The sunlight filtering in through the canopy and the chirping woke him up. Judging from the surroundings, he figured that they were in the northern woods now. 048 was still asleep, hugging the bag of food close to his chest. As for Axel, he was wide awake, just as Yuri expected.
“We are close. Less than an hour maybe. You should wake him up.” Axel said without turning back.
The northern woods were a pleasure to the eyes. Lively forests topped with snow from the previous night, flowers of every kind, and even birds that he couldn’t recognize. He spotted many wild animals, but none of them paid him any attention. Soon, he could hear the rushing water to his left. Must be a river or a waterfall, he thought. The soothing sound triggered something else in him.
“Hey Axel, can we stop for a minute?” He asked.
“Why? Nature’s call?” Axel asked back. Yuri nodded and smiled.
“Fine. Take 048 with you.” Axel said as he stopped the carriage.
He found a spot near a bush that was tangled with spider webs, which was perfect because he despised the eight-legged bastards.
“You sure you don’t wanna take a leak?” He asked 048 as he started to release his business.
“No. I’m good.” 048 replied.
“Sizaxians don’t pee, I guess,” Yuri commented sarcastically.
“Haha.” 048 continued to keep watch.
Suddenly, they were alerted by the sound of crunching leaves coming their way. A million thoughts struck like needles to his mind. A wild animal? An enemy perhaps? One of the rumored cannibal cultists?
“Peeing alone sweetie?” The hoarse voice made them scream. He hurriedly zipped his pants and made a run for it.
“DON’T LOOK BACK. I THINK HE’S CHASING US.” 048 yelled out. Yuri felt as if a wild dog was out for them. His thoughts became fuzzy, his heart pounding. They ran till they saw Axel approaching them. “What’s the matter?” He asked. “SOMEONE’S CHASING US.” Yuri cried out.
He felt relieved. Whatever was chasing them wouldn’t do so anymore. Maybe Axel would yell out some nonsensical curse again and silence it for good. But instead, he heard Axel yell something he wasn’t expecting.
“That’s one of your academy masters, you morons!.”
“For real?” Yuri felt pretty dumb, then again, what kind of master would chase their students through the woods? They stopped their course and walked back to join them.
“Yuri, 048. This is the first year Kre-gia master, Master Hanshon.” Axel introduced them to a tall, hairy, but considerably young man.
“What a lovely bunch. Pleased to meet you. I hope that you’ll be looking forward to learning Kre-gia. It's a fascinating form. '' Master Hanshon said, extending his hand.
“Absolutely. What’s Kre-gia?” Yuri asked as he shook it. 048 slapped Yuri’s back instantly. A dumbfounded expression formed on the master’s face.
“Well, we have a bright one over here, don’t we?”. Hanshon laughed.
They abandoned the carriage and decided to follow Hanshon to the island. The pathway in the forest became narrower as they went on. The thick pine trees in this section of the forest were longer than they could see. He curiously observed the adults talking.
“Master, are we the last to arrive? Is Meara’s group already here?” Axel asked him. “No, there is still one more group left to arrive. I reckon Meara is leading her group ahead of us right now. I met them last night. She asked the same about you.” Axel frowned at Hanshon’s reply.
“Who’s Meara?” Yuri quietly asked 048.
“She’s one of the military generals. Two years older than Axel but one of the youngest high-ranking officials.” 048 answered.
“But she’s not a Valor?” Yuri asked. “No, but the council trusts her. It’s a sign of a good relationship with the government.” It was all fascinating to Yuri. Interesting people, new terms, intriguing places…
After a few minutes of walking, the edge of the forest became visible. It was a shore like 048 had told him. As they approached closer to the shore, they found another group of oddballs standing near the boats. One of them was inside a metal black suit, a lot bigger than 048 in terms of sheer size.
“HAHA. YOU LOSE.” The loud mechanical, but female voice from the suit yelled out at them.
“What?” 048 asked.
“I… might have made a wager with her. We should’ve gotten here sooner. If it wasn’t for Akuna…” Axel said, but he was interrupted by Master Hanshon.
“Akuna?” Hanshon stopped him by pressing his katana handle to Axel’s chest. “Surely, you’re not talking about the fire ghoul, are you?” Hanshon asked.
“What? You knew about this?” Axel asked confusedly.
“Oh boy, I hope you didn’t exorcize her. We are not even supposed to approach it by the council’s orders.” The master replied calmly. Yuri saw Axel being lost in thought. “If I did? What would be the repercussions?”
“Let’s just say that the council won’t be happy..” The master walked forward, leaving behind a pale-faced Axel. Hanshon smiled at Yuri and placed his hands around him.
