strong tug away from the grasp of Niamh who looked at her in surprise. Niamh raised a finger as her mouth opened, a gust of air entered as it prepared to be released in a form of language. Though just as a wave of oxygen left her lungs a sleeve coated in orange armour blocked her path.

As she curiously look to her side she took sight of Oscar standing with his arm outstretched, his face betrayed a look of concern as he shook his head to her, she didn't understand what was wrong but she listened. Brendan felt a sense of unease at her being unaware of the issue at hand, however he decided against speaking to her.

As the group stood with a sense of unease a voice echoed throughout the room, the audio sliding in and out of their eardrums at a swift pace. Niamh was first to turn towards the source, the moment her eyes gazed upon it her expression leapt as her hand instinctively grappled onto Oscars wrist, his blood squirming in his veins as it felt its walls close tightly.

She began to pull him with her towards the origin of the voice, the others following curiously, though Nora was still staring daggers into Niamhs skull. Her eyes widened as she felt Laoise hold her shoulder calmly, giving her a gentle smile, one that could instantly soothe any kind of negative feeling.

Laoise calmly stated "I get your anger at her, and you're right to hold it, just don't let it consume you, you can help her change and understand her faults" She smiled calmly as she stared into Nora's eyes.

Nora looked to the ground with a nervous expression as she annoyedly stated "I-I can't...Why would I change someone who clearly cannot be fixed? I can't trust her to stay normal...I-I can't trust any of you..." Her arms raised to cross over her torso, like she was covering herself from the cold.

Laoise looked at her with a slight sadness in her pupils, though she pressed on "*"See the best of a person, and tear the worst out of them" She calmly stated.

Nora stopped suddenly as she looked up into Laoises emerald eyes, her confusion apparent in her gaze, though it was accompanied by a sense of recognition. Laoise slightly tilted her head softly as she gently stroked her hair, a wave of comfort washing over Nora's body and mind.

Laoise calmly stated "I can tell you have a reason behind not trusting us...You don't need to, but remember we have your back, when times are rough" She softly smiled as her and Nora's shining eyes connected.

Meanwhile Niamh and Oscar had gone ahead, though he was mostly dragged by her, the two stood as they stared into the distance beyond the crowd of trainees. The two took notice of Conan on stage with the four Sentinels behind him he looked beyond the crowd, his face plastered with a serious expression.

He took a look at Niamh, he felt his stomach turn for a moment before returning to scanning the crowd for a few more moments. His eyes gently closing as he inhaled deeply, allowing the oxygen to be purely syphoned by his lungs before allowing it to stream through his throat again. 

He loudly addressed the crowd "Everyone, we have mere moments before we begin the test, I would like to give one last thing to all of you in advance" He inhaled deeply as he finished his clear statement.

He glanced at each trainee for a moment before continuing "When a Fomorian is slain they leave behind a trace of their essence, you can grasp it in your hands and absorb it into your soul, you must pull it your heart, once done you will gain their power, there is canisters all across the dome filled with essence" He exhaled deeply, his last message spoken to the crowd.

He yelled out a final word "With all said and done, let's begin" His voice rattled the room as the trainees felt like their very beings were being shook by his voice alone.

As he concluded his final message the wall behind him began to change in design, its form shifting from a heavily plated design to a clear open tunnel lined with blinding lights. Conan turned from the crowd as he began to leave the stage, leaving the Sentinels to finish the beginning.

Cathal and Ava took a few steps forward as they called out to the audience, inciting them to follow them through the tunnel. Niamh and Oscar glanced at each other for a moment before Niamh happily squealed, her cheekbones stretching from her rising teeth. 

Oscar let out a nervous chuckle, his eyes squinted slightly as her cautiously glanced to the side. His wrist beginning to ache from Niamh's grip on it, his eyes widening from the pressure she exerted so effortlessly.

Oscar nervously stated "Yea yea I see it" He had an acceptant look on his face, his eyes had a hint of calmness.

The others followed close behind as Niamh happily dragged Oscar with her, catching the gaze of several confused trainees. However it also caught the gaze of a very irritated Ava who stared straight into Niamh's skull, her vision like an invisible knife piercing into her head.

Brendan had taken notice of Ava's concerning aggression, though he decided not to act on it as he didn't know Niamh enough, as a matter of fact he barely knew any of the others. He sighed deeply as he glanced at the man who was with Nora and Laoise.

Brendan caught up to his side as the man stared forward, his hair tainted with a dark brown shade. He barely noticed Brendan approach his right side, as he was staring forward towards the end of the hallway, his eyes squinted in confusion as he saw there was no door at the end.

Brendan slowly lowered a hand onto his shoulder as he calmly asked "Hey, you good?" His eyebrow raised as his green eyes stared into the fellow trainees blue ones.

He slightly jumped at the sudden contact but responded "Yea I'm fine…Just…Curious, that's all" He raised his head to look upwards.

Brendan scratched the back of his head in confusion, his eyes darting to the side of his skull for a moment before returning to the trainee. His breath swirling in his lungs as his hands tensed unawarely, though the rest of his body was soft like a cloud.

Brendan swiftly changed the subject as he asked "So what's your name?" He had a calm and slightly positive expression.

His expression perked up as he responded with a surprised expression "Oh uh, my name is Cormac Kavanagh" He slightly fiddled with his blue glove.

Brendans expression perked up as he responded calmly "Nice to meet you Cormac, my name is Brendan i-in case you didn't know" His positive tone trailed off nervously as he finished.

