A klaxon sounded and Nar bolted upwards.

His forehead exploded in pain as he hit the short ceiling above his head.

“Ah! Crystal dammit!” Kur cursed from below him, having clearly suffered the same fate.

Nar opened his curtains and found that the room was a lot brighter now.

“What’s going on?” Tuk mumbled, still half asleep and peeking his head out of his own curtains.

“I think this is the wake-up call, remember?” Kur said, standing up and massaging his forehead.

“Couldn’t they have been nicer about it?” Mul asked. “Nearly puked my fucking heart first thing in the morning.”

“Good morning apprentices, this is the bridge speaking,” a voice said.

“What bridge?” Tuk asked, frowning in confusion.

“Hush!” Kur said.

“Please get ready and make your way to the canteens,” the same voice continued on, above their heads. “The path will be available to each party leader. You have 30 minutes to leave the room, or you will be penalized.”

“What do they mean by that?” Mul asked.

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out on the first day. Come on, up! Up! Up!”

“Okay, okay!” Mul grumbled, getting himself out of bed.

Nar too, fully opened the curtains of his beyond belief comfortable bed, and climbed down from it with regret.

“Best sleep I’ve ever had,” Tuk said, longingly staring at his bed.

“Yeah…” Nar said.

He felt good. No. Great. He didn’t know that his body and mind could feel that good, even if he was still sore from his aura exhaustion and burn.

First the shower, then the bed… This place is damned unbelievable.

“What are you two doing? Come on! Let’s go!” Kur shouted, clapping his hands.

Nar rushed to get ready, and by the time he got out, most of the party was already waiting for him.

“Nar!” Jul shouted. She walked towards him and for a moment she looked like she was going to hug him. She blushed as she realized it and stopped just short of it.

“You’re alright!” she said, her lip quivering a little.

“I am,” Nar said, smiling. “And so are you!”

“Ah! I wasn’t that bad. Just some scratches,” Jul said, looking away, embarrassed.

“Come on, guys, let’s go! We can catch up later!” Kur called at them, from the door.

The door behind him was open, and Nar could hear the sound of conversations coming in from outside.

“Sorry!” Nar said, and the two of them rushed to join the others.

Outside, they found a chaos of Climbers all rushing to get out of their own party rooms and make their way to the canteen, which Nar understood, with some expectation, to be the place where they would be getting their meals.

Real food! Nar thought, And I suppose I need to stop thinking of them as Climbers. Or us. We’re all delving apprentices now.

“Come on, we’ve got about 20 minutes left, but I don’t know how far this place is,” Kur told them. And with that, he led them forward, following a path only he could see.

As they walked, following behind other parties and being themselves followed by yet more apprentices, Nar quickly scanned the rest of the others.

Kur, Mul and Tuk he had seen that morning, and they all looked completely healed and well rested. As for the others, Gad walked with her back straight as usual, and showed no signs of the severe limping she had had the day before. She was telling Kur something, but Nar didn’t catch it. Cen was chatting with barely contained enthusiasm with her brother, who was trying to keep up with her energy. Tuk was rambling about what the food was going to be like with Viy, who, by her laughter and easy walking, seemed to have made a full recovery as well.

And that just left Jul, and when he looked down to his left, he found her big green and blue compound eyes looking up at him. Frowning.

“Oh… Hi!” he said, surprised.

“Hi,” she said.

Nar chuckled. “Jul, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“Hmmm.”

“And, also, you know, thanks,” Nar said, rubbing the back of his head. “For keeping me straight. At the end.”

“Hmmm,” she said again. “You know, I should be mad at that. It was not nice. After everything we’d been through, you know?”

“Yeah. I know…” Nar said, hanging his head down in shame.

“But you did the right thing in the end. And I know you were just worried about your dad,” she said.

Nar looked up again, a smile forming on his face.

“But!” she said, raising a threatening finger to his face. “You ever do something like that again, and I won’t forgive you! Ever! Do you hear me?”

“I do,” Nar said. “And I promise I won’t do it again.”

She nodded to herself and only then did she allow herself to smile.

“I know. You didn’t try to dump us to join Tys yesterday, or tried to just force Kur to say yes so you could come into the Labyrinth…”

“I would never do that!” Nar said, outraged.