“He didn’t put you boys in any sort of danger, did he?” He asked. “No. It was fun. Nothing dangerous.” Yuri replied instantly. “Fun, I see…”
“WHAT ARE YOU BOYS STALLING FOR? GET YOUR LOSER ASSES OVER HERE.” The mechanical voice yelled out again. This time, the group of people became more visible to Yuri. He made out a brown-haired boy, who was around his age, a blonde girl with a ponytail, and a peculiar-looking dog. He assumed that those were the other first years. He tried his best to put on a smile, but he was sure it looked creepy.
“Stu Arwt. Pleased to meet you.” The boy introduced himself. The name struck me as familiar to Yuri. “Hello. I’m Daro Yuri.” He shook his firm hand.
The girl approached him. “I’m Jin Penson. I love dogs. What about you?”
“What?” Yuri asked back. “Do you like dogs?” She repeated herself. “Yeah sure, I guess,” he answered.
“Hey Jin, Long time no see.” 048 hugged her after Yuri’s weird interaction. “Fortyy!! I missed you so much.” The hug went on for longer than he expected.
“You guys met before?” Yuri asked. “Yeah, I’m a second year. 048 lives in the workshop near the mansion. He’s a kind soul.” Jin patted 048 affectionately.
Sweat poured out of 048’s armor, even though it was metallic.
“What’s a second year doing outside the island? I thought there was supposed to be no student missions during the first year initiation.” Axel stepped in and asked her. “Council business, Axel. Can’t talk about it.” Master Hanshon spoke on her behalf.
“Council my ass.” Yuri was sure he heard Axel whispering.
Their little interaction was broken by the slow but loud noise of the metal suit making its way toward the group.
“On god Meara, Would you stop playing around? Get out of there” Axel said to the weird talking metal suit. The helmet of the suit burst open, releasing a lot of smoke. Inside the suit was a red-haired woman wearing glasses that were bigger than half of her face. She was wearing a tight violet and black uniform that was almost thick as armor.
“Still salty from your loss?” She asked mockingly.
“Are they…?” Yuri whispered to 048 and Stu. “Dating? God, I hope not.” 048 replied. The three of them decided to part from the group and check out the ship. He could still hear Axel and Meara quarreling in the background, which now sounded like a yelling fest. They decided to stop at the foot of the ship and faced the island ahead of them.
“Man, you guys were lucky to have Axel as your escort. He’s the coolest of his batch.” Tzu said to them. “How do you know?” 048 asked.
“Well, he was my brother's classmate. He always talked about Axel, like he was some sort of god.” Tzu started to laugh. “It’s just funny stuff. One time, Axel convinced the entire third year that there was a ghoul living in the dorms. He even had his friend hide under the false ceiling to spook them out.”
“That doesn’t sound like Axel at all. He was all responsible while escorting us. Man even stayed up the entire night so that we could get here on time.” Yuri said to him. He looked back to find Axel lost in a conversation with Meara and Hanshon.
“Well, he was at the top of his class, and he was the first to exorcize a full-fledged mendthonel as a second year. That’s a rare feat.”
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Yuri was impressed by Tzu’s knowledge about Valors, he even felt a bit left out at times. “He did exorcize a mendthonel on our way here. I'll tell you, That was something to see.” Yuri recollected the previous night and explained it to a very jealous Stu.
They got inside the deck of the ship and chatted for an hour before they were interrupted by the arrival of the final group. There were two first years among them, a girl wearing sunglasses and another taller girl with tied-back hair. Their escort was a middle-aged lady who wore red robes. She had her hair made into a bun with two noodle sticks in between. The sunglass girl stuck out his middle finger to them with a smug look on her face. Yuri returned the favor. He stuck out both his middle fingers and smirked at her.
“You know that girl?” They asked Yuri. “No, but you always gotta return it when it’s given to you,” Yuri replied without turning his gaze.
“Sounds fair,” said Tzu. Soon, the three of them were sticking out their middle fingers at the girl. The girl accompanying her gave them a confused glance.
Soon after Axel and the final escort shook hands, the two first years joined them on the deck. “Name’s Tatsuo Lin. Pleased to meet you.” He introduced himself to the group. She was significantly shorter and skinnier than them, even compared to the girl.
“What’s with the glasses?” Stu asked Tatsu.
“Oh, this?” She took them off and revealed a black eye. “I got into a fight with my friend. Guy thinks I’m not fit to start my initiation yet.” Tatsu laughed at her own story.
“Whoa, are you okay?” Yuri asked as he got closer to examine her eye. “ I’m good. You should’ve seen the other guy.” Tatsu replied.
“Why bother Tatsu? He was just looking out for you. Maybe you’re not fit enough..” The girl finally spoke but was immediately interrupted by Tatsu’s waving hand. “Just leave it, would you? I’ll be fine.” She said with a bit of aggression.
“I’m Yuri.” He said to the girl who was shrinking away from the group. “Hi. I’m Ada.” They shook hands. Much to Yuri’s dissatisfaction, they were interrupted by Axel.
