Aleph is back there again, the past is hardly far from him, it’s a year ago and it’s still in the present. The Quantum Vampire hardly has trouble keeping memory, the past and future is traded for the present what was moments ago still is and what will be never comes.

Aleph has his eyes closed in the shared quarters, silence and darkness it allows him to relive the memories with visceral quality.

Aleph is thinking of the worst of it, he argued with her before he came back here again, shoved her he almost struck her... he’s sorry but it just ends these ways doesn’t it.

3048AD ONE YEAR AGO

He stood up... reaching to help her up but she waved him off and stood up on her own.

“I don’t have the opportunity to abandon things without consequence like ––.”

“Like what, Tell me!? Like what!?” Arms stretched out as her voice raises, he could see it in her eyes she was afraid of him and it hurt yet he doesn’t feel that pain travel to his heart, it only makes him ball his fists

She gasps as his finger as at her chest and he harshly points, the force in what for her is him striking her knocking wind out of her, and she gives ‘the flare’ sort of glare he saw when she faced someone betraying her or when he didn’t heed her commands when they were mindlessly running about

“Why can’t you grow up!!” He forces out looking aside to the ground.

“Why can’t you run away with me!” Retorting angrily

He rolls his eyes and turns away looking away “Not this again. You want me to run away with you? Live like a human, like your father attempted? Die like him too?” He States in that cold punishing tone the same he used when leader in training, his mouth runs on his mind on autopilot unable to stop until the words have already pierced her

—The expression on her face—earned by how he foolishly let his anger drive those thoughtless words- haunt him searing into his mind for life.

He whips back around to face her

“No so- we...” she is choking up, it’s killing him, but she finished before he can try to heal the wound he’s made. “Live like us, like we ourselves choose.”

She isn’t ready to cry yet, but feels the floodgates of her heart crack under the weight of what she is beginning to understand

as Aleph reaches out to her. She recoils from him, as she wipes the tears with her hand and stares down into it then as more fall into her palm

Aleph staring helplessly not daring to hug or hold her.

“It really doesn’t matter what happens to you Aleph? That you’ll let them kill who you are because of a duty you never chose –– a duty not even your father willingly honored? You have the opportunity he never had –– to live! We can run away right now –– you know we can I met you here everyday, hoping we will!”

He doesn’t have the heart to tell Arianne the truth, he doesn’t want to go with her. But the look in her eyes is as if she already knows…

PRESENT 3049AD SEPTEMBER

He can hear his pad turning on. They’re being called. It’s uneventful and silent, they start with his first... they never do, he’s not a team leader are they plotting again?

They shuffle out, he barely has time to process where he is in line because he already know he’s perfectly aligned purely by muscle memory, the walls of this place reflect into his eyes despite having no light, he’s back into the hallway and out of their quarters.

The walls seem to close in on Aleph without ever touching him, dragging him backwards and he’s– he’s back? Smoothly moving back from the exit of the shared quarters and into the hall…

Saiyah is behind him, none of them breathe they have no need save for her, too talkative to be without taking a breath.

Agitating Is all Aleph can think.

They are making their way toward a larger room, despite the usual darkness the metal walls now carried their reflections, the immense line of candidates without pauses shuffling through the corridors.

Strange, the lights are always off, he wonders why they were ever installed, was it for a particular person..was it for Eternia? That wouldn’t make sense ruler wouldn’t need them especially.

Aleph was where they often would all be called too, they took formation quickly, there was hundreds of plaques, this was different all 144,000 candidates were here, each of them were organized neatly.

Krul and the Instructor came, keeping them all on alert, the 144,000 candidates having as much active purpose to existence as a pillar does when it stands tall, soon to hold up the roof and protect the foundation.

30 Divisions and, 4,800 candidates each.

S2N2

Krul was short and tact and to the point. “I’m sure many of you may have heard of Candidate Aleph performance in the combat quiz section of the latter engagement courses.”. He doesn’t wait for them to give affirmation.

Silence is golden they are to encourage obedience.

“This is going to be the standard of all future simulation courses, in accordance with reintroducing older standards.” He takes a slow pause and looks them over.

Krul’s mask looks over the teenagers.

Saiyah, Asaph, Aleph. Three bastards.

He waves a hand “In forty minutes meet me here exactly as the time is up, repair your uniforms, feed at the bloodbanks.”

Krul watches them leave – Aleph is last muttering something to the other two bastards.

Krul shakes his head, and turns to the instructor “Prep the information pad for the next lesson.”, The Instructor nods to him and she maeks way to center of the room.

This hall is where they would teach them lessons.

Vampires don’t need cafeterias, restrooms or even beds. Krul is happy to remark and remind himself.

This interior room is where they often taught them, most rooms had dual function – the function of this room being utilized by some sort of lever being pulled, the floor shifts revealing a large rectangular shape. From her position, a keyboard and screen emerge from the wall.

The instructor preps the next lesson.