Jul laughed, but before Nar could say anything further, a commotion up ahead distracted them. A bunch of apprentices were gathering around something, slowing down everyone else coming behind them.

“What’s going on now?” Mul rumbled.

Conversations filtered down to them, carrying unrestrained excitement and wonder.

“Crystal…”

“How many are there?”

“How did we miss this yesterday?”

Eventually, party leaders restored order over the parties in question and the line of apprentices reluctantly started moving again.

As they approached whatever had caused the commotion, and was even now still slowing down the line and causing shouts of surprise and disbelief to erupt amongst the apprentices, Nar realized that he knew the reason for all the commotion.

“You’re going to love this!” he told Jul. “I saw it last night!”

“What is it?” she asked, frowning.

Nar laughed. “Not telling!”

“What? Why not?”

Nar laughed harder at her outraged expression. “Just wait! You’ll see!”

And just as expected, it was the same window he had stumbled upon the previous night that was the source of all the excitement.

“Holy shit!” Tuk shouted. “Are those ships?”

“My Crystal…” Cen whispered. “Oh, my Crystal!”

The view wasn’t as dramatic as it been the night before, with the aethership trails being a lot more subdued in daylight, but the vast blue whiteness surrounding the ship, punctuated by the untold number of aetherships spread out as far as their eyes could see, was still a breathtaking sight.

Nar couldn’t help but grin as he watched their surprise and excitement.

Kur and Mul had simply glued their faces to the window, and were staring in open shock and disbelief. Cen was still whispering half formed sentences to herself. Viy stared with wide eyes so open, it must've hurt, and at her side, for perhaps the very first time, he was sure that Gad had just dropped her mouth half open. That left Tuk and Jul, whose faces Nar couldn’t see, but who had gone a step further than Mul and Kur and had all of their hands on the window as well.

Nar chuckled quietly behind her. “Was it not worth the surprise?”

Jul looked back at him, her expression one of such indescribable wonder that Nar felt his heart melt before it. He almost patted her head.

“It’s… Beautiful,” she breathed, her eyes shining.

“I can't believe what I’m seeing,” Tuk whispered. “Please Crystal, don’t let this be a dream. I don’t want to wake up and still be in that damned place.”

Mul reached over, without looking, and pinched the ring tosser’s leg.

“Ouch! What’s that for?”

“Just helping you know you’re awake,” Mul said, grinning.

“I… Uh. Thanks?” Tuk said, confused.

“Hey! What’s the hold up?” someone shouted behind them.

“Oof! I got distracted!” Kur said, snapping his eyes away from the window. “Come on, let’s go! We can come back later!”

“Yes, please!” Cen said, reluctantly moving away from the sight.

In fact, they were all reluctant to do so. It filled Nar’s heart with joy, to look at that view, and even more to see them all enjoying it as well. Together. Safe, healed and outside.

Not as sinful Climbers, but forgiven and free apprentices, about to start the next part of the journey of their lives.

Still grinning like a fool, Nar followed after them, listening in on their animated chatter.

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With about 5 minutes to spare, they reached the wide-open doors of the canteen.

It was a large and wide square room, with light gray walls. The floor at their feet was dark gray, and Nar thought it might be made of the same soft material as the room with the window. Already the long white tables and benches were filling with excited apprentices, and cries of joy were coming up from all over the place.

A tantalizing smell reached his nose, and Nar experienced something he had never before. A flush of saliva filled his mouth, and he knew instinctively that he was dying to stuff himself with whatever was smelling so insanely good.

“Form a line. Grab a tray. Grab a spoon,” a man in black and brown was saying, in a monotone repeat. “Don’t worry, there’s enough for everyone and you can eat as much as you can.”

“Good!” Mul said. “Cause that’s exactly what I’m gonna do!”

“Don’t eat too much!” Cen warned him.

“Why?” Tuk asked, sounding offended. “We don’t need to ration anymore!”

“No, we don’t,” Kur said, beaming. “But still, don’t eat to the point of getting sick. There are two other meals in the day. Don’t forget.”

“I can almost cry,” Mul said.

“I think I am,” Tuk whispered.

Painfully, excruciatingly slowly, the queue moved forward.