“Get down,” Axel instructed. “But why? Aren’t we going to the island?” Stu asked him. “Yes, but we are not taking the ship. It’s tradition for the first years to use the bridge.”
They jumped down from the deck and started following Master Hanshon, who was now leading the group. The bridge was not very close. He slowly moved towards Ada, who was walking separately from the boys. Just when he was about to make contact, Axel gently threw his arms around his shoulder. “It’s your first day, kid. You’ll have plenty of time.” Axel advised with a weak smile. “But she is pretty,” Yuri replied. Axel burst into laughter.
Before he could slip away to meet her, Jin, the second year he met earlier,
approached her. His plans were foiled. “Damn man,” Yuri said.
“Listen, have you talked to girls before?” Axel asked. “What do you mean? Of course, I have.” Yuri replied. “Just not that way,” he added in shame.
“See? You have a lot to learn. Don’t just jump in blind. You gotta plan stuff out. If I wasn’t leaving for my next mission, I could’ve shown you. It’s a shame.” Axel said.
Yuri knew Axel was right. He was not great when it came to girls. He wanted to ask Axel about Meara, but he deemed that it was not the time. The long bridge that connected the northern woods to the island lay before them. The railings were metal but the floor was spruce wood. The floorboards creaked with every step. The frequent but calm blow of the sea breeze certainly smelled like a new beginning. It was fresh.
“That is where we are going to live for the next four years.” Stu pointed his hand towards a building that looked like a watch tower on the island, only it was shorter and wider.
“That’s our dorm?” Yuri asked. “Yes. First and second years live together. The second years must already be there, except for Jin.” Stu replied. “Yeah. What’s the deal with her?” Yuri asked him. “Aside from the fact that she’s a bit over the top, Jin’s harmless. If you’re talking about the council business, I am as clueless as you,” he replied.
048 walked over to them with Tatsu sitting on his neck.
“Hey,” Tatsu said to them. “What’re you doing up there?” Yuri asked with amusement. “Nothing much you know. It’s a better view.” Tatsu replied.
048 cleared his throat. “So, hey I’m heading to the clan huts after we get to the island. You won’t be seeing much of me, but come by sometimes. I’ll show you the stuff I’m working on.” 048 said with an extended fist. “I’ll take you up on that. You’re a cool dude, I’ll miss you, man.” Yuri bumped his fist.
The island looked like an extension of the northern woods, except that there were other establishments. He counted five buildings from the front. Judging from the information he got from Stu, four of them were dorms, two on the left and right each. In the center was a greater building that stood above all else. The buildings were antique, you could tell from the moss and creepers collected on its stone walls. There were large stone blocks, pillars, and trees with no heads spread out at random. He found the place hard to decipher.
The front yard of the building was busy with students fighting against each other. They were clashing axes with maces, swords with lances, and daggers with staffs. Blue, green, yellow, red, and all sorts of colors were thrown around with these exchanges. It reminded Yuri of when Axel fought Akuna with his blue glowy katana. Although, these colors weren’t half as bright as Axel’s.
“You guys!” Jin called out affectionately and ran to them with open arms. They halted the training, dropped their weapons, and welcomed her with hugs. It took them a minute before realizing the presence of the first years.
“There’s the final group. If I could have your attention, please follow me to the hallway” A lady welcomed them from their left with a goblet of black fire. She was taller than any of them present there. Her attire was similar to that of the last escort, with hair tied to a bun, and wore long robes, except they were black. She was much older than the escort, but there was a resemblance. Surrounding her were four Valors and three other first years.
“I should get going now.” 048 said as he turned to take his leave. “No. You have to come inside.” The lady ordered. “But, I have to-” 048 tried to explain but he was cut off by her. “No buts. Follow me.”
They followed her inside. The stained glass windows, dusty paintings, and wooden benches reminded him of a church. Contrary to the front yard, the interior was hushed and colder. They were all marked by a serious impression.
The students were asked to sit down on the front benches, The Valors all huddled around the room’s fireplace and whispered among themselves. Axel was caught in an argument with the lady with the goblet.
“He’s in trouble now, isn’t he?” Stu asked him. “Because of the Mendthonel? How bad can it be?” Yuri continued to observe Axel desperately trying to defend himself. “It’s bad. That’s the principal, Master Cora. She is the mediator between the council and the valors.” 048 said. Tatsu and Ada found their way to the discussion and settled themselves.
“That’s Cora? Oh man, I thought she was supposed to be sixty.” Tatsu joined in. “Master Cora. She doesn’t look her age but she is, without a doubt, the strongest Valor in this country. She’s a great woman.” 048 replied to the comment.