Krul hated Shocktroopers it was no question about it, the descendants of their forefathers many of whom the parents of this batch were had earned his ire and hatred.

His hands haven’t left his back, he has something for one of them.

He doesn’t have to worry about them being far too late, soon due to his sharp command they arrived the moment forty minutes were up, he could sense they were at greater strength now

Especially Aleph.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Run through whatever he thought could kill them, especially with the recent command of determining if Aleph was a lost prototype.

Krul had to now balance this, Eternia herself was here.

Balance it..they’re monsters, I could do my damned best and likely end up killing myself he stops and speaks boldly to them as they return.

“Now that you can all go to the next section together.” He sharply nods toward Aleph, he likes the way heads turn to him, sees him squirm like a human, his gloved hands rub together cruelly with what he holds in hand.

“We have now a new lesson to teach you.”

The lesson was by no means quick. Aleph was prepared and witnessed it, they sat there, legs crossed.

It was an eternity, Krul treated it as if it was moments but Aleph in this one moment, mind and soul untampered temporarily by the nature of this facility, how the walls drag along the mind and scrape the psyche as you try to walk through them.

Resisted and was tormented, unable to move purely by order and reasoning.

It had to have been a year, but he knew outside it was no time at all, it felt painful to remember every inch of the lesson, he knew one thing that wasn’t human his sense of time.

The concept of tomorrow is hard and what happened weeks ago is barely considered distant for them.

Aleph does oddly thank being raised by humans for moments like these, he feels more aware than they are, his appreciation of time helps him understand they stayed and stared forwards, speaking up occasionally for what amounts to a year.

It’s nothing for them, they’re barely fifteen like him and still have no care of how much time has passed.

They’re anger at how he held them back was purely because of obstacle less of what is being lost.

Even now, It’s as if I’m watching who I am yesterday become distant.

Aleph can feel the lesson scratching at his mind, a voice emitting mechanics, information of cybernetics, to any child raised by a son’s of Adam this should purely be nonsense even if introduced to a young genius.

But this training knew what they were. Aleph feels comforted and also vexed that the very nature of his being fits what they’re doing well, he’s learned much now, purely a visual learner he understands far more now than ever.

The benefit of how this facility is constructed, but he feels like it’s destroying him, he would so eagerly give up everything human sometimes, but he’s realizing something.

She feels so far away, Arianne, it’s scaring him, nothing should be distant, but she is it’s like this surprise lesson is meant to target that.

“The only good thing about humans.” Krul mutters on a section about honor of humans and how to some degrees it is weakness. He sees what reconstructed images of the dark age of mankind is, a year in which a great empire joined an ally within an Axis, how their honor lead to futile charges amongst open terrain, how their bodies were split by gunfire.

Aleph struggles to think of this last portion of the lesson being worthwhile amongst mechanics, intricate information of cybernetics and complex mathematics intertwined with physics, is this purely to teach a futility in mankind’s beliefs?

Aleph feels the walls passage of time grind away at him.

Being raised among humans made him value time despite not being subject to such a short life as they were, to spend so much time grated at his soul, he’d gotten used to it, some lessons were longer.

They don’t value time like I do because they’re more in tune with who they are. Aleph laments.

They’re all seated, occasionally one is questioned, they raise their hand. Krul’s identification is sharp.

Krul wasn’t just any twisted Vis-Stasi given command, he’d fought every twisted thing the Universe threw at her, at Eternia, I could give some respect Is how Aleph has conditioned himself, feeling apologetic for the few times he had to fight the urge to kill the one in charge of training all of them.

“Aleph!.” Krul cut into his thoughts, starting slow and deliberate. “What is the direct advantage you will be expected to have as her fist

“Sir!” Aleph addresses as flat as they’ve all been demanded to when speaking to a superior since he arrived.

“Speed, strength, adaptability. Without armor a Shocktroopers combat effectiveness shouldn’t lower even by one-one-billionth of a percentile.” Alephs memorized that statement.

he’s only read it twice during course work, he didn’t believe something like this until they’ve shown him what his body can do, fully let him understand.

Just how fragile the world around him will be as he grows stronger..

“Notice how not a single one was honor?” Krul laughs, “Honor is character that will help build trust among your fellows.” Krul informs, he points to the screen, it transitions to human legends and literal history, the artistry used to present it is immaculate hand-drawn by new-historians.

Then it shifts toward that old army of the dark age, and others from various periods of humanity on accursed earth. “Weak human honor begins a seed of defeat that will creep in eventually.”

Krul’s lesson goes on about honor instructing for and against it in such contradiction Aleph’s head spins, he catches sight of his comrade, his eyes on Saiyah who mechanically listens, straight posture mouth unmoving, no breath drawn or exhaled.

“Honor practiced incorrectly in terrible time will result in death. The honor you should all practice.” Krul’s tone shifts from ambitious and proud as it was from the great ability he used to instruct without pause or stutter for great durations of time to–

“That honor you are all entrusted, as the caste who founded this empire.” Krul says begrudgingly as he speaks something they know is required of him.