By the time they got to the trays, and got told what to do with them, plus the spoons, plus the dishes and glasses after they were done, Nar was feeling like he was about to pass out from hunger and need. The smell was driving him insane.

“Crystal, calm down you two!” Gad said, to Nar and Jul.

“The smell…” Jul breathed.

“It’s so good,” Nar finished.

“I’m glad I don’t have a crazy [Smell] like that,” Gad said, shaking her head. But Nar could tell by the way she was hopping from foot to foot, that she was also just barely containing her own excitement.

“Oh, my Crystal, what is that?” Tuk shouted.

A loud, full bellied laugh met his words.

“If you’re looking for words to describe it, you should say “That looks amazing!” or “That smells insanely good!”, and I can guarantee you, it will taste divine!”

Nar paused when he looked at the owner of the voice.

It was white, very, very white, with some visible blue veins here and there on its cheeks and strong arms. And round. And almost as tall as Nar.

The man, for that’s what Nar believed it to be, was dressed in some kind of all white clothing, except for a brown a black piece of cloth tied around his neck. He was also sporting some sort of black and transparent mesh over his bright, orange hair.

The man beamed at them with joy filled blue eyes and a big grin framed by a bushy orange mustache.

He stood on the other side of a strange metallic table, which held several containers of various things that Nar guessed were different kinds of food. They were in all shapes and colors, a dizzying display that went far beyond what Nar had thought was possible. The table had a kind of ceiling over it, from which bright, orange and red lights were beaming down onto the food.

“It looks amazing! It smells insanely good!” Tuk shouted, unable to contain himself.

The man boomed out in laughter.

“Alright! Let’s get you kids fed!” he shouted. “First you lay down your tray on those metal railings there. Then you grab your plate. Finally, you see the big spoons on all the containers? You use them to scoop up as much food as you want onto your plate. Then, you slide your tray along, and keep piling up the food!”

“My Crystal!” Mul breathed, his voice strangled with emotion. “Am I dreaming?”

“Oh, and there are tongs too!” the man said, raising up a new tool and clicking them together. “You use them to grab things that are hard to scoop up with a spoon. And no hands on the food! You hear me?”

“Yes, sir!” Tuk and Mul both shouted.

“Oh, and you can take as much as you like, but we don’t tolerate waste in the Scimitar,” the man said, looking seriously at them. “Whatever you take, you will eat. Do you understand?”

The two of them nodded, and Nar found himself nodding alongside them.

“Good! Then fill up, young ones! We’ll make sure you kids are always well fed!”

Mul and Tuk rushed in to do as the man said, and he followed them from the other side of the food table, and pointed out the names of everything they piled onto their plates.

Behind them, Nar heard another one of the white people, a woman this time, he guessed, explain the same thing to the party behind them, in a tone that was just as excited as the guy helping them out.

Nar reached in to scoop up some of those purple scrambled eggs thing, and was surprised to feel that the strong lights beaming down on the food were hot.

Excitedly, he grabbed some pink toast, some red bacon, a bunch of green mushrooms, and some blue, flat things that were called pancakes, and followed the others in drizzling a thick, dark gel substance over them, which the man had called a syrup.

“And don’t forget the water!” the man said, as they were finishing, pointing to a table where apprentices were filling up their cups with the transparent liquid. “There’ll be other drinks soon, but we want to get you guys used to drinking water first. None of that nasty jell-o from now on! And trust me, you’ll never look back! Alright, enjoy!”

And with that, they were left to grab some water, which they did, getting it from a tall black container.

Finally, they plopped themselves on an empty table, sitting on benches that were attached not to the floor, but to the table itself, through black lines of metal.

For a moment, no one said anything, and they all just stared at the array of food before them, almost unsure of what to do.

Crystal… Nar thought, taking in the colorful mix in front of him. The difference between it and the crackers he was used too couldn’t be anymore stark.

“Right! It’s food!” Mul said, grabbing his spoon. “Only one place it’s gonna go!”

Mul scooped up a handful of purple eggs and after a brief moment of hesitation, shoved them in his mouth.

His eyes went wide, and he froze, spoon still in his mouth.

That was the signal they had all been waiting for, and spoons swooped down and up they went, carrying their precious cargo to their destinations.