The Valors closed up their argument and decided to start the ceremony. Cora dropped her goblet into the fireplace. It turned blazing black instantly. Instead of heating the room, it made the atmosphere somehow colder. The aura gave him goosebumps all over his body. Yet, all his attention was placed on Cora, who took the stage.
“Good job on making it this far.” Cora started her presentation. “Usually, we end up with an accident or two before the ceremony. In previous years, enemy attacks on students have caused us great concern, much to the extent that installing escorts became the only option. So, I am glad to see all of you assembled here without a broken limb or two.” Cora paused and rested against the desk next to her.
“Very optimistic, I see,” Tatsu commented.
“However, you are not kids anymore. If you want to survive the life you have chosen, you have to be willing to adapt. Weakness is not an option. The journey ahead of you will not be easy, nor will it be painless. You will need to surpass yourself at every given moment.” She stopped and looked in their direction. “Nothing is fair in this path. No matter how talented you are, no matter how hard you train, it can be reduced to waste within a few decisive seconds. But those few decisive seconds make us who we are.” She took out a paper from the desk and held it close to her face.
“I am not trying to dampen your spirits. I am just preparing you for what is to come. This year, we have eight students who have joined us.”
“Eight? I counted seven.” Yuri whispered to Stu.
“I will be calling out names and you’ll have to come forward to affirm the fire of Aori.” She adjusted herself so that the fireplace became visible.
“The fireplace is called Aori?” Tatsu asked them. “No, the whole building is called Aori.” 048 started to explain. “The initiation ceremony is all about vowing our allegiance to the Valors and receiving the blessing from Aori.”
She began calling out names. “Ada Cri.”
She got up from the bench and nervously headed towards the fire. Her hands were visibly shaking. She stopped when she was near Cora and glanced at her. “Well, go on,” Cora advised. She started to move again. Ada bent down to the fireplace and dropped one of her arms into the fire.
“Why is she doing that?” Yuri asked him. “That’s how we affirm the fire. It is said to give us an insight into our distant future.” Stu replied.
It took a minute for Ada to return to the bench. After she was done, Cora called out the next name. “Stu Arwt.” He got us confidently and headed for the fire.
“He is an Arwt?” Tatsu asked Yuri. “What?” Yuri asked confusedly. “The Arwt family? His father is a big-name politician. He’s running for the next mayor.” Tatsu said. “Wait, seriously? How do you know all this?” 048 asked him. “What do you mean? It’s all over the newspaper.” Tatsu replied.
There was a sense of seriousness and sophistication shrouding Stu. The newfound information made sense to Yuri.
“Daro Yuri.” He was called upon next. He approached the fire with curiosity, excited to know what the future had in the hold. As he touched the black fire, he felt his body freeze. His mind was now somewhere else. Somewhere colder and darker.
All that he could see in this darkness was a silhouette of a man holding a sword, pointing its tip at someone’s neck. He moved closer to find that the man under the sword was him. His face was bloody and sweaty, with only a hint of life left in his eyes. He was desperately wiggling to get out of the man’s feet and to escape his sword. It was useless. The man lowered himself to meet Yuri’s bloody face. “Don’t you want to know who really killed your family?” He said to Yuri.
As he was about to scream, he was pulled back out. The illusion was over. He was back in the fireplace again, his hands still in the fire. He took it out and walked back to his seat, unsure of what he just witnessed. It didn’t make sense to him. “You look a little pale. What’d you see?” Stu asked. “I-uh I am not sure. I’ll tell you later.”
Before he could gather his thoughts and figure out what he saw, Cora announced the next name.
“048,” she called out. 048 stood up in disbelief, turning his head at Yuri and Stu questionably as if to ask them if they heard what he just heard. “No. No. You must be mistaken. I am not a student, Master Cora.” he tried to explain.
“She’s not mistaken, 048” A rough voice entered the hall, his metal footsteps echoing throughout the walls.
“Is that another Sizaxian?” Yuri asked them. “Not just any Sizaxian. That is the chief of the forger clan.” Stu replied. He was a foot taller than 048 and a sea wider than him. The color of his metal armor was also different. It had a tinted yellow layer to it.
“ The decision was made well before you were set off with the escort. By my orders, You will be studying the Gia arts under Master Cora’s supervision.” The chief Sizaxian declared.
“I don’t know chief, the other clans will not see this lightly. Are you sure now is the time? There hasn’t been a Sizaxian valor in almost five decades.” 048 spoke out.
“The time has come. You just worry about yourself, 048. Our clan will worry about the preparations.” The chief said in finality.
Cora coughed after a few seconds of profound silence. “Move it along,” she said.
In the end, 048 made contact with the fire and returned to his bench with a wary look on his face, well, his eyes that stuck out through the helmet. He refused to answer any of his friends' questions. He sat in silence, looking extremely disturbed.
“You saw something in the fire too. Didn’t you?” Yuri asked. 048 looked at him but never replied.