0 sols, wakelum, marked the start of the aestari lum. With an eternal nighttime shrouding the world, Brian couldn't exactly classify it as 'too early in the morning'. However, it felt that way – not that he minded, of course. But, it seemed as if his body was getting used to Valteria’s day-night cycle, or more accurately, its lack thereof. Maybe it was the result of one of his abilities, but he couldn’t be sure.

In no time, three more people were walking up to them, all in the same white attire as Caelia and Livia. Each uniform had a wide stripe down the side in different colors, and Brian guessed it probably had something to do with rank. There was a muscly guy with short, black hair and a navy blue stripe, a tall woman with dark hair and a platinum stripe that made her look like a big shot, and a skinny man with shiny, black hair slicked back and a bronze stripe on his uniform.

They stepped onto a platform located against the wall. It was then that Brian's anxiety kicked into full gear; the individuals that entered appeared to be the ones in charge of the Decimator program. Brian had been hoping that it would feel like a chill corporate training session, but at this point, it seemed that it was going to be a full-on military-style operation.

Kael was as calm as ever. Livia, though attentive, seemed overly excited to start. As for Jax, he was making weird faces. Brian wondered if Jax was trying to be funny, but he remembered that Jax had mentioned suffering from severe temporomandibular disorders or something. Regardless, just looking at him was enough to make Brian sweat.

Then, all of a sudden, Brian felt a warm hand on his, and his jittery nerves cooled down. Sophia. She'd seen him freaking out and reached out. Her hand was like a lifeline, a reminder that he wasn't facing this crazy situation alone.

The trio on the platform cleared their throats, and every pair of eyes in the room turned towards them. Showtime.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Decimator Program. Typically, we only see two to three new recruits for each course, but this class is larger than usual, it is nice to see our ranks growing! Still, the responsibility that falls upon your shoulders is not one to be taken lightly."

He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in. "Now, I have the honor of presenting Vice Director Lysandra Corvus." Darius gestured to a poised, regal woman, who took a single step forward.

"You have all chosen a path fraught with difficulty, yet essential to the stability and prosperity of our nation. We must ensure the survival of Arcasium's citizens at all costs. While our methods can appear ruthless, it is the price we pay for our continued existence."

“Thank you, Vice Director,” Darius stepped forward.

The recruits nodded, then she and the wiry man, who seemed to be her assistant, walked off the dais, leaving Commander Keldorn alone.

"Training will resume immediately," Darius announced with a stern voice. "Prepare yourselves, for the challenges ahead will test your resolve and your capabilities. It is through adversity that you will become the Decimators our nation needs."

[Aestari (Glow) - lvl ???]

Darius's face told a story of countless battles, scars etched across his rugged face contained evidence of his warrior's past. The energy signature emanating from him was on par with Zarkon’s valtite level, speaking to his formidable power. Just thinking of talking to him flared his nerves.

Brian caught the sight of Sophia in his peripheral vision, her fists balled up tight. Seeing her like that, so set on what was coming, made the knot in his stomach tighten. These weren't some difficult video game levels they were heading into, they were the real deal. The weight of that truth was settling in, heavy as lead.

After a short break, the students followed Darius to one of the smaller classrooms where he started a very brief introduction, providing general decimator academy guidelines and talking about his expectations.

Tapping a clipboard with her fingers, Caelia walked up to commander Darius. “Sir, the registration for the two new recruits has been processed and everything is in order.”

Darius nodded with a low grunt and Caelia walked out of the classroom.

He cleared his throat. "Now that the formalities are out of the way, let’s start the first lesson. You need to understand exactly what you're up against. The monster races of Valteria are not disorganized beasts. They operate based on a strict hierarchical system with five ranks."

"Let's start from the bottom. The lesser monsters possess basic intelligence and strength, roughly equivalent to an average aestari. They handle menial labor and fill the role of cannon fodder on the battlefield. Then come the soldiers, the bulk of their forces.

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"Backbone, huh? So the chiropractors of the monster world. That's a lot of pressure on their... vertebrae." Jax chimed in.

Darius grunted, then continued. “Sentries specialize in reconnaissance and report directly to the betas, who lead the soldiers and possess significant power and skill."

These were facts that Brian had learned on the field firsthand.

"And at the top?" Kael asked.