Nar closed his mouth around the metal utensil, and the most amazing sensation spread all over his tongue.

Nobody spoke.

Then, spoons started working with fervor, and the sounds of desperate eating filled the table.

Nar tried the mushrooms next, and nearly choked in surprise when they burst with flavor and downright melted in his mouth. The bacon was crispy and salty, and when he saw Tuk mixing the bacon, eggs and the toast together, Nar followed suit, knowing the trugger wouldn’t lead him wrong.

And to top it all off, the soft, fruity, sweetness of the blue pancakes and its thick, intoxicating syrup…

His brain had trouble keeping up with the torrent of knowledge that flooded it, as well as the inundation of new sensations and flavors that was coming up from his mouth.

When the plates were licked clean, by silent agreement, Tuk, Mul, Nar, Gad and Kur went for seconds, the others saying they were too full, and looking lethargic in their seats.

When Nar finally finished his food, and leaned on his elbows with a sigh of contentment, he realized he had forgotten his water.

He lifted up his metal cup and looked down at the transparent liquid within it. It had almost no smell at all, and the little that he caught was indecipherable to him.

He gave it a trial gulp, and found himself downing the whole thing and wanting more.

After all that food, the feeling of the cool water on his mouth, going down his throat! How could he put it into words?

“I don’t care what you say,” Mul said, glaring at Kur from across them, his eyes only half-open. “I’m getting rid of all those fucking crackers and jell-o.”

Instead of the rebuke he expected, Kur instead nodded very seriously.

“I know. Me too.”

“Oh… Uh. Good. Good,” Mul said, and looked down at his empty plate with a sorrowful expression.

“Don’t tell me you’re getting more?” Cen asked. “I could barely finish the first one!”

“Hmm… Nah,” Mul said, slowly, as if he wasn’t fully sure yet. “I think that’s enough. Anymore, and I might explode.”

“Damn right,” Tuk said, rubbing his stomach. “And what a happy way to go that would be…”

Suddenly, screens sprung to life on the walls around the canteen, halting the hubbub of excited conversations.

A woman looked out from then, and Nar could tell at a glance that despite the mischievous grin that adorned her face, that this person commanded respect.

She had deep, penetrating green eyes, and a rich, brown skin tone. Her dark hair fell in rivulets around her face, with touches of purple shining through. Of the little they could see, she wore a black and brown uniform from the chin down.

Nar could help but gape at her eyes. He had never seen eyes that color before. Or hair like that in any human ever.

“Damn, she's beautiful…” Viy whispered.

Nar couldn’t agree more. But at the same time, something told him that this was not someone that he wanted to fall on the bad side of.

“Good morning, apprentices!” she spoke, smiling widely. “I hope you’ve had time to rest from yesterday's insanity, and are ready to get started. I’m captain Janalyn Theombari, commanding officer of the Apprentice-Ship Scimitar and its crew, as well as the Dean for the faculty members that will be responsible for teaching you.”

Then, introductions done and pleasantries out of the way, her smile vanished, replaced by a firm, penetrating stare.

“Time is experience,” she continued. “That is the motto by which we delvers live by. As you’ve seen by our urgent departure yesterday, you are now in a place where everything costs experience. From powering the engines moving this ship, to firing our guns, to keeping you fed and for supporting all the many activities and staff required to teach you, these are just a few of the operational costs that we incur daily. Now, while it personally warms my heart to have taken you all from the Minus Levels, Tsurmirel is a delving guild, not a charity. And we are in the business of raising the next generation of elite combat delvers for our guild.”

Mul snorted, albeit very discreetly, and Cen elbowed him, staring around them with a horrified look.

“With that said, your training begins now. Welcome to the Intensive Pre-Delve Training,” the captain said. “And yes, I said Pre-Delve, you heard me correctly. While we have taken you all on board on the basis of the promise and potential that we saw during the Ceremony of Final Atonement, over the course of the next 2 months and a half to three months, you will be undergoing an extremely intensive training and will be assessed on your performance over the course of three different real combat scenarios.”

“Already?” Tuk whispered. “But we just go here?”

Kur lifted a finger to his lips, before focusing back on the closest screen to their table.