Cormac nodded swiftly as he responded with a blank expression "I've heard it enough, I already know your name" His eyes slowly lowered as he turned away.

Brendans eyes widened for a moment before he looked away for a split second, muttering to himself "I didn't realise he remembered that, he gave off the vibe of cognitive dysfunction, maybe my suspected down syndrome was correct..." He raised his fingers to his chin, giving them a firm grasp.

Cormac glanced at him, having only heard a soft mumble, he pondered if he should ask what Brendan was talking about, though he decided against it. Instead his gaze focused forward, the end of the hallway fast approaching.

Niamh hadn't noticed this as she still gripped Oscars now pained wrist in an iron grip, though he was a different story. His eyes betraying a hint of confusion, his wrists muscles tensed to the point his veins were on the verge of bursting. 

Niamh came to a sudden stop as she looked upwards, her eyes filled with surprise, Oscar glanced at his wrist still being held by her. Her mouth was slightly open as she stared upwards, hoping to find a reason behind the sudden end the corridor.

Ava took a step onto a stool at the very back of the hallway, she yelled out for all to hear "Now, stay close to your allies, you'll all be teleported into a random place in a few minutes" She took a glance at Niamh who returned a small smile to her.

Cathal stared forward for a few moments before his soft smile began to fade, he looked towards the floor in concerned confusion. His eyes widening as he quickly turned to Ava, who he realised stood motionless with a look of horror in her eyes.

Cathal swiftly turned to the crowd "Something's Happening! Get into your groups qui-" Before he could conclude, a wave of green energy engulfed the room.

It filled every sense of the trainees, though the two Sentinels were a different story as the two began to feel a sense of hopelessness, their bodies beginning to feel weak and lifeless. Ava glanced at Cathal who had collapsed onto his knees, staring at the ground with his face looking like he was going to fall asleep. 

She looked at him with gritted teeth and widened horrified eyes, though she felt her own body becoming heavy. She felt her own eyelids naturally begin to clasp over her pupils, her attempts at staying awake beginning to fail, her mind filled with deprecating thoughts of her own weakness and failures.

Above all the crowds and facilities sat two near invisible entities, their gazes piercing the top of the dome of which they were sat on. Their selves while humanoid in shape and posture, were clearly of not man. One standing up glanced at the one sitting on the dome, their eyes squinting as they happily smirked.

The one sat down was kitted in a full suit of grey armour, covered in plates of metal, their hands covered by fingerless gloves with flexible plate mail on their palms. Their eyes were red with dark blue pupils, their helmet, adorned with symbols representing flames, was covering most of their head though their mouth was partially visible.

The other was unarmoured but still had a sense of danger to him. He had dark grey hair with light green skin, his eyes were black with yellow pupils. He had four dagger sharp teeth at each side of his mouth, his face also missing a nose. He was wearing a black suit with white trousers, he had a jacket half on with it swaying behind him.

He calmly stated in a deep Wexford accent "It seems the Sentinels have become cocky, their newest legion guarded by a band of careless yet fearful soldiers" He closed his eyes calmly as he raised his head upwards.

A light feminine voice came from the armour, a soft Cork accent echoing through "So how long do we have to wait? Even those of mortal man cannot handle waits, it has caused such suffering for their species" She wrapped her heavily plated arms around her ankle.

The man spoke calmly "Easy now Anna, we have yet to see what capabilities they possess, if they fall by our hands at the current time their souls will be quite bland...Well aside from that one..." His smile extended as he continued his explanation.

The armoured one sat up as she determinedly stared through the tainted glass of the dome "Why did Cahira warn us of that one specifically? She claimed slaying Conan was of less priority than the one with the strong soul" Her eyes squinted as she pondered the words of her higher up.

The other tilted his head slightly as he calmly responded "Good question, I don't believe we should deny her word however, after all...Remember what was promised...A place among the S Rank...That's what you've always wanted...Right?" He calmly looked at her armour covered pupils.

She nodded slowly as she calmly stated "Yes, you are right...I believe we should take that one out now...If they're such a great threat that even she is concerned of them...What does it mean?..." Her palm tightened slightly as she finished.

The other raised his hand to his chin as he stated "I agree...I've...Been under her command for far longer than you...I've only ever seen her look that way once...Her fear..." He inhaled deeply for a moment.

The two looked downwards towards the groups, the armoured one speaking up once again "As two Six Dimensional beings, I'm sure we can handle the Sentinels and the other trainees...What do you think?" She slowly turned back to the other.

He responded calmly "Unfortunately, I just checked, there seems to be a barrier around the entire dome...This isn't a basic Sentinels power...We would need to be careful, you may have joined me in C- Rank...But we aren't invincible" He spoke with a serious tone to her.

She looked with determined eyes into the interior of the vast dome "You're right...How long until you can dispel the barrier?" She slowly turned back to him.

He tilted his head once again as he responded "Not long, only three days, that'll be enough time for the souls to become ripe and stronger...And once those are devoured...We go for that one..." He looked forward with a serious expression.

She returned his gaze and expression as she stated "Good, all that remains is a single challenge between us and greatness, remember the promise we made...We'll forge our hell into a heaven..." She nodded slowly to him.

He returned the nod with a small smile and furrowed brows, he approached her side as he took a seat next to her. The two stared into the vast dome, their gazes falling upon the countless trainees stuck with the lesser members of their race...The two Fomorians chuckled as they pondered what kind of battle awaited them, in both action, and viewing.