They collectively notice with smiles etched on everyone’s faces as his tone is falling flat, from ambitious to weak.

As if his jealousy inspires them This entire facility of shock troopers once dead-silent both ways had it only one way now, they were smiling, a horrible thing shown in their faces.

Pride.

Aleph felt no such pride, to be chosen.

Hours later.

Krul had been hiding something behind his hands.

Not for anyones benefit.

Asaph had struggled to hold back but had him pinned to the wall his teeth bared, he wasn’t going to bite, just pummel, Aleph was stronger, but his fear of pain gave the former all the advantage needed.

“Then–“Asaph wants to do so many things, bitter and angry, all Aleph did was exhibit some incredible strength, all he did was do what was expected.

Asaph doesn’t hate Aleph he just thinks less of him Is that so wrong? He held us back.

Asaph isn’t team leader, it’s Aleph, Asaph was picked immediately, when he lead a significant group of them before Aleph had ever arrived to dismantle the previous instructor with teeth, hands and claws this was oddly rewarded.

Asaph was proud, he faced no punishment his strange ability to encourage brutal ferocity, devious planning was rewarded, and now Aleph succeeding where he should’ve already been able to was being rewarded.

He couldn’t help but slam him into an equipment locker the moment it was just them three, they got another addition, a candidate for Sergeant’s who was as equally angry at Aleph

Saiyah wasn’t here right now, and it was good thing. It would be a big fight!

Being marked for Sergeant was already coveted, and now it was Aleph.

“What are you smiling for!?” The newbie to their team growls with anger, fists readied.

Aleph is smiling at Asaph, noticeably down at him even as he is being held higher than Asaph.

Asaph’s fury reignites, his care for Aleph dies again and his wounded pride makes his fist take off.

It soars and surges into Aleph’s chest covered by training suit, he can feel the bones under the uniform shatter.

The entire row of lockers bounces and clatters around doors bursting open as they shake.

Aleph has no issue throwing Asaph off in retaliation, blood falls onto Asaph’s nose, than he can see two hands raise and become a blur, Asaph is wrenched off in a struggle.

They struggle and the Newbie doesn’t think of getting in, she hasn’t seen punches thrown that quickly, not even amongst Shocktroopers.

Asaph is the only one throwing them, and Aleph takes them, struck dozens of times, eyes and nose.

Asaph can throw hits of incredible strength but he’s encouraged to throw them past even his undead limits knowing the kind of strength Aleph can return even before his snap in the live-fire hall.

Asaph is already tumbling into the benches from a mere shove, left alone on the floor he doesn’t even sense the newbie anymore despite her still lingering presence.

Furious in the stare pointed up at Aleph, Aleph would give in. This wasn’t the first time they’d fought.

“I’m sorry.” Asaph didn’t consider humans but to see that brutal sorrowful quality had him seeing Aleph as a lesser to take care of, an annoying little brother. He often relented even when he’d fought Aleph.

He can’t imagine truly looking to hurt his brother, but this time was different.

Aleph was smiling earlier but now it faded into a stern glare, Asaph expected to hear a whole spiel but the words that came out were like instruction.

“Jealousy is very human Asaph.” Aleph speaks.

Asaph is expecting his hurt to cause him to rage, rise up and give a brutal uppercut physically rather than verbally.

“You’re right.” Asaph fully considers this; I doubt the credibility of their decisions but-.

“Aleph, I don’t think you should make leader for what should barely even be a minor feat in training.” He discredits Aleph’s last stand boldly with monotone voice again lacking any rage.

“But–” He pauses still looking up at Aleph still and it irks him to see it that damned thing saw the pin Krul was hiding behind his back–more than just a pin.

It was an object for what would eventually be placed into their SET’s. A Sergeant’s communicator piece.

It doubled as a pin for uniform.

“I know you’re not enough for it like I am.” Asaph laments in loss of his place, what he would’ve had as team-leader as responsibility is now in the one who stands above him.

But he hadn’t spoken that truly only out of coveting, he hadn’t seen Aleph ever make command

Elsewhere.

Eternia is waiting, seated behind glass as the final bit of the instruction she ordered Krul to begin early has begun, she knows the candidates will adapt quickly she’s seen it before in the two previous generations.

Eternia taps her fingers as she sees all of them walk into a live-fire training hall that is massive.

The facility burrowed into the ground has one particular space that deceptively in size is built with the same mechanisms that distort the time around them.

In a literal sense this part of the facility is burrowed into terror-space so finely, it presents a massive area that can be visible entirely as if the room was small, but the size is that of an immense battlefield.

Aleph marches in some of his betters and lesser with him. That is my solution to the Mechra, if he can’t exhibit what is required of him here it is better they all die, rather than slowly much later. Eternia speaks weakly toward herself, standing next to Delara, she uncomfortably fidgets as sees him and the others waltz into an arena they haven’t been in yet.

This unspoken was the next part of their training, ‘gauntlet’.