“I know this must come as a shock to you, but it’s the Scimitar’s policy to only carry with us, into our two year delve, the most promising of apprentices. And for that reason, I exhort you all to work hard and make the absolute most of your training. Otherwise, you will be asked to leave us at the point of no-return, at which point the guild will discuss a vast number of opportunities from which you can choose to make a living off.”

A hint of a smile touched her lips. “As our recruiters will have explained to you, it’s not like we’ll abandon you in the Endless Labyrinth. Not making the cut for the Scimitar is not the end of your lives. Far from it. However, if you Climbed up dreaming of exploring the Labyrinth and of reaching the heights of your paths, then know that many would give up limbs to be where you are seated right now. Tsurmirel is ranked sixth amongst all the delving guilds in the Infinite Nexus! We have, we continue to, and in the future, we’ll raise many more delvers into the ranks of the Named Few!”

A shiver ran through Nar’s body, and he couldn’t contain the grin that blossomed on his face.

Named Few… That’s what I’m here for.

“And with that, we’ll begin straight away. Today, your morning time will be taken by a quick crash course over the basics of the Nexus and the Labyrinth. It will be followed by a visit to the quartermaster so that we can access your weapons and replace your gear, and finally, and more importantly, you will be assessed for your affinities. After a quick lunch break, you will be spending the afternoon in the capable hands of the Master of Aura,” she said, intoning it as though it wasn’t the first time in the day she had recited that schedule. “And don’t worry if none of this makes any sense. You’re here to learn, and we are here to teach you. You will be guided at every step of the way. Now…”

And for a brief moment, Nar could’ve sworn that he saw a hint of true emotion flash by in captain Theombari’s features, but it was gone before he could even be sure he actually saw it.

“The only reason that this intense training is even possible in the first place, is because you are all Ex-Climbers,” she said, her tone unmistakably softer. “You are not pure greenhorns, like the aethermancers we recruit into other apprentice-ships. No. You are battle hardened apprentices. You’ve gone through things that are both incredibly hard to understand and justify. The actual Climb aside, which we don’t have footage for, your performance in that Ceremony alone was enough to send every auramancer apprentice-ship into a recruiting frenzy, and I am glad and honored that it’s aboard the Scimitar that you will receive your instruction.”

And with that, she inclined her head at them. Nar wasn’t entirely sure what the gesture was supposed to mean, but he took it as a sign of her respecting everything they had gone through. And Crystal, it had been a lot. From the very doors of their cubeplant, to the gates of the O-Nex… A path paid in blood, sweat and suffering.

Nar would never forget it.

Even now, with an empty plate before him, belly stuffed to bursting with the most amazing food he had ever tasted, and with his party surrounded by hundreds of other climbers in that gray walled room, flying aboard an aethership on their way to the Labyrinth… If he closed his eyes, he was right back down there once again, following that endless yellow lit path through the darkness.

No… Not endless, Nar thought frowning, and focused his eyes to take in his surroundings. Not endless, and not there anymore. We’re out now.

“That said, however,” the captain continued, as Nar forced his eyes to drink in his surroundings. “The things you have gone through were… Well, let’s just say that they could have left a mark. If you find yourselves in need of talking to someone about what happened, or you believe that one of your party members would benefit from the help of our healer staff, please raise it with one of your masters or instructors, or even directly at sickbay. We’re here to push you hard, yes. Work you to the bone, yes. But, we’re here for you. Even if you haven’t signed up fully with Tsurmirel, you are still Tsurmirel apprentices, and Tsurmirel always looks after their own. Even when it doesn’t look like it.”

That last bit, she delivered with a wry chuckle and a network of wrinkles formed around her eyes.

“Alright, enough of me talking before I put you all to sleep,” she said. “Nexus 101 is first on the agenda for today. Follow your party leaders. They will have the path to the right place. And remember, only those who show us their determination and commitment will be invited to stay aboard, and after a few days with us, you’ll understand exactly just what we can do for you and your paths. Not to mention, that it would be in your best interest to learn what we have to teach you, and learn fast. That is, if you want to be alive to reach the point of no return in the first place. You have all agreed to and signed the contracts, and you will all fight. No exceptions. Captain, out!”

And with that, her image disappeared, and the lights came back on above the stunned apprentices.

“Uh, what did she mean by that?” Tuk asked, looking around the others in the sudden silence.