"The alphas." Darius clenched his fist. "They are at the top of the food chain. The strongest and most dominant of each race. They are responsible for guiding their race's actions and ensuring survival. Do not underestimate them. There aren’t many decimators who can take down an alpha,” he paused. “Not alone at least."

Zarkon. Brian got dizzy remembering himself hanging from the alpha’s neck as he ran laps across Reptiscale Caverns.

"You okay?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah, just... processing." Brian smiled. “... And hoping this isn’t gonna be like one of those school arcs in anime.”

“THAT’S ENOUGH! I expect full attention. If you do not take your time here seriously, you will be another dead decimator out there. Now, go eat. The next lesson starts at 2 Sols.”

Darius stormed out of the classroom, leaving only silence behind.

“Alright, let’s eat!” Sophia stood up from her chair. All the students, including Brian, followed her lead.

They went to the dining area, where the picnic-style tables were. They were greeted by Elda and the savory aroma of sizzling, unknown meat and fresh bread. Elda, a kind-hearted elderly lady with warm eyes and a gentle smile, volunteered her time to cook for the recruits.

"Welcome to the Academy, my dears," she said, setting the tray down onto the table. The aroma wafting off the dishes was mouthwatering. “I see we have a bigger crowd this time.” Elda smiled.

"Hello, Elda," Livia greeted. “Are you the only one who volunteers here?”

"Livia my dear, you might think it's a burden, but I don’t mind at all," Elda paused thoughtfully before continuing, "Well, I’m retired and there aren’t many folks my age with the time to come out to help. After all, many pass away at a much younger age."

Brian estimated that if aestari aged like humans did, Elda must have been at least 70, minimum. “Ma’am, you must have seen all of Valteria, then.” Brian smiled politely, then took his first bite of the bread. He suddenly forgot that he was not on Earth. It was the best bread he had ever tasted by a wide margin. “Also, your food is delicious.”

“Well, aren’t you a polite young man. And yes, I have seen some, but most likely not as much as you see after you finish the academy,” Elda teased. “But for the love of god! Be careful out there.”

"Time reveals all," Kael commented cryptically.

“I wish I could hear your stories,” Brian said with sincerity.

“But you can.” Livia responded quickly.

“It’s true, I’m the city’s historian. The gallery is located at Dayward Thranis Promenade, Stop by anytime.”

Given that Brian knew absolutely nothing about Valteria, this was nothing short of a perfect opportunity. As soon as he became a decimator, Elda’s gallery would be his next destination. “We’ll be there,” he assured her.

“Sounds like a plan,” Sophia added.

Kael nodded, “I, too, would like to tag along.”

“Well, it was lovely meeting you. I have to get going, best of luck to everyone. Livia, it was nice seeing you here again”

While everyone said goodbye almost in unison, Brian wondered why Elda had told Livia, ‘it was nice seeing you here again’ Had she failed the Decimator Academy before? He considered asking Livia directly, but chose not to, out of concern that it might make someone suspect his non-aestari origin. What if someone scanned his energy signature with those SpectraSight V-Scanners? Everyone who had scanned Brian so far had pointed out that he had a 'monster' energy signature. There was no other way around it. The best path forward was to engage in normal conversations, act normally, and avoid drawing attention to himself.

Jax was already shoveling food into his mouth with gusto. “You bunch better hurry, I don’t know if you checked, but we have less than ten minutiae, before the next…” he continued chewing.

“Lesson,” Sophia finished for him, but Jax was already too occupied with his food to notice. “He’s right,” she said, prompting Brian to dig into his own food as well.

“What do you think the first lesson would be about?” Brian asked.

“We’ll find out our valtite affinity!” Livia said proudly. “After that, we will study rigorously to manifest our valtite.”

“Brian! Stop hitting on Elda!” Jax shook his head.

“I wasn’t–” A piece of the unknown meat got stuck in the middle of Brian’s throat.

“What’s your ‘girlfriend’ going to think? Geez, respect Sophia,” Jax added.

Swallowing hard, Brian rapidly clarified, “she’s not my girlfriend yet.”

“Yet?” Sophia smirked.

“Brian, your pigmentation…is redder than a glimmerscale chirper,” Kael commented.

Brian, a bit flustered but smiling, replied, "Well, I mean, we're...uh...yeah, let's eat! Remember, Darius likes punctuality."